Six Celestial Swords
Contents
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Map: The North Western Nations
Thirteen: A Place for Everyone
Twenty-One: The Fire of Ahjenta
Twenty-Five: Keeper of Shadows
Epilogue: The Quest Ends...A Journey Begins
A Raventide Books Publication
Ames, IA
Copyright © T.A. Miles 2015
Map © T.A. Miles 2016, map elements by
Ignacio Portilla M
.
Cover Illustration by Charlie Creber:
[email protected]
Ebook design & formatting by
Write Dream Repeat Book Design LLC
Digital Edition: ISBN-10:0-9975034-1-6
ISBN-13:978-0-9975034-1-8
Six Celestial Swords
is a work of fiction. All incidents and dialogue, along with all characters are products of the author’s imagination. Any similarities to any person, living or dead, is merely coincidental.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.
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I
N THE TIME before man’s first breath the Celestial Dragons swam the heavens, the warmth of their souls glistening in the vast skies above the Throne of Heaven. The Spirit Dragons came into being soon afterward, as dark as the Celestial Dragons were radiant. Unlike their fair kin, who served a purpose simply by shining their light throughout the heavens, these creatures were given a duty. They were charged to become the guardians of the Infernal Regions, the curious oblivion where the Celestial Dragons could not cast their light. At once discontented with their role and resentful of the Celestial Dragons, the Spirit Dragons emerged from the depthless void beneath the Throne of Heaven, like shadows come to life. They warred with their cousins, seeking dominance, blackening the heavens with their presence as the terror and confusion of the dark pool from whence they’d risen followed them into the skies.
The battle soon drew the attention of the Ancient Gods, creators and protectors of all things. However, the involvement of the gods did not bring resolution, as they were reluctant to destroy their own children. After a fruitless effort to restore order through reason, the gods withdrew and the dragons’ numbers diminished as the terrible struggle continued.
Before long, victory seemed to be in the Spirit Dragons’ favor. Slowly, the remaining Celestial Dragons retreated from the Throne of Heaven, whereupon the largest of the Spirit Dragons, calling itself Chaos, killed all but two of its fellows and set itself upon the Throne. There it sprawled triumphantly, in open defiance of the gods, who seemed impotent against such transgression. Secure in its victory, the Spirit Dragon coiled its serpentine body upon the throne and gradually drifted to sleep, relying on its two companions to alert it to any intrusion.
A timeless darkness passed while Chaos occupied the center of the heavens and eventually the other Spirit Dragons slept as well. It was then that the gods acted.
The great warrior Cheng Yu, wielder of the Jade Emperor’s flaming blade and the Emperor’s personal guard, attacked one of the sleeping dragons with his great spear and set it afire where it lay, leaving it to burn forever in eternal flames. Another was embraced by the pearlescent arms of Mei Qiao and wrapped forever in the soft, iridescent splendor of her robes, never to wake again. Chaos, the third dragon, was simply touched by the Jade Emperor himself and as it slept, the world formed around its curled body.
Sensing that something was happening to it, the dragon stirred, but it was too late. An imprisoning crust had already formed over its scales and along its spine, vast mountains had cropped up. At first the beast wept in its anguish, and thus were formed the oceans. Then, enraged, it tried to burn its way to freedom, causing the seas to boil and the mountains to erupt as the dragon’s flames turned much of its prison molten. It struggled in the overheated quagmire that suddenly surrounded it, but the surface quickly cooled and hardened, and the world continued to grow.