Since this Sunday is Father’s Day, I thought this week’s post would be about how Pan’s decision influenced the way in which his children’s magic worked. And that decision is when Iselda offers him to hold Nikki or Shade first. By his choosing Nikki, Pan created a bond between himself and his daughter (and by extension between his wife and son) that would last until his death. When the four of them first discuss Shade and Nikki’s powers at the end of the second third of the book, the twins mention that Shade has a stronger connection to his mother while Nikki has a stronger one to her father. And that is the direct effect of Pan’s decision to hold Nikki before Shade on the day they were born. Another way this decision influences the magic of the twins is by the strength of its influence. While it might not be directly stated in the book (I’d have to double check, but don’t have the time right now), Nikki’s power is able to read a greater number of people, whereas Shade affects people more strongly with his power.
Some More Secrets
Here’s some more secrets from the world of Bolfodier, including characters, locations and events mentioned in The Kanta Chronicles.
Though it is regarded as one of the five Romantic Wonders of Bolfodier, Lullaby Falls has a dark past. At the start of time, it was simply a stream that passed through Wealtez into Metalia; but when the man who ripped out Nina’s heart with a gold dagger stumbled upon it and tried to wash the dried blood on his hands in the waters, he unleashed the wrath of Lilith, Hados and Korena. The earth ripped and the waters rushed into their current condition, creating the waterfall and scaring the man away. But after Korena had killed him, she returned to the falls and washed his blood off her hands. As the blood mixed with the water, the harshness with which the water fell stilled until it became the peaceful falls it is today. The red and pink the water turns is not a trick of the light, but the blood of Nina and her killer and the love the god and goddesses of Bolfodier had for Nina.
The time of the Taint was a great source of loss to the world of Bolfodier. Not only did many creatures of magic die (some becoming extinct), but also a great many people gifted with magic, lost this gift. Magic was nearly drained from the world, leaving only a select few with the gift of magic. But the source of what caused this catastrophe is hidden to even the most knowledgeable on the subject. It actually was the hero who sacrificed himself to fix the Taint. When he was just a boy he came across the Cave of Hagan. The Cave of Hagan is a legendary place, similar to the Temple of the Goddess, which was said to have naturally forming restrained magic. And it was two of these that the boy accidentally activated; one that turned the earth into a giant chunk of quillum, and one that froze him in time for nearly half the time of the Taint. Upon his release from the time stop and realizing what he had done, the boy dedicated his life to trying to figure out how he could fix it. It took him about twenty-five years, but he was able to undo all that he could.
Though it is not even hinted at in the book, Pan has a middle name. Besides Pan himself, there is only one person who even knows that he has a middle name, his best friend Shade. His middle name is Griff, and had Shade and Marina’s child been a boy that would have been his name.
My Favourite Characters
Since yesterday was my birthday, and I didn’t post anything last week, I’m going to take the opportunity to talk about my favourite characters and give you all a small glimpse inside the brighter side of my mind.
My first favourite character is Jazabel. Born randomly from my discovery of the band NIghtwish from a photo on YouTube of a song of theirs, Jazabel is probably my favourite character that I’ve ever created-if not, she’s on the top three. She’s beautiful, loving and one of the most powerful Ladies of the Night ever born. She’s aware of the balance that needs to be maintained in the world (between Light and Dark) and tries to keep it through all of her actions. Her fate is one that I wish I could take back, but I know the story needs it as a ‘inciting incident’ to the climax of the book. But it is through Jazabel that I explored the lines that separate good and evil, the depths of relationships one can experience and the powers of magics that aren’t from Hados, Korena or Lilith in Bolfodier. Jazabel was a truly unique individual within a story with a goddess in disguise, the most beautiful woman in existence, and people who love their best friends more than their wives. And it’s for these reasons and so many others that Jazabel Nyx is my favourite character.
