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  The Six Elements Origins

  Stemming

  the

  Tide

  Shapeshifting Seas Trilogy

  Book Two

  Rosie Scott

  Copyright, 2019

  All Rights Reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without written permission of the author, except for use in any review. This is a work of fiction. The names, characters, locales, and events are pure invention, and all incidents come from the author's imagination alone.

  Cover art by Nikita Drizhenko.

  Map design by Rosie Scott.

  Dedication

  To the usual suspects.

  Other Books by Rosie Scott:

  Dystopian

  The New World series:

  The Resistance

  The Betrayal

  The Acquisition

  The Insurrection

  The Calamity

  Fantasy

  The Six Elements series:

  Fire

  Earth

  Water

  Air

  Life

  Death

  The Six Elements Origins:

  Rise of a Necromancer

  Shapeshifting Seas Trilogy

  Origins of the Tainted Bloodline

  Stemming the Tide

  Of Monsters and Mutiny

  For More Information:

  Author Blog:

  www.rosiescottbooks.wordpress.com

  Business Inquiry Contact:

  [email protected]

  Important Terms and Characters

  Ajax Dunn – Mercenary captain and former underground slave. Wielder of kukri knife and alteration magic. Full-blooded Alderi.

  Alderi – Casually referred to as dark elves. Blue, purple, or blackish in color with black eyes. A brutal and crude race suited to the underground and sly dealings. Shortest height of all elven races but the highest sexual libidos of all races. Non-monogamous.

  Aleyah – The goddess of communication and travel.

  Alteration magic – A school of magic dealing in the altering of material objects. Used for practical purposes and for battle support. Includes spells like telekinesis, detect life, and shapeshifting.

  Amora – The goddess of love.

  Ancients – An ancient race of beings that not much is known about. Possibly based only in myth.

  Arrayis – The world, consisting of all continents and oceans.

  Astred Miller – An opportunistic pirate responsible for stealing ferris from Calder and Koby's crew in Book One and the murder of their former captain and business partner, Patrick Killian. Former lover of Koby Bacia. Killed by Calder Cerberius in Book One.

  Aysel Lee – Calder's first lover on the surface. Died in Book One during a failed first transformation.

  Azazel Beriah – An ingenious brothel slave in Hazarmaveth in the underground. Left behind by Calder and Koby during their escape to freedom in Book One.

  Azmaveth Urbina - A brothel slave in Hazarmaveth in the underground. Hotheaded twin brother of Fraco. Tortured to death in Book One for attempting to escape and claim freedom.

  Beastmen - A term to describe the tribe of people who live in the untamed wildlands and can transform into beasts by will. The term can be used interchangeably with shapeshifter. All beastmen have the ability to wield alteration magic, for it is required to learn how to shapeshift.

  Blades of Meir – A cult of cannibals which worship the second moon of Meir. Reside in the deserts of Nahara.

  Blood-kin – Used to define or describe the animal a beastman has mixed blood with and can transform into.

  Blood mixing – The scientific process of becoming a shapeshifter by mixing blood with a chosen animal while using alteration magic to evolve the fluids as one.

  Briona Fermi – Beastman and blood scientist in charge of shapeshifter recruit first transformations in Silvi. Full-blooded Vhiri.

  Calder Cerberius – Born as Alastor Cerberius. Ship captain and smuggler who deals primarily in the trades of ferris and blood. Beastman who is blood-kin with the horned lizard and wielder of alteration magic. Full-blooded Alderi.

  Cale Woodburn – Vruyk Kleng's right-hand man. Pirate and rempka addict. Beastman who is blood-kin with the electric wyvern and wielder of alteration magic. Dual caster of life and air magic. Full-blooded Celd.

  Celdic – Casually referred to as wood elves. A peace-seeking race not prone to battle. Most reside in the tree city of Celendar.

  Celendar – One of Chairel's four major cities, made of nothing but trees that date back to the time of the Ancients. A former country before its annexation by Chairel in the late Golden Era.

  Chairel – A rich country known for its four major cities of Sera, Comercio, Celendar, and Narangar. A melting pot of races, particularly human, Celdic, and dwarven. A land of forests, grasslands, and mountains. Known for its strict magical law system and domineering ways.

