#release tag

[aureliobooks]

SEVENSWORN UPDATE - [ 6 / 5 / 20 ]

SUMMARY

In fifteen days, on his twentieth birthday, Prince Ronan Aldrea will die at the hands of a god. His path was set long before his birth by hands worlds away from his, unbiased and unyielding in their actions, and had been written into prophecy by seers of ages past. The hands of Fate had called for his death, but Ronan did not plan to sit idly by and let them claim him.

The prophecy did not rest on Ronan’s shoulders alone; it worked through a member of the Pantheon of Seven, the god Aevar, the one meant to kill him. With Aevar’s arrival in the mortal realm comes a fierce reminder that his days are numbered, and with each pawn Fate puts into play, Ronan becomes more determined to defy it.

In all of history, be it mortal or godly, Fate has reigned superior. It has never lost, never faltered, least of all fallen before a frightened mortal prince.

But Ronan Aldrea intends to change those odds—no matter the cost.

CHAPTER EXCERPT (IV. BLOOD PROPHECY)

On the wall, an eye was painted. Red, open, with a slit through its middle and intelligence in its gaze. Ronan’s hand went up to touch Aevar’s brand on his throat. Identical. Ever-present. 

Words were written in a circle around it, in a language that he recognized as the sacred script of the gods. Shivaroth began to translate, his voice hushed as if he was afraid he would awaken a monster. 

“We pledge ourselves now and ever after to the god Aevar. We swear to kill all false kings, strike the names of false gods from our books, and bring all those who oppose us to their knees. He has brought us power, and He will bring our salvation.” Shivaroth muttered the last line not in Adacian, but in the lilting words used in Feihjelm. “Mahk-ti. Ajharel. Fahn-ha lente vol Avok’Shai.” Ronan gave him a quizzical look, and Shivaroth shook his head slowly.

“Stand tall, prepare. Bring down the man called the Avok’Shai⁠—the godslayer. It is seven hundred years old, Ronan, dated here.” He pointed to a series of numbers beneath it all. “And yet here, two names are listed. Vehkra, the name of the one that killed me in an attempt to kill Aevar, and yours.” 

READ CHAPTERS 4 & 5 HERE! / READ FROM CH. 1

RELEASE SCHEDULE / WIP PAGE / KO-FI

[aureliobooks]

SEVENSWORN UPDATE - [ 6 / 12 / 20 ]

SUMMARY

In fifteen days, on his twentieth birthday, Prince Ronan Aldrea will die at the hands of a god. His path was set long before his birth by hands worlds away from his, unbiased and unyielding in their actions, and had been written into prophecy by seers of ages past. The hands of Fate had called for his death, but Ronan did not plan to sit idly by and let them claim him.

The prophecy did not rest on Ronan’s shoulders alone; it worked through a member of the Pantheon of Seven, the god Aevar, the one meant to kill him. With Aevar’s arrival in the mortal realm comes a fierce reminder that his days are numbered, and with each pawn Fate puts into play, Ronan becomes more determined to defy it.

In all of history, be it mortal or godly, Fate has reigned superior. It has never lost, never faltered, least of all fallen before a frightened mortal prince.

But Ronan Aldrea intends to change those odds—no matter the cost.

CHAPTER EXCERPT (VII. RISEN ASH)

After the first, the horns continued to sound. One after another, they echoed around the peak of the mountain where he’d wedged himself, ominous and heavy in the air. He stood, ducking through crowds of people who had stopped in their tracks at the noise, pushing his way toward the railing and looking down into the city below. 

At the mountain’s base, the magelight fires were being extinguished. One went out, and then another, until the buildings were cloaked in darkness and the crowd around him had dropped their things and started running. Ronan simply stared, wide-eyed, as another horn sounded. 

They all knew what this meant. Adacia was no longer ignorant to the warning signs. No one was waiting to see what was happening⁠—their innocence had been replaced with a brutal realism. They saw as well as Ronan that the war had finally come to take their city. 

