ANAXIUNARA

David Derosa

Description

This book could be described as genre-bending and maybe a good

introduction into fantasy for those used to reading romance or drama

stories. On the opposite end of the spectrum, it shows those fantasy

lovers that there is more to a story than fireballs and body counts. What

is really special about this book are the relationships that DeRosa created

within the pages. While it is a fantasy book, many times, all of the fantasy

elements melt away, and you forget that interaction happens between

elves, dwarves, and dragons because they all feel very human. It speaks

great volumes to the writer that can get readers to forget everything

else and focus on the dialogue between characters. There is a fair share

of action and adventure in this book, but the time between these scenes

is where this book stands out.

Arthur Thares, Pacific Book Review

Sujets

• Science Fiction
• Adventure (Guyana)
• Mystery
• Adventure
• Action

Informations

• Publié par: Writers' Branding LLC
• Date de parution: 23 juillet 2021
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781639450701
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

Dedication
My beautiful wife spent many an hour alone while I banged away at my keyboard. My regular job, the one that pays the bills, forced me to write in the evenings. There were many days in the labor of this work when all she heard from me was the occasional “How do you spell…?” or “Is it a comma or a semicolon?”
Ya see, she studied English literature in college. So, naturally I sought her advice and quite often ignored it, as men sometimes do. My passion and aptitude for the written language would frequently drive me to argue, “Well, other writers do it!”
At that point her tender and loving advice would be, “Shut up! I’m trying to watch television!”
Through all of it, though, she was patient, helpful, and understanding of my obsession. For all of her knowledge in helping, and wisdom in sometimes refusing to help, I dedicate this story to my friend, my wife, and the love of my life, Cindy.


Prologue
S he appeared in a clear midday sky and glided over the tropics of a tiny blue-white world.
Having taken a mate a century ago, she was ready now to deliver her eggs. Her offspring would hatch alone on this world as it was the nature of her kind. So she searched for a place that would be safe for them to grow without fear of predators.
Where she first considered, there was a species that might pose a danger. A young species in galactic terms, they were a fairly recent development; only a couple of millions of years evolved. They resembled, more than anything else, the beings called elves that also occupied this world. They were different enough that she would categorize them separately. Their life span was much shorter, humans perhaps. Some of the worlds this far out from the galactic center had spawned young human races.
Intrigued, she watched for a few brief decades, never allowing them to discover her presence. On the verge of developing abilities to manipulate the raw stuff of life, they were coming awake to the magic of the universe as all sentient creatures eventually do. Though only one or two percent of the population, thus far, showed signs of mage craft.
Still, they were extremely clever in ways other than magic, as much a danger as the older races, dwarves and elves who seemed to prefer seclusion. She would not chance leaving her young in their midst when another choice existed.
The islands to the west had no intelligent or semi-intelligent beings inhabiting them. Situated between the two great continents, the islands were far enough away from the elves and dwarves to escape their notice. The humans and the scattered herds of quasi sentient beings had not yet discovered the islands. Her babies would not be challenged there and the land was enough to support her twelve hatchlings into physical maturity.
A danger existed, however, that the humans would eventually find her nest. The islands were much closer to the land they occupied, and their numbers were growing. They would expand their occupation of this world and continue to grow in their understanding of magic.
There was a risk she knew and felt exhilaration. To live was to risk. For something to live something must die. Even if her young were not discovered by these savage little beings, it was likely that some would not survive, would instead fall prey to a hungry star or lose their way in the great between. She hoped none would die sooner but there could be no certainty. She knew at least that there should be only one male. The first to emerge from his shell would find the others like him and eliminate them. That too was the nature of her kind.
It was not in her nature to grieve over this. If any of her brood were lost to predators, she would not retaliate. That would only subtract from the balance. Vengeance was not a thing she would consider. To avenge a death by causing a death would be to serve death, and The Great One was pledged to serve life.
She would bring as many new lives into existence as fate would allow. She would show as many of her children as had strength to survive, the joys and the thrills and even the sorrows of living. Anaxiunara would share with them the wisdom that she knew.
The universe is not infinite. If it were, all things could live and none should have to perish. The potential of what may be in the universe, that is infinite.
Besides, the islands were safe enough for now. She could bear her eggs and rest easy for a while.


