Emrys Ace- Author

This week's Tuesday quote is a short one (and there will be a break for Easter), from Chapter XI: Netis

Plink.
Plink.

Water droplets, splashing onto a stone floor.

As I come to, as my consciousness returns, other sounds fill my ears too.
Screams.

Screams of agony- that can only belong to Hewet- coming from somewhere in this infernal prison I have been entombed in.
"Hewet! Where are you? Hewet?!" Surging forward, I cry out his name- but I'm stopped short. My eyes adjust to the damp darkness around me- and I realise I'm being held in a cell- a cell with walls covered in moss and something slimy I don't want to come into contact with. Two iron hoops have been hammered mercilessly into the wall behind me, chunks of crumbling stone gathered on the floor beneath them. Two long chains made of closely interlocking iron links drag from the wall- to my wrists. I let out a bellow of frustration.
I am well and truly trapped. Whatever was on that dart wasn't just a sleep-inducing poison. Whatever it was, it drained my maegia from me- and I'm utterly helpless. All I can do is scream Hewet's name till I'm hoarse, and nobody comes to my aid.

I'm alone.

[picture drawn by Sessie on DeviantArt]

This week's Tuesday quote is from Chapter X: Arriway:

"You coming, little traitor?"
"Shut up. And I'm much taller than you. I'm surprised you're maegiling, I've never seen a maegiling this short."
"You shut up. Are you done insulting me about my height, or do you want to carry on all night and all day? Your time's running out. If you want to get the Arksite to Darcnia in time, you're going to need a faster pace than this."
"Isn't that why you're helping me-"
I'm interrupted as Akyua lets out a loud, unladylike snort. "Who said anything about helping? I'm just doing my job, because I would like to keep my head. I have been ordered to take you to Brylht Mountain, and that's what I'll do. Any more questions?"
"Just one more." Akyua sighs, over-exaggerating, as I say this- but I go ahead anyway. "Why have you been sent to 'help' me?" I ask, using air quotes at the word 'help'. "Does Darcnia not think I can do this? Does she think I'm not strong enough? Does she think-"
"Shut up." Akyua stamps her foot, halting on the journey that we started up again. "She just wants to validate that she can fully trust you with this mission. She wants to avoid making any mistakes. And she knows you're strong enough. Did I not mention that before? The reason why she chose you for this job is because you are strong enough. You were right- she would not have chosen you if you were weak. And," her voice drops to a murmur, "I'm sure you can do this. Cor inrumpo, remember? I'm not going to delve into the mountain of secrets your heart holds, because although I may have few morals, I do know that that's not my business. But I don't even need to use that gift to see your desires. You wish to protect your eternal friend at all costs. And this is just a cost. Now, if you're going to be annoying, shut up."

[art done by Sessie on DeviantArt]

This week's Tuesday quote is from Chapter IX: Netis

With many heartfelt blessings, and almost overwhelming gratitude, I part from the camping villagers the next morning, with Mial, Hewet, and our other soldiers. It's early, so the air is full of a white, chilling mist, that clings to the ground and to our hair and our clothes, and weaves in and out of our horses' legs. As we press on, away from the stream, along the road which is still plagued by congestion, the mist becomes denser, slowly transforming into an ever-thickening fog.
"Mial. Hewet. Get a shield up around us. I can't see a thing. The rest of you, better summon some light."
Calls of "Lux." can be heard from every corner of the company, and beside me, though I can barely make out their outlines, I can hear Mial and Hewet chanting,
"Clypee, aegi vocamus. Nubes diffuge."
It's all but invisible, but the shield that Mial and Hewet put up around our company has a slight silvery shimmer to its edge when I glance at it through the corner of my eye. The maegial lights expand, and fill the shielded area, that moves with us, with brightness- and then extend beyond, cutting through the mist in a radius of only a few metres all around.

[art by Sessie on DeviantArt]

It's that time of the week again- this week's Tuesday quote is from Chapter VIII: Arriway of Misfortune Cookie:
this one's a bit shorter than the others

"Well, Sir Arriway, you needn't worry about arriving on time."

