Anhamirak
With the abdication of Oliza Shardae Cobriana, heir to both thrones, Wyvern's Court is left in chaos. On the other hand, it isn't a burning ruin or a bloodbath, which are two of the options Hai foresees for the mixed-blood court, should the wyvern queen take the throne.
Where Hai's loyalties lie is a question no one in Wyvern's Court or on Ahnmik quite knows: with the Empress who raised her but will always see her as a mongrel; with the mother who bore her and daily commits treason against the falcon royal house; with Nicias Silvermead, sworn loyal to Wyvern's Court; with her father's family, the Cobriana; with exiles of all other lands; or perhaps, just with herself.
To Hai, breathing is a bother; either treason or loyalty would be a chore. She is not falcon, not avian, not serpiente; she is a dancer who no longer dances, her wings broken long ago and her magic entwined with the constant, seductive whisper of Ecl, the endless void.
Yet she cannot seem to keep from being drawn into the shifting a'she, possible futures all left in flux by Oliza's unexpected departure. Drifting, undecided, is no longer an option: she must pick a side, even if doing so means betraying everyone she holds dear.
Origin of the Story:
Here at last we arrive at the final book in the Kiesha'ra series. Inspiration came through the first four books, but also through a conversation with my friend Kyle as I was just working on Wolfcry. I had no idea how the series was going to end, which was a problem since I had already published part of it and I hate authors who never finish what they start.
It could end in a bloodbath, I explained. It could end with them all dead, a la Hamlet. Maybe the falcons take over; maybe the wolves do, or the Desmodus. For that matter maybe the humans do. Maybe it ends with a bang or, as T.S. Elliot says, "not with a bang but a whimper." Or just a general, "Huh" (kind of like the Sopranos).
Kyle replied to me, "Write them all!"