"No, they weren't," the prince agreed. "But you know what else it predicted? It predicted that I would be the one to save Elia, and Gribly would be the one to unite Vast."

Traveller met his gaze again, and his eyes were shining. "What?"

"But now our roles are reversed. He's going to save her- oh yes, I know he'll do it. And he won't end like the book said I would, because he's not me." Lauro could feel the excitement at finally being able to put into words what he had hidden since the Forest of Foretelling. "I broke the prediction, Traveller! I can seal my own fate... or I can make myself something new."

"Prince," warned the Aura, but Lauro didn't let him speak.

"I will prove myself to Father, Traveller. I will save Vastion- and what's more, you know how I can do it... don't you?"

Traveller sighed. "It will cost you your life, Lauro."

"I don't care. My life means nothing against my kingdom."

Traveller turned away, clasping his hands behind his back and gazing out over the wasteland of the Grymclaw and the golden sun beyond. Lauro said nothing to urge him... he knew an answer was forthcoming.

"The Red Aura," Traveller said at last. "He is a maker of artifacts and weapons such as have not been used since the Eleven Aura united and cast the Legion out of the heavens. It was he who made the sacred bone dagger Sheolus now carries."

"What about him?" Lauro asked, pulse pounding with antic.i.p.ation.

"If you truly wish to take this destiny upon your shoulders, Prince... You must find him. He will forge you a weapon greater than any mortal or immortal has yet seen. With it you may banish the threat of the Legion once and for all."

Lauro's eyes gleamed with desire and purpose. Lightning flickered across his brow from the intensity of his thoughts, forming an ethereal crown.

"Tell me what I must do."

To Be Continued...

CAST of CHARACTERS in SONG OF THE AURA.

Allfar: One of the legendary Aura. Not much is known of him, but he is commonly a.s.sociated with Wind and Sky elements, in the old rites. Spectansis is his Nymphtongue name.

Alwene: Mother of Gramling and Gramlen, wife of Gram. She died in the first burning of the Gray Cathedral.

Argoz Greenwood: The Cleric of Ymeer. Also succeeds Ymorio Highfast as the Dunelord of Ymeer.

Amarand: The cleric of the Zain tribe, and master to Variand, the Zain scribe.

Aura, The: Eleven ancient spirits sung into being by the Creator when he fashioned the world. They are the guardians of the many races inhabiting Vast and the lands beyond; however, in recent days belief in their existence has wavered. They now rarely show themselves to mortals, and only three have been reported to still frequent Vast at all.

Avtar: A silverguard of Ymeer, who accompanies Gribly and Lauro on their journey to the Inkwell. Presumably killed in a Sea Demon attack.

Bernarl: A Zain ship's captain and former pirate, once an ally of the mysterious King Gram, the Lord of Rogues. Possibly the only exception to the general lacking among the Zain of a Second Form. Commonly called "Berne" by his friends and allies. By all gathered accounts, there is more to this sailor than meets the eye.

Bonedale: A dark falconhorse, raised in the pits of Blast, currently serving the Pit Strider Gramling.

Bwether: Master of the Haedi working under Wanderwillow at the Swaying Willow inn.

Byornleo "Byorne" Hallifar: One of the oldest and deadliest rangers, and a friend to Old Murie. He frequented the fight pits of Ymeer, where he was known as "Longstrider." His fighting prowess put him at the top of the pack, and in a perfect position to spy for Vastion. He was killed by Gramling, the Pit Strider.

Calloway: Also known as "Cal." He is a young boy of the Grymclaw's South Village, who gave vital aid to Gribly and Elia in their time of need.

Cramner: A young boy of South Village, and friend of Calloway.

Creator, The: The G.o.d of all worlds, Whom is responsible for the world of Sceptre and everything in it: Vast, Realm, Rune, Nation, and all the lands beyond.

Crutus: A bouncer at the Old Pickpocket's wine-shop, who also deals in the slave trade. He is the brother of Shele, a fight pit contestant.

Donovan: An Elder of South Village.

Elia: A Sea Nymph female of the Treele Tribe. She is an incredibly powerful Wave Strider; so much so that it is possible she has transcended Wave Striding and begun to master Sea Striding.

