CONTENTS
Oriceran
Dedication
Legal
Oriceran US Map
Oriceran Map
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Epilogue
Author Notes - AL Knorr
Author Notes - Martha Carr
Publisher Notes - Michael Anderle
Social Links
Series AL Knorr
Series Martha Carr
Series List LMBPN
Transcendent
The Kacy Chronicles Book 4
By A.L. Knorr and Martha Carr
A part of
The Revelations of Oriceran Universe
Written and Created
by Michael Anderle & Martha Carr
The Oriceran Universe
(and what happens within / characters / situations / worlds) are
Copyright (c) 2017-2018 by Martha Carr and LMPBN Publishing.
DEDICATION
From A.L. Knorr
For anyone who ever wished they could fly.
From Martha
To everyone who still believes in magic and all the possibilities that holds.
To all the readers who make this entire ride so much fun.
And to all the dreamers just like me who create wonder, big and small, every day.
Transcendent Team
JIT Beta Readers
Daniel Weigert
Micky Cocker
Sarah Weir
James Caplan
Joshua Ahles
John Ashmore
Kim Boyer
Tim Bischoff
Larry Omans
Paul Westman
Nicola Aquino
If we missed anyone, please let us know!
TRANSCENDENT (this book) is a work of fiction.
All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Sometimes both.
This book Copyright © 2018 A.L. Knorr and Martha Carr
Cover copyright © LMBPN Publishing
LMBPN Publishing supports the right to free expression and the value of copyright. The purpose of copyright is to encourage writers and artists to produce the creative works that enrich our culture.
The distribution of this book without permission is a theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like permission to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), please contact [email protected]. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.
LMBPN Publishing
PMB 196, 2540 South Maryland Pkwy
Las Vegas, NV 89109
First US edition, March 2018
The Oriceran Universe (and what happens within / characters / situations / worlds) are Copyright (c) 2017-18 by Martha Carr and LMBPN Publishing.
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CHAPTER ONE
Jordan and Sol stood upon the apartment’s terrace, watching the tower shadows stretch long fingers over the landscape of Upper Rodania. Sol's arm was looped under Jordan's wings and around her waist. She leaned into his warmth as the late afternoon breeze tugged at her hair. A thin layer of fluffy cloud hung low over the roofs and peaks of the Rodanian towers and palaces. There were patches of blackened ruins where dragonfire had scorched buildings, and timbers and beams jutted from wreckage like broken ribs. It was going to take some time to restore Rodania to its pre-harpy glory.
The peace of the scene before them masked a profound unrest among the citizens. No one knew if or when there might be another harpy attack.
The apartment had been cleaned, and the extra mattresses removed from the bedroom and taken to the ground floor apartment they'd rented as temporary lodging for Eohne and Allan. But there were still missing and broken tiles on the terrace, cracked and broken countertops in the kitchen, and gouges criss-crossing the hardwood floor from sharp harpy talons.
Sol pressed his lips to Jordan's temple and gazed down at her. "Do you think Eohne and your dad will be happier down there? You haven’t just been saying that to make me feel better?"
Jordan nodded. "They’ll be happier in their own space and it’ll be a lot easier for them to get around, too.” A frown tugged at the corners of her mouth. “I wonder what Eohne's plans are, now that my dad is back to normal. I assume she'll be heading back to Charra-Rae one of these days."
Sol made a noncommittal sound in the back of his throat. He didn't like the idea of losing their Elven friend, either. Eohne had become so much a part of their lives, she would leave a gaping hole if she went back to her forest home.
"Look." Sol squeezed Jordan and jutted his chin toward the cloud cover in the east.
A huge shadow darkened the sky, and the clouds disintegrated as the colossal red dragon materialized over Upper Rodania. Her nearly incomprehensible wingspan blocked out the early evening light, casting a long, dark shape over the hills and villages. As she approached, she seemed to grow until she filled half the sky. The red scales of her belly were the color of dried blood. Her wings beat slowly, gracefully, almost lazily, even as her body appeared impossibly light for all its bulk and sinew.
Jordan's heart beat faster as they watched the she-dragon make one of her rare appearances in the skies over Rodania. Views of her had been few since the harpy battle, and Jordan had often wondered if the creature had left Rodania for good. Blue had come to visit every few days, never staying long and always winging away to the west. Jordan figured the dragons had to be living somewhere north of Maticaw, where the wilderness could sustain them.
Jordan briefly tore her eyes away from the dragon to skim the scene below, where the skies had emptied of Strix. Everyone who had been traveling landed to watch with upturned faces. All movement had ceased, save for the dragon’s. Her body tilted as she descended.
"They won't be kicking her or Blue out anytime soon," Sol said quietly into Jordan's ear.
"Like they could even if they wanted to." She felt Sol nod in agreement beside her.
"I heard the Council has already changed the law against dragons." Sol chuckled. "No one ever expected one of the most dangerous predators of Oriceran to become Rodania's savior."