I spin around, in a full circle, my eyes scanning every inch of the mountain upon which I stand- even in the darkness I can see that nobody is there.
"Who's there? Show yourself!"
And then, inexplicably, a figure steps out of the thin air in front of me. At first, I think it's Darcnia, but-
"No. I'm not Darcnia." The figure laughs. It's uncanny how Darcnia and this mysterious person can both read my mind. "It's called animum inrumpo. I won't bother explaining it. It takes years of practice. But- I haven't introduced myself." The figure steps further forward, conjuring a ball of light in their palm. There before me stands a girl who looks young, but seems ageless when I look her straight in the eye. "My name is Akyua."
"Akyua. And why are you here? Are you working for Darcnia?"
"Yes, I am working for Darcnia, too." Even a minion of Darcnia whom I've only just met is trying to remind me where my loyalties are supposed to lie now. "I am here to be, let's say, your guiding star."
I can't help but snort at that remark, and she gives me a glare so sharp that I immediately compose myself, seemingly not through my own free will. Great. Another person to control me.
"Do you really not trust me that much, that you have to use your maegia to control me?"
"No. Well, yes. What I mean is, I don't trust you. Not at all. When Darcnia told me of her plans to steal the Arksite to weaken this kingdom, to weaken your Princess, she suggested hiring a thief to do her dirty work, and she had somebody in mind- you. She'd been tracking your activity for weeks, using animum inrumpo to read your thoughts to decide whether you were worthy for this job. Despite how confident she was that you were the best choice, I didn't think you'd fully dedicate yourself to this. I know that you'd do anything to help your eternal friend, but I did not expect you to go to such lengths as these."

This week's Tuesday quote is from Misfortune Cookie, Chapter VIII: Arriway:

The expedition to Brylht Mountain is taking longer than I thought. I don't think I'll make it to the summit today- but I still have a day left to get there- the full moon will rise tomorrow night.
In the past three hours or so since I left Helenium behind, the Sun has climbed to its highest point in the ever-burning sky, and is now beginning its slow descent.
The journey feels far lonelier, colder, without any companion walking beside me. I hope that Helenium will be okay stuck in that little cave for a couple of days. The wind blows with more force up here, and it's difficult to keep a straight path. What with the increasingly extreme weather, and the bone-chilling cold, and the impending night, and the heat of the Arksite through my clothes, it finally occurs to me the absurdity of all this. I've stolen the most precious object in Idia, possibly in the whole of Skeytan, for the most formidable Dark Sorceress in the world- whom I've only met about twice. And I'd trusted her word almost instantaneously- and I betrayed my /eternal friend/ for /her/.

What is /wrong/ with me?

/Arriway. Do not lose heart in this mission. Remember what I said on that slip of paper you received in your fortune cookie. You're doing this for your eternal friend- you're doing this to save her. Don't you want that?/

Darcnia's there, in my head again. I wish she'd stop invading my thoughts like that. It makes me uncomfortable- the only person who's supposed to be able to communicate telepathically with me is Netis- so every time Darcnia speaks in my head, I think it's Netis, and I'm terrified that she's going to find out.

/Of course I do./

/Fortune/ cookie. More like /misfortune/ cookie.

[art by Sessie on DeviantArt]

Tuesday quote!

(Misfortune Cookie, Chapter VII: Netis)