Golden One, The: Master of Pit Striders. Possibly an escaped member of the Legion.

Gram: Self-styled Pirate King of South Vast. Also known as the Lord of Rogues. He is the founder of the Alliance, a loosely-bound brotherhood of miscreants spread throughout Vast.

Gramling: A Pit Strider, and brother to Gribly. His master, the mysterious Golden One, has tasked him with either converting or killing the young thief.

Gribly: A street thief formerly of Ymeer. He has manifested extraordinary abilities in Sand Striding and Stone Striding, and is rumored to be the Prophet of the Aura. He is revealed to have originally been named Gramlen by his mother, Alwene, and his father, Gram.

Karmidigan: A prodigiously powerful Reethe Frost Strider Kell: A silverguard of Ymeer, who accompanies Gribly and Lauro on their journey to the Inkwell. Presumably killed in a Sea Demon attack.

Larion Vale: King of Vastion, the last surviving kingdom in Vast.

Lauro Vale: Prince of Vastion, and Gribly's uneasy friend. He is seemingly on the run from his own father.

Leafly: A Haedus in Wanderwillow's entourage at the Swaying Willow inn.

Legion, The: Nine Archdemons bound in the underworld of Kerbus at the beginning of time. They were once Aura, but became corrupted with pride in their own power. They wished to rule the world, and were banished for it.

Lithric: The nymph cleric of Mythigrad.

M'tant, The: A mysterious tribe of Wood Nymphs residing in the Blackwood, Northeast of the Grymclaw.

Margry: A female Elder of South Village.

Marmat: A silverguard of Ymeer, who accompanies Gribly and Lauro on their journey to the Inkwell. Presumably killed in a Sea Demon attack.

Murie: A Vastic Ranger stationed in Ymeer. Called "Old Murie" by most of the inhabitants, she disguised herself as a gypsy to blend in, allowing her to care for and protect Gribly as he grew older and learned to use his gift.

Old Pickpocket, The: A former thief and black market trader specializing in strong drink. He is crippled from the waist down.

Patnel: A Reethe nymph in charge of guarding Mythigrad's armory. Secretly a Frost Strider.

Ranathin: Also known as "Ran." Grandson of Elder Donovan, and friend to Calloway and Cramner.

Reethe, The: The northernmost of the three Sea Nymph tribes. Their Second Form resembles the icy snow they inhabit. It is stronger than the Second Form of the Treele, and most often used in combat or in the harsh winter storms that often lash the Inkwell.

Roko Smallword: Head Cook in Vastion's capital city.

Shele: A mysterious woman living in the underbelly of Ymeer. Her brother Crutus pressured her to put her martial skills to use in the fight pits, which she reluctantly agreed to. Her recent losses have put the freedom of her only daughter at risk. She goes by the alias "Shadow."

Sheolus: The cursed name of the Golden One.

Steamclaw: A pit draik of Blast. Called Nebulekef in the Nymphtongue.

Traveller: One of the many names taken by the Gray Aura. Commonly called Viator among the Sea Nymphs of the Inkwell.

Treele, The: The easternmost of the three Sea Nymph tribes. Their Second Form is watery and translucent, much like the waves they commonly inhabit.

Varstis: Raitharch of Mythigrad, Lord of the Sanquegrad, King of the Reethe. He is a nymph of more than respectable reputation, though there are rumors he had dealt with pirates in his youth.

Wanderwillow: The commonly used name for the Brown Aura, who is rumored to reside in the Grymclaw. He sometimes goes by the name Swaying Willow, identical to the name of the enchanted inn where he is innkeeper. He is the Nympharch, the patron of the Nymph race.

Windfellow: A falconhorse under the service of Traveller, the Gray Aura. Wendfilo in the nymphtongue.

Yan: A nymph, a friend of Captain Berne, and first mate on the Suthway Cath.

Ymorio Highfast: Dunelord of Ymeer. Ruthless, intelligent and handsome, Ymorio kept himself in power far longer than any previous Dunelord; partially due to his more than competent Sand Striding abilities.

