Alright, a quick update to let you guys know what’s up. The Old Man of the Temple will be out shortly after Christmas. Start looking for it soon. I’ll be working over the holidays to see it done. All for now, will speak again soon.
ML&R
~D.W.
The Old Man of the Temple is going to be delayed by a few weeks. Look for it around October 20th. The release dates for The City Under the Mountain and The Oath of the Blade will remain unchanged. I lost a big chunk of time at the beginning of the month to sickness and a neck injury, and with school kicking up, it has taken a big slice out of my writing time.
Things are back on track, but as much as I hate to do it, TOMOTT will be pushed back.
Also, as some of you may have noticed, I’ve had some serious trouble with the website lately. Wordpress has been pushing out its updates, and it always causes some general fuckery with everyone’s sites. Mine has been no exception. I’m working it out, but I’m not a techie for a reason. Hopefully it will all be fixed soon. Yes–that’s the reason this update is so late in coming. I couldn’t even log in to the site for a long time, and then couldn’t update it. It has been a real pickle. By pickle, I mean a major pain in my ass.
Just a quick update.
Also, for anyone who may be confused about the reasons for the re-vamping of the series, look HERE.
Some of you might have noticed that Ye Olde Websyte was down for a few days. Wordpress pushed out it’s update, and said update decided to break my website’s legs, apparently. The old girl was down for a few days while I got it figured out, but everything is back to normal.
Just in time, because The Knife in the Dark is dropping this Thursday, September 1st.
I just wanted to remind you guys, maybe hype things up a bit. So get hyped.
Woot woot.
And now it was that Devla, daughter of Light and Shadow, she of the Eternal Cycle and source of life, looked down upon the creation of her husband, Evmir. “I see your mountains,” said she. “I see your lakes, your rivers, your storms and snow. But your creation is not yet whole.”
She hummed first a lullaby, for the world was a babe in the Void. Devla passed the world thrice through the flame, warming it with the Light of her father. As her song was hummed to the world, it began to awaken from it’s barren slumber. All things green and growing rose from the dirt, awakening to her song.
She then went down amongst the mountains, lakes, rivers, and the sea, and everywhere she went, she danced to her wild song. She swam through the ocean, and all the fish sprang forth from her, to swim alongside. From there she went to the land, and danced among the fields and forests, giving birth to the beasts of the hunt. So mad was she with ecstasy for the dance that she rose into the sky, and birds came tumbling from her hair.
She danced for a thousand ages, until all of Eldath was seeded. It is the reason Devla is called Mistress of Beasts, Lady of the Hunt, the Eternal Mother. The world was no longer a babe, but had bloomed as the rose in spring. Now the other gods saw her beauty, and came to give their blessings.
~From The Epic of Creation, stanzas 12-15
And his brother Eindor, the Wise God, he who won the Staff of Secrets by giving up his eye, the source of wisdom and Father of Magic, saw what Evmir was doing. Eindor looked out over the world, at what his brother had wrought, and knew that it was incomplete.
“Brother, let me add to your grand creation, for nothing so beautiful should be without secrets.” And so Eindor went down among the valleys, he walked over the barren rock and stood atop the highest mountains. There, he whispered secrets to the world. He told tales to the stone. He sang songs to the sea, and storms grew in his wake.
So it was that the world was imbued with magic, and the stars all turned to see.
It is for this reason that Eindor is called the Father of Magic, because all magic comes from him. It is for this reason that Eindor is also called the Whisperer, the Wise God, the Patron of Secrets.
And now the world had magic, but still it was incomplete.
~From The Epic of Creation, stanzas 7-11
Before the world was, the aether was formless, without sight or sound. There was only the Void–black, deep, and unknowable. For cycle upon cycle, infinite in number, the darkness remained.
There came a time, though, that the great god Light grew restless, and called his wife Shadow to his side. They danced through the emptiness, and Light took her out in the great expanse. He filled her with uncountable children, and Shadow gave birth to the stars, each one a child of their union, each with its own name. The stars were many, and unknowable.
When the two came to the end of their dance, Shadow asked her husband to grant her a child that she may love for her own, instead of scattering them to the corners of the Void. Light so loved Shadow that he granted her wish, and gathered her close. Their dance was so vigorous that Light gave Shadow not one child, but five.
These are the five older gods–Evmir, Eindor, Devla, Neesa, and Aeglar.
Evmir was first to come forth, with a battle cry that shook the aether, and a storm of lightning. So it was that Evmir was called the oldest, and the kingship of the aether fell to him. For his father and mother–Light and Shadow–wished to sleep, so to better hear the dreams of all their many children throughout the Void. Light forged for Evmir a great hammer, a parting gift from father to eldest son, and took Shadow into the vastness of the Void.
So it was that Evmir looked out across the vastness of the black, and knew that something must be done. He took up the Hammer of Light–the gift from his father–and smote it down upon the aether. He did this many times, over and over, until the world began to take shape beneath the blows of his great hammer. It was in this way that Evmir forged the world.
