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Rebound of Power - Part 2, Chapter 5 - A'mara Books

viking-venturesPosted for Everyone to comment on, 5 years ago9 min read

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Part 2, Chapter 5

The past month had been a long 45 days for the hooded man. As the rainy month of Komanari had given way to sunnier Lashanari, he remained dry more and shivered less. His mood lightened accordingly, but he remained in a strange limbo between having no time and having all the time in the world.

He kept as vigilant a watch on the injured girl as the A'mara had. Except he didn't have any relief. He used the time to meditate on developing the lessons he hoped to give her and prayed that his mestari could work out a way for him to talk with the girl alone once she woke up.

Just the thought of being in the hospital made him a little anxious at the same time. He could not risk the A'mara seeing his face. They must not hear his voice. Nor could he risk them being further alerted to his cloaked presence either. There was too great a risk that one of them might remember his leya impression from five years previous when he left their order. From what he knew, they didn't do a very good job of keeping track of leavers, but that didn't give him permission to let his guard down.

If he could just get to Iyva before the A'mara managed to pull her in, he might still be able to get a very powerful student out of this. He was not going to let her go that easily!

His PCS link buzzed. He looked at the scrambled code and answered. There were only a few people who had his code and even fewer who took the precaution of using a scrambler.

“Hello, Zilan,” he answered.

“One day, I shall fool you, Nameless One,” the man determined with a chuckle. “How goes your wait?”

“Long,” the hooded man replied.

“And you have never once asked for relief.”

“I didn’t know you were back on Irola,” the hooded man replied. “You were in Gaskarii last I heard.”

“That is sort of the point of living in the shadows,” Zilan answered. “It’s amazing how much you learn, and incredible how few people take any notice.”

“What is it, 15 years now?” the hooded man asked. “Easier for you though. They think you’re dead. I just left them.”

“Voice recognition isn’t so forgiving though, Nameless One – try convincing technology that you’re dead!” Zilan replied.

“That’s why we have the Curator,” the hooded man replied. “The toys he or she gives us allows us to be new people… you, me, Zarkonn, even the Curator, I believe. A useful trick.”

“Has Zarkonn given you any indication of how much longer your wait is likely to be?” Zilan asked.

“Not really. I don’t think anyone knows. It could be any day, as it has been for the past month. The girl is healing, but slowly.”

“Can’t Zarkonn give her extra healing?”

“Yes, Zarkonn can give extra healing, but can you imagine the problem created when First Husband notices that the dramatic healing happened after I was looking after the girl?” a third, but familiar voice replied. “You have already alerted them to our presence in your carelessness. You forget that I can revoke your nameless status, if I must. A scapegoat in prison protects the rest.”

“Mestari,” both of the others said in respectful greeting, Nameless One bowing his head slightly.

“How do you do that?” the hooded man asked, incredulous, forgetting to apologize anew for his failing.

Zarkonn laughed. “The same reason I can always sneak up on you in person as well. You will learn this trick when you are ready,” he promised. “And that is up to the Curator… which, in turn, is up to you not flubbing your tasks.”

The hooded man felt humbled by the censure.

Zilan broke the momentary silence. “I agree though, 1st Husband noticing you healing the girl could be problematic. Especially if you have never exhibited such healing gifts before,’ he said. “I am amazed you can hide so much around that abári wife of his.”

“Image is everything,” Zarkonn said. “The taxi driver can get away with murder because no one expects him to be capable of such things. The under-rated taxi driver… always trusted, but almost never noticed.” He cleared his throat. “Actually, I didn’t interrupt to talk about 1st Husbands and taxi drivers. I wanted to know if you had heard of the goings-on in Kasago recently.”

“I heard that some Neví were arrested and put on trial,” the hooded man answered.

“I’m almost surprised you’ve heard anything,” Zilan said.

“I haven’t had a whole lot to do,” the hooded man excused with a shrug.

“I suppose,” Zilan replied.

The other man looked annoyed. “My time is limited!” Zarkonn impressed. He paused a moment to let that thought sink in before continuing, “We also had an A’mara go and not return from this trip.”

“Did the Curator get him?” the hooded man asked, eyes gleaming at the thought.

“No. He got married! Now, the A’mara are setting up a new outpost in Kasago – to keep a closer eye on the Neví, is the excuse.”