"Your Highness. Where are you going?"
"Mial." I address the shorter, tanned, fair-haired maegiling guard. "Hewet." The second guard, the one taller than me- in fact, the tallest of all the maegiling soldiers- with cocoa-brown hair and twisted, ebony horns sprouting from his head. "Have you felt the disturbance?"
"The disturbance in the flow of maegia? Your Highness, maegia has been interrupted ever since the Arksite was stolen. I don't think this incident is any different from that." Mial tries to reassure me.
"No, Mial. I'm sure it's something else. It feels like Dark maegia. The theft of the Arksite hasn't affected Dark maegia at all- it has weakened Light maegia. What just woke me up was Dark maegia, I am certain of it."
"Princess." Hewet c***s his head to the side. His maegia is stronger than Mial's- he's a Chrol maegiling. The Chrol are one of the most powerful races of maegiling to have ever walked Skeytan's soil. They are taller than any other humanoid being in this land, and their magnificent horns are not only a display of beauty, but of danger. They may not look like much- but being impaled one of them would guarantee one a painful death. They were one of the first races of maegiling created by Lord Yztia and Lady Jiphena, the God and Goddess of Light- and so the maegia infused in their blood is of divine strength. "I feel it too." He says. "I feel the disruption. There's definitely something out of place here. And it's here, in this camp, I know it. We must investigate-"

Before Hewet can finish whatever he was going to say- there is a loud high pitched scream coming from the direction of the stream.

[art done by Sessie on DeviantArt]

Here's this week's Tuesday quote!

(Misfortune Cookie, Chapter VI: Arriway)

And the weather’s not improving. The storm is fast approaching, and Helenium is beginning to stress. Despite being one of the fastest and one of the most strong-willed mares of her generation, and having plenty of experience with maegia- she has never been trained to deal with a maegial storm of this intensity. She can’t cope.
Her hooves skitter across a scattering of loose stones and she lets out a loud whinny of panic.
“Hey! Hey, girl, calm down! The faster we go, the sooner we get to Brylht Mountain. And the sooner we can return to Olydha. We can’t let Netis catch up with us.”
The Arksite begins to warm in my pocket, burning through my clothing, almost scorching my skin. With every second that passes, we are closer to Brylht Mountain. The Stone is protesting.

[image source: http://blog.medicinegarden.com/2010/11/medical-astrology-gemstones-and-healing-moonstone/]

This week's Tuesday quote!

(Misfortune Cookie, Chapter IV: Arriway)

The first thing I notice is the Arksite, a large white gem stone resting on a purple velvet cushion, on a marble plinth, shining with hues of baby blue and pale pink, glowing with such a pure brilliance that I’m forced to turn away for fear of being blinded.
And that’s when I notice the second thing- a whole legion of maegiling soldiers, in perfect formation, surrounding the Arksite.
Their wicked, sharp swords are drawn.
And they’re pointed at me.

[art done by Sessie on DeviantArt]

This week's Tuesday quote!
(Misfortune Cookie, Chapter II: Arriway)
“Can you feel that?”
“Feel what?”
“Maegia, in the air. Dark maegia. I have a bad feeling about this.”
“Arri.” Netis pats my hand reassuringly, giving me her trademark bright smile. “Don’t worry. You’re just nervous. Everything will be fine.”
But right then, even though I don’t know it yet, she jinxes us. From the moment we receive our fortune cookies, nothing is fine.
I almost choke on my wine when I unroll the small piece of parchment that had been folded up inside the cookie I received, along with a tiny map that I dare not open here.
/No./
/Not her./
/Not here./
/How can this be?/
With my hands shaking uncontrollably, I reread the message on the parchment.
/'If you do not desire to see your Netis fall from her throne, come to the top of Brylht Mountain by the next full moon, with the Arksite Stone of Idia; or watch your kingdom fall in fire and blood.'/
Beside me, Netis pales to the colour of snow.
[art by Sessie on DeviantArt]