~From The Epic of Creation, stanzas 1-6
Available now at Amazon
So Child of the Flames is now available over at Amazon. Head over today and get your copy–or you can borrow it for free as a Kindle Unlimited member. Also, you can lend it to friends and family for up to 14 days, even if you’re not a member.
Head over and check it out right now. Like, now, Carl.
Git to it.
When you’re done, feel free to leave me an honest review, tell your friends, and subscribe to me somewhere.
ML&R
~D.W.
A Treatise on the Cult of Aeglar
“During the birthing years of the world, the Gods bestowed their gifts upon their new creation. Evmir forged the world, and his brother Eindor gave it magic. Devla formed the wild forests and the beasts within, while Neesa handed down art, love, beauty, and music. Bast made the laws and forms to govern the world, and Aastinor instilled war and revenge to drive humanity to enforce it. Even Saarnok had his place, tending to the souls of those who lived a foul and evil life, holding them in the Six Hells and bringing pain and suffering to the world so those living there would appreciate life.
One God, however, did not partake in the making of the world. This God grew jealous of his immortal kin, of the gifts they handed out freely to this new creation. Aeglar knew of magic and of forging, like the brothers Evmir and Eindor. He would rule mankind with these abilities rather than grant them freely. The more the world grew, the more his jealousy festered in him. As humanity built itself up in power and knowledge, Aeglar sat and watched. He saw that in people there was great strength and purpose, but there was also fault. Humans had within them greed and lust, the need to aspire to something greater than what they were.
So Aeglar went into the world and walked among its people. He whispered in the ears of men and women that shared his envy, telling them of the arrogance of the Gods. He spoke of power that the Gods hid from them still, that humankind was destined to be so much more. He taught them secrets that he had kept through the forging of the world, giving them to a select few in exchange for their worship and obedience.”
~From “The Gods Among Us,” written before the Second Great War.
I think it worth mentioning, curator, that no one this scholar has been able to find has any written records of the Cult’s true origins. These passages, and others like them, are the first appearance of the Cult in history, though we cannot be completely sure. This account is taken from a religious text. The Cult itself denied any requests to view a written history, and interviews with members yielded only mythological answers to questions about their origins. The leaders of the Cult of Aeglar are a secretive group, and declined any request to meet personally.
What this scholar has been able to gather from reading historical accounts throughout Alderak is that the Cult of Aeglar most likely formed in Lesmira after the Treaty of Duadan of was signed with the Sevenlands. The Cult is a widely known anti-sorcery organization, and there exists no mention of it in the historical record until Lesmira signed the Treaty. There has always been an undercurrent in Eastern society that is fiercely anti-magic, and it seems most likely that the Cult arose from various groups of political dissidents that banded together in order to put pressure on the Lesmiran monarchy. It was two years after the signature, the year 501, that the Cult attempted to assassinate the King and Queen, and were summarily banished from the Lesmira forever.
The Cult has been known to openly protest policies it regards as “pro-sorcery” all over Alderak, but at its core the Cult of Aeglar is a military organization. It has used its might for political bullying before, and it is suspected of much worse. Stories abound about the Cult abducting those born with the spark of magic in their blood and carrying them off to meet some grim fate, though these allegations have never even been officially investigated. This scholar has personally interviewed wizards from the Lesmiran School of Magical Arts that insist the Cult has attempted to abduct them, and many wizards report incidents of being followed and harassed when traveling outside of the country.
The Cult operates openly in every country on the Eastern Continent except for Lesmira. They have a particularly strong presence in Dannon, but are widely regarded as religious zealots in the lands south of the Moravian grasslands. There are rumors that some members of royalty and other world leaders may be secret members, or supporters of the Cult, though no proof currently exists.
Coming August 1st
Child of the Flames is coming this Monday, August 1, 2016.
It will be released on Amazon at $0.99.
It’s a story of revenge, of tragedy, of triumph. And it’s got blood, swords, and magic. What more do you need for a good story? It’s been a long time coming, and now it’s finally here. I know you guys are just as excited about it as I am.
I know a lot of you have already read up to The City Under the Mountain, and may not want to start back at the first book. However, Child of the Flames is not The Sentient Fire. It’s a new book through and through. While many of the same things happen (you can’t revise and not hit the plot points) they happen a bit differently, and to characters who are much more three-dimensional. In short, The Seven Signs is maturing a bit for it’s relaunch.
You can certainly just pick up at The Oath of the Blade when it comes out if you want, and you won’t miss anything, nor will you be confused. But, if you’re like me and you re-read the entire Game of Thrones, or Wheel of Time, every time a new book came out because you forgot a lot of the story…
Child of the Flames will be enjoyable for you. It’s like re-reading, only with new writing 😉
(You guys should know that I love you–that’s the first time I’ve ever used an emoticon, after years and years of refusing to do so. I broke my prohibition for you, ‘cuz I love ya)
So look for Child of the Flames on Monday. You won’t be disappointed.
