A Song of Mountains and Memories Read online

  A Song of Mountains and Memories

  The Splintered Blade Trilogy, Volume 1

  Rachel L Brown

  Published by Rachel L Brown, 2022.

  Copyright © 2022 Rachel L Brown

  Cover Design © 2022 Rachel L Brown

  First Edition

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any manner without the prior written permission of the copyright owner, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  All characters, places and events in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real places or real persons, living, dead, undead, or immortal, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

  Printed in the United States of America

  Published by Rachel L Brown

  500 E Whitestone Blvd #1272 Cedar Park, TX 78630

  www.rachellbrown.com

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  A Song of Mountains and Memories (The Splintered Blade Trilogy, #1)

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Pronunciation Guide

  Glossary

  Acknowledgements

  About the Author

  Chapter One

  The balcony mocked her with its promise of freedom.

  Saderna leaned over the railing, trying to get a better glimpse of the meadow that surrounded her temple. A pair of songbirds flew overhead, oblivious to her plight, and landed in a circle of glittering blue flowers. Spring had come to the Divine Realm, and everything was enjoying new life. Except for her. She could only view it from a distance.

  A shimmering wall of hard air formed in front of her pushing her back onto the balcony. Runes carved into the stone railing lit up, showering the temple walls with silver and gold light. Other gods might have thought it was a delightful display. But to Saderna, it was yet another reminder of her fate.

  She was the Goddess of Peace, locked in a gilded cage. Ever since she’d been created, around twenty cycles ago, she’d only known the temple. She watched the seasons change year after year, wondering what the earth would be like under her feet. Wondering what the other divines were doing in their shining cities.

  “Can you please let me go into the meadow?” She asked the runes as they faded into the stone. The iridescent barrier remained, blocking her from escaping and keeping the warm breeze from entering.

  Saderna gave one last look at the meadow. She would come back later once the runes calmed down. She headed deep into the heart of her sanctuary, through a labyrinth of corridors and chambers. Most of which lay vacant.

  Unlike the rest of the temple, which was a stark white, her main chambers were filled with color. Ornate tapestries covered the bare walls while stained glass windows and skylights filtered the sunlight into various colors. An array of plants in white vases lined the walls of her rooms.

  “Good morning, my friends,” Saderna said to an apple tree. The tree bowed slightly when she entered the room. This was the most sacred place in her temple.

  A large, turquoise-colored pool was at the center; silver and gold runes were carved into the stone at the bottom. Above was a vast domed ceiling made of transparent glass so clear it looked like nothing was there at all.

  Goddess of Peace, hear my plea...

  A voice drifted out of the pool, creating ripples in the water. Saderna gathered her magic around her and floated over to the source of the sound. Runes carved into the stones below told her it was a human asking for help.

  She listened quietly to the tale of yet another soul torn apart by war. Once again, Einar, the God of War, had gotten the upper hand. There was little she could do to stop his rampages across the Mortal Realms. At least not while locked inside the temple.

  Once the human had finished with their petition, Saderna summoned a pitcher and imbued the water within it with some of her essence. She then poured the water into the pool, directing the streaks of blue and gold toward the petitioner. It wasn’t much, but hopefully, the human could sleep.

  More petitions came in from mortals in nearly every realm. It would be impossible for her to finish before sunset. War had broken out in many realms.

  “Damn you, Einar,” she muttered under her breath. A part of her wished he would pop up and try to justify himself, but she knew he wouldn’t. No one visited. Well, almost no one.

  “You can create a spirit to aid you with the more mundane tasks.” As if on cue, a cool voice drifted across the room.

  “I wouldn’t have anything to do,” Saderna let the pitcher float back over to its table before she turned to face her visitor.

  Bedisa, Goddess of Fates, stood in the doorway. Unlike the last time she’d visited, when she came as a giant snake, Bedisa had come in her typical form. It was a human female with long black hair, tanned skin that had iridescent runes painted onto it, and gold eyes. Though her ears were different; they were long and slender and came to a sharp point.

  Bedisa smiled and brushed an ear while Saderna exited the pool. “Do you like them? They’re in honor of the new elf god!”

  “What’s an elf?”

  Bedisa waved her hand, and an image of a tall humanoid race with pointed ears appeared next to her. “They are the newest species to be created, and their god was recently born!”

  Saderna frowned. “I saw nothing new in my pool.”

  “You wouldn’t have. The elves don’t have a Goddess of Peace,” Bedisa paused, “yet.”

  “I look forward to meeting them someday. It’s always fun to see new mortals.”

  “Oh, that’s the best part! They’re immortal! Kind of. They can still die from egregious wounds, and I think there is a plague that can kill them...”

  Saderna tuned her out as she prattled on. She ambled over to a fig tree and pretended to check the rune carved into the pot. Something wasn’t right. Bedisa always had a task or a favor to ask of her. Last time she asked her to bless a mortal for reasons she wouldn’t divulge.