Another one of my favourite characters is Korena. And my reasoning for this is more superficial than with Jazabel. Korena is first introduced, at least in the book, during the first conversation between Kailee and Iselda. She’s not mentioned by name, but she’s there. But her real introduction is the start of the second part of the book. And one of the reasons that Korena is one of my favourite characters is her true form. Obviously she’s beautiful, but the truly unique part of her beauty (at least for me) is her hair and eyes. Her eyes don’t have a set colour as it’s always changing, never staying one colour for more than a few seconds. Her hair is a beautiful blend of every colour of hair: red, blonde, brown, black, purple, white and every combination of these as they mix together. Korena also has one of my favourite line in the entire book, and whenever I reread it I’m always looking forward to the scene in which she says it.
And to close off, one of my favourite male characters: Shade Kanta. Shade is pure wish fulfillment on my part. He’s the person I wish I could be; being nearly perfect, loved by all who know him, and in the most stable and eternal of relationships. You often hear about writers making their characters like themselves or people they know, and I certainly did that with Pan; him being more like me as a person, whereas Shade is my dream self. There are few characters that I took inspiration from real people in the book, but there are one or two.
I hope you enjoyed this look at some of my favourite characters. Let me know who some of your favourite characters are and why in the comments. Also just to let you know, the book is just about finished, all that’s left to do is printing and spreading the word to everyone so they can hear about this great story and world I’ve crafted.
Updates & Previews to Other Works
So I’d like to take this time to give you all an update in the publishing process. I’ve sent in the final interior layout of the book, making sure everything is spelled correctly and there aren’t any repeated passages and the like. So hopefully, now that I’ve paid the last of the bill, the marketing of the book is all that is really left. Now, many of you have asked when I thought the book would be out and I had said around the start of June of this year; unfortunately, I think that may have to be pushed back a little. To be on the safe side I’m going to say that it will be out by Halloween, but I don’t think you will have to wait all that long. But now that I’m about to enter the true marketing portion of this launch, I’m asking once again for your help in spreading the word. Facebook, Twitter, blogs, and even Tinder are all great ways to spread the word about The Kanta Chronicles. I know you all have done so much for me already, but I promise you I’ve already given you the truest heartfelt Thank You I can give at the start of the book.
But to show you how much I appreciate the support, here’s a brief synopsis of my next work taking place in Bolfodier and a snippet from my currently on hiatus story Lucifer & Lilith: Love Leads To Sin. And to anyone who is anxiously awaiting the conclusion to L&L, I truly apologize but hope to start posting chapters soon.
Hundreds of years after the events of The Kanta Chronicles, seven chosen by destiny to be the embodiment of the elements come together to repair the damage done to the world during the time of the Taint and birth a new generation of dragons into the world.
As Lilith walked out of the earthly palace and out onto the field that surrounded it, she heard Daciana run up to her. Stopping to let the large wolf catch up to her, Lilith looked to the sky and gazed upon Artiluna, remembering the promise of Nyx’s return. She stood standing there, gazing at the celestial body that had once been the pedestal where she was given life, until Daciana’s insistent nudging at her breast became too much to ignore. Turning her attention back to her beloved daughter, Lilith gave her a small smile. “I’m sorry, sweetheart,” she said as she climbed upon the wolf’s back. “Let’s go home,” she whispered into her ear while giving it a light scratch. Daciana leaned into Lilith’s scratching hand for a brief moment before taking off towards their sanctuary.
Once they were within the clearing, Lilith dismounted Daciana and walked to the centre where her pedestal had stood only a day before. Kneeling down as she had done for the past year, Lilith brought her hands up before her chest and pressed her fingers and palms together as she began to pray. “O Heavenly Father, I wish to thank You for bringing Lucifer back to me in good health. You know how worried I’ve been about him this past year, and to see him again was the fulfilment of my greatest wish.”
Lifting her chin in search of something that she could never see, she brought her hands to her breast, her heart. “And now, my love, I pray to you. Forgive me, for I know I broke our heart when I did not say that I love you before I left yesterday. I have no excuse and can only hope that you remembered my love only belongs to you now. And that I need you with me always, but know that is something that can never happen. I love you, Lucifer and you alone.” And like she had done for the past year, Lilith stood and drew her right pointer and middle fingers across her lips and flicked them to the sky, as if she was throwing her prayers up to Heaven.
