The Shadow of What Was Lost (The Licanius Trilogy, #1)

by James Islington

when a Gifted pushed their body past its limits they instinctively drew Essence from their Reserve, using it to fuel their body in place of sleep.

So essence is essentially mana x endurance

He usually woke at dawn and had trusted his body to keep to that schedule, but apparently he had deprived it of sleep for one too many nights in a row.

Relatable.

Davian’s chest tightened a little as he watched her. As the last few months had flown by, he’d faced plenty of fears about becoming a Shadow. It had been only recently, though, that he’d realized that never being able to see Asha again was far and away the worst of them. That their friendship of the past couple of years had developed into something more, at least for him.

More importantly, he wore the crimson cloak of one of the Gifted, and his left arm was exposed to display his Shackle.

Okay so even if you pass the trials, which is probably where they earn their cloak, they still must wear the shackle even post graduation. Meaning the schools are like magical concentration camps for any gifted, since they’re the only places magic can be practiced lawfully even adult graduates aren’t trusted. Then the administrators are there to monitor and hunt down any essence outside of the schools... So its basically like a holocaust for magic users, if only you were to trade in the tattooed number on your arm for one of these shackles or even the mark the gifted have. Heavy but a dope premise!

they hate us so much because they fear us. And they fear us because they know they can never control us.

Better than them. That’s a hard thing for people to accept, and it’s what drives them to push us down at every opportunity. They broke us once, and now they worry that if they don’t keep at it, we will rise up again and exact vengeance.”

Voldemort & Magneto would be in large agreement with that line of thinking.

When he saw what they were doing to me, he killed them.”

...really hoping this isn’t as bad as I’m thinking.

“I believe you,” he said eventually. “But what does all this have to do with me?” Ilseth gazed at Davian for a long moment, assessing him. He took a deep breath. “The Boundary is weakening, Davian. Failing. We know how to fix it, but it was created by the Augurs…and without the Augurs’ powers, we can’t do anything about it.” He rubbed his hands together, a nervous motion. “Devaed is long dead, of course, but there have been…incidents in the north.

What could possibly be the chances that this Ilseth is in fact said Devaed and the plans to mend the Northern Boundary are instead to destroy it & unleash his army! Too far fetched maybe but this dude has untrustworthy vibes regardless. Reminds me of Ulciscor coming to the rescue when vis was in a tight spot just so he could use him to his own ends.

Elder Olin, Davian and I have had to leave at short notice, on a matter of some importance, and one I believe needs my oversight. Send no one after us—Davian is under my protection. Please tell my father that if we are caught, I will use the name I used here. He can retrieve us both at his earliest convenience, and I will explain matters to him then. Torin

Huh, so Wirr is a plant & Torin is the son of someone powerful, likely the NorthWarden?

“Becoming a Shadow is not so bad,” Ilseth said quietly. “It is quick, and you won’t remember the pain. In fact, you won’t remember anything since you woke up this morning. Almost a blessing, given what you’ve seen today.” He stared into her eyes. “Regardless, I can’t risk anyone realizing that Davian got away. I would ask you whether he foresaw what I was planning, or whether he saved your friend through sheer dumb luck—but I doubt you know. And if you don’t know about that, I doubt you understand why the escherii spared you, either. But still…if it saw fit to let you live, then I suppose I should do the same. There are always reasons for these things.”

Fucking KNEW this dude was bad news. What an ass basket.

He plucked a couple of the coins from Wirr’s palm. “I will collect the rest once you are in Desriel,” he concluded.

Who says smugglers can't be honest men?

As he did, Anaar’s eyes strayed downward, toward Davian’s pocket. Davian stiffened. The other man knew. A flash of anxiety ran through him, followed by…something else. A surge, rippling through his body and coalescing in his palm before draining away—straight into Anaar. Davian pulled his hand back sharply, fingertips tingling. Anaar gave him a confused look, then shook his head as if to clear it.

Augur Ability No. 2: Kinetic Hypnosis!

Ilseth continued, “You told me that before running into us, you had gone to your friend’s room, to see if he was alive. A boy who lived in the North Tower.” Asha’s blood went cold. The Elders had been avoiding telling her what had happened, and this was why. Before Ilseth spoke again, she knew what he was going to say. “He had died, Ashalia,” said Ilseth softly. “He had died just like the others, and you couldn’t take the memory of seeing it. You…went wild, when I refused to help. You attacked me.”

