'I'm addicted!'

Review: Shades of Shadow

by

Poppet

Wow! This installment of this series is jam packed with endless battles, calamity of apocalyptic proportions, and so much tension you'll find yourself gritting your teeth a lot. I loved it!

This book is truly the battle waged, it is edge to edge strategy, trying to outdo ones opponent - on both sides. And it was riveting reading! This is such a series that you just never ever want to stop reading. It's a truly long series but the pace is in no way marred by the length of each installment.

This author has a way of dunking you under so that you are sodden with the action, caught up and unable to stop reacting to the compelling nightmare unfolding across the page.

There is one section in particular that I was struck by, when a lost pet comes back in a dream, and the guilt swallowing the dreamer was enough to make me never want to stop reading. This author nails human reactions and emotions, yet the enigma that was Rain continues, and you'll find yourself rooting for him and desperately needing answers to all the riddles he is.

I love this series. I'm addicted!

Shades of Shadow is a fitting...

Read more: Amazon and Smashwords

(Thank you again, Poppet! xx)

True Beauty

Contemplating Disaster

Ritual

Dialogue: Dantian

Dantian

(Blue could not interview Dantian, Vallorin of the Valleur beyond the Rift, for the time between rift tear and his capture was too fleeting. Blue subsequently spoke to Dantian via a visitation from the realms beyond. The Valleur, it is told, can do this. Whether or not you believe what is recorded below, these are the words as remembered upon waking.)

Blue:  My Lord Vallorin, thank you for appearing. We believe others need to know of your sacrifice.

Dantian: I do not regard what happened as a sacrifice. My destiny was written into my name at birth.

Blue: The Valleur scry a newborn’s future and apply a name to suit, right? Is that how you became aware of what you call your destiny?

Dantian: When one grows with a name that is a destiny, one accepts.

Blue: I cannot believe it is as simple as accepting.

Dantian: It was not easy.

Blue: Your brother Dante- what was his destiny?

Dantian: To be the father he was.

Blue: Ah, yes, he had a daughter. According to our records, she did not survive the burning of Hutito.

Dantian: There are different kinds of death, Blue. Her survival may not be as you trust it to be. Mark the future for news of this daughter of the Valleur.

Blue: We do enjoy a challenge. We shall watch.

Dantian: My time in this form grows short.

Blue: And before you dissipate, my lord, could you tell us what lies beyond?

Dantian: Life. Salvation, if you desire it. Redemption, is you require it. Choice, where before choice was a relative factor.

Blue: I assume you speak now of a destiny voided.

Dantian: Destiny fulfilled. And beyond it new choice. Life.

Blue: We need not fear death?

Dantian: Fear it. What you do in flesh echoes in these realms…

(Dantian’s visitation ended then, although Blue claims the essence of his presence lingered for a time. From that lingering she claims to have absorbed more of the man’s personality.)

Blue: A footnote, reader: Dantian was a man who loved life despite knowing his destiny. He lived large and loved as much. We are the poorer for his passing. I wish I had known him.

About Valaris

I would like to share with you the homeworld featured in all my Tales from the Path of Shades. Known as Valaris, it begins its journey into the multiverse in Gathering of Rain and continues in House of Valla, Shades of Shadow and The Sunless One. Thereafter (Glittering Darkness onward) Valaris remains the homeworld, but the multiverse expands a fair bit to include other worlds and dimensions. Always Valaris is hearth and home to the characters that populate the Tales.

A small world, in the grand scheme of time and space, but beautiful and benign. There is one continent and a host of islands- a water world, really…although the folk living there are more than a little wary of the great depths of unchartered oceans!

Here are a few descriptions and images:

Drasso’s continuing legacy was a continent divided by the one region that had remained relatively untouched by the battles: the Great Dividing Forest. Valaris was a largely water world- one continent and thousands of unexplored, uninhabited islands, the rest being ocean in every direction. Thus, when one described the continent as divided, one was actually saying a world had been divided and its people also, and most effectively as Kisha and Kylan came to understand.

