Kerach - First Glimpse - Dark Maiden

A very short sneak peek at Kerach so you can start to get a feel for him.

Excerpt

[Context] Shortly after waking following your third dream. Dark Maiden route only.

"Eri veskara eri'th kolthan myndir gelethes. Eri'th tuulivyr zharu myndir nei gelethes." / I believe we north go can. We storm against go not can. /

For a moment you're captivated by his hands. Long fingers, dark-veined and claw-tipped, move with fluid precision, each motion too graceful to be unpracticed. Firelight skims the black curves of his claws, catching where skin ends and something else begins. You shift slightly, heat blooming in your chest as the memory of that touch rouses something within.

Swallowing, your gaze flicks to the other side of the fire. There, you anticipate the sight of Serax, which is why the sight of a stranger is all the more shocking. You bolt upright and scramble back, only to hit something hard. Arms go around you and only the familiar sound of Serax's voice keeps you from going into a full panic.

"Mirel keth'vir, Merja," he says. / gently stay /

It isn't his words or gentle tone that calm you, but the realization that his arm is banded around you, right beneath your exposed breasts. With a yelp, you reach for the nearest pelt. Beyond mere modesty concerns, you're cold. Without the blazing fire, the interior of the tent has dropped in temperature, to the extent that you can see your own breath in the air.

Serax chuckles as you cover yourself, but you pay him no mind. Once covered, your attention snaps onto the stranger sitting across from Valdricht. The stranger is enormous, towering even over Valdricht's impressive height, with a frame built like a fortress wall. His skin carries a distinct blue tone that marks him unmistakably as a shadewalker, and white hair falls in waves past his broad shoulders. But what catches your attention most are his ears. They're pointed and distinctly canine, sitting higher on his head than human ears would.

His stillness is unsettling. He sits with the perfect composure of carved stone. His golden eyes, bright in the firelight, fix on you with careful assessment. Only the slight twitching of his ears suggests he isn't actually made of stone.

Something flickers in your chest.

• Fear

• Intrigue

You lean forward ever-so-slightly and nod toward the stranger. "Who is that?" Glancing back at Serax, you find him frowning, and so you try a simpler question. "Who?"

"Who?" Serax repeats, adding the same questioning lilt. He sounds an awful lot like an owl.

You nearly smile, but you're still too tense.

Serax has no such reservations. Grinning, he caresses the side of your face. "Sei, Merja." / Yes, Merja. / Gesturing toward the stranger, he says, "Who?"

Frowning, you look at the man again. He looks frightful now. He has dark brows that clash with his pale hair and they plunge downward as he scowls. He begins to move his hands, making an array of quick gestures. Watching him, you feel something tug at your memory.

Serax says, "Eri thy nei lumen, Who?" / I you not understand, Who. /

The stranger's scowl deepens, but your attention is drawn to Valdricht as he snaps his fingers.

"Merja." He points to the stranger. "Kerach."

You wait for him to repeat himself, and then look to the stranger, tentatively saying, "Kerach?"

His features soften.

Marginally.

Now, you manage a weak smile. Without thinking, you lift your hand to your fur-guarded chest, pressing it flat over your heart. As you then move your hand toward him, you tuck two fingers against your palm.

"A pleasure to make your acquaintance," you say.

Kerach blinks at you. He's no longer scowling. Instead, his brows are drawn together. He starts to move his hands, but Valdricht once more seizes your attention. His expression mirrors Kerach's as he executes a flurry of gestures toward you. Something about them tugs at the hollow spaces in your mind, but you're unable to make sense of the rapid movements.

You shake your head. "I'm sorry. I don't understand."

Valdricht's hands go still. He exhales loudly before dropping them.

Kerach inches closer to you. He points at you, then taps his middle and index fingers to his forehead. From there, his hand opens and he lifts it above his head, giving it a slight shake. As he does, a question forms in your mind.

What is your name?

• Merja, you think.

• You can't remember.

Conclusion

A nice sneak peek with some mystery woven in. As you might have guessed, this is more of the Willing Vessel vibe. You can already see how it might conflict a bit with S&V, though mostly Serax. As the prelude unfolds, you'll learn more about the contentious relationship between Kerach and Serax, as well as Kerach's strange bond with Valdricht.

I'll be back soon with a Dark Maiden update, thank you for being understanding about the computer issues. I'm not the type of person to make posts saying "Sorry guys, xyz is happening so I'm going to be behind schedule." When I'm running late I just focus on getting my work done as quickly as possible and explaining later if I'm egregiously late. However, the circumstances in this case were so catastrophic that it merited advising. Essentially, I'd lost about two days worth of writing and a Scrivener file where I kept a good chunk of worldbuilding stuff.

Thankfully it was more of a master primer, I have the majority of the info scattered between different stuff in the cloud. And obviously it's all in my head, I've drafted this story so many times. I already have most of the stuff I need sorted back into my new master primer.

The most mind-numbing aspect, apart from redownloading all of my programs and updating all of my drivers, was trying to figure out the login info for all the sites I use. I'm still scratching my head wondering wtf my Canva email address is. So it's been a hectic few days of nonstop tech woes but I am back at it now and will be focused on writing as quickly as I can (without sacrificing quality). I've already told my husband and the kids that I'm going goblin mode this week and they'll have to figure out how to cook for themselves and operate a broom while I work.

Talk soon!

-Mortish