  “Bedisa, as happy as I am to see you. What task do you have for me today?” She asked while Bedisa admired her reflection.

  “Hmm?” Bedisa’s brow creased with confusion before her eyes lit up. “Ah, this time I don’t have a task for you. Because of some recent events, Vilmantas is requesting your presence at the Great Palace.”

  Saderna’s mouth dropped open, and her vision wavered.

  “I get to leave?” She squeaked out.

  “Yes.”

  Saderna walked over to a stone bench and sat on it before her legs gave out.

  “Why now? Is my magic finally strong enough to withstand corruption?”

  The reason she’d never been able to leave was because the other gods feared her magic was easily corruptible. Perhaps she’d matured enough that they no longer believed that was the case.

  Bedisa eyed the runes on the walls. “He doesn’t want to talk a
bout it outside of a secure location. We’re trying to keep things from leaking out into the rest of the realms.”

  “How is this not a secure location? I can’t leave, and no one aside from you can enter.”

  “Because he didn’t create this place.” Bedisa flicked a stray hair back and folded her arms. “Vilmantas is a bit paranoid these days.”

  “This is ridiculous. My temple is perfectly safe!”

  “We can either go peacefully, or I’ll have to drag you out of here,” Bedisa cocked her head to the side. “I thought you’d be more excited about leaving.”

  Saderna shook her head. Something inside her was screaming, but she couldn’t make out the words. Wasn’t she just longing for freedom on the balcony? Why was she hesitating now when freedom was within her grasp?

  “This place is the only one you’ve ever known,” Bedisa said softly.

  “Yes, but...”

  “It’s only natural for you to hesitate. But I can promise you that nothing will happen to you.”

  Bedisa’s eyes glowed and she spoke with the authority of the fates. Yet, that nagging voice in the back of her mind refused to shut up. She backed away from Bedisa until she bumped against a vase. Her fingers caressed the tree behind her, drawing strength from it’s magic.

  No, she would not let her fear of the unknown ruin this moment. She could always come back.

  “I’ll go.”

  Bedisa smiled and swept her arms to her sides. A burst of brown sparkles floated around her, and the wards imbued in the temple walls flickered, then vanished.

  “We leave at once.”

  Before Saderna could react, Bedisa grabbed her arm, and a swirling vortex of light brown and gold surrounded them.

  “Don’t focus on anything!” Bedisa shouted over the hum.

  The world rushed past until it was a colorful blur. Then, without warning, everything went still. They were now standing in a courtyard with a huge apple tree. Stone benches covered in ivy were scattered about.

  Saderna studied her feet, trying to quell the disappointment that arose within her. She wanted to see a forest, not more buildings. She took a step forward, and her body swayed.

  “Take a few deep breaths. It's never fun the first time around,” Bedisa said with a concerned tone in her voice, but a hint of amusement glimmered in her eyes.

  “That was awful,” Saderna said. “I never want to do that again!”

  “That is what they all say. Now let’s go do some exploring before your meeting.”

  “What? Don’t I need to meet Vilmantas first?”

  “You will, but we have some time, and I’m sure you’d much rather see the city before we meet with the old man.”

  Bedisa smiled and led her toward a pair of silver doors; golden vines were etched into the metal. She could hear the city beyond as millions of souls were just outside the door. Electricity crawled on the inside of her skin.

  “Are you sure we must go out there? Can’t you just whisk us into the palace?”

  “No, it’s warded against fast travel,” Bedisa said and opened the door. She gently shoved Saderna through it and onto the street.

  Tall buildings of ice-blue stone towered above them. Banners glittering with runes and jewels hung from enormous open windows. Most of the banners were for shops or other services. The streets themselves were paved with golden crystals that had tiny streams of violet sparks moving through them.

  Immortals of many shapes and sizes passed by them—some had the body of a horse and the head of a goat, while others looked like humans with elf ears. The amount of energy they were giving off was nauseating. It was like she was standing too close to the sun.

  “This way!” Bedisa grabbed her hand and led her through another wide street with even more banners. The energy was still too much despite the street being less crowded.

  “Don’t worry, it all becomes background noise at some point,” Bedisa said with a sympathetic smile.

  The stone road gave way to a large courtyard lined with silver trees and thousands of tiny shimmering flowers. Bedisa pulled her into an alleyway before Saderna could get closer.

  “Hey! I wanted to see more of the courtyard!”

  “You will, but you have an appointment, and I don’t want to be late.”

  Saderna raised her eyebrows. “I thought we’d be seeing the city.”

  “We will! After this appointment.”

  She paused at a large ornate door with silver runes surrounding an engraved needle. A tall woman with hair that looked like smoke stepped out as the door flew open. She smiled at Bedisa.

  “Ah, there you are! I was starting to think you weren’t going to show!” She exclaimed; the excitement on her face dimmed when she noticed Saderna. “And who is your friend?”

