City of Life

 
Life and Light
“It’s time to show you the city,” says Mayla.

I hear the sound of crashing waves as an image fills the room: a small barren island, surrounded by sharp reefs.

“What do you see?” asks Mayla.

“The island that the city rests on,” answers Berek, “empty, as we saw it from the air.”

“Correct.”
“The wall’s energy distorts the size of the island, and hides the city, until you come within a hundred feet of it.”

“Not long after the war, a few Jiku tried to find the city.”
“When they approached the island, there was … Read more

Opening

 
The Call
Balshown and Makish are quiet as we prepare for our journey to the city.
Like me, they are full of their own thoughts.

We are outsiders, powerful energy masters full of a hunger to shape the future.
Our hunger and strength set us apart from other Jiku, even the guilds, and bind us together.

Sometimes they treat me as a friend, and sometimes they treat me as a child.
Each of them is possessive and protective of me, and wary of the other.

My thoughts are broken by the urgency of the moment.
Now is a good … Read more

Fears and Legends

Fear and Exile
The air is filled with sound today, a strange hum.
I mention it to Shazira when she wakes, but she hears nothing.
The sound waits in the background during the greeting.
Then it follows me around the Watchtower as I get ready for the day.
It’s a pleasant companion, not dark or grim, but so far, only for my ears.

I tell Balshown about it when I reach his house.
We sit.
He closes his eyes and listens intently.

“I hear nothing,Yagrin, but I see a strange pattern of energy pulsing around you.”
“Drifting through your energy … Read more