Turning in search of Daciana, Lilith found the wolf a few feet behind her. Falling back to her knees, Lilith opened up her arms in a silent plea for her daughter to come to her. Understanding her mother’s plight, Daciana calmly walked to Lilith before sitting at her knees. Lilith immediately threw her arms around the great wolf’s neck, as she started to cry like she hadn’t cried since she found out that Lucifer had been hurt.
For hours and hours she cried. Tears of joy that Lucifer had finally awoken and confessed himself to her, and the day they’d spent together yesterday. Tears of pain that she hadn’t said that she loved him one last time. Tears of confusion at why she felt twinges of guilt at betraying Adam like she and Lucifer had. And finally, tears for the sake of tears to purge out all the negativity she felt within herself. When she felt that she had no more tears to cry, she pulled away from Daciana and noticed that the fur at her neck was so wet that it looked like she’d gone swimming.
Standing up, emanating loud cracks from her stiff knees as they were stretched, Lilith kissed the spot between Daciana’s eyes that was slightly caved in. Scratching behind both ears, Lilith smiled down at the wolf. “I’m sorry for soaking your neck, Daciana. But I’m thankful you’re always there for me, darling. I love you,” she said sincerely as she gazed deep into the grey eyes of the wolf. When Daciana jumped up onto her hind legs and placed her front paws upon Lilith’s shoulders, Lilith nearly collapsed under her weight. But when she started to lick Lilith’s face, all Lilith could do was laugh gaily. And then the next thing she knew, the two of them were wrestling in the grass like they had done when Daciana was a pup.
Lilith felt her heart lighten at the joy of play wrestling with Daciana, who she could tell was using a fraction of her strength so as not to hurt her mother. Around and around they rolled, as Lilith laughed and tried to keep the large wolf beneath her but to no avail. How she had missed this simple joy of playing with her pup.
But when Daciana tensed atop of her and started to growl deep in her throat, Lilith knew that her fun was over. Wondering who was disturbing her solitude, she looked around as best she could beneath the great wolf, worrying that Adam had come to fetch her. But it wasn’t her Lord Husband she saw at the clearing’s centre.
It was Nyx. And she wasn’t alone, for at her side was another angel as black as she was. But this other angel was male and strong; his arms were as wide as Lilith’s body each, and he was nearly half again her height. His wings were like a bat’s, with a thick, sharp claw at the top. His eyes had no irises and were the deepest black she’d ever seen. The sight of this second dark angel sent a shiver up Lilith’s spine.
Getting up off of her, Daciana began to growl more openly towards the two angels. But then the male began to gurgle and grunt just as Nyx had the day before. And suddenly, to Lilith’s great surprise, Daciana seemed to bow down to the two angels, if not a little grudgingly. Lilith had never seen the wolf bow to anyone, not even her.
Jumping up, Lilith ran to her daughter and tried to get her to rise back up, but nothing seemed to work. Rounding back on Nyx and her companion, and drawing upon herself the air of authority she’d tapped into yesterday, Lilith began her rant. “Nyx, you will tell your companion to release Daciana from his control at once! Let my daughter go! NOW! Is this how you treat your Mistress, Nyx?”
Bowing her head shamefully, Nyx turned to the other angel and spoke in that same language he’d spoken. After what appeared to be a plea from Nyx to do as she was asking, the other angel relented. And with a grunted gurgle, Daciana straightened up and began to growl in her throat quietly. But when Lilith petted her head lightly and cooed to her, the wolf stopped.
“Who is this Nyx, and why is he here?” she demanded of the dark angel.
“This, Mistress, is Tartarus, the ruler of the Pit, and my father. And he is here to help me in the task Master set me. To create a part of the day that honours your beauty, to bring the night,” she said in a meek voice, but with a bold look on her face.
Startled by the revelation of Nyx’s relation to this other angel and who he was, Lilith bowed her head. “It’s an honour to meet you Tartarus, and I appreciate the help you’ve come to give.” This Tartarus certainly looked like a ruler, one Lilith didn’t want to get on the bad side of. Especially when Lucifer was not here to protect her. “Is there anything you need my help with, or am I free to go distract my Lord Husband from noticing what you’re about to do?”
