《Curse of the Drakku: Origins》Chapter 18
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Avess closed his eyes and listened to his heart beating. He breathed slow, trying to gain control of his nerves. The tribunal had turned out to be worse than he imagined. Ildor tried to sway the conversation their way, but the Kull would have none of it. The other Magus present seemed to be on his side, but Ornas continued to press the issue, paying no heed to their thoughts.
Now in the great hall awaiting their return, he contemplated what was to come.
The first thought was to change into a dragon and flee, but what would that accomplish? If he did so, it would only strengthen Ornas’s case and give those agitating Magus the means to push the rest of the Order against the Drakku. As easy as it would be to do so, he couldn’t. It would destroy all he tried to hold together.
If he remained as he was, the Kull and his allies could injure him and prevent him from changing for quite some time. It was risky, but it was worth it if he were to earn their trust and secure the alliance between the Drakku and the Order. No matter what happened, he would not be the reason for its collapse.
More than once he thought about his daughter Etain. If something happened to him, would she be ready to lead the Drakku? He’d been grooming her for such a moment. The Onyx Lords would certainly try and stake their claim, probably even using his failure as a reason she shouldn’t be elevated to the position, but he trusted her. She had to be strong enough, and strong willed enough, to see it through. She had plenty of allies and the Drakku weren’t much for sudden changes. They’d eventually see the necessity of backing her. They had to.
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He thought about his dear wife, and how she might have handled the situation instead. Her emotions often got the best of her, though in the end she was almost always right in her assessment of the problem. The guidance she offered carried him through many conflicts. Her insight now would have been invaluable.
Above all, he had to do what was right for the Drakku. They trusted him to lead them and he never wanted to break that trust. It was the reason he was here in the first place. The Magus needed to know about the gray-souls and the missing people of Nighthill, but they quickly turned the tide and blamed him for failing to control the Drakku, as though they were the ones behind the missing villagers.
The Drakku. It was all for the Drakku. They were a proud race with a tendency to be stubborn, but they were loyal to the end. He respected that, and hoped what he was now in the middle of would one day benefit them and preserve the alliance with the Order.
Loud footsteps broke his concentration and he noticed Ildor being escorted down a hallway by two guards dressed in black.
“Get your hands off me! I know how to walk.”
“This way Magus Ildor,” one of the guards replied, shoving his arm forward. Ildor glanced back at Avess, and was pushed back by the guard.
Ildor struggled to maintain eye contact as though trying to tell Avess something, but they forced him away, turning down another hallway where he lost sight of him. It didn’t bode well that he was taken from the proceedings. He must have gone against whatever Ornas had planned. His most loyal and vocal ally, now gone.
Again Avess considered changing into a dragon. The air of danger grew heavy and unmistakable. But he couldn’t. It would not help the cause and would damage the proceedings.
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Avess stiffened his back and tried to bring his heart rate down again. Anger bubbling up under his skin was threatening to break loose and he had to control it no matter what. The Drakku needed him. It was his duty to protect them at all costs.
The room fell eerily silent as the minutes passed. Hardly anyone left, all of them seeming to want to know how this was going to play out. He’d not give them the luxury of seeing his anger. He had to remain calm. It was the only way to diffuse the Kull Naga.
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Piper
"It was one thing to find a harbor in a storm, and a complete other to expect that harbor to be safe." Piper Hayes has made it through three years of college at the University of Rhode Island basically unscathed - until the day her best friend, Molly, disappears from a job meant for Piper. Distraught, Piper lets herself fall into the company of a basically-unknown acquaintance, the impressive and charming Bash Rivera. Turns out, Molly's situation is the least of Piper's worries, and Bash doesn't quite manage to keep up his suave and sophisticated facade when events turn difficult. Mostly because, while he is trying to save her life, she spends all of her time afraid of him. Once Piper realizes her real enemy, she might find herself alone in her fight. If she manages to survive, just maybe she can graduate on time; more importantly, maybe she won't have driven away the one person who cares about her the way she cares about everyone else. IF YOU LIKE PIPER, READ THE OTHER FINISHED BOOKS IN THE EPIPHANIES SERIES: MARISSA AND AYLEE. OR COME READ THE COUNTERSIGN SERIES: NIGHTENGALE, [email protected], AND ALTAR EGO. PLEASE REVIEW - I VALUE YOUR INPUT!
8 73Journey of a Skeleton (undergoing rewrite on different account)
Alderon is a self-proclaimed genius skeleton, summoned from the first layer of the underworld by a mighty lich who seeks to destroy the world because of a broken engagement. Happy to finally serve a worthy master, Alderon is expectant to brilliantly perform his duties. However, due to various circumstances, he finds himself sent away to a castle in the eternal wastelands to serve one of the mighty lich's disciple's disciple. And to add on that, the skeleton also discovers himself having received a strange ability that causes blue boxes to appear from repetitive actions!
8 221My cheat skill sucks
you found emus novel. it sucks
8 174Aerial
When her islands are attacked and her people killed by the ruthless faction of Vardra, Sefarina Wavegrey joins the crew of an aerial warship fighting for their enemy faction, Linaria. Having never left her sheltered islands, Sefarina finds herself suddenly thrust into a world she has never seen before with races and creatures that she never knew existed. But with her need for revenge driving her into perilous situations, how long can she possibly survive?
8 183Fallen
Hundreds of years ago, the servant god Elsyn declared that they would destroy humanity entirely, explaining it as their duty as humanity’s peacekeeper. When the gods saw it fit to send someone to oppose the fallen servant, Iztris—the gods’ own servant and follower—visits Cheryn. Iztris requests the aid of Alyson and Jacob, the oldest two heirs of Cheryn and the only ones given the gods’ offer of the ‘assurance of victory,’ and the heirs agree. There will come a time when humanity does fall—but none of them would allow that to happen by the hands of a being just as flawed as mortals. I recommend reading the story by volume, instead of by the order the chapters were posted. This story was beta read by Mad Sadie. Many thanks! Please note that some characters use different pronouns depending on the chapter’s view and the speaker. Iztris, for example, is referred to with neutral pronouns by Elsyn (in most cases) and themself, and after being introduced as such they are referred to with male pronouns by Alyson and Jacob.
8 90The Merchant of the Golden Triangle
(This is a complete rewrite of The Wandering Merchant, which is discontinued.) A world governed by a never-ending Narrative, with each person with a Role to play and progress through Levels that beget Feats from their deeds. Throughout time immemorial, these had provided the means to build great civilizations, legendary exploits, and even opposing Gods, championed by great men and women throughout history that spans millennia and the forgotten beyond. This is one of its stories. A young [Trader] of his family-owned company with above-average wealth and influence left the continent of Libertalia behind because of great danger and competition from the many companies that rule its city-states. Armed with the knowledge that he had gained from his father's vault after the tragedy of losing him, he sets sail to the Golden Triangle of the world with his ambition to one day attain wealth and influence in Yhril, the Human Continent, to challenge the people that had wronged him.
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