Destiny's Kingdom: Legend of the Chosen Read Online Free
Author: Daniel Huber, Jennifer Selzer
other Venrey's scouting efforts.
"So where did your travels take you this quarter, Venrey?" Quade asked, a bit more friendly, but not much. Venrey weren't really worth many pleasantries. Thanach relaxed, glad to have the topic changed and the focus taken away from his shortcomings.
"The Keystone will be pleased with what we've brought him," he said. "A discovery of some new leylines at the edge of the Nivas system. Obscure, almost hidden. But we found them, and mapped a good portion of what we found."
"The Nivas system," Quade repeated, laughing a little and running his hand across the back of his neck under his hair. "That’s some dangerous territory. Excellent to have it explored, but I don't envy your recklessness. When I was a mapper I wouldn't have gone near that system."
"Which is why we are superior mappers," Thanach boasted. Quade couldn't deny him that. The Venrey were excellent mappers, partly due to their excessive recklessness, along with their insatiable hunger for thrill. Contracts were usually only given to non-Venrey by those who loathed them so much that they would rather do anything than have to deal with them. Quade had taken advantage of that for a few years in his late teens, but he hated how the contracts kept him away from home so much and the suicidal danger of mapping uncharged territory wore him down quickly. When Bethel’s Keystone offered him the position of courier and liaison with the Venrey, Quade gave up mapping without a thought
"Unfortunately, our exploration was cut somewhat short," the second Venrey, whose name Quade didn't know, continued.
"Really," Quade said, looking at his wrist chron and thinking that he had just been getting ready to leave. He would listen to this one last thing, and then he would go. "Why's that?"
"Strange, unexplainable things have been occurring, Quade. Missing ships, found large distances away from their charted course. Upon investigating one of these wayward vessels, we found it to be abandoned. No people on board at all."
Abandoned ships, Quade thought. Unusual, but not unheard of. He figured there must be more to the story than the Venrey was telling him.
"And I suppose that all the cargo the ship was carrying and any valuables it may have had were all missing," he said casually. "Doesn't sound so threatening, Venrey. I'm sure there's plenty of pirates and thieves out here on the circ that could explain what you found. Why the heavy words?"
"There's more, Quade that's why," Thanach said. "I tell you these things because you and I have had dealings now for several years and thought it in your interest of safe travel to know."
Quade sobered for a minute, still somewhat perplexed. What could have happened to get such a reaction out of a Venrey?
"Alright," he said, giving his full attention for the moment, "what then?"
"You're wrong about the cargo missing. The ship was found perfectly intact. Nothing out of place whatsoever."
"And still there's more," the second Venrey said, and Quade looked at him skeptically.
"A nexus point was found destroyed near the Rougana system."
"What?" Quade asked. “Destroyed? Impossible!”
Suddenly, a voice chimed inside Quade's mind. A familiar voice, one that he'd been trying to pretend didn't exist for months now.
"Listen well Quade, for what you hear next will be of vital importance."
A second voice followed, different, but of similar variety.
"Listen well and gather any information that you can, however small."
"Stop it!" Quade turned his head and muttered under his breath, as if the voices inside his head could somehow hear him.
"Stop?" said Thanach indignantly. "Do you not wish for me to tell you of what I know? The danger you encounter is yours alone, Quade. If you have no want for my warnings…"
"No, no," he said with a wave of his hand, "go on. Thoughts wandered for a second there. Now, what did you say? A nexus point was destroyed? How?" Thanach looked at Quade with some level of
"So where did your travels take you this quarter, Venrey?" Quade asked, a bit more friendly, but not much. Venrey weren't really worth many pleasantries. Thanach relaxed, glad to have the topic changed and the focus taken away from his shortcomings.
"The Keystone will be pleased with what we've brought him," he said. "A discovery of some new leylines at the edge of the Nivas system. Obscure, almost hidden. But we found them, and mapped a good portion of what we found."
"The Nivas system," Quade repeated, laughing a little and running his hand across the back of his neck under his hair. "That’s some dangerous territory. Excellent to have it explored, but I don't envy your recklessness. When I was a mapper I wouldn't have gone near that system."
"Which is why we are superior mappers," Thanach boasted. Quade couldn't deny him that. The Venrey were excellent mappers, partly due to their excessive recklessness, along with their insatiable hunger for thrill. Contracts were usually only given to non-Venrey by those who loathed them so much that they would rather do anything than have to deal with them. Quade had taken advantage of that for a few years in his late teens, but he hated how the contracts kept him away from home so much and the suicidal danger of mapping uncharged territory wore him down quickly. When Bethel’s Keystone offered him the position of courier and liaison with the Venrey, Quade gave up mapping without a thought
"Unfortunately, our exploration was cut somewhat short," the second Venrey, whose name Quade didn't know, continued.
"Really," Quade said, looking at his wrist chron and thinking that he had just been getting ready to leave. He would listen to this one last thing, and then he would go. "Why's that?"
"Strange, unexplainable things have been occurring, Quade. Missing ships, found large distances away from their charted course. Upon investigating one of these wayward vessels, we found it to be abandoned. No people on board at all."
Abandoned ships, Quade thought. Unusual, but not unheard of. He figured there must be more to the story than the Venrey was telling him.
"And I suppose that all the cargo the ship was carrying and any valuables it may have had were all missing," he said casually. "Doesn't sound so threatening, Venrey. I'm sure there's plenty of pirates and thieves out here on the circ that could explain what you found. Why the heavy words?"
"There's more, Quade that's why," Thanach said. "I tell you these things because you and I have had dealings now for several years and thought it in your interest of safe travel to know."
Quade sobered for a minute, still somewhat perplexed. What could have happened to get such a reaction out of a Venrey?
"Alright," he said, giving his full attention for the moment, "what then?"
"You're wrong about the cargo missing. The ship was found perfectly intact. Nothing out of place whatsoever."
"And still there's more," the second Venrey said, and Quade looked at him skeptically.
"A nexus point was found destroyed near the Rougana system."
"What?" Quade asked. “Destroyed? Impossible!”
Suddenly, a voice chimed inside Quade's mind. A familiar voice, one that he'd been trying to pretend didn't exist for months now.
"Listen well Quade, for what you hear next will be of vital importance."
A second voice followed, different, but of similar variety.
"Listen well and gather any information that you can, however small."
"Stop it!" Quade turned his head and muttered under his breath, as if the voices inside his head could somehow hear him.
"Stop?" said Thanach indignantly. "Do you not wish for me to tell you of what I know? The danger you encounter is yours alone, Quade. If you have no want for my warnings…"
"No, no," he said with a wave of his hand, "go on. Thoughts wandered for a second there. Now, what did you say? A nexus point was destroyed? How?" Thanach looked at Quade with some level of
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