Nyx turned to her father and spoke to him in their own tongue. But rather than give a response to the question, Tartarus pulled a blacker-than-black crystal from the pouch on his hip. With the clawed tip of one of his bat-like wings, he pulled down the top of Nyx’s dress, revealing her breasts. While Nyx seemed unfazed by this, Lilith blushed at the sight of the angel’s breasts, but couldn’t help comparing them to her own.
Next, Nyx lied down flat on her back as her father crushed the crystal in his hand and began to sprinkle the dust upon her nipples. Once every last particle was on Nyx’s chest, Tartarus grabbed, none too gently, Lilith’s hand and with one of his long fingernails, cut her palm open. Lilith cried out in pain, but the two angels ignored her. Turning her palm over, Tartarus let her blood drip onto Nyx’s breasts until all the crystal particles were coated in the red liquid.
Releasing Lilith’s hand, Tartarus spoke softly to Nyx. Angered by his treatment of her, Lilith gazed upon him with a burning hatred that she didn’t know she was capable of feeling. She was about to lunge at the dark angel when Nyx’s voice stopped her. “Mistress, please, my father begs your forgiveness and says that all will be explained once you’ve licked my breasts clean.” Lilith looked to the dark angel on the ground as if she had just said the sky was green, not blue. “It’s to help with the ritual we must perform,” Nyx added seeing Lilith’s reaction to her previous statement.
Seeing no other alternative, Lilith knelt down and bent over Nyx’s chest and began to lick up the blood and crushed crystal. The taste was bitter on her tongue, but Lilith pushed herself to lick the breasts clean. Standing up and wiping her chin with the back of her left hand, Lilith turned to Tartarus. “The next time you need something from me, you can ask nicely, rather than taking it by force.”
Tartarus shock with laughter, which only made Lilith angrier. His laughs were deep and throaty, but didn’t seem to reach his blank eyes. “I take what I want, when I want, child. And I think it’s time you showed me some proper respect. Kneel before me, and I may forgive your impertinence.”
Lilith was completely taken aback by what she’d just heard. The gurgles and grunts of Tartarus’ speech had been the same to her ears, but somehow she had understood what he had said. What else had the bloody crystal powder done to her, she wondered. “My impertinence? You have come to my home and sanctuary, unannounced, and have done nothing but impose your will in a very brutish fashion. Perhaps those pit-less eyes of yours failed to notice that we are not in the Pit, but on Earth, where I am the ruler here.”
Lilith didn’t even have time to react as his hand came up and backhanded her with such force that she was sent flying to the edge of the clearing. Looking up, she saw Tartarus jump into the air, and then the next second he was at her side. With one hand, he reached down, grabbed her throat and lifted her up into the air. “I am Tartarus! I rule wherever I go. Now, my daughter owes you a debt and I’ve come to make sure it is paid. Be thankful I haven’t blanketed this world in darkness, as I could easily do, for my power is greater even than your lover’s.” His smile was the most disturbing and evil thing Lilith had ever seen in her life, it nearly stopped her heart.
“That may be father, but she speaks the truth. This is her home, and you have been quite rude to the one who let your favourite daughter go after her three hundred years of captivity.“Nyx said, having concealed her breasts once again and flown over to them. The look she was giving her father was the equal of anything her father had thrown at Lilith. “Put her down, apologize for your behaviour and let us finish our business here. I grow weaker by the second and do not wish to be captured again.”
Setting Lilith down, Tartarus turned to his daughter and said, “It was your own fault you were captured, and that Azazel was killed and converted. Your brother was counting on you!” Finally turning back to Lilith, he said, “Please forgive me, Mistress Lilith. I have offended the hospitality you showed me and my daughter, and for that I am sorry.” His head was bowed contritely, but due to his lack of irises, Lilith couldn’t tell if he was being truthful or not. “Shall we commence?” he asked to both Lilith and Nyx.
Weddings!
As most people who read these posts are aware, I like to keep them as timely as possible. And with this past Wednesday being my cousin Jessica’s wedding, as well as finding out that my friend Devon got engaged over last weekend, I think this week’s post is going to be about weddings. So here’s Pan and Iselda’s wedding scene from the book.
