The Hurricane Wars

Talasyn sneaks out to observe the incoming Kesathese ships. She’s worried about a Kesathese invasion, but she knows the Huktera fleet (the Nenavarene Flotilla) and the dragons will keep the kingdom safe. She chooses a vantage point and watches as the Emperor’s stormship appears in the sky. A dragon approaches the ships, and Talasyn wonders what Alaric’s face looks like when he takes in the size of the creature, then wonders why she’s thinking about his face at all.

The dragon swoops in to attack the warship, but Talasyn watches in horror as one of the Kesathese ships fires numerous bolts of void magic, which pierces the dragon’s side. Talasyn nearly cries as the creature falls into the Eversea. She realizes that Alaric stole the Nenavarene ship in which he escaped and studied the Voidfell in order to harness it. Commodore Mathire of the Night Empire then announces that the Night Empire now has access to void magic, and the Nenavar Dominion has until sunset to discuss the terms of surrender.

Alaric waits aboard his ship for news from Nenavar. He finds the dragon beautiful yet horrifying, and he knows maiming it was the right choice to demonstrate power, as he can never trust the Nenavar Dominion after their aid of Sunstead during the Cataclysm. He greets Daya Niamha Langsoune, Nenavar’s chosen emissary. She informs Alaric that Nenavar will not surrender and that Urduja will not swear fealty, as the isles are deeply independent and the people would not tolerate any sign of outside rule. Niamha offers Alaric a deal from Urduja: He must marry the heir to the throne. Alaric says that he knows there is no current Lachis’ka, and Niamha tells him that Alunsina Ivralis has been found.

Alaric meets with his father in the In-Between, a pocket dimension accessible via Shadowgate where they can communicate. He tells him about the proposed marriage, and his father agrees that it’s a good idea, especially since Alaric can access the wealth of Nenavar as the Lachis’ka’s husband.

Talasyn does not accept Urduja’s suggestion. She refuses to be the wife of a tyrant, to allow the Night Empire a foothold in Nenavar. Urduja reframes her thinking, telling Talasyn that this is a way to keep the Night Empire away from the Storm God’s Eye and the Sardovian forces, to control the Night Empire from within. Talasyn is angry, but Urduja reminds her that she promised to acquiesce as the Lachis’ka in exchange for the protection of the Sardovians. Talasyn realizes she has no choice.

Talasyn readies herself for the meeting with the Night Empire’s delegation. Elagbi visits her rooms and apologizes for not fighting harder against the arranged marriage. Talasyn tells him that she understands, as the only person with supreme authority is Urduja; her word is law. Elagbi informs Talasyn that he fought for her right to attend the negotiation meetings. He also cautions her; there are nobles who support the marriage, and there are those who do not. Regardless, they all want to use Talasyn for their political gains, so she must be careful.

Alaric arrives in Eskaya with Sevraim and is escorted by Elagbi to the throne room of the royal palace. He beholds Urduja in her regnal glory and sees the Lachis’ka behind a curtain. Urduja welcomes him and invites him to introduce himself to the Lachis’ka. He approaches and notes that the bejeweled and ornately dressed woman looks like Talasyn. He begins to express his wishes for an amicable relationship, but when he looks closer, he realizes it is Talasyn. She angrily tells him such a relationship is unlikely.

Talasyn is thrilled by Alaric’s shock at the revelation of her true identity. Alaric attempts to accuse the Nenavar Dominion of trickery, assuming that Talasyn’s presence means a Sardovian attack is at hand. Urduja and Talasyn assure him that the Sardovians are nowhere in the Dominion and that Talasyn returned alone to the Dominion after Kesath’s victory in the Hurricane Wars. Alaric is shocked, but he agrees to continue with the negotiation.

In the negotiations, Urduja deftly addresses the Cataclysm, promising Alaric that the Nenavarene Flotilla fought against Kesath without her knowledge or consent. Alaric wonders who sent the flotilla, but he thanks Urduja. As the two parties begin negotiating, the Kesathese delegation is inherently suspicious of its Nenavarene counterpart. Alaric promises that Talasyn will be Night Empress, and in return, Elagbi insists that the Dominion maintain control and power over its own territories and that Alaric treats Talasyn with kindness and respect. Alaric feels a pang at seeing Elagbi care about his daughter so deeply. Alaric replies that Talasyn will be treated based on how she behaves, and Talasyn angrily shouts at him about his tyrannical role in the Hurricane Wars and the multitude of lives he ruined or ended. Urduja calls for a break in the negotiations.

Talasyn is enraged, and Urduja reminds her to remain calm and put her pride to the side for the protection of her people. Alaric is similarly upset, but he is determined to go through with the marriage for the good of the Night Empire.

Talasyn visits the gardens outside her room once night falls, upset at the increased security due to the Kesathese presence that prevents her from sneaking off palace grounds. She tries to find peace in her view of the seven moons and the amethyst sky from the Voidfell. She worries about the volatility of the Voidfell nexus, and she worries about Khaede, still missing. Alaric interrupts her, as his assigned rooms are also near the garden. He asks her about her past and how she came to discover that she is the Lachis’ka. She reluctantly tells him about the Nenavarene Civil War and how she was sent away as an infant. Alaric reveals that he was seven years old during the Civil War and tells Talasyn she’s very young. She mocks him for being old and slow in combat, and he grabs her by the waist and holds her over the pool in the garden, threatening to drop her. Talasyn strangely relishes the feeling of his hand on the small of her back, and she grabs at the front of his tunic. He tells her to respect her elders before spinning her around and setting her back away from the pool.