Ah, I see. Thats fucked up. Oh how I hate dramatic irony.

You’ve seen all three attack sites, Ilseth. There were no others left alive. Have you any idea as to what made Caladel different?” Ilseth shook his head. “All I know is that it seems unlikely to be a mistake. Whoever, or whatever, has been carrying out these attacks has been thorough. There must be a reason.”

Pat yourself on your back why don'tcha Ilseth.

She looked away. No point dwelling on what could not be changed. Even being a Shadow seemed meaningless now. She moved over to inspect the desk, surprised to find it well stocked with paper and writing equipment. The pencils here were not made for it, but she would be able to pass the time sketching if she so chose, something she’d often enjoyed back at the school. For some reason the thought reassured her. At the very least, she would not lose her mind to boredom in here.

The sweet release of escapism comes in many fashions and always with a timely rescue!

“I don’t have time to waste waiting on that El-cursed bleeder,” said Gil coldly. “Fates, I’m not even supposed to be in this El-cursed situation to begin with. So find me the El-cursed book before I lose my temper.”

Silently replacing every "El-cursed" with F-bombs in my head is more fun..

dolorous

Behold, a cool word! It shall make a fine addition to my ever-growing collection.

All that I wanted, I received All that I dreamed, I achieved All that I feared, I conquered All that I hated, I destroyed All that I loved, I saved And so I lay down my head, weary with despair For all that I needed, I lost.

Not all the structures were houses; one appeared to be a school, with several young children listening attentively to a man in threadbare clothes.

Wait what, are there Children shadows?! If two shadows love each other very much do they make a shadow baby or is that child not more likely to be Gifted given the original bloodlines?? Is being Gifted even genetic??? Ahhhhhh too many questions still!

“That’s my son, Sed.” Asha’s brow furrowed as she studied Sed, along with all the other children. None of them had marks on their faces. “Being a Shadow isn’t inherited?” she asked eventually. “Our children are able to survive down here, so we think something must be passed on,” conceded Parth. “Otherwise? Not as far as we, or anyone else, can tell.

Ah.

“Because your presence marks the beginning. It means death is coming, for all of us. It has been Seen,” said the man quietly. Asha swallowed. “What…what do you mean, ‘all of us’?” “For myself, and my siblings. Four hunt. One hides, cognizant of what he is. A true traitor. An escherii.” The man gazed at her. “And I Watch.”

He mentally ran through the rules of Geshett again. Everyone started with ten cards. Players either passed—eliminating themselves from the round—or lay one, two, or three cards facedown on the table, called their combined value, and made a bet of any amount. The card value called had to be higher than any previously played. Once a bet had been made, another player could claim “Gesh”—becoming the Accuser—indicating that they thought the cards laid down were not of the value called. If Gesh was invoked, the cards were turned faceup. If the call had been honest, the Accuser paid the player double their bet. If it had been false, though, the player not only honored their bet, but gave the same amount to the Accuser.

Davian settled in, focusing. It was meant to be a game of skill, in which a person’s ability to bluff was key. He wasn’t sure how successful his own bluffing abilities would be, but as for the others, he knew they had no chance. For a split second, he almost pitied them.

Ahhahahah, thats great!

“I have never seen anyone move that fast,”

Augur Power No. 3: Enhanced Reaction Speed aka Spidey Sense!

Gently he tossed the sword into the long grass at the side of the road. Valuable or not, he wanted nothing more to do with it. Wirr looked about to protest but then just sighed, nodding.

🤦🏻‍♂️ maybe sell it tho so you don’t have to do shit like that again?? Or hide it so it’s never used against Gifted by any seeker ever again?

Why should we feel badly about taking their coin? Weren’t you just saying my killing one of them was justified?” “That wasn’t your fault,” pointed out Wirr. “He was a Hunter, a murderer, and it was self-defense. What you’re talking about is going out and using the Gift to steal from ordinary people. I know we’re in need, but…it would still be an abuse, Dav.

“You don’t think we should rule again?” Wirr looked at Davian levelly. “I’m stronger and faster than a regular person. I can do the work of several men each day, then tap my Reserve at night to do other things rather than sleeping. All being well, I’ll live twenty years longer than most people, maybe more.” He paused. “But does that make me wiser? Fairer? Do those qualities automatically make me a good ruler, or even just a better one than someone who doesn’t have the Gift?”