Pan was waiting at the makeshift altar at the top of the steps in the throne room. His hands were sweating and he couldn’t take his eyes off his feet. He was dressed in the traditional Brarian ceremonial robes: black pants and shirt, a white jacket with gold embroidery along its neck and down along the edges, and a black, floor-length cape with the blood red ‘K’s of the Royal seal. Shade, who was standing beside Pan, put a hand on his shoulder and urged him to look up.
Walking into the room were two women. Marina, who looked absolutely dazzling in her purple dress, was leading a teary eyed goddess into the room. No, not a goddess – it was Iselda! She looked indescribable! There were no words that could even scratch the surface of the beauty she had at that moment.
And suddenly, she was there, standing before him. His breath was caught in his chest; his heart felt like it was about to erupt, beating like it wanted to create a rhythm for all of Braria to hear.
“Pan…” It was barely a whisper, but she covered her mouth as if she’d shouted.
“Will you marry me, Iselda?”
“…Yes!” This time she did shout.
Shade and Marina had climbed to the top of the platform and were now facing the crowd, a crowd that seemed well over the ten or so people Pan had planned on. Between the four of them was a small marble table that held a single goblet made of pure Brarian silver. “The sacred covenants of marriage are not to be entered into lightly,” declared Shade.
“They are an eternally binding agreement between two willing parties. Love must be present in their hearts, yet sacrifices are required to prosper. Panken and Iselda understand the requirements of this world and of the spirits in the next, and they are ready to pay the debts required,” Marina told the gathered masses.
“Iselda, as Panken’s wife, you would be the Queen of Braria. That title brings heavy burdens; none as heavy as the clause to the people stating you will do all in your power to protect and lead them to prosperity. Can you lead and protect us in such ways, giving your life if necessary?”
“I-I can. I will give my all for the betterment of this country and her people. I give my word as Iselda Ness.”
“Good. Now do you forever promise to love Panken; to make him happy and peaceful to the highest degree?” asked Shade.
“Yes, I will please him in every way I can,” she declared with a wink to Pan.
“Give me your hand,” Shade demanded. Iselda gave the hand closest to him. Taking an ornate knife from his belt, Shade sliced her palm open. She let out a gasp and turned to glare at him. He turned her hand over and let the blood flow into the goblet that rested between the four of them. “As proof to your words, the crown demands blood payment.” Iselda simply bowed her head to his explanation.
“Panken, for the past ten years, you have ruled as the Nifehan of Braria. You will have no real changes to your duties, only your title. As king though, you must put your people above yourself or even your queen. Can you live with the terms as set down by the first king?” demanded Marina.
“I’m still dedicated to my country and I will always do what is necessary for my people.”
“Good. Now do you promise to forever make Iselda happy and peaceful to the highest degree?”
“Her happiness will always be the most important thing to me; save that of my people,” Pan declared.
“Give me your hand.” Marina took the knife from Shade. Pan handed her his closer hand, which she sliced the palm of and let the blood drop into the silver goblet.
“Iselda,” Shade said, “by your oath, your love, and now your blood you are forever bound to Panken Kanta.”
“Panken,” said Marina, “by your oath, your love, and now your blood you are forever bound to Iselda Ness.
Now they spoke in unison. “Take the cup with your blood and feed it to your spouse.” The bride and groom did as instructed, drinking their fill. “Now, by our power, and in the presence of these witnesses, we declare you wed! Let the world know: Braria has a new king and queen!” There was an uproar as the ceremony concluded. The crowd roared louder as Iselda flung herself at Pan and kissed him.
When she finally pulled away, there were tears in her eyes but she was smiling the biggest smile Pan had ever seen her wear. That smile alone made his heart skip a beat. “You look…beyond verbal description,” he whispered in her ear over all the noise. She just held herself tighter to him as he led her to the ballroom where tables created an empty space big enough for half the guests to dance in, and musicians playing all kinds of instruments started playing an upbeat piece that told the surprisingly true story of a certain Clowian maiden and the unusual relationship she had with a bear.
This isn’t the full chapter, but is the start of chapter 20. I hope you enjoy, and once again congratulations to Jessica Cuthbert and Corey Lauer and Devon Enright and Sarah Freeman; I wish you guys all the best in your futures together.
