Wielder of the SkyRings

A new and powerful enemy has arisen - but no one knows who he is. When the Lightning Ring, most powerful of the three SkyRings, is stolen, the TriFlame is called to find the thief and stop him. But with very few clues to follow, they only flounder in the confusing trail left by their clever and dangerously powerful nemesis. One thing they do know: they need help from the Wielder of the SkyRings. But they have no more idea of who he is than they do of their mysterious enemy. 

Meanwhile Calida, the daughter of a murderer and an assassin, trains as her father's weapon, wondering what it is her parents are so desperate to find. By the time she discovers their secret, it is too late - both her parents are dead, and the two SkyRings they have managed to find and steal have been taken. 

As the TriFlame, old and new, works to find the villain, and as Calida searches for her mother's murderer, all involved are oblivious to the fact that they need each other's help. Tangled more and more inescapably in their cunning enemy's net, they continue to contend against each other, each thinking the other is the villain they are looking for. Meanwhile, the true villain takes advantage of their confusion to carry out his - or her - original plan of revenge. 

Someday has become today.

~~~

In the sequel to Keepers of the Fire Stones, the trio of Keepers returns... but this time, there is more at stake. It's so much harder to save the world when the heroes need to protect their children as well. Ember, Ash, and Cole have learned how to be the heroes... now it's time for their children to learn the same lesson. At the same time, they themselves need to learn how to let go. Of their children... and of themselves. 

Cast of (New) Characters

Echo Grayson

Echo Grayson is fifteen years old - just a year older than her mother was when she set out to save the world. But when Echo finds herself suddenly thrust into the role that was once her mother's, she finds herself facing her old fear of being unable to live up to the standard her mother unknowingly set. 

Rebel Elliot "Spark" Grayson

Rebel Elliot, called Spark, has always struggled with creating the fire he's supposed to be able to control due to his natural timidity. Meanwhile, he creates other things and dreams of the day he finally becomes brave, hating his inability to harm anyone or anything. Little does he suspect that this very gentleness will become crucial in the events about to unfold. 

Cinder Smith

Cinder, only eight years old when disaster strikes, is barely old enough to fully understand what's going on. She trusts Echo with all her heart, knowing with all possible certainty that Echo will look after her. With her father's quick temper, combined with her own young age, she has little trouble creating fire like her cousin Spark. On the other hand, once she creates that fire, it can often go out of control. 

Cor Smith

The youngest of the foursome of children, Cor has always been seen as "different." His unusual dreams lead Zaria to believe that he might have a little bit of seer blood in him... as well as another kind of very special, very rare blood. 

Calida Blaze

Calida was turned into a weapon at an early age by her father, following in the footsteps of her former-assassin mother. But former assassin or not, her mother was the only one who ever came even close to showing Calida kindness. So when someone murders her mother - and her father, but she doesn't care - for something they possess, she immediately turns to revenge on her mother's murderer. 

Lady Daeva Lillyth

"Beware, beware, the Lady with the silver hair." She showed up mysteriously only a couple decades after Denyx's defeat. No one knows where she came from - or where she is. Somewhere behind the scenes, she carefully orchestrates the confusion of the TriFlame and Calida Blaze. Meanwhile, she prepares her own plan of revenge. 

The Realm of Aquaria and the Aquarians

The realm of Aquaria is almost a realm of in-between, as Anchora is more ordinary, and Aquaria is anything but. It is in Aquaria that most connections between Aetheria and Ereventiel open, and though there is nowhere near as much magic in Aquaria as in Aetheria, there is much more than in Anchora, as is somewhat shown by the Aquarians themselves. These sea-dwellers can live either on land or underwater. They have pale bluish-gray skin, black eyes, and black hair. Some have patches of iridescent scales on their arms and necks. Many can survive underwater for long periods of time, and most can live underwater if they so choose. 

When Caldwell Thadren broke into Ereventiel and brought evil with him, many of the Aquarian islands sank. Some now exist within bubbles; others simply exist miles beneath the surface of the Sea. The sunken islands are notoriously hard to reach, especially the Heart of Aquaria. 

Notable locations include: 

Arcanum

Also known as The Heart of Aquaria, the sunken island of Arcanium is one of the most mysterious places in Ereventiel. Many doorways to Aetheria have opened on this underwater island, which rests on the sea floor and is surrounded by a bubble. Only native Aquarians inhabit this island. Arcanum was rumored to be the hiding place of the SkyRing of Rain after the last Wielder died. 

