The Rebel Goddess

Imagine you’re immortal. Can do anything and everything you want. Pretty cool, hey? Well … maybe. In Archer’s Moon, we go right back to the beginning. When the virgin planet Ansu was fresh on the table, served up by the Weaver of Worlds as a model realm––a dazzling show planet hosted by High Gods, the Faen, and other such lofty faerie folk. Way back when the grubby newcomers had just arrived. Those pesky humans. In the dreamy days of their first empire: Zorne.

Bored goddess Argonwui, aka Aggy, spends her hours gazing down from high Laras Lassladen on the spinning world below. Rebellious and mischievous, the young deity deems Ansu worth a sly visit. A little secret she’d keep to herself, lest her mother, Elanion, the High Goddess and Ansu’s current Guardian find out. And that simply wouldn’t do.

 I’ll just pop down and look. A brief foray. Beats staying up here counting the years with nothing of interest to do …

And her sisters were such a pain …

So young Aggy ––barely 3000 years old––descends like a bubble drifting down, arriving in deep woods on a fine misty morning in a land called Rundali. She shifts to her preferred form, resembling a spritely young woman, and gazes with satisfaction at herself in the pond’s reflection.

Now to explore …

What could go wrong?

Everything …

The Archer

His name was Eltayn, though some mocked him as Elafan. Or Outcast. An oddball, shunned by many in the fishing village. Except Netty. She loved the tall red-haired hunter. A fine archer, Eltayn spent most days in the hills, or even on the fringes of Rundal Woods. An uncanny place where men reported sights of the old folk, and worse things. But Eltayn liked the woods. They spoke to him. Drew him deeper. Like a moth seeking flame and fly courting a spider.

One day he strayed further than he should, the shadow of mountains leaning down. That’s when Eltayn saw the stranger gazing at her reflection in the water. A pale young woman with eyes that glinted like honey and gold. Those eyes fell upon him and from that moment Eltayn the archer knew he’d been hooked. Thus, started their perilous reckless dance that would culminate in the destruction of much Aggy’s grandfather the Weaver had wrought.

The Thief

 Meanwhile, across the world, a rogue’s on the run from his past. Master Ruffburn, a canny thief, hears the name Elafan the Harbinger whispered by gypsies in the dark corners of this hostile city. Ruffburn senses there’s trouble coming. And that he will have a part to play. Because Ruffburn and trouble go hand in hand.

The High Born

And in Zorne, the proud Ketaqi nobleman, Xandor senses change coming in the wind. They call him ambassador, but Xandor knows he’s a hostage to the vain Zorne rulers, the Exalts. Or worse, their master, the necromancer, Nemrod, and his warlocks on that island fueled by demon fire. Rumors abound. Three will come. A Harbinger. A Destroyer. And a Conqueror. Xandor fears war, and worse. The wind blows cold as he gazes down from the granite walls of Zorne City.

The Witch Lords

And far from there. Zorne’s slaves mine crystal beneath the mountains. Toiling in that cruel desert land. Fighting for scraps, bleeding and dying. Their golden masters are in league with Nemrod. For these Aralais are mighty witch lords recently arrived from out beyond the sky. As did their cousins, the secretive twisted folk. The golden leader, Argaz, knows how useful humans are. Useful but fragile. Easy to bend, easier to break. Proud fool, Argaz cannot see the storm brewing below. Further below, in the heart of the crystal mountain, Aggy’s uncle the Smith works on new artefacts. A sword, a harp and a crown, each wrought from solid crystal and containing the power to divert history. Gifts to his new friends the Aralais.

The Reckoning

Enter Argonwui. Arriving unannounced like a meteor crashing through the world fabric and breaking every rule until Elanion must intervene and, by doing so, sets off a chain of events that could shatter the Weaver’s thread and knock Ansu off its current axis tossing it out into Chaos Realms beyond. Caught in the crossfire are Eltayn, Ruffburn, Xandor and Netty. Will any of them survive?

More on the Dawn of Legends

Let me know what you think. Archer’s Moon starts a journey fused by myth and magic that will feature most of the old gods and otherworldly beings. The dance will continue with The Harp and the Raven (2026) and cover the rise and fall of empires Zorne and Xandoria, the calamity of Gol (extended 2026). Finally, The Sons of Kell (2027) will cover the tumultuous war of the Aralais and their cruel kin, the Urgolais, culminating in Kell’s pyrrhic victory and the story of how mortals became dominant and pushed the old folk to the fringes of the nine worlds. But paid a price far heavier than gold.

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I’d love to hear your comments. I wish you the very best in 2025! Stay strong, and be brave! I’ll be sharing posts on the aforementioned characters in the forthcoming book. So, keep an eye out for the next post. Thanks for reading x. J.W.W.