For this week's Tuesday quote!
(Misfortune Cookie (Chronicles of Idia book 2), Chapter II: Arriway)
Netis chucks a cushion at me from one of the sofas in the library, and I duck quickly, narrowly missing her shot.
“Do you take me for an idiot, /Arriway Erkian/?”
“I most certainly do not, /Netis Torlynn/. I simply was asking you.”
“Well, as a matter of fact, I do know the names of all the kingdoms. I can’t be the Princess of the largest and strongest kingdom in Skeytan and not know the names of all the other kingdoms. When I’m Queen, I’ll have to sign treaties with them, or trade, or do all sorts of negotiation.” She rolls her eyes at me. “There are actually, technically, eight kingdoms in Skeytan, not seven- if you count Netia. However, there are only seven kingdoms on the land of Skeytan- Idia, Zaecaea, Aungalla- the sister kingdom of Zaecaea, Yuria, Craca, Choulos and Newistei. Idia is allied with three out of the remaining six kingdoms- Zaecaea, Aungalla and Newistei. Yuria and Craca are neutral kingdoms, and Choulos is our enemy. Netia, we are also allied with.
Are you pleased?”
“Well done. I’m impressed. Newistei is the only other human-dominated kingdom in Skeytan that gives maegiling as much freedom as Idia does. Aungalla and Zaecaea are made up mostly of maegiling, and so their laws concerning humans and maegiling are very different from ours. Choulos is dominated by humans- maegiling are treated diabolically down there, so I don’t know why any would ever want to live there, but those who do have far less rights than humans, despite obviously having maegia while humans don’t- so they could easily overpower the ruler of Choulos if they all teamed up together. I think they’re all just too afraid- I swear, if ‘King’ Ensis Mucro doesn’t decide to start treating his citizens fairly, I’m gonna march down there myself and force him. Nobody deserves to be treated the way maegiling are treated in Choulos.
Craca has a fair mix, though there are more humans than maegiling, and maegiling have still not advanced as much as in the other kingdoms. Yurian maegiling have pretty much the same rights as Idian and Newisteian maegiling, but not all of them. And of course, Netia is made up entirely of maegiling- and only one race, too- as there’s only one race of maegiling that can actually live underwater- the Myrrai maegiling. But- we’re getting off topic. You wanted to research the laws about maegiling- best to start with the laws in your own kingdom. If this library is like any of the others I’ve known, then there should be a whole political section about the laws and whatnot in the different kingdoms. Why don’t you get started on looking for them.”
[art by Sessie on DeviantArt]

Well I've decided to restart the Tuesday quotes, and today I have for you the prologue of Heart of Netis 😃 (feedback and criticism is welcome!)

She didn’t know where she was.
She was inside her body, but at the same time, she wasn’t.
All around her was pitch darkness, like when an eclipse comes, and the gods take away the moon.
But wait- she wasn’t alone. The presence of whoever-it-was sent soul-chilling shivers down her spine, and her instincts told her that not only was this... entity not known to her, they were not a friend either.
Roiling blackness, somehow even denser and darker than what was already there, spread out from the thing that was accompanying her, and as she watched it snake towards her, it began to burn- everywhere it touched her skin, whether covered by clothing or not, it seared through all her human defences, and struck something deep inside her- something that was different- she would have called it maegia if she hadn’t known she was entirely human.
And then, like a direct reaction, light as white as the heavens burst forth from her not-so-body, forcing out the dark, healing her as it went. She still couldn’t see anything around her- not even her own hands- and nor could she see the creature, but she heard its scream as the light engulfed it, as clear as the birds’ morning chorus on a clear spring’s day.
She must have destroyed it, then, from whatever plane or dimension she was in- for then, she could see. Everything was all still white, but there were objects with outlines, and she was able to make out her own feet on the ground, though bare. The frayed hem of a white nightdress brushed her ankles, the sleeves falling to her wrists. Her hands lifted up to her eyes, and she surveyed them slowly, taking in the small scars and the callouses- who was she?
She couldn’t remember.

/Wake up./

This new presence felt friendlier, but still not familiar, still with a hint of hostility- she felt her head would explode if she tried to approach it, tried to communicate with it- its power was so profound and controlling. It spoke again.

/Wake up!/

[art done by Sessie on DeviantArt- check her out, she's awesome!]

I don't post that often, as my life is currently extremely busy, but I have finally taken a couple steps forward to try and promote my stories more! There's not much content on them yet (if any at all), but check out my Twitter account , and my Instagram account, emrys_ace 😃
Aside from my Wattpad account, I have also created an account on Fiction Press, though I have not posted any stories there yet: Emrys_Ace
Thanks y'all!

