No One’s Beloved Sister

Book Three of Everyone’s Child

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What does it mean to change the world?

When she first started walking the path of prophecy, Elayith believed she was the only person who would change. After all, each individual represents their own world. But that was before she met a mage tainted with shadow magic and awakened a trio of powerful knights from the world’s primordial age. Now she stands on the brink of finishing her journey and has begun to question everything.

Seri, on the other hand, is done asking questions. She has embraced the vision the Watchers’ enigmatic hourglass has shown her and she no longer has a reason to look back. Unfortunately, the rulers of her order seem torn between their own ambitions, unable – or unwilling – to fulfill the conditions required to bring about the Ultimate Purpose. Which means she may have to take matters into her own hands, despite numerous warnings to the contrary.

Forced to abandon the oath he made to himself at the start of Elayith’s journey, Jaolyn has embraced the powerful passenger that lurks beneath his skin. But he hasn’t forgotten about the corruption of the mage conclave that forced his hand. As he digs deeper into the secrets hidden from plain view, he makes a dangerous discovery that threatens not only the goddess avatar’s success but the fate of the world.

As the moment of truth draws near, who will leave their mark on the world and who will disappear into obscurity? And will the changes they write upon the web of fate benefit the world or put it on the path of destruction?

An accident waiting to happen…
As one, Elayith and Jaolyn shifted their mage lights around the carving. The floor was jagged, uneven and slippery, but that wasn’t what troubled Elayith.

A fine layer of cracks ran just beneath the tiny river. Some had opened enough to allow water to seep through, and the sound of it plunging into the hidden depths was low and distant, indicating a large space beneath them.

When she traced the delicate lines formed by the spider web of cracks, she noticed they flowed all across the cavern and part way up one of the far walls. In fact, those cracks appeared to be the source of the river.

“We have to be careful,” she hissed, uncertain why she felt more confident keeping her voice low. “We have no idea how stable this place is.”

In answer to her statement, Crillux spread their bat-like wings and hopped across the small gap, coming to rest lightly on the other side.

“I’ll go first,” Jaolyn suggested. “I’m used to dealing with places like this.”

He moved before Elayith could protest, but she appreciated the ease and confidence with which he found stones that held his weight. He tested each step before committing to it but still barely hesitated before proceeding.

“Be careful,” he called when he reached the other side of the burgeoning fissure and danced backward a few steps. “Some of the center there feels like it’s about to give way.”

Elayith gulped as she stepped forward. Her plan was to match the path Jaolyn took, but there were no bootprints in which to set her feet. She only made it two steps before Tatrasiel swept forward.

“Please,” the angelic avenger pleaded, “allow me.” Three pairs of white-feathered wings unfurled, and Tatrasiel scooped Elayith into their arms. With a hop and a flutter not unlike the maneuver performed by Crillux, they reached the other side.

The satyr was the last to cross. Drungaleth moved with cool confidence, but their feet were not booted or soled. Their hooves scrabbled to find purchase against the slick stone, and they often slipped before catching balance.

Elayith was about to ask Tatrasiel to retrieve their satyr friend when a hoof caught in one of the dips near the center of the fissure. Rock scraped against rock as Drungaleth scrambled to break free. Then something careened into the hidden chasm, and a sharp rumble filled the cavern followed by several hearty splashes.

The earth groaned and growled as the ground began to shake. A sound like breaking glass but three times louder split the cavern. The shaking intensified, and the cracks lining the river rapidly began to spread.

The crack in the wall cleaved deep, and the water that once trickled through began to rush in great gushes.

Instinctively, Elayith grabbed Jaolyn’s arm as she turned and rushed toward the exit Crillux identified. The knights were already in motion, those with wings sweeping into the air.

But the cave had clearly been balanced on the thinnest knife edge before they arrived. As water burst through the new cracks, the rumbling increased, the shaking intensified and several loose rocks shook free of their mooring. A sizable boulder collided with one of the stalactite spears dangling from the ceiling, and the force of the blow dislodged it.

Even as the group raised their arms to protect their faces from the mud and water kicked up by the collapse, the rocks settled in front of the exit they rushed toward, sealing them in the flooding dome.