READ CHAPTERS 6 & 7 HERE! / READ FROM CH. 1

RELEASE SCHEDULE / WIP PAGE / KO-FI

[aureliobooks]

SEVENSWORN UPDATE - [ 7 / 2 / 20 ]

SUMMARY

In fifteen days, on his twentieth birthday, Prince Ronan Aldrea will die at the hands of a god. His path was set long before his birth by hands worlds away from his, unbiased and unyielding in their actions, and had been written into prophecy by seers of ages past. The hands of Fate had called for his death, but Ronan did not plan to sit idly by and let them claim him.

The prophecy did not rest on Ronan’s shoulders alone; it worked through a member of the Pantheon of Seven, the god Aevar, the one meant to kill him. With Aevar’s arrival in the mortal realm comes a fierce reminder that his days are numbered, and with each pawn Fate puts into play, Ronan becomes more determined to defy it.

In all of history, be it mortal or godly, Fate has reigned superior. It has never lost, never faltered, least of all fallen before a frightened mortal prince.

But Ronan Aldrea intends to change those odds—no matter the cost.

CHAPTER EXCERPT (XIV. EXHALE)

“I’m sorry you have to go through all this.”

“It’s nothing to be sorry about,” Ronan said. “You get this sort of understanding when you’re raised as a royal⁠—your life will be hard in some ways, easy in others. The hard part, for me, just ended up being this. A prophecy, a war, an endless winter.”

“A sword in your stomach,” Acaeus continued. “A god’s brand, an army that wants your head. When’s that ease supposed to come back in?”

“I don’t know.” Ronan shook his head. “A few years. Never. Who’s to say.” The soap that Acaeus began to lather into his hair dripped into his eyes, and he rubbed it away sluggishly. 

He wished, for a moment, that people were not as complex as they were. That wars could be stopped with a word and the raise of a hand. But Adacia’s history with Rhydel was a repetitive one; the treaties had always fallen through, the armies had beaten themselves to death against one another time and time again, and there had never been a true victor. The one initiating the conflict was sometimes Rhydel, and sometimes Adacia. Often, no matter who started it, the reasoning behind it was forgotten. In a few years it all looked insignificant. 

The cause this time was similarly nondescript: Adacia’s king had fallen ill and Rhydel had seen their chance to get the throne.

That was all. In twenty years, it would be forgotten with the rest.

READ CHAPTERS 13 & 14 HERE! / READ FROM CH. 1

RELEASE SCHEDULE / WIP PAGE / KO-FI

[aureliobooks]

SEVENSWORN UPDATE - [ 8 / 28 / 20 ]

SUMMARY

In fifteen days, on his twentieth birthday, Prince Ronan Aldrea will die at the hands of a god. His path was set long before his birth by hands worlds away from his, unbiased and unyielding in their actions, and had been written into prophecy by seers of ages past. The hands of Fate had called for his death, but Ronan did not plan to sit idly by and let them claim him.

The prophecy did not rest on Ronan’s shoulders alone; it worked through a member of the Pantheon of Seven, the god Aevar, the one meant to kill him. With Aevar’s arrival in the mortal realm comes a fierce reminder that his days are numbered, and with each pawn Fate puts into play, Ronan becomes more determined to defy it.

In all of history, be it mortal or godly, Fate has reigned superior. It has never lost, never faltered, least of all fallen before a frightened mortal prince.

But Ronan Aldrea intends to change those odds—no matter the cost.

CHAPTER EXCERPT (XXVIII. BEFORE THE STORM)

“When do we leave for Ferenheld?” Zia asked, a grim restlessness in her eyes. 

Acaeus made a face beside her. “Are we really going to play into Fate’s plan? What if we just didn’t go?”

“It will happen at some point regardless,” Shivaroth asserted. “One way or another. Fate does not lose.”

“Well,” Acaeus muttered, “Fate can suck my⁠—”

“Tomorrow,” Ronan interjected hoarsely. Everyone fell silent. “We leave tomorrow. If we want to get there within the time frame we’ve been given, we will have to leave at the break of dawn.”

“Are you sure, Ro?” Wynne put a hand on his arm, the slight tremor in it betraying her otherwise calm exterior. 