Talasyn questions what they’re doing, and what this marriage will mean, and Alaric says he’s doing it for the greater political good. Talasyn scoffs, given her bitterness at him for leading the charge against her beloved Sardovian cause. She sarcastically tells him that they can finally study their magic together, as he suggested during the final battle of the Hurricane Wars. He looks genuinely hurt by her comment, which confuses her. He tells her that their marriage can be solely political, which hurts Talasyn, who finds herself yearning for real human connection. They return to their rooms.

The following days of negotiations whirl by as each side makes demands and concessions, with the Nenavarene side led by Lady Lueve Ramsey, one of Urduja’s closest allies, and Niamha Langsoune. The Kesathese side is led by Commodore Mathire and Alaric himself. By the fifth day, Elagbi and Sevraim look bored, while Talasyn and Alaric are increasingly agitated. Alaric asks Urduja for permission for the Night Empire to purchase aether hearts from Nenavar, which angers Talasyn, but Urduja agrees if they pay a fair price. He also asks for permission to study the Void Sever. Talasyn adamantly refuses, not wanting to grant the Night Empire more power and understanding of the Void’s necrotic power.

Urduja reveals that the Sever is growing increasingly volatile, and even Nenavar has ceased its extractions from it. Talasyn and Alaric are confused, and Urduja finally tells the truth. Every sevenfold eclipse—every thousand years—the Void Sever flares violently, and on the night when all the moons disappear, known as the Night of the World-Eater, it washes over Nenavar, killing all life in its way in an event known as the Dead Season. In the past, Nenavar has taken precautions to evacuate the people, the animals, and seeds for crops before returning to the isles to rebuild. Talasyn realizes this is consistent with the Fisherman’s Warning. The Dead Season comes in five months.

Alaric and the Kesathese are upset that Urduja kept this from them, as they do not seek to ally with a nation that will soon be destroyed. Urduja further informs them that the scope of the Void Sever’s destruction has been growing with each Dead Season, and Nenavarene scientists predict that this time, it will reach the Continent and affect Kesath. Urduja believes that Talasyn and Alaric’s combined powers, the combination of Shadowgate and Lightweave that creates the protective sphere, could save Nenavar and stop the Dead Season. Alaric and Talasyn agree to try, though Talasyn feels betrayed. This was clearly Urduja’s motivation for the marriage alliance, which she kept secret.

Alaric and Talasyn meet at the training grounds to practice. Daya Ishan Vaikar begins the training by shooting Void magic at them. Talasyn throws a light dagger at Alaric’s shadow shield, but they do not combine, instead bouncing off each other. Alaric tackles Talasyn before they can be hit by the Void magic. Ishan apologizes profusely, promising she would not have shot at them if she thought the magic would fail. Alaric realizes their powers have only combined successfully during an eclipse. The next is in two weeks, so they decide to try again then. In the meantime, Alaric offers to teach Talasyn how to form a shield with her power, since the Amirante only taught her how to make daggers.

Alaric and Talasyn attend marriage negotiations in the morning and practice aethermancy in the afternoon, in the garden between their rooms. As they practice, they get to know each other more deeply. Alaric tells Talasyn that her grandmother keeping her secrets from her is not appropriate or politically tenable. Talasyn is shocked that he would take her side in anything. He also asks her about when her powers manifested, and she tells him she was 15 in Hornbill’s Head, during the start of the Hurricane Wars. She also tells Alaric that she left the orphanage when she was 10 because she was being cruelly abused. Alaric apologizes for her tragic past, which surprises Talasyn.

Alaric tells Talasyn to use her memories to harness the aetherspace. Thinking about his own memories, he thinks about how cruel his father became after the Cataclysm, how his mother left and begged Alaric to come with her. He coaches Talasyn to visualize a shield the same way she visualizes knives. The first knife she summoned was to defend herself on the streets. Alaric says that the Allfold failed her in allowing people to suffer, and Talasyn privately thinks he’s right, though she hates his pity.

Talasyn makes no progress toward summoning a shield. During the marriage negotiations, the two groups agree to hold the wedding in Nenavar and Talasyn’s coronation as Night Empress in Kesath. Talasyn feels sick at the idea of going to Kesath and returning to the continent she used to call home without her friends.

Talasyn is late for training, and when she arrives, she and Alaric argue over the Cataclysm, the Hurricane Wars, and whose side was right. Talasyn thinks the Lightweavers attacked only after their diplomatic efforts had failed to stop Ozalus Ossinast from creating the stormships, while Alaric thinks they attacked without warning and unprovoked. Talasyn thinks the Night Empire was wrong to conquer Sardovia, while Alaric thinks they are working toward a better world. Talasyn storms off, and Alaric asks Sevraim how to have a more peaceful relationship with her. Though they argue, Alaric is still sickened by the tragedy of Talasyn’s past in Hornbill’s Head and finds himself drawn to her. Sevraim counsels Alaric to try to engage Talasyn about her interests, compliment her, and remember that she has her own opinions about their people’s shared histories. Alaric agrees to try.