1
The Pirates Validad
T wo boys sat in a small boat with a single sail, hollering at each other while drifting in the middle of a deep channel between two islands.
“Steer, you idiot!” hollered Willam. “You’re heading us straight into the wind.”
“I’m caught in the rope,” Liam complained. “Use the oars!”
Liam and Willam were thirteen and eleven with quick minds and hardy spirits. Liam was tall and thin with sandy blond hair tied back in a tail. At thirteen he was nearly as tall as an average grown man. His brother Willam was a head shorter with a mop of curly brown hair. Willam had a knack for coming up with creative solutions to most of the trouble the two brothers always seemed to find. In fact, this scheme was his idea.
Willam stood up taking an oar out of its lock and held it over the side of their little boat to drag in the water. “What are you doing?” Liam hollered.
“I’m doing what you told me, trying to get this thing turned around!” As the boat rocked and pitched, Willam lost the oar over the side. “Now look what you made me do.” He went for the other oar, which brought the little boat dangerously close to capsizing. His brother went over the side and into the drink.
“You stupid! Quit fooling around. Are you trying to drown me?” Liam shouted from the water.
“Get back in the boat!” hollered Willam. “We’re s’posed to be sailing, not swimming!”
The boys had volunteered to stop an escort ship. Willam explained to his parents, Jo Lee and Airia Validad, “She’ll hafta heave to. We’ll be right in the middle of the channel. They’re not gonna ram us. We’re jus’ a couple of kids.”
“Yeah, and that’ll give ya plenty of time ta loot the cargo ship,” added Liam. Their parents co-captained a pirate ship called the Swordfish. They were quite famous in the islands south of Big Smokey. In fact, they were known, and mostly well thought of, throughout The Ring. Big Smokey was a large volcanic island that was shrouded in magic. It was unapproachable. The islands surrounding it were collectively known as The Ring.
Jo Lee applauded his son’s idea, but he warned, “Don’t let them know anything, especially your names.” Airia was not as certain, but finally allowed them to persuade her. After all, if her sons got into trouble they could probably out swim any of the sailors on the League ship, and the jungle on the closest island would make for an easy escape.
Jo Lee and Airia planned their ambush where two islands next to each other formed a straight. The League escort ship had sailed around the back of the island to scout for trouble while the cargo ship made it’s way toward the straights. The escort captain explained, “Only a fool or a madman would try anything here. These waters belong to The League.”
The boys sailed a small skiff out to the middle of a channel to block the warship’s way. Shoals on either side of the channel prevented the larger ship from going around. One of the boys was flailing his oars, splashing about, while the other was tangled in the sheet line trying to get free. They were going nowhere fast with the warship bearing down on them.
“Loose the mainsail and heave to!” ordered the captain. “Helmsman, bring her into the wind. Let’s see what we have here.” Over the rail, the captain could hear the boys shouting at each other.
“Need some help, lads?” A friendly crewman leaned over the side of the ship just as Willam managed to pull a slipknot he’d rigged on the halyard to drop the sail.
“You idiot! What’d ya do that for?” Liam yelled. “And, I didn’t go in on purpose! You almost sank us!”
“Like it’s all my fault!” Willam shouted back.
“If you’d just let me sail this stupid thing, we’d be home by now!” Liam accused.
“Easy, boys,” said the crewman. “We’ll get you straightened out. Where are you heading?”
The boys pointed in the direction from where the ship had come. “Buckler’s Bay,” Liam told him. It was a well-known settlement where the brothers could easily get lost if need be.
“Well, maybe we can get you squared away with your boat. Then we’ll send you along. It’s not that far,” the crewman assured them. “Captain, might we spare a few minutes to help a couple of sailors in distress?”
“I think Captain Dillon will manage without us for a few minutes,” the captain answered.
And just so it would take longer than it should, Liam pulled himself up onto the side of his little boat spilling a good deal of water into it with him. “Hey, what’re you trying to do, sink us?” Willam hollered right in character.
* * *
Not far away, on the island they were next to, the youngest Validad was hiding in the thick tropical underbrush. Ginny laughed at her brothers’ antics as she watched through the spyglass that her father made. The boys artfully conjured chaos to stall every