They watched as the red dragon set her enormous clawed feet on the rounded mounds of grass of a vast park. Behind her, a tall ragged overhang of granite framed her shape and made a striking visual. The heavy head swung and the jaws opened as she turned to look up and back over her shoulder. Her white fangs glinted as she released a long roar, her ribs contracting. The thunderous sound filled the sky and seemed to shake the foundations of the buildings. There was an answering roar, and Blue banked aro
und their tower and drifted lazily toward his mate. He landed in the grass in a much clumsier manner and ambled up to her with his nose low to the ground. Blue had not ceased to grow, now larger than a transport truck, but next to his mate, he still seemed like a hatchling. The two dragons greeted one another. Blue lifted his head and seemed to look right at Jordan and Sol. His jaw clicked rapidly, his teeth rattling off a series of quick snaps followed by a snort.
"I think that was an invitation." Jordan patted Sol on the forearm. "Shall we go down?"
"Think she'd let us approach her?" Sol stared at the red reptile with uncertainty.
"Only one way to find out." Jordan grinned. "I've been wanting to thank her. How about you?"
Sol nodded, and the two Arpaks leapt from the tower in a dive. They let themselves drift slowly toward the waiting reptiles, giving them plenty of warning that visitors were coming. Landing in the grass not far away, Jordan and Sol closed their wings and walked slowly. Both sets of reptilian eyes locked on them, watching benignly as they crossed the field.
Blue let off a whistle in the back of his throat and ambled to meet Jordan, shoving his snout into her palm.
"Hi, buddy. It's been a while." She stroked the scales along his neck. "Think you could introduce us to your girlfriend? We don't really fancy being barbecued, so if you could put in a kind word, it would be appreciated."
Beyond Blue, almost as if in answer, the red dragon lowered her belly to the grass and relaxed. The arch of her spine flattened, and her sinewy tail lay still. Her broad face tilted to the side, and she watched them through an eye the size of a tractor tire.
Blue wandered to the shallow cave created by the rock arching up behind his mate. He snuffed around in the shrubs and dirt, seemingly oblivious to the nerve-wracking introduction going on behind him.
Slowly, the Arpaks approached, as the enormous reptile watched them come with her steady, unblinking gaze. Jordan's heart rate doubled and her breath hitched with awe. It was impossible to tear her eyes away from the red beast's terrible beauty. So similar to Blue in shape and design, but where Blue was dog-like in his good-natured way, she was as smooth and elegant as a big cat. Her movements, heavy with bulk and muscle, cloaked an awful power.
Jordan's eyes skimmed the smooth, diamond-shaped scales, the way they glittered with an opalescent sheen in the diffused light. The red of her snout was a bright, fire-engine shade, which shifted to a blood-red along her neck, then to mottled and mixed shades of maroon, brick, and scarlet over the rest of her massive body.
Jordan heard Sol let out a long, awe-laced sigh. "Aren't you a beauty," he said under his breath.
Two elegant black horns, not unlike the curved spikes that topped the female harpies they'd fought mere weeks before, crowned the dragon's head. A row of bony spikes linked together by a membrane lay flat and folded like an accordion against her neck. Those spikes had stood erect during battle, jutting straight up from her spine as she'd exhaled fiery death.
The vertical slashes of her eyes shifted between Jordan and Sol, her pupils narrowing as she focused on them. She lowered her snout slowly, as Jordan approached first, with her hand out.
Respectfully, Jordan lay her hand against the cool scales. Heart thudding like a drum, she watched the nostrils flare, smelling her. Sol stood back, watching with some reticence. He didn't think it would be possible to fully relax in the presence of such an immense and dangerous animal.
"Thank you," said Jordan to the dragon, her palm resting against the reptile's nose.
The red dragon's eyes shifted a fraction, and a hot breath issued from her nostrils.
"You know what we have to call her, right?"
Jordan glanced over her shoulder at Sol, a crooked grin on her face. "Yeah."
"Red," the two Arpaks said at once.
Jordan laughed and turned back to the dragon. "That okay with you, Mrs.?"
A long clicking growl ending on a sigh emitted from the dragon's throat.
"Does that mean yes?" Sol stepped a little closer.
"No idea, but I think it's going to stick whether she likes it or not. I can't imagine calling her anything else."
Sol was gazing past the dragon and the borders of the park. "We've got quite an audience."
Jordan looked up to see the distant shapes of Strix watching from terraces in the towers of Upper Rodania. "She's not something you see every day."
"Especially here," Sol added. "With the exception of miniatures, Rodania has always been a strict no-dragon zone."
A thought caught at Jordan's mind, and she frowned. She let her hand drop and stepped back from Red. "The border magic is still functional, right?"
"That's right," Sol nodded. "It's only harpies that seem to have breached the magic barrier." Then he frowned too as he realized what Jordan was driving at. His lips parted in wonderment. "Oh," he breathed. His eyes drifted from Jordan to Red. "Why didn't we think of it earlier?"
