The War for Freedom is Now Available!

The penultimate chapter in the Eternity’s Empire saga is finally here!

I started writing this story to fill the space between other, larger projects. So there was a part of me that never expected to get this far. I certainly didn’t know how the story was going to end when I started it. (And the ending I originally conceived of has long since vanished from possibility.)

This started as a simple story about six young women trying to find where they fit in the universe. But it has become a complicated saga with dozens of characters and settings to keep track of. Nowhere was that more obvious than in this, the penultimate installment. Writing The War for Freedom involved juggling far more threads than I initially anticipated. Thus it required a lot of extra edits to make sure everything was in the proper positions for the series’ epic climax in the next book.

But I’m beyond pleased with how things turned out. It’s difficult to offer a preview of the book – or talk too much about the writing process – at this late stage of the series without inadvertently stumbling upon spoilers. So instead I’d like to draw attention to some characters who are finally melting out of the background.

Meet the imperial daughters!

Aeternitas – The Youngest

If you’ve read any of the Eternity’s Empire books, Aeternitas will be a familiar character. I wrote a little about her back when I originally published Secrets of the Past.

To the ancient Romans, Aeternitas was the personification of eternity. As far as deities go, not much is known about Aeternitas. She appears to have been a virtue heavily associated with an imperial cult. She was often depicted on coins minted between the first and third centuries. The emperor Vespasian depicted her holding a head in each hand. One represented Sol and the other Luna, probably as a symbol of world dominion. Tamer depictions include a cornucopia and a scepter. Later coins also featured depictions of a phoenix, the symbol of cyclical time.

In the universe of Eternity’s Empire, Aeternitas is the most unassuming member of her family. Content to learn and explore, she has little desire to wear her mother’s throne (unlike her headstrong sisters). As the youngest, she is somewhat naïve about the inner workings of her mother’s empire. She is also the least experienced fighter, mage and diplomat, which puts her at a disadvantage in facing her sisters in almost every regard.

Still, Aeternitas has one thing that all of her sisters appear to lack – compassion for those who inhabit her mother’s vast galactic empire. A quality that has recently gained her many allies.

Achlys – The Bloodthirsty 4th Child

In Greek mythology, Achlys is the personification of sorrow. She isn’t necessarily a deity, as such, although she does appear on shield of Heracles. The word achlys describes a mist or fog that blinds a mortal’s eyes while dying. Her depiction is heavily associated with sorrow and grief. Her Roman counterpart (Caligo) was often considered the mother of chaos. She was even depicted as a witch who crafted deadly poisons from flowers.

In the Eternity’s Empire universe, Achlys has little interest in gaining her mother’s crown. She prefers instead to haunt the battlefield. The troops she leads into battle bear a bloodthirsty reputation for relentless attack and slaughter. Mercy is not a word within her vocabulary. She takes no prisoners and cares little for the losses sustained to her troops as she carves her way into her chosen conflicts.

Achlys almost never appears in court to interact with her mother’s diplomats. This has contributed to her somewhat legendary image as a warrior whose armor is always splashed with blood (new or old). She doesn’t even seem particularly concerned with victory. She merely enjoys the slaughter.

If war breaks out within her mother’s empire, she is sure to make an appearance.

Ananke – The Ambitious 3rd Child

Ananke is another familiar figure for long time readers of this series. Her namesake is an ancient Greek goddess who represents the personification of inevitability, compulsion and necessity. She is a primordial deity – meaning that she was formed before the rest of the universe, and is sometimes credited with playing a role in its creation. She was a self-formed being who emerged at the dawn of creation in the form of a serpent. Her outstretched arms then encompassed the cosmos. She is sometimes considered the mother of the Fates.

Ananke represents one half of the division between chaos and order. She is mentioned in Plato’s writing as one of two opposing elements that form the world: intellect and necessity.