  “I’m Saderna, the Goddess of Peace,” Saderna said.

  “Ompelija, Goddess of Sewing,” she said. Her gaze swept over Saderna’s clothes. “You’re the one who's been locked up since her creation, right?”

  “Yes, I am.”

  “Let’s get you out of those ancient rags and into something a tad more...fashionable.”

  Saderna brushed her skirt. The dress was a simple one with one shoulder showing and had gold vines woven throughout.

  She rather liked her clothes, but, despite her protests, the other two goddesses quickly pulled her into the shop.

  Hours later, Saderna wore a flowing turquoise and gold dress cinched at the waist and a diamond belt around her hips. Ompelija tried to get her to wear the elf ears, but Saderna wasn’t about to change her form that drastically.

  She was following Bedisa down a wide road that led straight to the steps of the Great Palace. Her gaze never left the large building that loomed in front of them. The scrolls she’d read in her temple didn’t prepare her for the sheer majesty of the building in front of her.

  A hundred steps led up to an enormous building made of shimmering gold stone. There were thousands of arched windows with balconies jutting out from underneath each one. At the top of the steps were two large doors with a sentinel in silver armor on either side.

  Bedisa led her into a large hallway filled with all sorts of divines. Some looked human, while others were a mishmash of creatures.

  Saderna sidestepped an immortal who resembled an ox and hurried after Bedisa.

  It wasn’t long before she paused in front of a large doorway. Large scroll-like runes were engraved on either side. It was the divine rune of the God of Knowledge.

  “Are you ready?”

  Saderna nodded and followed her through the doorway. They entered a room with a high ceiling, painted to look like an afternoon sky. Light runes, carved into a circle, bathed the room in a warm light. The walls were lined with shelves, filled to the brim with scrolls and books.

  In the center of the room was a large stone table. Various magical devices and dried plants were scattered about. A tall male sat at one end, reading a scroll. His skin shimmered like a rainbow when the light hit it. His dark hair was longer than Saderna’s, nearly reaching the floor. He looked up when they drew closer. His dark purple eyes softened when he smiled.

  He was Vilmantas, the God of Knowledge. Saderna had met him only once, the day she’d been created. But he was a god that was hard to forget.

  “Ah, Saderna, thank you for coming,” Vilmantas said and gestured for her to sit.

  “I had little choice,” Saderna said with a sidelong glance at Bedisa. Vilmantas narrowed his eyes at the goddess, who shrugged in response.

  “I decided it would be better to make her come.”

  “Before you make such decisions, could you please inform me?” Vilmantas said before he turned back to Saderna. “Forgive us for all the secrecy, but it is necessary.”

  “What is going on? Is there going to be a war?”

  “There is no war.... yet.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Vilmantas drummed his fingers against the scroll he’d been reading.

  “Do y
ou know about the treaty we have with Casimir? The God of Ruin?”

  “Every thousand years, one side has to hand over a divine as tribute?”

  “Yes, that’s the one. It was our turn this time.”

  Saderna frowned. The exchange usually took place two weeks before the Spring Equinox. She glanced over at the elaborate rune calendar on the wall. Equinox was in three days. They should’ve sent the tribute by now, unless there was a delay?

  “Did something happen with the tribute?”

  Vilmantas let out a heavy sigh. “We sent Zimri, the God of Music, to his realm almost two weeks ago. Apparently, Zimri was miserable, and his music became so insufferable that Casimir sent him back.”

  Sent back? Since the forging of the treaty, no god or goddess had ever been returned to their old realm. Despite this knowledge, no electricity swelled within her, and no warnings of war between the realms rang in her thoughts.

  “Does this mean the treaty is broken?” Saderna asked.

  “No, but some adjustments are required.”

  Visions of meetings and scrolls being signed flashed through her mind. Did they want her to forge a new treaty? Saderna straightened and smoothed out her skirts.

  “Let me see the treaty. I will make sure whatever adjustments are needed won’t cause unnecessary bloodshed.”

  Vilmantas raised an eyebrow, “That’s not what we need you to do. You-”

  “Then do you need me to oversee any negotiations? I promise I won’t let you down!”

  “Saderna, will you let me finish!” Vilmantas snapped and she recoiled.

  “Sorry.”

  “We are not changing anything in the treaty. Casimir has agreed not to attack us if we send you to his realm in Zimri’s place.”

  Saderna shivered like a wave of cold water had been splashed upon her. The small flame of hope she’d been keeping died. She would not be free. No, she was going to trade one prison for another.

  “But why me? I’m a new goddess, and you locked me up in the temple to keep me from getting corrupted by gods like Casimir.”

  “We have no choice. Casimir made it very clear that we send you or plunge into war. The last time that happened, most of the Mortal Realms were destroyed, and countless gods and goddesses lost their lives. Even though it was eons ago, we’re still recovering. Most of the dead divines haven’t been reborn yet.”