Recent content by Zael Castomir I

And the vows came, most out of tradition, some from Yuna, and some from Zael himself. With steady breath and fixed mind did Zael listen, though it seemed to him that Captain Erwick was farther away than he truly was. All that seemed close to him was Yuna. He looked deeply into her eyes, and he...

THE VOYAGE Zael had a hunch what Yuna meant, and he was right. The very next day they went to Yuna's father, intent on telling him right then and there. Now, this to Zael seemed a pretty big thing to surprise someone with—and he'd be a liar if he said he wasn't just a little nervous about it...

All fair points, and that lead them, by Zael's reckoning as well as Sable's own, to their one option. Their one and only option, as audacious as it was. "Then you'll follow us, and you won't be seen; because you must." Zael started to rise. "I'll take that beatin to lure Kimble, and then hell...

ZAEL'S PROPOSAL One day, near to the College walls, Zael met with Gier and Herrim—mutual friends of his and Yuna's, and invaluable for certain kinds of advice about Elbion and living in an environment that wasn't crushingly Anirian. He sought them out now for this: "I'm gonna marry Yuna."...

THE PROMISE Together they walked, hand in hand. Zael Castomir and Yuna Fairweather had come from the south of Liadain, each injured, each maimed, but now at last they upon cresting a small hill gained first sight of Elbion in the far distance to the west. For much of the morning heavy rolling...

This really was the trickiest part of the whole plan. It didn't play into Sable's strengths, and they had scarce options and even less time. Which, now that Zael considered it further, ruled out Gier and Herrim for help; a trip to Elbion was very likely to be too costly for time, and it was...

A small laugh accompanied the reckoning with Sable's words. "Tell me about it," Zael said. This certainly wasn't no ideal situation. Not at all. Zael figured it was shame on him for not doing this sooner, for figuring to go after Kimble before he held Yuna hostage. He should have known. Maybe...

If you're genuinely that battered... Damn fine point brought up by Sable: the risk. Yeah, this makeshift plan of Zael's was risky, and it relied a whole hell of a lot on Zael knowing Kimble and what kind of man he was, what he might do. He had to beat Kimble at his own mind game, in a sense...

I'm wishing I had Silas' magic right now instead of my own... Damn. Didn't Zael know the feeling? When the gift you had wasn't the gift you needed. Yet that's where the making-do came in, and Sable had that selfsame spirit. "Whatever it is you gotta do. If you can get in on the hunt for Stenn...

"With." That was the dream, wasn't it? Hopin' that Stenn could be the one; the one who might turn the tide against the Anirian colossus of war; the one who might tip Gilram's balance of power enough to really threaten the Republic; the one who might make Zael's dream come true. But that dream...

Zael shook his head at the suggestion that Kimble had direct eyes on him. The former Proctor had his tricks and secrets, but advanced scrying wasn't one of them; he did truly think Zael to be dead after Vel Kastula, so he said himself. But he didn't need to have a magical means of seeing Zael's...

Zael nodded slowly, and uttered a quiet, "Yeah." Choice. He'd said a little somethin' about that to the Commander of Ganfarred, right before he ensured he'd never be welcome in Vel Anir again. Choice. It was a big damn reason he turned his back on the Republic, thinkin' they were the same...

Zael gave it a little thought. "Don't know if I will or if I won't." And that was the truth of the matter right now. A truth that might change, but as Zael sat there, getting tended to by Martha, in the tail end of taking a licking in Vel Kastula, and with the full cost of his dream staining...

"I appreciate it, Mar," said Zael, sitting beside Lumen in his own chair by the table. Funnily enough, Zael found that he couldn't bring himself to call Martha "Ma"—just stung a bit too deep. Because she had a kindness and a sweetness about her, and Zael thought about how nice it would have been...

"Zael," he said to the old woman, not seeing much of a need for using a false name. "And, yeah, we had ourselves a bad time back that way." If there was one thing the Academy couldn't take credit for, it was Lumen's approachable, personable demeanor. And it wasn't insincere neither, like...