THE DEMANDS OF DESTINY
"Fate has failed, and now destiny demands that two will rise from the waters, their shadows plunging into darkness the realms of Sudamra..."
All Jaed has ever wanted is to leave behind a past he can’t remember. To live a life surrounded by those he loves. But when his adopted brother is taken, truths are revealed, and a power is discovered that will change his life forever.
The only life Maza has ever known has been one where none but the strong survive. For her, power is everything, whether bestowed by the One or taken by force. She will stop at nothing to have that which was promised her.
Nudged at every turn by a prophecy neither has ever heard of, guided by a destiny their world has forgotten, their paths are doomed to cross. Together they hold the lives of countless thousands in their hands.
Fate was failed once before. It led us here. Can the mistakes of the past be righted or will the lands of the south fall into darkness once more, as destiny demands?
THE STORY |
The Demands of Destiny follows the stories of two strangers whose lives are unknowingly bent by long-forgotten prophecy. Jaeden and Maza could not be more different if they tried, from their beginnings in life to the desires that drive them forward. But the power that shapes the world, the power that shapes their lives, cares nothing for differences of the people it wields. The lives of thousands, of everyone they’ve ever known, everyone they’ve ever loved, hang in the balance, tied to their fate.
A majority of our story takes place across the continent of Sudamra. Located in the southern hemisphere of its world, the continent is home to a variety of peoples, cultures, and climates. From the baking heat of the north, to the frozen, rugged lands of the cape to the south, kingdoms small and large vie for power, their subjects caught up in the tides of shifting influence. For now, the lands of Sudamra know a tenuous peace. One that is destined to crumble.
| THE SETTING
THE MAGIC |
The magic that invests the world of The Demands of Destiny is a thing of dominance. Only one user can have mastery over its power in a given area at a time. It’s a race to get to it first; it’s a fight to maintain control. Why does it exist? Where did it come from? Is it a thing of the darkness or the light? The questions surrounding the mysterious force are many, the answers few. Those who say it is a gift from the One (to some the higher power who guides them all) are as wrong as those who claim it to be the work of evil. The truth is, the Power of the Sources has neither purpose nor beginning, it is neither good nor evil. It simply is, whether it destroys them, or saves them all.
THE IDEA(S)
As I’m sure is the case with many authors’ first attempt at a book, The Demands of Destiny came about from pulling together the ideas for a number of individual stories and working them until they could fit together.
The earliest of these to become a part of the world of this story actually came to me many years ago, long before I thought I would ever even try to write a book. It came, oddly enough, as I watched the water rush into the drain as I finished brushing my teeth. That moment gave birth to the idea that would become the Looking Glass, the only remnant from the charge of the heroes of old against the forces of evil. Though the event itself takes place long before our story begins, just as the idea came long before the writing, the Looking Glass has a crucial part to play in the things to come.
Into the idea of the Looking Glass, and many others, I threw characters from past short stories / failed starts of novels I had written and – bam! – I had something that was beginning to feel like it was worth telling. From there, I’ve simply done the cliché and written that which I want to read.
I sincerely hope you’ll want to read it too.