Elemental Gatherers Book 8 Prologue (Patreon)

*** AUTHOR’S NOTE ***

Launch has been a huge success! Thanks for y’all’s support and help with making Homecoming a great book. The paperback is available at https://amzn.to/40Ve0y7 if you want to get it from Amazon, and I’ll be putting in an author copy order soon. Once that’s in, probably 2-3 weeks, I’ll be able to offer signed copies for $15.

I’ve spent a bit of time working on the outline, and should hopefully have a draft for y’all next week, along with maybe chapter 1 as well. Here’s my first attempt at a Prologue for the next book. Tentative title is either “The Great Western Forest” “The Forest’s Dungeon” or “Into the Forest”, though I could also name it after Aiden’s barony or town.

Anyway, enjoy!

*** AUTHOR’S NOTE ***

Darkness stared at the projection of the world of Zemia. Three different sections were highlighted in a pulsating green-black, though the area covered in each was decreasing as he watched. “The Staff of (Name). Those fools used the Staff of (Name)!” he shouted at it in anger. “Why now? Does Inanna not know that Chaos is seeking this world? Even Death will fall to Chaos in the end.”

“It will be okay,” Light stated, walking over and draping her arms on his shoulders. “Your favorite Chosen has the Staff now, and has closed the portal to (name). He even recovered a Dungeon Core from there.”

“I saw you give him plans to merge the Core with the portal knowledge he had from the M’Zee,” Darkness said. “That was brilliant.”

“Well, of course I am,” Light said, glowing brilliantly at him.

Darkness smiled fondly at his wife and fellow Ascended, then looked back at the projection. Ashe and Aether flowed out of him into the system, dropping into the Inscriptions empowering the wards keeping Zemia safe. The damage done by Inanna was quickly removed.

Darkness sagged, and Light helped him to his feet. “Hopefully, that will give them time,” Darkness said. “I do not have much left to give.”

“It will have to do. The other two Chosen are both headed to the frontlines of the war against the Illyrian Empire,” Light commented. “I will attempt to nudge things so they encounter each other. Hopefully, they will survive and thrive there.”

He shook his head, “They are still too weak. Aiden is by far the strongest of my Chosen.”

“True, but (Name) has already helped the Topraki revolutionize their armor designs. (Name) enhanced the main gathering technique of the Weltreich army, and her modifications are spreading quickly. Once someone at a high enough level hears it, I will be able to change things so that Prince Gunther or Ritter Felix find her.”

“Do you have enough Ashe to push through the wards that often?”

“I will spend what I must to save our world. Just like you have been. All of our hopes rest on the Chosen, now.”

An alert sounded from behind them. The red-green of Chaos bloomed from within the Great Western Forest. “Another Dungeon has reconnected with Chaos. Why do they wish for corruption?” Darkness growled.

Light reached, her power extending to the Inscriptions, but it was rebuffed. “The wards are too weak to communicate through,” she said softly. “It will take months to heal.”

Darkness staggered over to the globe, then smiled. “King Craesti just awarded Aiden a barony right on the edge of the forest. He will be able to intervene.”

“Let us hope he does not lose too much to do so,” Light said.