Chapter 53: Warring Souls
The dark, swirling patterns in the portal hypnotized Nienna as she let her mind circle. She found herself unable to move, paralyzed by the impending duty she had yet to fulfill. It was as if everything in her body refused to follow through. It refused to accept it, rejecting what was coming and find another way, but there didn’t seem to be any other ways. She had to make it all stop somehow. It wasn’t until she heard Seren and Salara call her name repeatedly that she finally snapped out of her spiral.
Chapter 52: You Get What You Gave
With a groan, Nienna opened her eyes. Her head throbbed like it was stuck in a vice, and her whole body felt like it had been turned inside out and back again. Her memories scattered throughout her brain. She couldn’t quite remember where she was or what she was doing.
Chapter 51: Work With What You’re Given
Shadows of rafts and makeshift boats floating on the surface passed over Nienna and the two quaggan who escorted her to the edge of the Shattered Floe. She tried to ignore the dulled sounds of battle from above. It only fueled her concern for her friends she left behind in Deep and Troubled Waters and made her doubt her decisions.
Chapter 50: No Good at Goodbyes
Despite being nearly out of breath, Nienna kept up her sprinting pace as she jumped over what was left of a door laying on the frozen path. The cables looped around her shoulder started to slip, but she hoisted them back up and continued running toward the northern side of Deep and Troubled Waters. She had just finished speaking with Deep Song. The kodan Voice was skeptical of Nienna’s plan and not thrilled about the idea of using her people and their home as the focus of the battle.
Chapter 49: A Practical Solution
Nienna paced back and forth along the frozen paths outside in silent contemplation. She pulled the hood tighter around her new silvery hair. Every time she had caught sight of it, it startled her. It didn’t look like her. It didn’t feel like her. Logically, she knew it was only hair, and she could color it whatever shade she wished, but the sudden and involuntary change bothered her greatly.
Chapter 48: Rescue Efforts Gone Awry
Nienna watched her negotiation efforts disintegrate as Seren threw her weight into Captain Morrow’s side and knocked her over. Lord Aedan Byrne uttered a primal growl and pushed his wife aside as if she were a minor obstacle in his way. Lady Bryne fell to the ice with a pained cry. He ignored her, as she scuttled back out of the fray, her face frozen in bewilderment at being so easily pushed aside. She stared at her husband, mouth agape, as he then leapt at the young guardian with the Sanguinary Blade’s point aimed at her throat.
Chapter 47: Frigid Negotiations
Quint eyed Nienna as he pulled the oars out of the water and rested them on his lap. “Where are you right now?”“Hrm?” Nienna replied. She absentmindedly rubbed at the bandage on her hand while lost in her thoughts. She furrowed her brow, suddenly realizing they were not moving. “Why have we stopped?”
Chapter 46: Parley
“What do we do with the three back there?” Quint asked as they stepped out of the chamber. He glanced over his shoulder back inside.
Nienna winced and covered her eyes. There was a thick cover of clouds above, but the muted daylight was still bright enough to bother her vision which hadn’t adjusted from the darkness she had been in for so long. “We can’t let them roam about; they’re too dangerous. We should keep them locked up until we figure out what to do with them.”
Chapter 45: Found
Unnerved by the dark, rippling shadow slithering around her legs, Nienna scurried out of the water as quick as she could, kicking sprays of droplets everywhere. She fell upon the shore, gasping for breath from the exertion.
Chapter 44: Bargaining Chip
Lord Aedan Byrne walked out onto the ice floe, seething as he stared across the frigid waters separating them from Deep and Troubled Waters. Their quarry was there, hiding behind walls of wood and ice.
Chapter 43: We Control the Shadow
Quint stretched out his tired legs along the cold floor. From what he could tell by the shadows outside the chamber, he was about half a day into his watch, but it felt like it had been a week.
Chapter 42: Crawling Under the Surface
“Are we going to talk about it?” Clarkus asked as he looked down at Alena. The asura had been quiet for most of their hike to the sanctuary and especially silent once they were all inside. He had expected to hear one curious exclamation after another as they entered Deep and Troubled Waters. Instead, she had been quietly taking in the sights as she shuffled along by his side.
Chapter 41: Deep and Troubled Waters
As the group descended the frozen hillside onto the Shattered Ice Floe, Dee pulled her hood down and breathed in deeply. It had been many years since she had been up this far north. The brisk cold, the howl of the wind, the sound of the frigid waters lapping against the ice: all of it renewed her vigor and lifted her spirits.
Chapter 40: On the Move
“Best get yourself strapped in,” Danae warned as she grabbed Mira Jayne’s arm and pulled her to a spare seat on the Raven’s bridge. The curious adventurer had snuck up for a peek, despite Danae’s warnings to stay below.
Chapter 39: A Bumpy Ride
Dee pulled open a cupboard door and promptly slammed it shut. So far, she had found nothing but basic rations and water in the Raven’s galley.
Chapter 32: A Dark Consequence
Captain Danae Morgan emerged from the Raven’s Revenge and strode down the gangplank with a proud grin on her lips. The stand-off had been tense. The mercenary commander didn’t want to back down, and Danae sure as hell wasn’t going to back down. It could have escalated, but thankfully their commander was intelligent enough to recognize that Danae and her crew had the obvious high-ground. She was thankful they took her at face value and didn’t look too closely.
Chapter 29: Trapped
“What about food and supplies?” Alena inquired nervously between heavy breaths as the group passed through the Eastern Watchpost. She struggled to get through the snow and to keep up with the others. Her short legs made it challenging, and she had already put Gordo to rest, so he was not able to assist. “We’re not going to have enough if we continue on without re-supplying. You know how Clarkus gets if he doesn’t have enough to eat.”
Chapter 28: When Good Intentions Turn Sour
Forgetting about her troubling symptoms, Nienna sprung to her feet and strode through the calf-high snow toward the figure. Like the rest of her surroundings, the snow started to disappear, leaving behind a desiccated stone path for her to follow. She assumed she was having another vision, similar to what happened back at the Priory. How she was here again still remained a mystery. There had to be an explanation for what was happening, and Nienna hoped the stranger had some answers.
Chapter 27: We All Have Our Secrets
The two opposing groups stood silently apart from each other in an unspoken but mutually agreed upon moment of peace. However, the air still felt charged. A single sparked word could have ignited the tension, and they would be right back at each other’s throats.
Chapter 25: Family Matters
Reading the growing tension in the room, Nienna turned to the barkeep. “No offense to you or this establishment, but I think it would be in everyone’s best interest if we take our business to another tavern.”