Character Profile: Leo Kanta
Leo Kanta, Pan’s father, grew up to be the ruler of Braria. And by all accounts he was a good and just king. Renowned for his ability to judge people in separate capacities (father, husband, son, king, etc.), Leo was a respected ruler not only in Braria but in many other nations of Bolfodier as well. But like with any other person, he had his flaws. Being the third generation of the Kanta line to be born without magic, Leo grew extremely distant from all who were gifted, only acknowledging their existence when absolutely necessary. It got so bad that when it was discovered that Pan had been born with magic, Leo thought that he was not his son, and was on the verge of accusing Evelyn of infidelity until he noticed how much Pan resembled himself. As Pan grew, Leo’s detachment from the gifted in his kingdom faded, but were still a factor in his initial mistrust of Sabrina and the ultimatum he gave Pan on his deathbed.
But the most interesting piece of information about Leo is his Reckoning. Taking an abnormally long time to complete, Leo’s Reckoning was to travel to three different countries (Ginok, Ichmensch and Nefas) to study how to separate his opinions and widen his world views. He spent four and a half months in each country without talking to anybody as he studied the ways people interacted with each other and forcing himself to comprehend each person’s viewpoint and understand what they had gone through to reach this point in their lives.
Sadly Leo’s life was cut short at the age of 57, as he died from an incurable illness (lung cancer) at the start of the novel.
Let me know what you think about this look into Pan’s father. Does this make him more or less sympathetic as a character?
Lady of the Night Crest
So one idea that I had early in transition from writing on fictionpress to publishing the book was that the Ladies of the Night would have a crest that distinguish them to each other and others in society. I’d originally planned to have Jazabel wear hers as a necklace, and so I drew a crude image taking some elements from The Legend of Zelda and The Sword of Truth book series by Terry Goodkind (a major influence in terms of the way Bolfodier works and is, as well as my love of fantasy in general). And since my artistic capabilities barely reach past stick figures, I’d asked a friend to redraw the design I’d created. And last week she finished that drawing, and so I’m proud to present the crest of the Ladies of the Night in a more proper glory. This design is featured on the cover of the Codex Nocturna.
Huge Thank You goes to Alicia for taking the time to do this and many more drawings related to The Kanta Chronicles. She’s been given an early copy of the book so that she has all the information needed to complete these drawings, and I will post them as soon as I get the final copies. Let me know what you think and I’ll pass along your comments to her.
Chapter 1: What Do I Choose?
So here’s the first chapter in the book in its entirety. Let me know what you think.
All alone he sat in his cave; he looked out from his favourite thinking chair, a rock that had been warped by all the times he and his ancestors had sat on it. Panken looked at nothing in particular, but took in the hidden path that led to the small clearing in front of the forest caves. He didn’t notice that the sun was shining, nor that nature was in perfect harmony around him. He only thought about what it’d be like to be a care-free man, like those back in Terang who called him ‘Prince’. But out in his family’s private forest of the first outer ring of his home, care-free he was not.
Just when he thought he couldn’t decide, he heard a noise – someone was coming. Looking to see who it was, Panken noticed a flash of sky blue in the green of the forest. The woman, for he could tell by the way she constantly had to untangle her dress from the shrubs covering the path that she was a woman, clearly didn’t know the path very well. But Pan could tell that she had been down it at least once before, for she was heading right towards him. When she finally did step out into the clearing, he recognized the dark haired, skinny form of his mother. Surprised to see her away from his father’s side, he asked her what she was doing here and offered her a spot on his thinking chair once she’d reached the cave’s entrance.
“I couldn’t take being in that room right now; so I decided to go looking for you. I’ve been to that shop Shade’s been carving wooden figurines for, his and Marina’s house, the Nosiop Inn, your room. I should have figured you’d be here; the males of the Kanta bloodline have always been drawn to these caves.” She paused before she continued, her dark hair blowing in the wind. But her blue eyes weren’t on her son as his expression darkened and a disgusted shudder ran through him at her last comment. “I came to apologize.”
“Really…for what?” he asked in distracted confusion. Was his family’s darkest secret the answer to his problem?