Council Bubble, The

The Council Bubble is not an island, but rather a bubble suspended in the middle of the Sea, underwater. This is where Aquarians meet to hold councils and meetings. From inside, the bubble can be moved to rest half above and half beneath the surface of the water, in order to accommodate both underwater- and land-dwelling Aquarians. The bubble's surface is an illusion, making it all but invisible to the eye of a non-Aquarian. At each council or meeting, the bubble's position and location changes. 

Dark Waterweed Grove, The

Sea-dwelling Aquarians avoid this forest of massive, mile-high waterweed stalks whenever possible. Mysterious things happen in its gloom, and it is rumored that Tenebrian Eels, long thought extinct, have returned to haunt its depths. 

Queen's Palace, The

This silver-walled palace with its mother-of-pearl dome, located on the sunken island of Arcanium, is home to the Queen, ruler of Aquaria. 

Sorsan Island

This underwater island is one of the few not enclosed in a bubble. Home to the seer of Aquaria, it is located not far from Arcanium, and Aquarians travel there often to consult the Oracle - a young, Aquarian girl whom no one ever sees. 

The Flora and Fauna of Aquaria and the Sea

Lucernan Serpents

These sea serpents are smaller than Tenebrian Eels. The majority are benevolent, but they are not tame and are still very dangerous. Before most of the Tenebrian Eels were destroyed, numbers of Lucernan Serpents were diminishing, as they are the sworn enemies of Tenebrian Eels. After the Tenebrian Eels supposedly went extinct, they began to flourish again. A Lucernan Serpent can grow up to five feet long with a slender body about as thick as an Aquarian's arm. Its scales are either white or, on rare occasions, a very pale gold. An unusually large golden Lucernan Serpent guards the walls of the Queen's Palace. 

Lhonnefish

Also known as star cod, these fish are extremely common. They have little to no personality, in comparison to Narnfish, Lucernan Serpents, and Tenebrian Eels. In direct light, their scales shine silver, but in the shade they are gray. They are much larger than Narnfish, often growing up to twelve or eighteen inches long, and they are good for eating. They are among the more common dishes of Aquaria. 

Narnfish

These more uncommon fish, also known as candle fish or traveler's lanterns, grow up to six inches long. They are white in color, but in the dark, their scales can become small golden lights at the Narnfish's will. These often-friendly fish will sometimes help light the way for a lost traveler, hence their nickname. 

Telafish

Also known as javelin fish, these two-foot long school fish inhabit the Dark Waterweed Grove and have inhabited it since before the first sightings of Tenebrian Eels were reported in the same areas. Due to territorial and malevolent natures, the Telafish often attack and fight Tenebrian Eels, but on occasion, they have been known to work together where their goals align. Telafish have long spear-like spikes at the ends of their snouts, as well as long, sharp spines on their fins and back, which they can shoot at will and with great accuracy. 

Tenebrian Eels

For a long time, these creatures were thought to be extinct after an attempt many years before to destroy them all. But now there are rumors that they have returned and are now inhabiting the depths of the Dark Waterweed Grove. Growing up to eight feet long, with scaleless black bodies, blunt snouts, and needle-sharp teeth, they could have crawled straight out of every Aquarian's nightmares. When encountered, the best strategy is to swim upward toward the surface of the ocean and toward light, as Tenebrian Eels stay in darkness and shade for most of their lives and cannot stand light. 

Aquarmelons

Aquarmelons are small, round fruits that grow on underwater vines. They have a striped aquamarine husk and the fruit inside is a warm orange color with a sweet, fresh taste not unlike that of a peach. The juice is a good medicine for headaches, and the husks are usually left out for hungry Narnfish. 

Salt Berries

Saltberry plants are not unlike a smaller version of the waterweed, with a sea-green color rather than blue. The berries are small, roughly half an inch to an inch in diameter, and are a deep violet color. The outer skin does taste rather strongly of salt, but on the inside, salt berries have a warm, rich flavor like that of a blueberry. 

Waterweed

Waterweed plants have long, thick stalks, some growing to a height of thousands of feet. Their color ranges from a deep gray-blue to a pale turquoise, and their leaves are long and spearhead-shaped. When dried, these leaves become thin and crunchy, and often replaces bread. Waterweed roots grip the Sea floor, but small air bubbles in the leaves draw the plant upward toward light. Waterweed usually grows in groves, the most notable of which is the Dark Waterweed Grove.