Hey, everyone.  I’m trying to get a sequel together for another book I wrote much earlier.  I have a place, a time, some scene in mind and (a first for me!) how to end it so that it dovetails into another book that I had an idea for, but nixed it when I felt it was getting a little too close to a comic book I saw (not that it’s stopped me completely, but it certainly gave me time to pause.

The sequel is called “Daughter of the Mountain” and it deals with the aftermath of Anya and Rhona deciding to run off together (they’re kinda hitched, but that’s a long story to be worked on later).  It starts a few days after the end of The Quietest Heart with Anya being a little mopey.  I’m sure no one reading it is going to understand.  She gets to bed a hot elven chick (“I’m twenty and she looks like that.  When I’m eighty…she’s still going to look like that.”) and it’s their honeymoon.  From Rhona’s point of view — this is great.  She has a companion that’s not going to take any sort of advantage over her or rob her and leave her in a ditch for dead.  Life could not be better.

Anya has issues because she has no idea what to do.  From when she was little, it was hammered into her tiny little head that her only joy in life would be to rise through the Circles, gain rank and eventually take the Scholar’s Seat to run her particular school and guide the nation of Tarjen to a prosperous new age.  What no one counted on was her falling in love with not only an elf (there are no half-breeds), but a female elf (human do not wield magic, and the elves aren’t about to help these simple humans with their fertility problems).  Now her well mapped route through her life is in shambles.  her coping mechanism (drinking and fighting for her School) aren’t going to be of any use.  Why?  Read on.

I have this wonderful little fantasy world, and in it there is an island called Ozur-Soren.  The way I described it Mardi Gras, Vegas and Ibiza all came together on an island the size of Louisville, KY (400 square miles).  On Ozur-Soren is the ruling monarch of the realms — Tarjen, Solvig, Daergal, Imre and all the other places pay their respects (or protection money — however you want to look at it) to Ozur-Soren.  This is important because Tarjen’s price is two things: iron ore (which they are famous for) and fighters.  Every year during what the Tarjens call the Day of The Iron Price, the Scholars send twenty of their best students to act as bodyguards for the monarch, as well as several tons of iron ore.  While one would think that the students would jump at the chance of a year’s vacation…the harsh reality is that these students spend a year away from duels to improve their rank.  Imagine if you were sent to work for another company, but everything you did over there didn’t count for anything on either side.  Anya’s predicament is similar to the soon-to-be-bodyguards — anything she does now isn’t going to be for her benefit among the Scholars of her school.  In fact, she’s lost some standing among her own School.  She’s the one that skipped out of duty and tradition because (in the eyes of the Scholarship) she wanted to get laid more than she wanted to fight.

When are they arriving at Ozur-Soren?  At the beginning of Harvest.  The next weeks are filled with incoming tributes from the various other nation-states.  Including Tarjen.  So, not only is Anya adrift without any of the underpinnings of her society to guide her, but the Scholarship she served will be coming alongside her.  The whole week is going to be reminders of what she’s given up.  Is this a great honeymoon or what?

But, I can say in the end that Anya gets her head right.  What happens in between landing on the shores of the Fabled White Towers and catching the next boat to the port of Daergal on the mainland?  I will save that for another time, but I will leave you with this saying from Don Henley:

Sometimes you get the best light from a burning bridge.

Hope y’all have a good week.

Sincerely,

Seething Apathy