“Shivaroth is right. We don’t have a choice here.” He gestured to his eye, sighing deeply. “This and the moon, the conversation with the Seven, the vision⁠—all of these things are pointing toward the end. We can run, we can hide, or we can meet it with open arms. I don’t know about all of you, but I’m getting a bit tired of running.” 

READ CHAPTERS 28 & 29 HERE: WATTPAD / AO3

READ FROM CH. 1: WATTPAD / AO3

RELEASE SCHEDULE / WIP PAGE / KO-FI

[aureliobooks]

SEVENSWORN UPDATE - [ 8 / 21 / 20 ]

SUMMARY

In fifteen days, on his twentieth birthday, Prince Ronan Aldrea will die at the hands of a god. His path was set long before his birth by hands worlds away from his, unbiased and unyielding in their actions, and had been written into prophecy by seers of ages past. The hands of Fate had called for his death, but Ronan did not plan to sit idly by and let them claim him.

The prophecy did not rest on Ronan’s shoulders alone; it worked through a member of the Pantheon of Seven, the god Aevar, the one meant to kill him. With Aevar’s arrival in the mortal realm comes a fierce reminder that his days are numbered, and with each pawn Fate puts into play, Ronan becomes more determined to defy it.

In all of history, be it mortal or godly, Fate has reigned superior. It has never lost, never faltered, least of all fallen before a frightened mortal prince.

But Ronan Aldrea intends to change those odds—no matter the cost.

CHAPTER EXCERPT (XXVI. RECONCILE)

Ronan refused to mope. He forced himself to stay busy in order to avoid falling into something he couldn’t return from, some kind of inescapable despair that he knew lurked around every corner, waiting for him to let his guard down so it could latch on and refuse to let go. He had let it take hold of him at Solthorne, and before then at the castle, and though he certainly wasn’t at his best as he was, he was determined to avoid that same darkness. 

So he worked. He helped Liliana with her carrier ravens, rode to nearby villages to pick up food and medical supplies⁠—which Liliana said they needed just in case⁠—and worked on honing his skill with a dagger in Terr’Havel’s training grounds when Acaeus wasn’t there. When he wasn’t doing anything he would take a book out to the garden, sitting before the statues of the gods he was supposed to destroy as he read. It was one of those days, when he had nothing better to do and his book was doing a poor job of keeping his mind off of the matters at hand, that Acaeus stalked by without noticing him and stood before the half-circle of statues, glaring up at the visages of gods that were not his.

READ CHAPTERS 26 & 27 HERE: WATTPAD / AO3

READ FROM CH. 1: WATTPAD / AO3

RELEASE SCHEDULE / WIP PAGE / KO-FI

[aureliobooks]

SEVENSWORN UPDATE - [ 8 / 14 / 20 ]

SUMMARY

In fifteen days, on his twentieth birthday, Prince Ronan Aldrea will die at the hands of a god. His path was set long before his birth by hands worlds away from his, unbiased and unyielding in their actions, and had been written into prophecy by seers of ages past. The hands of Fate had called for his death, but Ronan did not plan to sit idly by and let them claim him.

The prophecy did not rest on Ronan’s shoulders alone; it worked through a member of the Pantheon of Seven, the god Aevar, the one meant to kill him. With Aevar’s arrival in the mortal realm comes a fierce reminder that his days are numbered, and with each pawn Fate puts into play, Ronan becomes more determined to defy it.

In all of history, be it mortal or godly, Fate has reigned superior. It has never lost, never faltered, least of all fallen before a frightened mortal prince.

But Ronan Aldrea intends to change those odds—no matter the cost.

CHAPTER EXCERPT (XXV. DEAD LANGUAGE)

By the time he had finished the two books he had recovered, Shivaroth had not returned, and he went back out and wandered, looking at the spines of the endless books and thinking of nothing but what the prophecy they were looking for could say. 

If Shivaroth was so hesitant about telling him, perhaps it was another one detailing his death. Though he had avoided one of those before, he was unsure if he had the ability or the desire to avoid another. He was tired of this, of being wrapped up in fate. He couldn’t live his life fighting it, he would be beaten down until he was nothing more than a husk, left to⁠—

He froze. A book bound in black leather was propped up on a shelf before him. He would have moved past it without a second thought but it bore a symbol he recognized beneath words he didn’t⁠—it was a single red eye, open wide, upturned at the edges with a strike through the middle. 