“I was under the impression that the suspect Neví had now been imprisoned,” Zilan wondered.

“Yes. So, I am not sure why they felt the need for this outpost, or if it’s an excuse for something else,” Zarkonn said. “I must go.”

“Mestari,” the others acknowledged respectfully as the image disappeared. Zarkonn’s departures were often abrupt in order to protect his mission and identity.

“I, also, must go,” Zilan said. “I’m sorry for not talking to you sooner. It won’t be so long next time.”

“It wouldn’t be a bad thing to get some relief,” the hooded man said. But the PCS link had already gone dead, and he was alone in his thoughts, once again. The Nameless One made himself comfortable and turned back to watching the girl who still lay peacefully sleeping in her hospital bed, accompanied by at least one of his adversaries at all times.

(Note: Previously posted on Steemit, currently crossposting at WeKu - and now available as ebooks that you can buy - see below.)
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Supplemental Materials

Character Guide, Place Guide and Glossary

Links to Buy the ebooks

(Note: If anyone knows how to make this table look better in markdown, please comment!)

Please catch up!Links to buy
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Birth of the Neví – 829 T.C.E. It is a tumultuous period of Terrenden history. As is all too common, there are those who wish to profit from the misfortune of others. Some of these come together in a new "charitable organization" and step on the toes of the notorious Uugli. Combine this with draconian new measures to combat pollution and Terrenden has a situation ripe for a power struggle.Rebound of Power: 850 T.C.E. Collection of Romance Terrenden is being terrorized by a previously underestimated Neví who through the mysterious “Curator” have been controlling elections all over the planet. In this collection, we meet some interesting women. Iyva, a homeless teenager in Irola whose untrained power leaves her close to death; Marc’la, a breeder of prized caballus in Kasago whose heart lives in the past; Zukie, an abused widow whose heart is afraid to try for future happiness; Jenna, an elections assistant manager and masseuse who has a prejudice against A’mara; and Kami, a chola student in Varkevand who has been assigned to protect Ardin, a man who has his own reasons to distrust A’mara.
ComingSoon!
Rise of the Neví - 830 T.C.E. The Neví begin their rise in power with the completion of several large housing projects that seem totally charitable, but also hide a great evil within. The draconian measures brought in the previous year has caused major distress throughout the world, perfect for giving the Neví a further foothold on the Terrenden stage. Will the A’mara, now removed from the Council of Peers, be able to shut down the Neví?Acting the Part - 851 T.C.E. Collection of Romance - The Neví continue to make a nuisance of themselves, infiltrating the Terrenden Freedom Party who have been winning most elections around the world. Dr. Jarly is still on the run and the Curator still dominates a larger part of the Terrenden stage than most would like to know. What’s more, famous actor, Derick Aiden has decided to release his Neví expose film, causing them to issue a Death Edict on him, forcing him into hiding. In this collection, we meet more interesting women (and revisit some we’ve already got to know.) Kauri, a simple receptionist who doesn’t realize one of her wildest dreams has come true; Tirry, an elections manager who is always the bridesmaid and never the bride; Zara, a chef who has all but given up on finding love for herself; Dzani, who isn’t even looking, but has to chaperone her more vulnerable roommate; Soala, the daughter and heiress who is expected to marry, but refuses to marry someone she doesn’t love; and Moxara, one whose past griefs have locked away her heart. We also get updates on some of the lovely ladies we met previously.

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Image Credits:

  • Cover art based on image from Pexels – creative commons, no attribution required.

  • Shaze based on a katana from Pixabay – creative commons, no attribution required.

  • Shaze chapter ender from Wikipedia Commons – used within terms of license – sword adapted for use as a shaze.

  • Grass texture for maps from Pixabay

All maps/editing by myself on GIMP and Photoscape, both free programs.

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Any names or characters, businesses or places, events or incidents, are fictitious. Although the penalty of knowing me in real life is that you will influence the creation of my characters; any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Writing and artwork copyright myself 2005-2018 – all rights reserved.
Please feel free to contact me on Facebook or Discord, viking-ventures#2883.


Lori Svensen
author/designer at A'mara Books
photographer/graphic artist for Viking Visual
crossposting at: Steemit, Whaleshares and WeKu


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