Morix maintained his gaze with the Ice Lord, and the Shae'goth had no protest as it stood at ease as witness.
"I want it to be you who gives me the best and guaranteed way to reach him, Morixxyleth," Indrath finished. "There is no predetermined time limit, but Marikoth must be alive and in a natural state—no undeath—and his soul must be free when I come for him. When you have this information, you are invited into Vintern Hjem and will seek audience with me in person in the Waking world. If Marikoth should die before our meeting should occur, you will instead bring me Tamuril to serve in his place."
The To'vah-krav felt his chest clench tight on this bargain, and Indrath smirked to see the resistance on his face.
"Tell me how it is any different from what you have wanted for yourself for a long time," the Ice Lord whispered, leaning closer, his eyes shining a frigid blue. "How is it any different from the many missions and contracts you have completed to raise yourself to have the chance you have now, Elf-Son? You do this for those dark ones you've chosen as family, is that not so?" He paused. "Well?"
Morix exhaled, and for an eternity he could only be grateful his bargain with the Deathwalker had unintentionally shielded Krithannia from being the true target of Indrath's desire.
"I care not what you do with Marikoth," the Dragon-Son said. "But should it be Tamuril instead, make it part of your bargain that she will be protected and well cared for as you would a child of your body, and she shall not die by any form of sacrifice by any within your House."
Indrath's brows lifted at his own precision, then he looked at his Heir Apparent then, who smiled back in a glorious joy at the suggestion, and he looked back with a graceful nod. "Part of this bargain, Morixxyleth, agreed. If it should be Tamuril, she will be well protected and cared for in every way, as I would a child of my body." He chuckled softly. "She will be like family."
Morix nodded slowly. Let it be Marikoth in the end, then, and he would take what earned hate came his way.
"And," Indrath raised his finger, "if somehow even Tamuril cannot fulfill your obligations, then I leave it to you to choose another young, pureblood Elf, male or female, with the same understanding as to their fate. Just make sure the one you choose for me is beautiful and fertile."
Another nod. "Agreed, Lord Indrath."
The Fey Devil reached out his clawed hand for the first time, now eager to touch the Dragonchild.
"Take my hand to seal our Bargain of Birthright, Morixxyleth, and you shall hear the True Name of the demon guarding the Elsewhere. You may do with it what you will."
*********
Jael was screaming.
It was that pitch I'd dreaded to hear, at the very pinnacle of terror, as Krithannia and I threw ourselves toward the library and down the short, narrow passage. We hit the doorway the exact moment she did, and she knocked me over with the force of our collision and her own momentum behind it. I landed hard, curled against the wall and trying to catch my breath as I heard Krithannia shouting, herself slammed up against the wall.
"NO! Do not run, Jael! Stop! JAEL, DO NOT RUN—!"
Krithannia was knocked over as well, receiving a brutal strike by a large, winged streak of black that flew over top of me. The wave of power which splashed down on me had me screaming in Fear as well. The worst of it was gone the next moment as Mourn charged down the main hallway, and I felt as though I'd just spent a cycle inside the Drider pit without armor or sword.
Auslan was suddenly there, touching me. It felt like every embrace from anyone who'd ever told me they cared about me, and all my Fear vanished in a moment. I gasped at him, nodding soon that I was alright. Next he was moving over to Krithannia, who was shaking, as Shyntre, Gaelan, and Ragura came running. Above, we heard something enormous crashing through the Yungian inn through an open hatchway somewhere.
"What th' fuck is happenin'?!" the Midwife demanded, her fierce voice fighting back against that wave of Fear.
"Sh-she's gone up top!" Krithannia gasped, gripping Auslan's bare hand. "He'll follow her outside! The people—! Yong-wen could be torn apart!"
"What?" Shyntre demanded, trying to follow her.
"Mourn's Awake!" I barked, sitting up. "And he's chasing Jael! We have to see which way they go! We must go after them!"
Shyntre clasped onto this and turned to the meeting two more figures. Peng Lok and Nianzu were just catching up in the crowded hallway.
"Get all your Guild eyes in Yong-wen and around Augran reporting to Krithannia and Talov, right now!" he ordered. "Your Dragon Spirit has just revealed himself to the citizens of Yong-wen in broad daylight!"
********
To Be Continued.
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Book, Chapter, and Verse
Etasky,
While I still remember (some days are better than others), I want to thank you for "saving" Ishuna! That was a very good and quite intense sequence that gave closure to her very long and unhappy story. I liked it.
I think I understand what Sly is writing about and last year I was wondering the same thing about your books before you gave a rough outline for what you were planning. One of the more extreme examples of book growth would be Roustwriter's saga on SOL about Arlene and Jeff where the first two books are reasonable but the third seems to have a brick on the accelerator, it's currently 425 chapters and still thumping along like the Energizer Bunny.