The Eye of Aevar. 

READ CHAPTERS 24 & 25 HERE: WATTPAD / AO3

READ FROM CH. 1: WATTPAD / AO3

RELEASE SCHEDULE / WIP PAGE / KO-FI

[aureliobooks]

SEVENSWORN UPDATE - [ 8 / 7 / 20 ]

SUMMARY

In fifteen days, on his twentieth birthday, Prince Ronan Aldrea will die at the hands of a god. His path was set long before his birth by hands worlds away from his, unbiased and unyielding in their actions, and had been written into prophecy by seers of ages past. The hands of Fate had called for his death, but Ronan did not plan to sit idly by and let them claim him.

The prophecy did not rest on Ronan’s shoulders alone; it worked through a member of the Pantheon of Seven, the god Aevar, the one meant to kill him. With Aevar’s arrival in the mortal realm comes a fierce reminder that his days are numbered, and with each pawn Fate puts into play, Ronan becomes more determined to defy it.

In all of history, be it mortal or godly, Fate has reigned superior. It has never lost, never faltered, least of all fallen before a frightened mortal prince.

But Ronan Aldrea intends to change those odds—no matter the cost.

CHAPTER EXCERPT (XXII. THE DEAD, STILL LIVING)

“Ronan,” Shivaroth said, the word nearly a cry on his tongue. “Is he⁠—” 

Ronan stepped forward from the gate, past the intricately cut topiary that had shielded him from the door. He locked eyes with Shivaroth, his cautiously hopeful while the god’s held something near devastation. They both stood still for a moment before Shivaroth nearly ran to cross the distance between them, gathering Ronan’s muddied, bony figure into his arms and pressing his forehead to the mortal’s shoulder, though he had to lean down to do so. The embrace was clumsy, uncharacteristic when held beside Shivaroth’s usual grace.

“Ronan. Oh, mercy.” Shivaroth’s voice broke, and he held on to Ronan like he was afraid the prince was going to dissolve into mist. “You are alive. You are all alive.”

READ CHAPTERS 22 & 23 HERE: WATTPAD / AO3

READ FROM CH. 1: WATTPAD / AO3

RELEASE SCHEDULE / WIP PAGE / KO-FI

[aureliobooks]

SEVENSWORN UPDATE - [ 7 / 31 / 20 ]

SUMMARY

In fifteen days, on his twentieth birthday, Prince Ronan Aldrea will die at the hands of a god. His path was set long before his birth by hands worlds away from his, unbiased and unyielding in their actions, and had been written into prophecy by seers of ages past. The hands of Fate had called for his death, but Ronan did not plan to sit idly by and let them claim him.

The prophecy did not rest on Ronan’s shoulders alone; it worked through a member of the Pantheon of Seven, the god Aevar, the one meant to kill him. With Aevar’s arrival in the mortal realm comes a fierce reminder that his days are numbered, and with each pawn Fate puts into play, Ronan becomes more determined to defy it.

In all of history, be it mortal or godly, Fate has reigned superior. It has never lost, never faltered, least of all fallen before a frightened mortal prince.

But Ronan Aldrea intends to change those odds—no matter the cost.

CHAPTER EXCERPT (XX. FALSE PROPHET)

There was no ignoring the feeling that hung over them. 

It was the same feeling he had felt in Solthorne, in Aevar’s war camp. He had felt it before the siege on Illirium and before their boat had struck the reef. His hallucinations, determined to keep their grip on him, sprang into being, the forest steadily replacing itself with flames, the sounds of shouts, of metal on metal. 

This was inevitable, he realized. Whatever would happen tomorrow was inevitable. The path that the events would take had already been written by the hand of someone crueler than he could imagine, the hand of Fate itself, stern and guiding. 

The visions proved it. He didn’t know how, but they did. 

READ CHAPTERS 20 & 21 HERE! / READ FROM CH. 1

RELEASE SCHEDULE / WIP PAGE / KO-FI