Hopefully big things on the horizon for the Curseborn Saga series, including but not limited to the combining of novellas Fade to Black and Cheaters Never Prosper into one full standalone book. The name is a work in progress as of now, although we have some ideas, and there will be 4 chapters added to the beginning of the novel . . . The book will be opening with a new, never before seen Prologue and I wanted to take a moment to show all of you a little sneak peak of it. . . .

​A young woman ran desperately through the dark trees of Neverend Forest, her breathing heavy and her naked feet bloodied. She moved like a blur in the night, her long white dress ripped and tattered. On her back she wore a large leather sack and slung over her shoulder was a long bow of wooden craftsmanship. If she had not been running in fear of her life, and if the wind of the night had softened, one might have been able to hear the sound of soft crying from within her rucksack. But not tonight. Not in that moment. The only thing one would hear was the sound of many soldiers pursuing her, forcing an inescapable plight upon the woman that would ultimately bring her death.
             Fear ran through her bones as exhaustion sunk in. Her hands tightened on the straps of the rucksack, her fingers clenching so hard she could feel her nails piercing into her palms. Pain tore at her like a lunatic with a cleaver, yet every time she thought she could go no further, every moment she nearly lost hope, the sound of faint crying rekindled her spirit. And so her hands clenched tighter, and she did not stop.
             “You will live. I promise.” The words were a whisper left amongst the trees.
             The rain was falling like the pounding of her heart, but she could not hear it. She could no longer hear the sound of her naked feet slapping through icy puddles. Even the shouts of the soldiers chasing her seemed to fade away with each passing moment. She knew she would soon reach the Edge, the end of their world. It was there that death would find her.
             “We tried . . . the best we could. I just wish you had stayed, a little longer . . .” As she spoke her voice seemed to fade away into the dark where it would keep her words forever. The only remnants of her left behind would be a trail of blood on the forest floor.
Droplets of water ran down her face, and she could no longer tell if it were the rain or her tears. Her eyes glanced down to a crimson bandana that was wrapped around her wrist. Her foot suddenly caught one of the snake-like roots hidden so well in the dark. Turning on pure instinct and grasping the sack to her chest, she felt her back slam into one of the roots. It felt as if she were falling onto solid stone. Pain wailed through her but she felt nothing. The agony of her waning body was like her words before the storm, they were there, but could not be heard. The tempest of the sky raged with the emotional strife of her heart, deadening everything else in its presence.               
             Despite the ever-approaching soldiers, she could only smile as her gaze found the eyes of two baby boys. Pushing away all doubts and fears, she stood to her feet. A fire unlike any other fueled her that night; the love of a mother.
Willing herself one leaden foot at a time, she ran on, pushing through the boundaries of the impossible, but she was slowing. Her body was desecrated by cuts and bruises. She could smell her own blood, feeling the loss of it sapping her consciousness. She could hear the sound of the arrow whistling through the air behind her. Without hesitation, she moved the sack out of harm’s way, feeling the silver-tipped barb pierce into her shoulder.
She wanted to cry. She wanted to scream and wither away. She wanted to give up. But she did not. Without even bothering to touch the arrow in her shoulder, she turned and ran again into the darkness. There was no right way to run anymore. There was only the fear of watching her children murdered before her eyes.
Seconds passed in the mirage of hours, and she soon felt herself break free of the forest, her feet slipping as she emerged over a runout of sharp rocks. One of the rocks slit open the bottom of her foot from her toes to her heel, and she screamed. Tumbling and cutting her hands, the fall saved her from a second arrow that screamed past her ear. Stumbling to her feet, she stood up to find herself standing not far from the edge of a salient cliff. There was nothing beyond it, and nothing below it. Only dark, starless sky. The cold wind of night felt like death’s touch upon her cheek.  
High above, the clouds parted, bringing a calm to the sky and the rain. Taking a deep breath, she slowly limped forward to the tip of the cliff. Running had only had only prolonged the inevitable fate cast upon her. She knew from the beginning how her story would end. Pulling the sack carefully off her back, she placed it on the ground and stared into the eyes of her two sons.
“My boys,” she began, her voice calm and warm. Despite the blood pooling into a thick puddle at her feet, she could not help but smile as she looked at them. They were identical in appearance except for their hair and eye color. They were the very essence of her love. One of the boys was calm and smiling, his eyes shining. He had bright silver hair and eyes blue enough to paint the sky.
“Caim,” she said, the name itself giving her the feeling of courage. She ran her fingers through his hair, then pulled two silver chains out of her pocket. With still, yet bloodied hands, she fastened one chain around his neck.
The other boy was crying loudly, his hands clenched into tiny fists. It was almost as if he could feel his mother’s suffering. He had black hair, dark as a moonless night. It was the same color as his mother’s. A drip of blood fell on the boy’s cheek and he opened his eyes, revealing a fearful green stare.  
“Storm,” she whispered, and she could feel the softness of his heart in his eyes. She took the other chain and attached it around his neck, then ran her fingers through his hair.
“A memento of your father,” she whispered.
Despite everything, she would not cry. Not in the face of her children, who were still too innocent to understand the severity of their situation. She merely smiled warmly, unable to take her eyes off of theirs. The boy with black hair began to calm down, and reached out at his mother with his little hand.
She could not help but laugh. No one knows how long this moment lasted for Rose, but it has been said that just before you die, time slows. It was like someone had paused the world around her, giving her an eternal last moment with her sons. She kneeled down further, rubbing her nose against their soft cheeks.
“Caim . . . Storm . . .” she began, sitting up. They both looked up at her as if she were the sun herself. “I know we haven’t been with each other very long, but I feel as if I’ve known you a lifetime. I know that I’ve put you through a lot already, but I want each of you to promise me something.” She sniffled, trying as hard as she could to hold back the tears.  
“If there is one thing I will regret in my life; it is that I won’t be able to watch you two grow up. I won’t be able to see you pick up your first sword, or speak your first word, or meet your first girl. In life you will have to make many mistakes in order to learn, and sometimes this will be difficult and frustrating, but always remember that the clever can learn from the mistakes of others.” Caim’s little hand fell on Storm’s as they listened.
“Make sure you eat lots and lots of food, because if your appetite is anything like your fathers, you’ll be needing your strength. She cracked a smile. “Always remember that it is the simple things in life we must  appreciate. Brilliance lies in simplicity, at least that’s what my father always told me. Make sure to get as much sleep as you can . . . I know you two will be needing it. And don’t be afraid to make friends, good ones, even if it’s just a few that look out for you as you look out for them.”  
             She wiped her bloody finger on her dress before softly poking Storm in the stomach. She could feel his strength as he grabbed the tip of her finger. