Page 20 of A Reign of Storm and Madness

“Caedmon will do just fine when we’re alone, Kiera,” he states.

I don’t know why, but whenever he uses my name it almost feels as if he’s reminding me that I have it. Perhaps it’s because the majority of the Gods and their children refer to the servants of the Academy as merely Terra—giving so few of them true identities even though they all have names. It’s a kindness I didn’t expect from one of his status.

With a frown, I give him a nod and back away a step. I wait, still half expecting him to chastise me for the action. He never does. Instead, he turns away and disappears down one of the aisles of bookshelves, the soft fall of his footsteps fading into the distance and leaving me utterly alone in silence and confusion.

Chapter 12

Kiera

Hinterlands: the region from which all life formed. I read the words, pressing the pad of my finger over the black script penned in what seems like old hands. The pages of the book that Caedmon had given me are worn, the edges cracked and yellowed with age.

The following events happened so long ago that there no longer lives any mortal or other being capable of remembering, but with this book, it is my greatest hope to share with all who may pick up this tome the beautiful mystery from which our world came to be.

I blink down at the words on the page and flip the book over, scanning the brown leather cover. Where I would expect there to be an author name, however, there is nothing. I reopen to the page where I’d left off and stare at the words once more.

“Other being…” I murmur absently. An interesting choice of words. Had the writer meant Gods? I wouldn’t expect so. The Gods came along long after the start of our world or so the stories say.

Why would Caedmon give me this book? Was it a kind gesture to remind me of my home, of where I come from? Or is it something more from the God of Prophecy? I continue reading.

Humanity woke in the dark woods of the Hinterlands without any of the current weariness we now possess. The first of the humans were youthful, excited, and far beyond curious. They were brave.

A lump rises in my throat. Brave. No one now thinks that it’s brave to venture into the Hinterlands. Everyone considers those who live beyond the edge of the Hinterlands foolish and too barbaric for civilized society.

Full of inquisitiveness, humankind left the Hinterlands to find a land devoid of life but not of beauty. The animals that had been born and raised alongside them crept out, following after the Brave Ones to find the new world welcoming to all. After some time, what we now know as the continent of Anatol became ripe and full of life thanks to the souls who were daring enough to leave their birthplace.

My eyes devour the page, scanning the contents, skimming long passages of how the first humans began to hunt and gather their sources of food. How they took saplings from the Hinterlands and carried them across the lands to build new forests. Hundreds of years of history pass in the blink of an eye as I consume the words on the pages of the volume in my grip, using nothing but the candle lit on my nightstand for reading light as the sky beyond my window had long since grown dark.

My education with the Underworld encompassed various subjects, but the Hinterlands are not a place for the Gods and my training was all about how to get close to them and kill them.

There are no dates in the introduction to the book, which is written more like a conversation rather than textual or educational. That fact makes it easy to read and I can’t stop myself as the flame of my candle flickers back and forth and the wick slowly melts away.

Though humanity may have left the Hinterlands behind to find solace in the new world they were to be a part of, the soul of life still resides deep within the forest beyond all that we know. Humans and animals were not the only creatures the Hinterlands gave birth to and there were creatures of dark and dangerous energies that refused to follow the young and reckless mortals.

Few are left to know of the truth beyond the mystical lands from which we were created. Few are courageous enough to dare cross its borders in search of those beings. Even the supposedly powerful fear what lies within.

Supposedly powerful? My eyes fall upon those words, pausing with incredulity. I’m more shocked that this book was gifted to me by a God, himself, considering the obvious distaste the author has for the Divine Beings—though they don’t mention the Gods by name or title.

How in the world had this book not only been in the hands of a God, but on a shelf in an Academy dedicated to them and their offspring?

Centuries passed and the Hinterlands were forgotten by many. Once regarded as the holiest and most sacred of grounds, the Hinterlands and all that lay beyond it became a place of legend. The unknown hides within its groves and it is the unknown that all fear.

For those who wish no harm to befall the lands, however, there is nothing to fear as it will safeguard those that seek its protection and once you give yourself to the Hinterlands, they, too, will give themselves unto you.

A distant memory surfaces in my mind. My father’s ruddy face, gruff beard, and glittering dark coal eyes as he bent over the bed we’d shared, pressing a kiss to my forehead as he stroked my snow-colored hair away from my face. I’d never felt afraid of my homeland. Never once been filled with unease by the darkness that surrounded our small cabin. If anything, the forest had provided us with everything we’d ever needed—wood, food, and hope. Hope that my mother would return and that the three of us would be safe there.

I close the book, though I don’t set it aside as I smooth a palm down the face of the leather binding. Why had Caedmon given me this book? What was he hoping to accomplish? I’m not so naive to think it’d simply been a gift. Gods did not give gifts unless they were indebted and the God of Prophecy had no reason to be indebted to me.

Perhaps this book has something to do with his research. What could he be researching though?

Glancing to the side, I note how low the flame of my candle has gotten. With a sigh, I finally give up my wayward thoughts and the bittersweet memories and decide to turn in for the night. I creep across my floor and place my book into the satchel that sits along the opposite wall, hoping for some reason that when this is all over, I’ll be able to take it with me.

Once I’m back in my bed, it’s a long time before sleep claims me.

Chapter 13

Kiera

Cold, wet slithery things crawl over my legs. I twist in my bed, the woolen blanket sliding down my torso. Something hovers just on the periphery of my consciousness. I shy away from it, pulling away from the odd sensation of the serpentine coils wrapping around my calves only to have more follow me. The scent of rain drenched soil and moss fills the air. My nose twitches as it grows thicker and heavier, twining around me with invisible hands that creep up my thighs and then between them.

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