In the world of Eternity’s Empire, Ananke is perhaps the most ambitious of the imperial daughters. Born third, she languishes in the shadows of her two older sisters, who both more naturally draw attention in their direction. She also seems to have been passed over in favor of her youngest sister, which heavily rankles her disposition.

Caught between what she views as two looming obstacles, Ananke works harder than the rest of her sisters to gain notice, favor and success among her mother’s court. She has resolved to gain her reputation and position by any means necessary, which means she often resorts to blackmail, trickery and murder in order to get what she wants. Ananke is remorseless, more than happy to turn the citizens of the empire into her pawns and playthings.

She does not take kindly to anything which tarnishes her reputation.

Ashima – The Forgotten 2nd Child

Ashima is an ancient Semetic goddess associated with fate, not to mention half a dozen other goddesses in other mythologies. For example, she was associated with Damkina, the Sumerian creator of fate as well as Manāt, an Arabian goddess who also measured fate. Another variation of her name, Elephantine, appears in a Hebrew temple in Egypt.

Ashima’s name itself translates as the name, portion or lot. Hence, she is considered to be the measurer of a person’s fate. Much like Lachesis in Greek mythology, the second of the three fates, considered to be the disposer of lots.

In the context of Eternity’s Empire, Ashima is the least well known of the five imperial daughters, despite Ananke’s jealousy over her high position. She moves through the shadows of the imperial court, using her relative obscurity to her advantage.

According to Aeternitas, Ashima amuses herself by playing games among the court. Known for her enigmatic gift of Oracle, Ashima often speaks prophecies that turn friends into foes and allies into enemies. Her ambitions and goals are relatively unknown to her sisters, making her something of a chaotic factor in the power play about to unfold.

Anumati – The Enigmatic First Child

Anumati is a Hindu lunar goddess most heavily associated with spirituality. Her name means to grant permission. She is often seen as the personification of Shakti – the primordial cosmic energy that represents the dynamic forces moving through the universe. Shakti is a creative and sustaining energy, though it can also be destructive.

Anumati has control over the formal activities of mother nature, the basic discipline encapsulated in every creature. And in her aspect as the moon, she can break calm and peace to every creature.

In the Eternity’s Empire universe, Anumati is the most enigmatic of Aeternitas’s sisters – at least to her. Though they grew up within the same walls, Anumati is an almost perfect stranger to her youngest sister.

From observation, Aeternitas knows that Anumati is an able diplomat and capable leader – the person most qualified to take their mother’s throne when the time to inherit arrives. However, Anumati is also an extremely powerful being, wielding the power inherent in her blood with a frightening lack of effort.

As far as enemies go, Anumati is sure to prove the most daunting.

Want to learn more about the imperial sisters?

The War for Freedom is Available Now!

The war has begun.
Only death can halt the relentless assault.

Since the empress publically branded her a traitor, Aeternitas’s time has been short. She has gathered and fortified her allies to the best of her ability. But are they strong enough to match the might of the empire?

Between the clever wit of Loki’s pirate band and the tested tactics of their rebel allies, Aeternitas and her guardians might just stand a chance. They cannot afford to relax, however, as four powerful obstacles still stand in their path – Aeternitas’s imperial sisters.

Achlys is a bloodthirsty war machine. Ashima is a volatile factor no one can quantify. And Ananke has sworn revenge for the disgrace of her recent defeat at Aeternitas’s hands. A revenge she intends to pursue relentlessly, without thought for what it might cost her.

But most terrifying of all is Anumati, Aeternitas’s enigmatic oldest sister. Between her skill and her experience, Anumati is powerful enough to rival the empress.

Faced with a growing list of enemies, Aeternitas must split her forces between each of the looming threats – while her sisters are free to throw all of their resources into their individual desires. Yet she must find a way to overcome the other imperial daughters’ might, or her rebellion will be crushed long before it can attempt to accomplish its goal…

Fans of Sailor Moon and Stargate will enjoy this clever mythological mashup. Grab your copy today!