The king of Felldreim shook his head, peeling Denaeh away from her inward thoughts. She braced herself for his final question.
“Then, tell me, since I know there was far more to the vision you showed me when we first arrived here, what will happen to all those concerned once the Tyrant is defeated?”
Denaeh swallowed and drew in a shuddering breath. She had feared this question; had hoped the Creecemind king would not think to ask it. But, he had.
“I have seen the end, at least, I’ve seen the possible ends but I can only tell you what was shown to me. I cannot interpret it, nor can I assure you my visions won’t change as factors change and players in this awful game fall to the shadows or take their rightful place as the time draws near. All I can tell you is what I do know for certain.”
“Very well, I will take those certainties since you chose not to share them with me earlier.” The king’s voice was bitter and accusing, but Denaeh didn’t care.
“Your Lie, your grace, is that Ciarrohn can be wholly defeated without your help.”
Denaeh let the king digest that, to turn it over in his head. She had seen no visions in which Jahrra succeeded without the aid of the Creecemind dragons, and Dhuruhn needed to know that.
After a few moments, the dragon nodded, only once and very indistinctly. “And your Truth?” he pressed, his voice finally losing its patronizing edge.
Denaeh reached for another stray Pine root, grasping it firmly in her hand, seeking out the natural warmth the wood offered. Her hair was a tangled mess, and the cold wind had finally worked its way down to her bones, but those thoughts were not the ones that occupied her mind. She would tell the king of her vision, the one she had seen the most above all others, the one she was sure would come to pass. The one she prayed Ethoes would change, if just one, simple aspect of it.
Taking another shuddering breath, the Mystic faced the king of the Creecemind and met his hardened eyes with her own topaz gaze.
“Your final Truth.” Her voice was almost a whisper, and it shook slightly. “If your people aid Jahrra in her final confrontation against the Crimson King, then Ciarrohn will be cast from this earth, his hatred and intolerance destroyed, his curse upon the Tanaan reversed.”
Dhuruhn smiled, and if Denaeh didn’t know any better, she would say that beneath his rough exterior, he actually cared about the fate of the world. However, his smile faded when he took a good look at Denaeh’s face.
“There is more, isn’t there?” he asked.
Denaeh nodded, her complexion strained and pale.
“Yes. Jahrra will succeed with your help, but there will be many deaths, and the one loss I have seen in every vision has been that of a dragon.”
Dhuruhn eyed Denaeh, his attention sharpening once again. So, the Oracles had been honest with him those many years ago. He would lose his own life in the fight against the Crimson King. But would his queen perish? His son, his daughter? He hoped they would not, but he knew now that he and his Creecemind dragons must fight the evil that Cierryon was. Not only had he given the Mystic his word in exchange for her Truths and Lies, but his conscience could no longer bear the burden of such a dishonorable act. To sit safely in his castle while the rest of the world fought to save itself was cowardly and selfish. He was harsh and unyielding at times, but neither selfish nor cowardly. But, he would have Denaeh tell him once and for all if his legacy would end in the east, fighting for the freedom of all those good citizens of Ethoes.
Taking a deep breath, the king of the Creecemind asked, “Who? Who is it that is sure to be lost?”
Denaeh didn’t respond for a long while, and he wondered if she hadn’t heard him. Just as he meant to ask his question again, she stirred against the sheer side of the mountain peak.
“When I see the survivors standing around in the aftermath of the battle, many come and go,” she breathed.
Dhuruhn narrowed his eyes, focusing in on the side of her face he could see. If he didn’t know any better, the Creecemind king would have sworn he saw a tear track down the Mystic’s pale cheek.
“But,” Denaeh continued, her voice weak and trembling, “the only one I never see standing among those who remain in the end is the dragon Raejaaxorix.”
Pronunciation Guide
Archedenaeh – ark-uh-di-NAY-uh
Armauld – ar-MALD
Beihryhn – bay-REEN
Boriahs – bor-EYE-iss
Cahrdyarein – CAR-dee-uh-rain
Ciarrohn – CHI-ron
Cierryon – CHAIR-ee-on
Dathian – DA-thee-en
Dervit – DUR-vit
Dhonoara – DEN-or-uh
Dhuruhn – doo-ROON
Ea1rhe1hn – AIR-ayn
Ea1rhyut – AIR-ee-oot
Ellyesce – EL-ee-ess
Erron – AIR-un
Ethöes – ETH-oh-es
Felldreim – FELL-dreem
Gl1r1ant – GLEER-ee-ant
Hroombramantu – HROOM-bruh-mon-too
Hrunahn – HROO-nan
Jahrra – JARE-uh
Kehllor – KELL-or
Keiron – KEER-en
Kiniahn Kroi – KIN-ee-an KROY
Kruelt – KROOLT
Lidien – LI-dee-en
M1l1hn – MEE-leen
Nesnan – NESH-nan
Nimbronia – nim-BRO-nee-uh
Oescienne – AW-see-en
Pendric – PEN-drick
Phrym – FRIM
Quahna – KWA-nuh
Raejaaxorix – RAY-jax-or-iks
Resai – RESH-eye
Sapheramin – sa-FARE-ah-min
Semequin – SEM-ek-win
Skurmage – SKIR-mage
Tanaan – TAN-en
Tollorias – toe-LORE-ee-us
Whinsey – WIN-see
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I’d like to extend my gratitude once again to my family and friends, who have been with me from the start and who continue to stand by my side. For your support, encouragement and enthusiasm in my writing endeavors: I am forever grateful.
I am also blessed to have the wonderful Monica Castagnasso as my editor. Thank you for working so diligently on this novel and for helping me get it just right. And thanks, as well, to my cover artist, Randy Vargas Gomez. Because of your vision and artistic talents the world of Ethöes has been brought so vibrantly to life.
I would also like to acknowledge my Beta Readers: Sherie Anderson, Olga Carpentier, Sandy Jeffcoat Gardner, Melanie Kucharik, Rachel Lewis and Jodi Krueger Moore. Thank you so much for sacrificing your time and energy to give me valuable feedback about my writing and for letting me know when my words and thoughts wander too far off the plot path. I could not have done this without your help.
To my fellow author friends who know what it is to become ensorcelled by the written word and for sacrificing your time and hard work to create your own stories; thank you for lending your support and advice and for being the creators of new and exciting worlds.
Finally, I would like to extend my appreciation to my dedicated readers. You have waited a very long time for this next installment in the Oescienne series, and I appreciate your patience. I only hope that this new chapter in Jaax’s and Jahrra’s tale has been everything you anticipated.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jenna Elizabeth Johnson grew up and still resides on the Central Coast of California, a place she finds as magical and enchanting as the worlds she creates.
Jenna received a BA in Art Practice with a minor in Celtic Studies from the University of California at Berkeley. It was during her time in college that she decided to begin her first novel, The Legend of Oescienne - The Finding. Reading such works as Beowulf, The Mabinogi and The Second Battle of Maige Tuired in her Scandinavian and Celtic Studies courses finally inspired her to start writing down her own tales of adventure and fantasy.