QSFer James E. Honaker has a new gay fantasy adventure book out: Beyond Good & Evil: The Horizon’s Edge.
Venser is to be a guest at his own wedding.
The eighth son of the High Priest of Aracoras, Venser was betrothed to the Leondra, daughter of Lunaria’s paramount leader. At the crux of the arrangement is the Tomb of the Almighty, a landmark in Aracoras that is the resting place of a divine protector, a figure who helped their people escape above the sea of clouds. Venser and Leondra’s impending marriage is so that Lunaria and its leaders can access the Tomb of the Almighty, a place forbidden to outsiders, and overse the opening of the Tomb.
While their fathers finalize the plans for their marriage, Venser and Leondra set out to unravel the mysteries of the Tomb of the Almighty, to answer the question of why they now seek to open the Tomb after it has remained sealed for generations. Information on the true nature of the Tomb has become scarce, and neither of them are willing to trust the lack of sources in Lunaria. Both also seek to escape the marriage neither of them wanted, and Venser hopes to escape the cage Aracoras has kept him in.
Venser’s journey sees him join with the crew of the airship Alamithea, visiting the other grand cities of the sky islands as he tries to escape his past and unravel the mysteries behind the Tomb of the Almighty and the sky islands themselves. With new companions and friends, like the jokester Matthias and the cantankerous Basch, Venser learns of the dark secrets underpinning the whole of their society, as well as the things about himself he never knew. But as they race across the sky, the darkness they don’t see swells, and it’s set on retaliation…
Amazon
Excerpt
The sun hung high in the sky, shining brightly as the airship left behind the still blue skies and touched down in the sky harbor of Lunaria. An official-looking entourage awaited its arrival, and they all looked as if they had been forced to wait longer than they would have liked. Harbor workers scrambled about to ensure the airship had been properly docked, while the aforementioned officials glowered impatiently. People walking by stopped to look at the airship, an ancient model that stood out against the sleek, modern ships in the harbor.
After a sufficiently fashionable bit of lateness, the party they were receiving stepped off the airship. Clad in white, formless robes that billowed in the light wind, the just-arrived party contrasted sharply with the rather decadent trappings and attire of the party they were meeting. From each of the groups, a man stepped forward to meet the other.
“Visitors from Aracoras,” said the most opulently-dressed man of the receiving party. “I bid you all welcome to Lunaria, the grand city and the crown jewel of the skies. Truly, your visit is a time for celebration and revelry, as we come together ahead of a grand and glorious union between our families and our cities.” His tone sounded like he had practiced the words incessantly during their wait, dripping with a forced cheer and enthusiasm.
“But of course,” the other man said, matching the forced cheer with his own. “The alliance between our grand cities, Aracoras and Lunaria, is to be strengthened immeasurably in the days ahead, tempered and reinforced by the bonds of holy matrimony.”
“Verily. The groom-to-be is among your cohort, correct?”
“That he is. Come here, Venser!” the white-robed man called back.
From the back of the group stepped forward a young man whose robes had been drawn up to cover his head. He had a posture that was submissive and meek, suggestive of someone not wanting to be there. He made his way to the front of their group, joining the man at the front.
“So, this is your son, the groom-to-be?” the man asked, looking over the slouching man. His expression was impassive, and his voice was an incredibly diplomatic tone that aimed to hide any semblance of how he felt about the man before him..
“That he is. Is the bride-to-be here, to receive us?”
“She is not, as we felt it imprudent to force her to wait for your arrival in discomfort. She waits back at the castle, where she and her father will receive you and your companions. Lord Hessler dislikes letting her leave the palace.”
“Can’t say I blame him. I don’t like letting my daughters out more than is absolutely necessary myself.” The man chuckled, met by polite laughter from the other party.
“Shall we be off, then? We’ve prepared carriages for you and the rest of your retinue.”
“That sounds agreeable. Come along, everyone! Let us not tarry in this place any longer than necessary.” He motioned, and his retinue followed his lead.
The party from Aracoras was divided among the available carriages, and Venser found himself in a carriage with a couple of the party members that weren’t his father. He liked this, because he wanted some time to think before having to be social again. By request of his father, the carriages they were riding in had been installed with opaque curtains, and those curtains had been drawn shut and fastened tight. Contact with the “outside world”, as it was dismissively called, was strictly prohibited unless deemed necessary.
The reason for the visit to Lunaria was to finalize the plans and arrangements for Venser’s marriage, one he’d had no say in. Arranged marriages had been part of life in Aracoras for as long as anyone could remember, used as a means to further enrich families and keep power tightly wound around several axes, with Venser’s family being the principal axis. He’d certainly seen his siblings partnered off in arrangements meant to maintain order and keep his family’s grip on power tight, but this arranged marriage was a bold experiment. Venser was being made to marry an outsider, the daughter of the paramount leader of Lunaria, and accordingly bring together the ruling families of Aracoras and Lunaria.
Venser was left wondering why he was being made to take up the mantle for this, since he was the eighth of ten children and unlikely to ever have any sort of claim to leadership, and so his “value” to the leadership of Lunaria was lessened. Then again, that may well have been why he was chosen for this role, being seen as expendable to the Aracoras side of the equation while still acceptable to whatever end Lunaria had in mind. However the calculus was, the fact remained that he was still a piece on a game board moved around by those at the table above him.
Unable to look out the windows, he slumped into his seat, hands folded in his lap and hood drawn down around his face. A low hum formed the soundscape, coming from the carriage bringing them to their destination. He was going to meet the woman he was betrothed to, having only heard about her in passing before. He heard of things like her supposed piety and being a good and subservient daughter, the things his father cared about. Nothing else about his bride mattered to them, and Venser certainly had no say in the matter. He was the child, and children obeyed their parents without question in Aracoras, an arrangement said to buy favor from the Almighty. He wondered if and how things were different in Lunaria, aside from the situation with his prospective fiancée, but that was more idle musing than anything else. Idle musing was all he had as the carriage clattered through the city, the blocked windows tempting him with a forbidden world strictly forbidden to him and everyone else he traveled with.
Author Bio
James E. Honaker is a peddler of bespoke cardstock and small independent game developer who lives in North Carolina with his three cats and a geriatric parakeet.
| Author Website | https://jehonakercom.wordpress.com/ |
|---|