Netis and Arriway, the two main characters of the Chronicles of Idia.

Drawn by Sessie on DeviantArt

Cover of Heart of Netis, book 1 in the Chronicles of Idia.

Drawn by Sessie on DeviantArt

Tuesday Quote! Again, this is from Cats and Conjury, which I have now finished :) : The bolt of lightning struck Ember square in the chest, and she flung out her arms wide, and screamed aloud. Her dress burst into flame, but it did not burn away. A ring of fire sprang up around the top of the hill, one around Ember, and one around Autumn. Ember reached her hands out to the sky again, and silver stars began falling from the clouds into her open palms. A high pile collected, and Ember tossed it into Autumn's ring of fire. Ember put her foot in her ring of fire, and it vanished. She stepped out, and began walking around Autumn's ring of fire. Her hands were stained silver, and she stretched them out towards Autumn, keeping them pointing at Autumn all the time. She began to chant again,
"Soror mea!
Venis!
Venis ad domum!
Te amo,
soror mea,
Amamus te,
Abis, magus obscurus!
My sister!
Come!
Come home!
I love you,
My sister,
We love you,
Go away, dark magic!"
Autumn's circle of fire, and the one around the edge of the hill, vanished, just like Ember's, and a column of smoke rose where Autumn was sitting. When it finally cleared, the cat was gone. In its place was Autumn. Ember rushed forward and flung her arms around her older sister, crying.
"Oh, Autumn! You're back! I never thought I would see you again, and I still haven't learnt much magic yet! I shouldn't really have been able to do that ritual!"
"Ember, dear, it must have been your love and concern for me that helped you perform it. Love is the most powerful magic in the world, it can defeat even death in some circumstances. Ember, you must always listen to your heart. Even if you do not follow it, you must listen to it, for it can be right sometimes. It can help you in even the worst of times."

Hi guys! Weekly Tuesday Quote! This one's again from my short fantasy piece (which I'm still writing), Cats and Conjury: Ember sat bolt upright, as though shocked by a massive amount of lightning. Autumn the cat screamed a very high pitched, wailing scream, and flew off the bed, scuttling under Ember's closet. Two seconds later, Lily had thrown open the bedroom door to find Ember standing in her nightgown, hair dishevelled, eyes wild, staring at nothing. Lily stepped tentatively forward, and then put her arms round Ember's shoulders, breaking Ember out of her ghostly trance.
"Oh, Lily!" Ember sobbed, "Autumn's in such trouble, and I couldn't sense it! Oh, I could have prevented all this! And now poor Mother has to go out in this horrendous weather to find her!"
"Ember, dear, hush, hush. Come downstairs. I will make you a hot drink and you can sit by the fire to wait for your mother's return. In fact, I think your father may be back soon!" Lily held Ember's arm and led her slowly downstairs, onto Ember's favourite chair in the living room. She waved her hand at the cold, empty fireplace, and a heap of wood appeared. A second wave, and the wood burst into flames.

Oh wow I have got two new ideas for books- I get this a lot, stories appearing in my head out of nowhere, when it just happens that I don't have my notebook with me! I still remember the two new stories...I hope.
One of them is called Life In Reverse- about someone who literally lives their whole life in reverse- they start off being old, and gradually become younger and younger. I think there might some sort of magic involved. Don't remember.
The other one is about somebody who is different from other people, a bit like the first one... but I don't remember it, yet.

Hi everyone, just another quick notice. I received a request from one of you lovely people here, so I am going to post files of all my short stories/fanfics I post on Wattpad, for those of you who do not have your own accounts. I would really appreciate this kind of feedback. Thanks! :D

Hi everyone! So, I've decided to post a quote from either a book or poem I've already written, or one I'm currently writing, every Tuesday. So, here's the first one, from a short fantasy story called Cats and Conjury, which is a short story I'm writing for a sort of competition for a writing group I'm in on Facebook.

