Innocence is subjective, and power always has its price--so his elders told him. Silas Blane is destined for greatness. Born into an elite family with many skeletons in the closet, he learns to harness his inherent shamanic powers and finds purpose...
"Death has no power th' immortal soul to slay, That, when its present body turns to clay Seeks a fresh home, and with unlessened might Inspires another frame with life and light..."
~~John Dryden, Fables, Ancient and Modern, from the 15th Book of Ovid's Metamorphoses, 227-36
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Selketh swallowed the last drops from the chalice and looped the Cord of Adlorel's Truth between her fingers. "Myrktilhet finishes my 'conditioning'. I'm covered in bruises, my hair snarled to ruin, and every step brings pain. Eleiana doesn't care. Why should she? She blames me for everything. I cling to her arm and hobble to the hovercar. When we arrive home, a custodian unit carries me upstairs.
"Eleiana puts me to bed. She kisses my head and sings me a Hepslovian lullaby--as if I'm still six years old, and she's my adopted Amya. Her touch repulses me. I can barely sleep from the pain of a fractured rib. The burns and scars are even worse. I hope I've atoned, but the The Shadow is never satisfied. There's only one solution. After much thought, I decide to warn Kraelis.
"One afternoon, Eleiana leaves for a business meeting. I disguise myself with a pair of dark glasses and a fedora Holten gave me. It still smells like him--a musky scent of cologne and imported cigarettes. If only things were different. I'd marry him, and perhaps find the contented life I've always wanted. Unfortunately, the worlds are at war, and I'm a pawn in its deadliest struggle. I take a deep breath and activate my wristcom.
"Kraelis' face appears, his thinning silver hair stretched into a topknot. 'Miloshka, where have you been? I've missed you at the lessons.' He refers to me by the Pruessian nickname for a beloved daughter.
"'I can't explain now. May I visit you within the next hour?'
"He grins. 'Of course. My door is always open.'
"Minutes later, I cast protective charms on myself to deter the Wraiths. It won't fool them for long, but it gives me some time. I ride the Circ Tram to Kraelis' modest cottage on rural Agri-Ring 12.
"He greets me with a hug. 'Come in, come in. I have fresh traumecht tea just for you.'
"We sit in the parlor, and he pours me a steaming cup. A portrait of Kraelis' late wife hangs on the wall--the Countess Eliset Ardonsia, from one of the oldest aristocratic lines of Celestine. She married Kraelis against her parents' will and lost her inheritance, though the head of the Ardonsia family later acknowledged their son. Johannes then used his inherited fortune to found Jaster Construction. Eliset's straight nose and warm, cinnamon eyes bear a strong resemblance to Holten. Forcing myself not to stare at the photo, I set the tea onto a side table and meet Kraelis' steady gaze.
"'I'm not who I pretend to be, and neither is Eleiana. My true name is Pilistiya Francazti, and I'm a seeker of Myrktilhet. We were sent here to infiltrate The Order for Hir Kaezer.'