"I'm sure someone has asked the question," replied Jordan. "We've just been so busy cleaning up after the battle and setting Rodania to rights that we haven't had time to consider it. And no one wants the dragons to leave us exposed, in case the harpies rally and return, so they're not pressing the point." Jordan chewed her lip. "If it’s only harpies that have broken through, and the border magic is still functional for everyone else…"
Sol stepped forward and finally set a hand on Red's nose, finishing Jordan's thought. "Then how did you get through?"
***
Even after Jordan and Sol returned home, Red and Blue hung out in the park. They lay in the grass, soaking up the last of the sun with their eyes closed, sometimes sprawling on their sides with their necks stretched out like a couple of overgrown dogs.
From time to time, Jordan and Sol would peer out of the terrace to see if the dragons were still there. The Strix of the surrounding area had gone on with their lives, but would return every so often to watch the reptiles loll about in their park.
Word spread that the dragons were on Upper Rodania, and Strix who had the afternoon off made the journey from the other two islands to have a look.
When it reached Toth's ears, he cut his meeting with Balroc short to wing his way across Upper Rodania in hopes of catching a glimpse of the dragons before they took off again. The Nycht found them lounging on the grass not far from Sol's apartment tower.
Blue raised his head from the ground as the Nycht landed closer than any Strix had dared since Jordan and Sol had left. Toth approached on foot, hands relaxed at his sides, his dewclaws pointing down in a nonthreatening position.
"Remember me?" Toth asked, as Blue rolled over onto his belly.
Blue lifted his snout and gave three sharp throaty cries into the sky, making Toth blink with surprise, and pause before moving forward again.
"What was that for? Don't like being disturbed on your honeymoon?" Toth reached Blue and lay a hand on his neck.
Blue's jaws clicked together, and the dragon got to his feet in one quick movement. He turned his back on Toth and disappeared into the cave behind the red dragon, who was still laying on her side.
Unafraid but moving with a deferential respect, Toth moved toward the red's snout. She swung it in the grass toward him in an oddly playful manner. Toth crouched to look at her but did not touch her. The red dragon would forever be tied to that fateful battle in Toth's memory; the day Rodania was nearly destroyed under a crush of harpy onslaught, and the day he lost a brother.
A sudden wash of grief cut through him so cruelly it took his breath away. Toth's eyes squeezed shut, and he swallowed. When he opened his eyes, they were misty and red-rimmed.
Caje.
How many nights since the battle had he woken with a start, and the image of Caje plummeting toward that stone tower with his fist down the throat of a devil-bird?
"Don't get me wrong," the Nycht said to the reptile, his voice hoarse and nearly inaudible. "I'm grateful."
The huge red eyes blinked slowly shut and open again.
>
"But you couldn't have come just ten minutes sooner?" Toth's voice closed up on the last word and he let his head hang for a moment. Some days, it seemed too heavy to lift, his body too heavy to drag from his bed to face the day.
Had the Nycht brothers made the right call accepting Balroc's deal? It had cost Caje his life, and the loss was tearing Toth apart. The vote had yet to be decided, so it was too early to say. Toth's jaw clenched so hard he could hear his teeth grinding. If Caje's loss was in vain…
It was too horrific to consider. Winning the vote for the Nychts was Toth's priority. Only when that was done could he fly far away from the eyes of his soldiers and the rest of his family, and mourn properly. Only then could he let himself fall to pieces.
Until then, his soul was tethered together by fraying cords.
The soft sound of claws on grass made Toth look up. Blue made a reappearance, approaching the Nycht with his head down. Something large and pale was clutched in the dragon's jaws, cradled behind his sharp white teeth.
"What have you got there?"
Blue stopped at Toth's side and lowered his snout to the earth, opening his jaw wide, with effort.
A dove-gray egg, mottled with black speckles, rolled onto the grass with a dull cracking sound. It was the size of a human ribcage and had fissures threading across it like forks of lightning. Toth covered his nose at the smell of death and decay that drifted up from the rotten egg.
"You shouldn't have," Toth said with a half-smile at the dragon's disgusting offering.
He toed the egg away as he stood, knees popping. He assumed perhaps the red female had lain a dud, though why Blue was presenting it to Toth was a mystery.
Then the egg rolled over, revealing a much larger crack in the shell. Toth dropped his hand in dismay as the egg's contents became visible.
It was not a dragon's egg.
"Where did you get that?" Toth asked Blue, who had settled back and was looking up at the Nycht with expectation, his head cocked.
Toth fought down a wave of nausea and tore his eyes from the dead chick of his enemy, the offspring of his brother's killer. The scabby head and beak were unmistakeable, already crimson in color and screaming the harpy's gender. The lifeless eye was partially open and seemed to stare at the Nycht, mocking his pain.
Transcendent: The Revelations of Oriceran (The Kacy Chronicles Book 4) Page 1