  Chance – The god of trade and fortune.

  Cyrene Chase – Protector of Misu and hunter. Beastman who is blood-kin with a jaguar. Alchemist and wielder of alteration magic. Native of Eteri but resides in Misu. Full-blooded Vhiri.

  Dark Star – The season of winter. 90 days in length. Last season of the year.

  Devlyn Hartwood – Ferris distributor who resides in Silvi and imports product from Tenesea. Business partner of Calder, Koby, and Vallen. Full-blooded Celd.

  Dual Caster – A mage capable of wielding two elements.

  Elemental magic – Deals in the elements of fire, earth, water, air, life, and death. Mages may wield one element or two, but no known mage in history has wielded three or more elements.

  Eran – The first, smaller moon of Arrayis. Shows itself in the sky all year round.

  Eteri – A mostly isolated country to the north of the wildlands. A nation of highlands and vast plains. Home of the Vhiri elves.

  Ferris – An herbal drug often smoked rolled in paper. Grown only in the wildlands. Said to have pain relieving properties. Harmless, but does cause a high.

  Fraco Urbina - A brothel slave in Hazarmaveth in the underground. Pacifist twin brother of Azmaveth. Committed suicide in Book One after his brother's brutal murder.

  Gods – An race of creatures said to have been created by the Ancients. The source of most religions on Arrayis. While many claim they actually once existed as tangible beings, none have been heard from in hundreds of years.

  Golden Era – An era spanning 5782 years before the current Mortal Era, said to be a time of discovery, including the forming of most major nations of Arrayis. An era of which little is known for sure, given the mix of myth and history passed through the generations.

  Glacia – A continent that also serves as its own country, home to the Icilic elves, at the northern most point of Arrayis.

  Hades – The god of the dead.

  Half-breed – A person who carries the blood of two separate races and contains traits from both.

  Hammerton – A country to the east of Chairel. A nation of forests and mountains. Home of the dwarves. Ally to Chairel.

  Hassan Naaji – Mercenary sailor of Calder and Koby. Self-proclaimed troublemaker. Wielder of arbalest. Native of Jaalam, Nahara. Half-breed of Alderi and human blood.

  High Star – The season of summer. 90 days in length. Second season of the year.

  Hiltrud (Hilly) Klein – Ex-slave of the pirates and deserter of the Chairel Army. Freed by Calder and Koby in the climax of Book One. Mercenary sailor of Calder and Koby. Wielder of tri-headed flail. Native of Narangar, Chairel. Full-blooded dwarf.

  Human – The weakest of the mortal races, and the most common race to populate Chairel and Nahara.

  Icilic – Casually referre
d to as snow elves. The oldest lineage of elves in all of Arrayis, known for their magical abilities and disdain for other races. Extreme isolationists.

  Illusion magic – A school of magic dealing in the creation of illusions for entertainment or nefarious purposes. Includes spells such as charm, frenzy, or invisibility.

  Jaecar Rapp – An escaped slave of the underground. Sailor of Calder and Koby. Former scout of Tenesea. Alchemist. Wielder of dual scimitars and alteration magic. Beastman who is blood-kin with a bat. Full-blooded Alderi.

  Jayce Helaku – Deals in the ferris and blood trades. Leader of beastmen defensive hunting and scouting parties in the wildlands. Beastman who is blood-kin with a crocodile. Wielder of alteration magic and an ax. Sister of Vallen. Native of Eteri but resides in Tenesea. Full-blooded Vhiri.

  Jeremoth Boivin – An escaped slave of the underground. Owns the only tavern that serves Alderi ale on the surface, located in Silvi. Full-blooded Alderi.

  Kali Qadir – Mercenary sailor of Calder and Koby. Wielder of cestus gloves and alteration magic. Beastman who is blood-kin with the mantis. Native of T'ahal, Nahara. Full-blooded human.

  Kilgorian Law – Named after its discoverer, Arturian Kilgor, it is a scientific law which states a mage's magic energy is pulled from reserves in a natural order: environment, weather, self.

