Prologue
Carnaxa
My fingers gently glide across the brittle pages of my mother’s journal. The scent of old paper fills my nostrils, a musty fragrance that evokes a sense of history.Myhistory.
Since I brought about the fall of Antalis, life has been different. upon the fall of Antalis, life has been different. We are learning our new bodies and adapting to our home beneath the sea.
While I still don’t understand everything that happened before and why it was I that had to bring about the prophecy, I know the tome in my hands holds many of the answers. The weight of the book between my palms grounds me, connecting me to the past, the present, and the future all at once.
I open to the first page, and the intricate script of the Antihana language comes alive before my eyes. I no longer ask why I can read Antihana, assuming that it is yet another gift from my mother.
The precise strokes of my mother’s quill fills the pages as I read.
From the never-ending darkness came The Creator. The Creator existed for millennia by themselves. They were content within the darkness for a time, but then they began to create. They spent their time creating the stars through the darkness and balls of cosmic fire.
Crafted from stardust and matter, The Creator created a world of their own. Mohasha. A world of perfect silence and darkness. For a time, they walked across the perfect land, until The Creator still wanted more, something that would create a new experience into their unending lives. Thus their children were born.
The first was born of fire to brighten the darkness — Khaysus.
The next was wind to sweep light across the lands — Nuasis.
The third was water to cool the flames and give them a drink — Drahenå.
And finally, earth to help ground them all — Wodthos.
My name is Drahenå, Queen of Antalis, Mother to Carnaxa, and it is time to write my tale of tears.
one
Drahenå
Before Recorded Time
“Hello sister.”
The words of Nuasis drift in on the breeze before she materializes on the small piece of land beside me, as I float along my waters, before I leave for others. Nuasis is constantlysweeping across the land. She never rests for long, feeling the need to carry her songs. Her white hair frames her porcelain face. She smiles down at me, her gaze meeting mine. My eyes are as blue as my oceans, but hers are white as the clouds. Her white gown grazes the top of her toes as she sits down, letting her feet dangle in the water in front of me.
“Nuasis,” I lean up from the water, letting my legs kick under me, the moss below tickling my toes. My dark blue strands that turn to silver stick to my back.
“Tiyo sent me to ask if you could go see Khaysus. His flames are getting out of control again, and if I go, I just fuel them. He’s refusing anytoneoI dispatch, and I’m trying to keep Wodthos from being too upset; he always is when his earth is burned.”
Wodthos, her counterpart, is strong and steady, rarely leaving his territory. He loves the ground beneath his feet and the trees at his hands. Khaysus is the controller of flames and the one I was to be a helpmate to, and the only one to whom he will give audience too.
“Yes, I will … again. I have something I need to do there, anyway.”
The earth around us rumbles, and the fish below me scatter to hide in their watery beds. A powerful gust has Nuasis disappearing as I lean back, letting the water soothe me once more before taking a deep breath and going to find Khaysus.
I walk through the castle of orange stone, and the air is thick with the smell of burning sandalwood. Khaysus has the largest home out of all of us. While the rest of us are happy with humble dwellings, he created this monstrosity that is seen from all sides of Mohasha. His castle sits in what used to be forest, but now is ash and his eternal flames. Khaysus is never happy with thethings he has, he always wants more, which is why he is now burning the outer edges of his territory.
“Khaysus! I know you are here!” I bellow, my feet sizzling as the flames lick at my soles.
“I’m always here for you, Drahenå — have you finally come to be with me?” He comes from the right side of the hall that leads to his rooms, which he’s invited me to more than once. His orange-red hair matches his beard, but it’s his eyes that will always call attention. The fire that dances behind them.
“No, I’ve come from Tiyo. You won’t give an audience to thetoneos,so I’m here instead.” I let my annoyance show through my tone. “It’s time to stop burning into Wodthos’ territory.”
He laughs and runs his hand along his beard. “Why didn’t Tiyo come themself?” The flicker of fire at my feet grows as he walks toward me. His wicked smile forms on his face, one that I used to consider beautiful.
“I do not concern myself with what The Creator does. He gave us life, gave us everything we could need. Is that not enough for you?”