I kind of expected "Surfacing" to be about the Drow fumbling around trying to find their own backsides while they learn about the surface and other amazing things like the existence of sheep, mutton, and wool. I totally did not expect dragons! Woohoo!
Following your alliterative sentiment I thought you'd move to "Surfaced" and continue the story on the surface of Miurag where they discover amazing things like: the very concept of friends which you wrote and covered very well in Surfacing! Tasty surprises like lamb chops, useful things like wool, and how to find their own and others' backsides with both hands now that they're not in the dark and don't need a flashlight.
For a long-running book in the ongoing Drow-opera: "Surfactants!"
Cleaning Muriag and getting dye out of wool. :)more...
Hello, Sly. Thank you for your critique on the pacing. I'm planning for the chapters to be double-length for the final 4 chapters, and I see you noted that here. This was planned, for better or worse, which is why I posted the note at the beginning saying this chapter was #1 of 4 of a large arch concerning the Dragons. If I stopped where you suggested, that statement would not be true.
On the bright side, if you've been waiting for a good break point to reread the story, it sounds like you identified a good one, so feel free to do so whenever you like and pretend what I'm doing for the next three double-length chapters is a separate story. :) I don't care to rename it at this point because it is the same continuing story and I'm nearly finished. After that, I will be taking that break.
Curiously, you broach a topic I was just discussing yesterday with another about a book I just finished. I was disappointed with the ending for a similar reason, but it was the opposite of what bothered you about this chapter. This author ended her book in pretty much exactly as you suggested I finish things here, which is something I've seen often: "We're past the worst of it, it'll be downhill from here so let's just stop the story on a vague feeling of hope for a better future and new beginings."
I disagreed; I read the entire "journey" story urged like the characters to want to see the physical end of the journey in addition to the spiritual, and the author stopped before we reached the physical, having fulfilled the spiritual journey and simply telling the reader everything physical from then on would be fine (or "wait until the next book which may never come."). As I've seen this many times in books, I'd like to try something different here, part of the reason this chapter continued on as it did. But you are correct, it is also a new story arch, but I said so at the beginning of the chapter so as not to mislead anyone.
Thank you for reading this far, and thank you for your feedback.more...
Honestly I'm a little desapointed
First sorry for destroying your language english but I'll do my best not to mangle it too much.
First love your story your one of my favorite writer I follow on Lit.
So why I AM desapointed, simply for not stopping Surfacing and starting a new story.
In Sufferance there was some parts not resolve but that story was about escorting a priestesse and the direct consequances so you stop it and started Surfacing.
Surfacing is about 3 red sisters sentences to 3 impossible missions to the surface and dye so they never come back so the priestesses get happy about one of there own getting kill by them. That's done and completed.
You could have stop this story when they reach the entrance of the cavern on the surface or even better on Lit page 11 of CH 39 when Jael said "He's cooling down." Honestly at that moment I felt that part of Sirana task to go to the surface was completed. I even look at how long the test of the chapter was and ask myselt how could you write for an interview 17 lit pages on that story? You started a new story that's how.
Don't get me wrong I love the fact that you keep going but giving a break or a separation in the different part of your story so we can say OK this part is finish let's go back and reread it one time non stop. I have read twice the previous stories of Sirana but not Surfacing becose it's not completed.
I have been following you since Sufferance every time checking if you have poster a new chapter before trying to find an other story to read. And if I may, I also following Over_Red: Dream Drive (on pause), FinaldStand: Life as a New Hire(on pause), JazCullen: Fighting the Inevitable series and ElyssaCousand: There and back again. If some have suggestion for similar long stories Autors please let me know.
Again sorry for the bad english and also my corrector always try to change words for french on.
Slymore...
So, a few things...
First of all, someone needs to make some appropriately adorable fanart of this moment:
"Gotcha." Rodge watched Natia as she peeked over the ears of the bear; it made him smile yet again. He seemed to find her endlessly amusing.
Second, this sentence strikes me as being very important:
If my womb hadn't already been occupied by Ta'suil's Son, that eve I would have caught Shyntre's Daughter.
Specifically, the capitalization.more...
Oh You diabolical, evil genius!
This is worse than waiting for the last Potter book to come out! I have been with you through this whole story line, and it has been a delight and a pleasure to watch the characters grow and live. I can't wait to see how this ends, but I also think these characters can have many, many more adventures together. I did not think I would find an Underdark character better than Drizzit, but you have created Morix and he is by far my favorite. Thank you so much for sharing and I will wait as patiently as my ADD self can for the next chapter.more...
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