Back in Valaris’ beginning, once it became a habitable world, there was no sentient life. The humans of today did not evolve here; they came from faraway worlds, much the same as happened elsewhere. One starship came and saw it was good, and then there was another and another, a familiar tale. This was and is a paradise world and the humans who settled were happy, but, being human, being sentient, they were selfish also- another familiar tale- and denied entry to other races. Now, around the time that selfish mind-set began, a space warp materialised in the heavens above that made it impossible to travel the stars again, the same warp still in position today. It also, of course, denied entry to other settlers, and put an end to other races interfering with the humans already here. Thus, without any great effort, the humans got their wish, and the Valarians were born as a people apart.

Valaris went beyond every dream. It was far more than this miserable excuse of a world. Even when the light shone benignly here and the mountains were green and white, rounded and inviting, it could not compare.

Ah, what a kaleidoscope world! Sapphire and emerald, silver and white, gold, crimson, amber and violet! Mountains of infinite variety, fertile valleys, oceans, islands, lakes and rivers! Wondrously growing things! There he could live, BE! He could never return to that innocent young man, but, then, he no longer had interest in recapturing that kind of wonder. He was what he was, and it would bring him what he desired. Beauty. Valaris had beauty. In abundance.

A real world, don't you think? Would love to hear your opinion.

Dune Cruiser

Torrullin sprawled next to Vannis, choking on the dust, eyes streaming. Gadgets flicked past him…and gave him an idea. ‘Vannis,’ he coughed, ‘we have to make a run for it…but not with our feet…’ Gingerly crawling forward into the destruction across the heaving floor, with Vannis warily watching the buckling walls, large chunks of masonry falling about them, Torrullin aimed at the dune-cruiser he and McSee had delighted over.

There was not much time. Margus’ bomb had weakened the structure of the cavern, and there was no guarantee the cruiser would ever function again, but neither could they run fast enough to escape a crushing in the tunnels. That, however, was not the worst of their problems. The danger lay in the spreading fires, flames that could soon lick at some pretty awful weapons, and the resultant explosion would render Margus’ bomb puny…no doubt his plan. Torrullin hit the ground when a rapid rat-a-tat-tat sounded- bullets, he surmised, bursting in the fire. He lifted his head, nearly choking now on smoke and dust. The cruiser used solar power and if he could simulate the sun’s rays, if the heat from the fire didn’t melt the ancient cells first, they could race out of here…he crawled quickly, seeing the silhouette…

Two of the tyres were flat and the rubber of all four was fragile with age, but that did not matter. A smooth ride was the last thing they could expect now, and careening off the walls was better than a slow crushing. Working quickly, aware of every passing moment, in the smog-like atmosphere he felt for the solar panel and concentrated. Moments later he leaned into the metal frame of the vehicle and searched for the ignition wires. Ripping them out, hoping he had it right, he touched the wires together…and was gratified to hear the engine roar to life.

‘What the hell…!’ Vannis shouted as an otherworldly creature approached him through the dust and smoke, wearing Torrullin’s face in its belly, roaring like a wild cathron.

‘Get in behind me; we’re riding the hell out…’ Torrullin was grinning like a madman, adrenaline pumping.

Shades of Shadow

Jess, you smelly mutt...

Kylan’s thoughts of the wedding were marred when he heard a plaintive wail coming from the trees to his right. He could not place it, and frowned as he listened intently. There it was again, softer now. He knew that sound, and it called to him, tugged at his heart. He sat up and stared in the general direction of the sound. When it came again, he knew why it was affecting him so…it sounded like, like…Jess! And she was hurt; sounding like the time when that darn tabby turned on her, scratching her beloved nose to shreds.

He rose quickly and, glancing at the others, noticed they were intent on their own tasks. Some were talking, some repacking gear, others sleeping, even Kisha. He did not want to disturb her, she got little rest, her sleep plagued by nightmares, and the others had obviously heard nothing. Maybe he imagined it, maybe he had dreamt the sound of Jess’ distressed wail…he would look a right fool if he drew everyone’s attention to a dream sound.

But he had to be sure.

He loped off into the trees, going where he thought he had heard it come from, hearing nothing…and then it came again. A wail of pain, asking for help…dear god, he had thought her dead, more than dead, burned, vanished. Had he not looked hard enough? Had he missed her, left her behind? As he ran he castigated himself in no uncertain terms…she had been hurt and he abandoned her.

‘Jess?’ he called out, and whistled his special tune for her. ‘Where are you, girl?’

