8 Chronicles: Eden

By S.M. Rune

On the planet Eden,

on the Vulpen Island of Crescent,

Arthur Avalyn and his family

plot a secret war against

Godfather Adam and his hellish forces.

• Language: English
• Publisher: S.M. Rune
• Release date: Jan 20, 2023
• ISBN: 9781088088142

Book preview

Prologue

The smoking, boiling ruins of Inari could be seen from the nearest Vulpen Island, Crescent, a jungle of ancient trees with two urban spaces: a marketplace on the harbor of the bay and the slope that led up to Castle Moondial. 

Built and carved into the stone at the highest point on the island, Castle Moondial towered over the rest of Crescent and cast a long shadow on the ocean below. Outside the castle, a crowd cheered wildly as Rafael Avalyn yelled a battle cry. 

Rafael was only fourteen, yet he had a strange magnetism. The audience held their breath as he attacked his opponent, feinted, parried, then danced around, spinning his staff beautifully.

The sun was high and bright. The ocean breeze, cool and refreshing. 

Above the square and crowd, on a balcony built into the castle wall, sat Crescent's stewarding family. They could see the entire island of Crescent from their seats. 

Steward Arthur Avalyn wanted to watch his son compete, but his attention was needed elsewhere. Captain Reynard was escorting an unfamiliar guest to the shaded balcony Arthur shared with his daughters Morgan and Lyn and his mother Henrietta. Only Arthur and Morgan stood to greet the man. Lyn was young enough, and Henrietta was old enough, to get away with remaining seated.

Welcome to Crescent, Good Brother. We're honored by your presence, said Steward Avalyn. Captain Reynard stepped back to observe.

Brother Timothy was short and gaunt, with strawberry blonde hair and black robes. A simple-looking man, except for the eye. His left eye was a vertical slit, like a cat's eye. It had a soul-chilling effect, like looking into the eye of a killer.

The pleasure is all mine, Steward Avalyn, said Timothy with a grin, and Arthur believed it. Expectancy lit Brother Timothy's face. The man was ecstatic, eerily so. They held hands in greeting, and a chill ran through Arthur's body like ice down an empty stomach.

Your… arrival takes me by surprise, Good Brother. Of course, accommodations will be prepared. Perhaps you wish to retire before we discuss this new change in policy? Steward Avalyn offered, hoping the good brother would leave so Arthur could cheer for his son. Arthur heard the audience groan in unison but stayed focused.

No, not at all. I insist on watching the show, said Timothy. 

Morgan vacated her seat for the Good Brother and moved to sit beside her grandmother. 

Timothy dropped into Steward Avalyn's right-hand seat with pomp, still grinning. I've been looking forward to this conversation. I'm here to inform you that the Lord Father assigned me to be your new Holy Advisor and your children's new governor. 

Arthur's response was immediate and well-rehearsed. Of course, I bow to the wisdom of the Holy Father. Might I ask, why now? Steward Avalyn chose his words carefully. I only ask that I might serve Him better. 

The good brother remained silent, staring into Avalyn's eyes with a grin. Arthur glanced toward his son and saw Rafael was in the corner.

Dutiful of you, Timothy quipped finally, demanding Arthur's attention again. It's the Lord Father's wish that all five Islands of Vulpex be consolidated into a single domain with a single emissary. Rafael is being considered for that position. I'm here to determine if he is deserving and, if he is, advise him.

That's-- wow! That's wonderful. We'll prepare your room for an extended stay, then?

I suspect I'll stay here for the rest of my life, Timothy grinned.

Arthur turned again to watch his son nimbly spin in the air, with the tip of his staff barely striking his opponent's hand, breaking several bones. The man's staff fell to the floor, and Rafael knocked it out of the square.

Captain Reynard's voice magickt in Arthur's ear, He's trying to provoke a reaction out of you. We need to find out what he knows. I'll send Apple to spy on him. 

Excellent, Arthur cheered, but his mind was preoccupied. Good Brother Timothy was a snake if ever there was one, and Arthur invited the snake into his home! Not that he had a choice in the matter. Refusing an emissary of the Holy Father was suicide. The only response available to him was gratitude and humility. He hated it. Timothy's smug smile burned into Arthur's mind like an ugly brand. 

Meanwhile, the crowd below was chanting Rafael's name. He won.

Chapter 1 - The Serpent

The crowd surrounding the square erupted in cheers of jubilee. Crescent hadn't won the Perigee Tournament since before Rafael was born, and to be victorious at only fourteen years old was a remarkable achievement.

Everyone was ecstatic. Well, almost everyone. 

Gwendolyn Avalyn, Lyn to her family, was in many ways a typical 8-year-old. She had been sitting for several hours and grown restless as the tournament dragged on. Whenever her brother fought, Lyn got excited, but the final match was over, and Lyn was eager to leave.

It was Apple's duty to take care of, manage, and interpret for Lyn, and she was devoted, not that Apple had a choice in the matter. Apple was a capuchin monkey familiar, given a higher sentience by Godfather Adam Himself. 

Some creatures spent their lives wondering about their purpose in life, but not Apple. She was blessed and cursed to know precisely why: to serve the Avalyn family and interpret for Lyn.

Apple was given to Lyn when the girl was just two years old. When Godfather Adam heard news that Lyn had been born deaf, He created Apple to be Lyn's lifelong companion. 

Steward Avalyn graciously declined, but the Godfather insisted. Apple would be Lyn's teacher and interpreter, and that was the end of discussion. Steward Avalyn could say nothing more but offer his gratitude for such a generous gift. After all, no one else on the island of Crescent could afford a familiar.

Although today, a few wealthy visitors brought their familiars with them. By accessing the Aether, Apple could 'remember' their memories. The Aether connected Apple to every familiar on Eden and to their memories, knowledge, and experiences, living or dead. When Apple first arrived on Crescent six years ago, Steward Avalyn forbade her from sharing her memories. But Apple could still access the public memories of other familiars. 

Presently, Apple was trying to distract her ward by describing the memory of a visiting lion familiar who witnessed a man falling face-first onto a pile of horse manure. Lyn chuckled at the story but kept glancing nervously at the Good Brother seated next to her father. Something about him clearly upset her. 

Apple told Lyn not to worry, but the stranger had a malevolent aura about him that made Apple's fur rise. Something about the creepy smile that never left his face.

'The tournament is over,' Lyn signed. 'Let's go play in the garden.'

Apple could think of no compelling reason to stay, so she told Lyn's grandmother Henrietta their plan, then followed Lyn as she snuck quietly away. No one would question their sudden absence. It was Lyn's prerogative to disappear for hours at a time. She was a wild, solitary child, prone to emotional outbursts. Most of the castle staff ignored her. And though her family loved her unreservedly, they were so busy with matters of state and duty that they rarely had time for Lyn.

Consequently, Apple was more than simply Lyn's servant and interpreter. She was Lyn's best friend, her ever-present shadow, and even a surrogate mother. It was a responsibility Apple cherished dearly. 

They ran downstairs and crossed the castle courtyard to reach the garden. It was lush, beautifully maintained, and several acres wide, with tall trees and an array of native flowers. Bees and butterflies filled the air and flew out of reach of the island princess.

Lyn was in high spirits again, far from the unnerving, smiling stranger. She spun in circles and laughed, basking in her sweet return to freedom and relative solitude. The bright sun made her short black hair shine like onyx. Lyn's dress, a formal blue-green skirt, spun around her, aloft in the breeze, as if it might lift and carry her away, a flower petal on the wind.

She stopped and looked at Apple; a pure, child-like grin lit her face. 'Let's play Hide and Seek,' she demanded. 'Close your eyes and count to 20, then come find me.'

Hide and Seek was one of Apple's favorite games. Despite her vast intelligence and magical sophistication, she was still an animal and loved to hunt and play. They played several rounds, taking turns, finding each other in trees, behind bushes, and under garden supplies. In time they grew hungry, and Lyn decided they should sneak into the kitchen for supplies.

Stealing food from the kitchen was another game they often played. They knew every corner of Castle Moondial, every secret path and shortcut - or at least, they thought they did. One such hidden passage led to the kitchen. 

Lyn and Apple waited patiently until the guards had passed, then darted down the hallway, stopping abruptly to open a small grate before crawling into the small, dark opening in the wall. It was built to allow fresh air to flow to the deepest rooms of the castle, but they were small enough to fit. As she crawled on her hands and knees, Lyn calmly brushed a mouse aside and more than one spider out of her hair.

They turned several times, having memorized the labyrinthine paths of this particular crawl space long ago. Finally, they saw the lights of the kitchen shining before them, like the sun at the end of a tunnel. They looked out into a spacious room lit by an enormous fire.

The cooks and kitchen staff were hard at work preparing the feast Steward Avalyn had ordered for Rafael's celebration. Delicious smells of cooked meats, vegetables, and sweet and savory desserts filled the air and made both Apple and Lyn's mouths water. Apple had her eyes on a fruit torte, and Lyn pointed at a pecan pie with a greedy expression. But, of course, they couldn't simply grab their spoils. They needed a proper diversion. 

Together they carefully removed the grate that separated them from their objectives. They were beneath a chopping table. The kitchen staff were all busy at their tasks. Now comes the challenging part. If they failed, Lyn's father would be angry and send them to bed without dinner. It was all or nothing. Apple would provide the distraction while Lyn stole the food. 

Apple waited patiently and chose her moment carefully. When she was sure no one was looking, she dashed out from their hiding spot to slide under the center table where the chefs were preparing food. It was cramped, even for her, so she crawled on her belly to the other side of the room and waited once more for the perfect moment to strike. 

Several minutes passed, but her opportunity presented itself in the form of a young assistant. He entered the kitchen with his arms full of clean pots and pans. He couldn't see the ground at his feet, so Apple jumped out from under the table and screeched in agony as if he had stepped on her tail. The young man jumped and hollered in surprise, dropping one of the pans in his arms, making a loud clamor, and surprising the entire kitchen.

Be careful! Apple yelled at the poor boy, who turned bright red in the face and profusely apologized, looking confused and a little scared. Apple felt a stab of pity for the boy, who would no doubt be reprimanded, but not too severely. She ran out the door before anyone could say another word and sprinted down the hallway to where Lyn would surely be waiting with their spoils.

She found Lyn next to the grate opening with a mouthful of pecan pie, two fruit tortes, and an enormous grin on her pecan-smeared face. Lyn even nabbed a fistful of caramel crickets, a favorite of Apple's, and together they munched happily, laughing all the while. 

Apple! Someone shouted. Apple looked up to see Captain Reynard marching toward them with purpose. At first, Apple thought they would be reprimanded for stealing from the kitchens, but Reynard didn't seem to care about their stash of desserts.

I have a task for you, he said. Apple began interpreting Captain Reynard's words, but he told her to stop. This would be a secret mission, and Lyn didn't need to know. Apple felt confused and uncomfortable but did as she was told, as always. 

But in all her life, Apple had never failed to interpret anyone's speech for Lyn. Not doing so now felt like a terrible betrayal. Everyone ignored Lyn from time to time, but never Apple. The young girl reacted in anger, charging Captain Reynard and beating him with her tiny fists, but he hardly seemed to notice. The captain simply grabbed her arm and held her away from him, firmly, not with cruelty, but without question. Lyn tried to break away, but his grip was like steel. She jerked violently in vain, then, from the bottom of her lungs, she summoned an angry, frustrated shriek.

Captain Reynard waved his hand and cast a spell to silence the girl, then resumed addressing Apple, ignoring Lyn. Apple watched helplessly, knowing Lyn felt violated, ignored, and silenced. 

Rage and passion swelled in Lyn's tiny body until it found a new form of release. All the candles and lights around them began to brighten. When Lyn realized she was releasing her fury, she doubled her efforts to punish Apple and Reynard. The lights became blinding. Reynard raised his arms to cover his eyes, but still, it shined through. Then, as quickly as it began, it stopped, and Lyn collapsed in exhaustion.

A full minute passed as Apple and Reynard blinked the stars out of their eyes, having been briefly blinded by the light's intensity. Once he could see again, Reynard removed the silence spell from Lyn and carried her up to her bed. Then he examined her as if seeing her for the first time. Finally, Reynard pulled a chair next to Lyn's bed and began to sign directly to her, something he had rarely done before.

'I am impressed,' Reynard signed. 'Not many humans can wield magic, let alone 8-year-olds.'

Lyn managed a weak smile.

'You depleted your mana when you brightened the lights. Sleep is what you need now. When you wake up, maybe I'll teach you how to do magic properly so you don't exhaust yourself.'

But Lyn was already asleep. As the captain left the little witch to rest, her familiar Apple snuck out the window, as she had been instructed.

The perigee moon illuminated the outside wall. Apple leapt from branch to stone to branch along a complicated path. On the docks below, Apple saw bustling crowds of partiers celebrating the occasion. Apple shimmied along strategically placed foliage, then dropped behind the cliff wall into a secret tunnel.

The entrance was cramped and riddled with dead-ends, but Apple knew the correct path. She had done this several times. She climbed until her tiny claws grabbed hold of a ledge and pulled herself up.

A thin strand of light shined from behind a wall. A tiny pinhole revealed the inside of the room, elegantly decorated, with a crackling fireplace warming the air. Apple saw Brother Timothy standing in front of a large ornate

Reviews for 8 Chronicles

[Envi Aloud · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Pure escapism. A book that pulls you into another universe, and you quickly fall in love with the characters. The author S. M. Rune has a brilliant way of highlighting problems that exist in our real world from different perspectives in a fictional fantasy world. I’m looking forward to reading where the story goes next in future releases!