“All this fighting we’ve been doing these past few months. Your father and I want you to be happy, even if that means abandoning the throne for a girl.”
“But I want to rule as well! Why can’t I take Sabrina as my wife and queen; we love each other and the only thing that seems to be stopping you from letting us be together is some prophetic ‘curse’ that’s ages old! ‘Danger will arrive with the red emeralds; the only way to escape this curse is to remove the red from the sight of green.’ What does that even mean? It makes no sense!” Panken argued the same argument.
“I don’t know what it means. Over the years the family has hired knowledgeable wizards, prophets, sorceresses and anybody with a fragment of a guess. While on occasion one idea has been agreed upon, no one’s been able to say with certainty. And until we know for certain, we aren’t taking any chances.”
“So I’m being denied my happiness because of a stupid riddle no one understands!” Panken yelled, his anger now rising.
“No, we’re denying that so that we may continue to serve this wonderful land we call home.” His mother’s patience was clearly running thin.
“But why do I have to give everything for this problem? Why must I suffer to become king? Did you ever think that this ultimatum you’ve given me is how the ‘curse’ will be completed?”
“Yes we have thought of that. But do you think your father and me to be heartless, that we don’t care if you suffer as long as you deny your love and take the throne?” She was yelling at him now. “It pains us to have to do this to you. We’re positive that Sabrina is a lovely woman; we just don’t want you to get hurt when we’re gone. We want you to be forever happy with your life.”
“But then why do you forbid that from happening? I am happiest when I’m with Sabrina; can you not see that?”
“Yes we do, but-”
“Then let me love her!”
“We are! Don’t you think that if we didn’t want you to be happy we would’ve killed her by now to ensure you take the throne?!”
Pan sat in stunned silence for a moment before he could react to this comment. “I hadn’t thought of that. Thank you for that. But this choice is impossible for me to make. What would you do if someone made you choose between me and Dad to die? That is the choice the two of you have given me.”
“First of all, no it’s not. Second, I’d choose your father – he’s lived his life and you have only just fallen in love; you still have lots of life to live.”
“I’ve lived more than you think I have.”
“You are just twenty-four, Panken. Lying with a woman for the first time is not all there is to life, my son.” His mother smiled at the small look of horror that quickly crossed her son’s face.
“That may be, but I know I haven’t lived long enough to make this decision. Only a wise man can make it, and I’m no wise man – I’m just a smart lad.” His mother smiled at his cheek, which made Panken smile; a rare occurrence of late.
“I know, but might I suggest that you talk to a wise man who was a lover and a ruler; someone whose opinion you can count on and trust.”
“Father will be dead by the end of the week and I-”
“I was talking about your father.”
Panken looked to be struggling with something. “But he’ll try to get me to take the crown – it’s what he wants!”
“Not if you ask him to tell you of love and rule separately; he’s always been able to balance points from different perspectives.” Pan could see how she hoped this would get him to talk to his father.
“And he is renowned for that fact.” Heaving a sigh, he continued, “You’re right; I’ll be forever mad at myself if I don’t try to break this fight before he dies, and I could really use his advice right now.” He stood to go.
Standing as well, and giving him a comforting hug, his mother said, “OK, let’s go see him and hear what he has to say.” They left the cave arm in arm and headed back for the castle.
Brudas Smiledoilt
As today and this entire weekend are centred around the world’s most famous demigod (Jesus Christ), I thought this week’s post would be about the demigod in The Kanta Chronicles: Brudas Smiledoilt.
Brudas was born roughly 6000 years before the start of our story in the capital city of Nefas, Babomorah. As this was the during the rule of the Vigmece clan, it wasn’t exactly the best time to be living in Nefas. But despite the constant turmoil of the Vigmece clan, Brudas grew up happy living with his father. It wasn’t until his 26th birthday that he even knew who his mother was, or that he possessed extraordinary powers. The most powerful of these powers was his ability to freeze people in time. And it wasn’t until he was 28 that he discovered his Soul’s Twin: Anilla Nechrie; as well as having her taken from him. After Anilla’s murder, Brudas pleaded with his mother Lilith to assist him in unleashing terrible vengeance upon those who had taken his beloved from him in the most brutal of fashions. Knowing the unbearable pain her son is feeling, Lilith grants her son the ability to live until a Soul Twin is born to the Vigmece clan, so that Brudas can do to them what they did to him. In the intervening years, Brudas hones his knowledge of warfare and hatred of the ones who took Anilla and their Soul Twin descendant. And once Shade and Nikki announce themselves to the world, Brudas puts his plan into action, while also taking Jazabel’s advice to destroy them from within.