Voilà: 'Ember lay awake in bed, listening to the distant sounds of tawny owlets bickering over the food their poor mother had brought them. She listened to the sounds of mice squeaking underneath her floorboards, who would not survive the next day, under the watchful, sharp eyes of Ember's mother. At this present moment, Elise would be galloping on her dark syrup-coloured mare, Maple, off to school, to search for Autumn, who had still not turned up yet. Ember lay still in bed, trying to reach into the dark depths of her mind to reach Autumn. Swirling blackness. Malicious dark grey shapes, like evil shadows. Pearly white apparitions; ghosts; ghouls; poltergeists. And somewhere in the distance, a young girl's terrified scream. The chilling sound laced Ember's blood with ice. Ice as cold as the ninth circle of Hell. Ember was terrified herself. Because the scream sounded. Just. Like. Autumn.'

I would really appreciate feedback and comments on this. Thanks ppl :)

Hi everyone. Any Wattpad users- please follow me- the name is magicbook.

22 likes! Thanks so much everyone! :D

Thank you everyone for the likes! I now have 16 likes- 10 more than I had just yesterday! Now I'm hoping to reach 20- please help me by sharing my page thanks :)

Here's the first paragraph of Outcasts of Ourania: The night is warm. I lie awake in bed, watching the stars through my open window. A cool breeze drifts through and relaxes me. I can't sleep. I don't want to sleep tonight anyway. Tonight, the stars are so beautiful, I don't want to miss them, shining bright in the dark purple sky, like millions of tiny beacons lighting up the world. I can see Photos, the biggest, brightest, and northernmost star, standing out among the others, like a flint of obsidian in a pile of silver ouras. Outside my house, I can hear heavy boots treading on the gravel, walking back and forth, back and forth. That's my parents, doing their night shift of guarding the city from hostiles and invaders. The continous rhythm of the boots soon lulls me to sleep.

Hi everyone, I'm writing a book or two that's set in a fantasy land called Ourania- which comes from the pre-Titan and pre-Olympian Ancient Greek sky god Ouranos (Roman form- Uranus). The inspiration for this book came from William Nicholson's Wind on Fire trilogy, particularly Book 1, The Wind Singer. It's narrated by a young boy called Max Solomon, who is a 'Light-Bearer', supposedly the good people in Ourania. One day he meets a girl, by the name of Storm Astraia. But Storm is a 'Shadower' and Light Bearers and Shadowers must not mix, as Shadowers are supposedly the bad people, the criminals of the city. Max discovers an old scroll in the city library, dating from the time the city was built. He finds out that the Light Bearers are actually the bad people- they treated the Shadowers as slaves and gave them no rights. From then, Max is going to expose the secret, then go on a quest with Storm. It'll start off with Storm not trusting Max, but not hating him, because he helps her twice before their quest. Max isn't interested in her or anything, but he's a kind person, and decides to help Storm, and gain her trust. Maybe they might fall in love in the second book...

Yay, a new book to write! Thought of it yesterday. The first book is called Photosonic, and I'm thinking of making a sequel to it- Fire's End. Photosonic is a mix of Latin and Greek, saying literally, lightsound- 'photos' being the Greek for light, and 'sonic' being a form of the word 'sonos' which is the Latin word for sound. It's about a girl called Seraphina Fire, a young English girl in mid year 9. She thinks she's just got a normal, boring life for everyone else, and is a bit of a troublemaker. But what she doesn't know is that she has a very powerful gift- she can control sound and light (hence the title, Photosonic), and she can manipulate what and how people see and hear things, which can be used for very good or bad causes- and this gift needs to be controlled or it will soon be uncontrollable, and she will use it for bad. One day, a new boy arrives in Seraphina's class, Ryder Carter. Seraphina finds him a little suspicious, as he seems to be looking at her a lot. This is because he discovers her power, more than she does. He takes her one day to a friend of his, Professor Forster, who tests Seraphina and finds she has this power- he calls it Photosonic.

Emrys Ace- Author's cover photo

Posted on February 7, 2013

Hello everyone. I recently just made this page and please can you like it? I'll be writing stuff about my books and publishing stuff.