The creature—Davian could not believe it was human—continued toward them, reaching the first soldier. Without pausing, it flicked out its arm as it passed. The action was casual, dismissive. Almost disdainful.

Would be so cool if these things turned out to be the first Augurs who yet live, still using essence but having lost their truesight and so now seek the next generation of Augers to divine for them or restore themselves so they can see again finally.

It had been abject, crushing terror flowing through his veins. Now that it was gone, every part of his body felt tired, weak.

Aelrith.” “That’s…the Watcher? The man who…?” Asha trailed off. “Yes,” said the Shadraehin. “Though whatever else he may be, he’s not a man.”

“It is midafternoon, we are in a town called Anabir, and I am forty-eight.” Davian stared in disbelief. Again, nothing. “How did you do that?” he asked, stunned. Taeris shrugged. “An old trick. Not one many of your generation would know, but common enough knowledge back when the Augurs ruled. It’s a mental defense, a shield against invasions of the mind. It takes training to do for any period of time, but most people could hold it for a few minutes effectively enough.”

Sounds like something old Abenthy or Elodin would teach.

“Sha’teth keloran sa, Aelrith!” Taeris yelled. The words stopped the creature.

Aelrith = name of The Watcher creature who spoke questioned Asha

“A dar’gaithin?” “A mixture of snake and man. One of the five Banes used against Andarra in the Eternity War,”

“I’m not saying that’s what I think. But it is a possibility.”

“You’ve got to be realistic…” -LN

“I think there are a handful of people in the world who could have translated what the sha’teth said to me,” he said quietly. “What that means…I don’t know. But if he turns out to be an enemy—well, you need to stay on your guard.”

“Strength is important, but it’s usually the quicker, smarter man that wins.”

Wirrander

Wirr woke and for a few blissful moments he just lay there, not quite sure where he was.

One of the best sensations when dreams linger and still dull the sharper edges of reality.

Aelric gave him a fierce scowl. “You weren’t my first choice, either, bleeder,” he said in a low voice.

Damn bro hit em with the hard-r too🤦🏻‍♂️

“‘Every man who holds a sword in his hand, holds murder in his heart.’”

“Everyone has a darker nature, Caeden. Everyone. Good men fear it, and evil men embrace it. Good men are still tempted to do the wrong thing, but they resist those urges.

“It doesn’t work like that. At the end of time, El will leave this world, taking those who gave Him their faith. When He does, what protection this world has will vanish, and it will fall to Shammaeloth to rule what remains—and only what remains—for eternity. Any who do not leave with El will be left here and serve him, like it or not.”

Basically scientology but instead

That’s the natural arrogance of man, sadly. We want to believe that free will means complete independence from the plans of our creator.”

“You can put your trust in something that’s obvious, that’s measurable or predictable—but that’s not faith. Nor is believing in something that gives you no pause for doubt, no reason or desire to question. Faith is something more than that. By definition, it cannot have proof as its foundation.”

it strikes me that a man needs to know what he believes before he can really know who he is.”

“What does Licanius mean? It sounds Darecian. You could at least tell me that much,” said the man. “‘Fate.’

Erran’s vision of the hanging was repeated, too, though not the first part about getting stabbed by Commander Hael—whoever that was.

“What is this place?” Erran shut the door. “Administration’s stockpile of ‘dangerous’ Gifted artifacts. Every single thing they’ve confiscated from the schools and the Tols since the beginning of the war.”

Hitler’s stockpile of Stolen Art…

“The…Augurs’ Journal?” “Yes.” Erran gently opened the book for her, then flipped through some pages. “Here. Read some of these.” Asha did so, her frown deepening as she scanned through the pages of visions. One entry spoke of an earthquake in the south, destroying the city of Prythe. Another described a massive fire in Ilin Illan, with the palace burning to the ground, along with many of the other buildings in the Upper District. A different vision foretold an assassin’s taking of Emperor Uphrai’s life, plunging the Eastern Empire into civil war. Each one was long, detailed, and confirmed by other Augurs. “None of these happened,” she said eventually.

What if the Augurs were right…someone else was just altering history, creating the effect of making them look mad by changing the course of the grand design…maybe this whole story is about getting reality back on the right track, as if its derailed?

ilshara

Name of the boundary?