  Killick – A tropical island just south of Nahara. Part of the country’s rule, but mostly lawless. A hub for mercenary ship trading.

  Koby Bacia - Calder's best friend and fellow ex-slave of the underground. Ship captain, navigator, quartermaster, and ferris smuggler. Alchemist. Wields a short sword and offensive alchemy. Full-blooded Alderi.

  Meir – Arrayis’s second moon, and the largest. Only appears twice a year, for four weeks at a time.

  Moons – Another word for seasons, as in, there are four moons in a year. Sometimes used as a method to describe the passing of time.

  Mortal Era – The current era, directly following the Golden Era, said to belong to the mortal races of Arrayis given the disappearance of the immortal races such as the Ancients and the gods. Any dates referred to in The Six Elements are of the Mortal Era, unless otherwise specified.

  Nahara – A poorer human country known for its vast deserts. Just south of Chairel. The only surface country to have legal and widespread slavery, where people are trafficked to participate in the gladiatorial battle events held in its capital of T'ahal.

  Narangar – A dwarven city in southwest Chairel, nestled deep in the Golden Peaks just above the Chairel/Nahara Border. Home to the great Narangar Harbor.

  Narangar Conflict – A conflict lasting from 129 to 132 M.E. resulting from a failed trade agreement between Eteri and Chairel, in which dwarves from Narangar agreed to work on Eteri's highland architecture in exchange for rare gemstones. War sparked when dwarves attempted to get the giants of the mines to rebel against the Vhiri in an attempt to weaken Eteri from the inside. Dwarves fled after the failed attempt, Eteri retaliated by sinking Chairel's fleeing ships off the coast near Narangar. Dwarves hit back by nearly destroying Makani, thus ending the war.

  Neliah Clevon – Mercenary sailor of Calder and Koby. Former soldier of the Eteri Army who was discharged due to behavioral problems. Beast wrangler. Wielder of twin hooks and fire magic. Full-blooded Vhiri.

  Nemesis – The goddess of vengeance.

  New Moon – The season of spring. 90 days in length. First season of the year.

  Patrick Killian – Former captain of the Ollie and business partner of Calder and Koby. Trader and smuggler. Murdered by Astred Miller in Book One for his connection to Calder and Koby.

  Queen Tilda – The long-running ruler of Eteri. Resides in Mistral. Wielder of earth magic. Full-blooded Vhiri.

  Red Moon – The season of autumn. 90 days in length. Third season of the year.

  Rempka – A highly addictive and damaging opioid. Occurs naturally in Celendar but smuggled across the world. Appears as a clear syrupy liquid and can either be drank or injected directly into a vein. Causes the slow degradation of the body (loss of teeth, hair, fingernails) and can lead to death by overdose. Rempka highs are unpredictable but usually dull pain and give bursts of euphoric energy.

  Rik Sbarjo – Calder and Koby's primary business partner in Killick. Middle man who deals in the trade route between the wildlands and Nahara so mercenaries can avoid sailing through the danger zone northwest of Killick. Full-blooded human.

  Sage Birk – Ex-slave of the pirates and former Knight of Celendar. Freed by Calder and Koby in the climax of Book One. Mercenary sailor of Calder and Koby. Wielder of greatsword. Native of Celendar, Chairel. Full-blooded Celd.

  Sentinels – A title given to the seven prestigious war generals of the Eteri Army.

  Servis Ocean – The ocean which separates the continents of Arrayis.

  T’ahal – The capital city of Nahara.

  Underground – The misandrist nation beneath the earth of Arrayis, with cities built straight out of stone. Enslaves all its males. An isolated land of underground caverns and tunnels. Home of the brutal Alderi assassins.

  Vallen Helaku – Deals in the ferris and blood trades. Leader of beastmen defensive hunting and scouting parties in the wildlands. Wielder of sword and alteration magic. Beastman who is blood-kin with a bear. Brother of Jayce. Native of Eteri but resides in Tenesea. Full-blooded Vhiri.

  Vhiri – Casually referred to as high elves. A highly magical race of elves known for their arrogance and hatred of the politics of Chairel. Most have bronzed or deep brown skin.

