Anton Anderson - The Seekers - Soul Ties

Иллюстратор Anderson Anton

Дизайнер обложки Anderson Anton

© Anton Anderson, 2021

© Anderson Anton, иллюстрации, 2021

© Anderson Anton, дизайн обложки, 2021

ISBN 978-5-0055-1371-7

Создано в интеллектуальной издательской системе Ridero

The Seekers: Soul Ties

Copyright © Anton Anderson, 2021

Cover art: Anton Anderson

Illustrations: Anton Anderson

Proofreading: Judi Weiss (find her at reedsy.com)

anton-anderson.com

First of all, I want to thank all of you for reading my book. I put a lot of time and effort into it, so I definitely hope that you’ll enjoy it.

But if you do find errors, please send me an email at mistakes@anton-anderson.com

Secondly, my book wouldn’t be half as good without some special people. Please let me give them a shout-out in no particular order.

Will Nuessle was one of the first people reading my early drafts. Following his advice I rewrote a huge chunk of the book. And he was absolutely right, so I’m sincerely grateful to him. He also pointed out some insufficient explanations and exposition. I was honored to read the draft of his upcoming book, so I know that his opinion is not just empty words.

Anton D. Morris was another very instrumental person who helped me with my book. His advice about pacing, author’s intent, chapter structure and wastefulness – I tried to address all of his points. I was lucky enough to have read the draft of his new book «Exposed: Humanity Craves Power.» It’s a very good read, so do check it out, as well as his earlier book «MEN DJINN & ANGELS: Awakening»

And last but not least – a person J. Unlike previous two gentlemen who concentrated on the global scale, J was extremely helpful in getting right the small, but numerous things. J’s comments about insufficient explanations, unconvincing character behaviour, or just punctuation and grammar – all of it was extremely helpful for the book’s health. I was delighted to read the draft of J’s great upcoming book, but it hasn’t yet been published.

But enough with the pleasantries, let’s read! And if you want to find more of my books, do visit anton-anderson.com

«In the pursuit of greatness, it’s easy to forget your boundaries.

I fear it may happen to you one day, and you know why.

Will I be able to help? Will you listen? I don’t know.»

– from a letter of Star to Jaesa.

The sky was a rich shade of purple today, just like those big, juicy fruits hanging from the trees near the road. In fact, the fruits were so ripe that they kept and kept on dropping bright-yellow juice on the ground. The fruits looked incredibly tasty and grew low enough to grab them easily. So why did no one in the caravan, heading down the road, pay them any notice? Maybe the reason was the nasty odor, radiating from the fruits? Maybe it was the way those drops of juice were melting their way into the sea of dark-red grass below, just like pure acid?

A caravan was a common sight in these parts of the Lands. Just a simple wooden cart, creaking through the bumps of the pressed dirt, loaded with goods, and moved by a mount. Any mount. This caravan was the igni’s, and their mounts of choice were the equi.

Those beautiful black beasts were slim, just a layer of skin on their skeletons. Constantly emitting a faint turquoise glow, the equi were the living lights at night. They walked on all fours, and their legs ended with hooves. Their long tail was constantly on the move, indicating the beast’s current mood. Big, oily-black eyes sat on both sides of their skull, looking both sad and mindful. Their long and sharp teeth were ideal for grinding meat. Each time they opened their mouths to hiss or bark, one could see a bright turquoise glow inside. What exactly was glowing and why – nobody ever knew.

A pair of igni were leading the beast forward, while the third one was walking behind the cart. Their glowing eyes kept searching nearby bushes and woods. Clutching a long spear in one hand, and a big shield in the other, they were always ready to repel attacking animals from every angle. Each also had a sword, a quiver full of arrows, and a bow.

«Hey, Iskrila, what are we transporting, exactly?» asked Haileen, one of the leaders of the procession.

Iskrila widened her dark-blue eyes in surprise. «Sabiri didn’t tell you?»

Haileen shrugged. «Star sent me, not Sabiri. I expected it to be something usual, not a single big crate, so I did not ask.»

Iskrila opened her mouth to say something, showing off her long, sharp teeth, but the words got lost somewhere along the way, making her look stupid and funny.

«Whatever.» Iskrila shook her head frantically. «It kinda makes sense you went straight to us, without seeing Sabiri. Here, take a peek.» She handed Haileen a complex-looking big key.

Haileen threw a quick glance around, and only after making sure they were safe, she left Iskrila to lead the procession alone.

While Haileen is busy opening the crate, I think I should mention what kind of species those igni were. They had two legs ending with hooves, two arms, but also a tail. Unlike animals who walk on all fours, the igni, as any sapient species of the Lands, preferred to walk upright, meaning on two legs. Each igni was two meters tall, wide and muscular, making them the second strongest and biggest sapient species. You could always spot an igni by their unique hoofprints, pressed quite deep into the dirt by all that mass. But no matter how heavy they and their armor were, the igni were also one of the fastest and most agile species, as their bodies seemed to find the perfect balance between the strength, the weight, and the agility.

Since they didn’t grow any fur on their skin, the igni had to wear clothes or armor. The trio of guards was wearing metal plates to protect their chests and backs. They also wore metal greaves and bracers. Thick, leather straps and underlayers were both holding the metal together, protecting the seams and the joints between them, and keeping the warmth. And, of course, each wore a metal helmet, for the head was the most important part to protect.

As with any species, each igni was quite unique. Every one of them had different placement, shape, and size of their horns. Each had a distinct skin color, varying from the clearest white, all the way to the night-black, but most were some shade of red, purple, or orange. Their glowing eyes could also be of every hue, but usually a bright and vibrant one. And each had a slightly different tip on their tail: some a bit wider, some a bit longer, but all were harder than steel, making the tail into a weapon as much as it was a third arm, a rope, or a mood indicator.

«Amazing!» a metallic voice exclaimed.

Haileen returned, wearing a new, immaculate metal helmet that had a removable face protection attached to it – their newest achievement!

«This face-shielding plate should be so useful!» More cramped words managed to escape the metal trap, leaving visible only her glowing blue eyes, and a bit of dark-yellow face. «When did you have the time to make them?»

Iskrila smiled back. «I’ve apprentices, Haileen. We got to work as soon as Sabiri and Star approved the design.»

She tried to make the helmets look nice, but since they were generic, the openings for horns had to be quite large, otherwise not every igni would be able to wear them. And even though Iskrila loved dark green, after the color of her own skin, the helmets were black so they wouldn’t cause any infighting over style.