Zain, The: The southernmost of the three Sea Nymph tribes. Unlike their brethren, they are restricted to a single mortal form. This may be due to the long periods of time spent on the land, or on the crafted wooden ships they use for trade.

STRIDING the ELEMENTS in SONG OF THE AURA.

In the land of Vast, it is commonly held that the physical world consists of Five Elements. Three are of the World, and Two are of the Otherworld. The three World Elements are Sea, Sky, and Stone. The two Otherworld Elements are Spirit and Pit.

Occasionally, a man or nymph will be born with the ability to manipulate part of an Element. Such a being is known as a Strider, and their ability is reffered to as Striding. Most Striders are born with the ability to Stride only part of a World Element. This ability usually manifests itself sometime in early adolescence.

The precepts and limits of Striding an Otherworld Element are unknown; however, it is generally accepted among scholarly circles that the so-called sorcerers and magicians are really just common men and women who have discovered some aspect of Pit Striding. The power of cleric "prayers" is sometimes attributed to Spirit Striding.

In ancient times, Striders could manipulate an entire World Element, and sometimes even combine their power with some part of an Otherworld Element. The abilities of Striding have genetically decreased over time, however, and Striding an entire element is now unheard of.

At the time of the events recorded in the Song of the Aura, some of the aforementioned facts have begun to be disputed. It is even prophesied by some of the less orthodox clerics in Vastion and beyond that there will soon arise those capable of surpa.s.sing even the most talented Striders of the past.

Whether or not this is true remains to be seen, though the actions and powers of Gribly Gramson, Lauro Vale, and Elia Treele certainly give credence to the theorya ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS for SONG OF THE AURA.

Well, this book has been a journey. It began as a short book, which became a long book, which became another short book, which became a very long book, which was split into three parts. Eventually it was decided to be a nine-part seriesa and then, even that changed. What you're reading is one of what is now six parts, and I have several special people to thank for helping it get to the point it's at.

Firstly, I thank G.o.d. He's given me my talent, and He's swept me off my feet with what He can do.

Secondly, through G.o.d, I've had the grace to work with some amazing people, who I'd like to thank individually.

My mom: for doing an incredible job refining and pruning my story to a readable point.

My brother: for being the first reader and the first fan.

Nathanael: for reading through and pointing out the dumb mistakes that slip by me constantly.

Thirdly, I thank the teen writing workshop members from the spring program at my library: they don't know it, but without them the character of Gribly would never have been invented... and there would have been no story to tell.

Lastly, I thank all the people and groups who gave me support and fellowship on the path of writing: my friends, my family, my heroes, my helpers. We're Striders together, all of usa ABOUT the AUTHOR and the BOOK I'm the author of several novels, including the standalone Arthurian novel Mordred, as well as the Song of the Aura series. Having grown up reading the likes of Tolkien, Jacques, Lewis, and Jordan, it was only a matter of time before my imagination grew too explosive to contain, and one day it spilled out onto paper as the first lines of my first story.

As far as my life goes, I like all sorts of fantasy games, movies, and books. I'm a soccer player, a wannabe musician, and an active Catholic. I was homeschooled for most of my life, allowing me to finish my first novel by age 16. By 17, I'd written four. Into college and beyond, I hope to continue writing novels that both inspire and enlighten you, the readera just make sure to have fun while you're at it, OK?

I hope you've enjoyed this book- but whether you liked it or hated it, I value your opinion. Reviews are hugely appreciated. Thank you, and May the great Creator of the world send His Aura to protect you!

To visit my blog, go to www.epicbloggjd.blogspot.com.

To become a fan of the Song of the Aura series, go to www.facebook.com/songoftheaura.

To become a fan of Mordred, go to www.facebook.com/Excather.

BOOKS by GREGORY J. DOWNS.

SONG OF THE AURA.

Brother Thief.

Winter Warrior.

Grym Prophet.

Golden Tide.

Dire Sparks Storm Kings..

THE EXCATHER CYCLE.

Mordred.

Book Two, coming late 2012.

SHORT STORY COLLECTIONS.

Dreams of Steel.

STANDALONE FANTASY.

Ghostwalker, coming Summer 2012.

PREVIEW OF.

-THE SONG OF THE AURA-.