5 Secrets to the World of Bolfodier
So to start off, I want to apologize for not posting anything last week. There was no reason for this besides my laziness and as my loyal readers, you deserve better. Hopefully this week’s post will make up for the lack of new content from last week. But in more exciting news, I finished doing my in-depth look over of the interior layout of the book and have sent it back to the editors with less than 25 changes, so hopefully I’ll have the next one by the middle of next week. I’m getting really excited guys about the upcoming release and can’t wait to start getting your feedback on the book. It’s going to be available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Chapters/Indigo, so be sure to leave your reviews on these sites (in this case quantity over quality is a good thing) no matter if they’re good or bad reviews-I’m always welcome to constructive criticism.
But now on to more important things; as I said earlier, I hope this makes up for not posting last week. Here are five secrets about the world of Bolfodier that are not found in The Kanta Chronicles, but affect it all the same.
Though he cannot remember her name, the girl that Pan took to his bed after Sabrina left him was named Brandi. She was a tavern wench/prostitute that had come to Terang hoping for a different life. But upon finding herself in the Nifehan’s bed on her first night in Terang, she fell into despair. While Pan slept, Brandi snuck away back to the place she’d been planning on staying at, grabbed her things and returned to her home. Once there, she promptly jumped off a cliff to escape her depression at being a whore.
While it is mentioned that Pandora’s tomb is the oldest and strongest of the Lady of the Night strongholds, it is never mentioned where the others are or how numerous they are. In total, there are five strongholds: Pandora’s tomb, the Hollow Mountains, the Vigmece Pyramid in Nefas, the giant forest in northern Ichmensch and in the Temple of the Goddess. With the exception of Pandora’s tomb, these strongholds are not exclusively in the possession of the Ladies of the Night. The Hollow Mountains are ruled by the Intunerica, who are aware of and slightly annoyed by the fact that they must share their home. The Vigmece Pyramid was once the site of the clan’s sadistic rituals and has been heavily guarded since their demise. The giant forest of northern Ichmensch is wild territory and many fear what is inside-even some Ladies of the Night. And final, the Temple of the Goddess is reserved only for the true queens of the Ladies of the Night as a private sanctuary.
The Intunerica are a secretive race of female assassins that base out of the Hollow Mountains. Though they are quite reclusive, secretive, and arrogant, every generation or so they would adopt a child to be taught their ways. No one knows how they would choose this child, or why this single act of ‘charity’ would be done by these women, but all agree why it stopped over a thousand years ago. Isabelle Megta was the last child the Intunerica adopted. It is said that her hatred for men disturbed even them and because they helped to create one of the evilest women of all time, they decided to give up this act of ‘charity’ to ensure that evil would never be unleashed upon Bolfodier again.
Although not all Royal families in Bolfodier have magic as most people think of magic, there is one bit of magic they all possess. Whenever new rulers of any country in Bolfodier are crowned, a jolt runs through the bodies of every other ruler that alerts them to the new ruler. Each country has its own jolt, allowing for a distinction between the many countries. Also, the jolts feel different depending if a king or queen is being crowned.
While many people gifted with magic today believe the magic circles of the Star of Death and Moon of Life are taken from Clowia as that is where most magic circles were designed, that is a lie. They are in fact magic circles created by Pandora for the Ladies of the Night many centuries before the creation of the circles from Clowia. A Lady of the Night in fact revealed the two circles to an outsider, and upon figuring out what she had done, the other Ladies of the Night killed her for revealing one of their greatest secrets. Unfortunately for them, they could not stop the spread of the circles as the strength they give to those using them is great. And sources of great power, like magic circles, spread quickly through Bolfodier.
Don’t be afraid to let me know what you think of all this either here or on the Facebook page.