  Vruyk Fleng – Leader of the largest gang of pirates that has ties in every port city and patrols the seas south of Nahara. Beastman who is blood-kin with the kludde and wielder of alteration magic. Half-breed of orc and human blood.

  Western Isles – A group of tropical islands spotted along the lower eastern coast of the wildlands.

  Wildlands – An untamed land of swamps, tropical forests, and wild beasts. A land of anarchy.

  Wobblin' Woody – Calder and Koby's first ship, passed on to them from Patrick Killian. Formerly named the Ollie. A trading cog with two hundred tons of cargo capacity. Destroyed by Cale Woodburn's crew in the climax of Book One.

  Relevant Spells and Translations

  Alteration

  Tranferra sel ti kin a blud – Transform into blood-kin

  Oxi del agua – Water-breathing

  Parliz – Paralyze

  Parliz a multipla – Mass paralyze (area of effect)

  Resist a mana – Resist magic/energy shield (swirls)

  Absort la mana de spula – Absorb offensive spell energy (vibrates)

  Tranferra la mana del electro rys – Create light (translates to “transfer energy into electromagnetic rays”)

  Willin el material a nienda – Telekinesis (push or pull object from a distance)

  Sik le life – Detect life

  Mel y prugres material del compat – Meld and evolve two compatible substances (i.e. humanoid/animal blood during blood mixing process)

  One

  30th of New Moon, 358

  Like a lost soul desperate for liberation from hell, the shipwreck begged for my attention amongst the blue abyss by reaching out with shards of frayed wood and loosely floating debris. The cog's torn and blackened purple sail had mysteriously lost some of its fabric since its demise, possibly to nipping ocean life.

  The terribly but aptly named Wobblin' Woody otherwise appeared as it had when it sunk just north of Killick a fortnight ago. Its flat-bottom rested on the sandy ocean floor, and the missing sections of its right hull that had torn apart at the mercy of Cale Woodburn's beloved dwarven cannons now invited fish and curious crustaceans to new shadowy homes.

  Since losing the ship to the vengeful pirates, I'd spent most my time recovering what I could from the wreckage. Utilizing my blood-kin's underwater strength, some long chains, and the help of my crew, we managed to retrieve bits and pieces of our cargo, riches, and belongings from the shipwreck one
haul at a time. Of course, much was lost as well. Dumping packages of heavy glass overboard during the trip to try to outrun Cale's galleon meant a trail of glass linked Killick to some point of the ocean in the northeast, but I didn't have the time or inclination to spend an entire day retrieving one bulky package at a time. The fire that started in the Wobblin' Woody's lower deck during the battle had burnt through some of our supplies before the ocean could claim them. Most of Koby's alchemy ingredients were soaked and ruined, but there were some he claimed he could dry out and use.

  With most things that could be retrieved already in our possession, my trip out to the shipwreck today only served one purpose: finding Koby's sword. He told me he didn't have it when I carried him out of the sinking ship, but retrieving a sword wasn't my top priority when concerned with cheating death. Since then, however, I hadn't found it, and Koby made small remarks here and there that indicated he missed his sword but didn't want to ask me outright to go through the pain of transforming again to find it.

  I was becoming better at taking Koby's persistent hints, so here I was. While Koby rested his healing broken leg in an inn in Killick, I would find that damn sword if it was the last thing I did.

  It's not even a special sword, I lamented to myself, arcing right in my swimming descent toward the shipwreck to prepare to enter the side of its broken hull. Koby's sword was made of the blackened metal of the underground and curved just slightly at the tip. It was a beautiful and unique blade on the surface, but underground its design was commonplace.

  But I knew Koby. His love for the sword was likely born out of sentimentalism. After all, that sword had been the one we'd used to fight for our freedom during our escape from slavery. Much like the necklace he wore bearing the key to his cell in the underground, Koby clung to the sword and these reminders of his past like he was proud to flaunt them because he'd overcome it. I didn't understand his obsession with our past in the underground, and I wished to hell and back he'd forget it. For as long as he remembered, I had to.