He stopped to listen, and heard a soft bark of recognition up ahead.

‘That’s my girl!’ he called out louder. ‘I’m coming…’ He whistled again to let her know it was him, that he was on his way, and his tears ran unchecked. He heard her bark again, hearing in it a faint, pleased excitement.

Slowing down to hear her more clearly, not to miss her, he began searching the undergrowth, she was close, and kept up a faint whistling…

‘Jess?’

Up ahead there was an old elm, green with moss, its foliage untamed. He knew it, had been here before. He rounded its broad girth…and stopped dead in his tracks.

He sank to his knees, feeling as if he were going to die; from guilt, and sadness so great the human heart could not possibly hold it all.

‘Oh, Jess, sweetheart, I’m sorry…’ The tears were a torrent now, he was sobbing, seeing his beloved childhood companion, loyal always, often his only friend, ensnared in a vicious contraption. A poacher’s trap! How it could be there in that beautiful place was a mystery, given folk were terrified of the Forest, but there it was, and Jess, dear, sweet Jess, was caught in it. Both her hind legs were cruelly snared, the rusty wire biting deep, exposing bone…and she was emaciated, resting on bent front legs, her head drooping to one side. When she saw him she lifted her head valiantly, and stared at him with liquid brown eyes, no reproach, only happiness, as if she had known he would come and make it all right. Such trust, such loyalty, his heart could not bear it. She tried to wag her bushy tale, but no longer had the strength…her usually shiny brown coat was matted, dirty, lifeless…

Dear god, how long? Nearing two months, surely, since Infinity surprised them that night…surely she had not been trapped here all that time? No, she had run off, he had not searched hard enough, and she floundered into that trap…later, it had to be later…

‘Still, Jess, I’ll get you out, girl…’ Gasping through tears, Kylan felt for the knife in his pocket…not there! God, no! Then he remembered he placed it beside him when he laid down to rest…damn, damn! ‘Don’t you worry now, my angel, we’ll make another plan…’

He crept forward, whispering soothingly, and rubbed her forehead gently, her dry tongue licking his hand, little sounds of pleasure…his heart breaking anew, he bent to the task of undoing coils of wire. Hands bleeding, slipping, slipping minutes later, he knew he was beat. He needed wire-cutters, a saw, something…he would have to go back.

He did not want to leave her. To walk away would break her sweet heart…but he had to free her, he would be back. Explaining all this to her as calmly as he was able to, knowing she would understand, she was a clever mutt, he quickly searched around and found some big leaves holding water. He stared at those leaves a moment. They seemed artificial, deliberately placed, but then he shook it off as fanciful and carried them like the most precious gold to his Jess, and sobbed as he watched her lick with great effort, her eyes never leaving his. He patted her gently and ran a soothing hand along her flank…

‘I’ll be back soon, Jess, I promise.’ Crying, he backed away, the hardest thing he had ever done, her eyes following, reproachful now, worried. ‘Hang in there, girlie…I’m coming now-now…’ He turned and ran with the hounds of hell chasing him.

He was lost, could not find the clearing- how on god’s good earth could he not know where he was? He shouted, called, anyone? ANYONE? Ran and stumbled…oh no, oh no, oh no, Jesssss, JESS! I’m sorry, sorrrryyyy…

Shades of Shadow

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The Stairs

The entrance to the cave system was, under normal circumstances, well hidden. Unless one knew of it, one would not find it even upon close examination, which was why the clans hid successfully from Drasso. Margus had garnered the information by means one didn’t want to speculate about, and he obviously no longer saw the necessity of continued concealment, for he had removed all scrub and rock from the entrance, leaving it a well-lit and obstacle-free approach to the mouth of the first cavern. The actual entrance was recessed under an overhang and covered with a massive grill, raised at present high into the ceiling, and peat torches smoked on both sides of the inverted V.

Into this well-lit area the three alighted to a cacophony of wraith screeches, darkling curses and Falcon screams and taunts. The birds had lured their opponents into the widened mouth of the V, thereby leaving the recess deserted. The sound of footsteps could be heard from within the mountain…

Shades of Shadow

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Smashwords

The Stairs is a mountain range riddled with caves on Valaris' Meth Peninsula (hmm, might be time to post a map...)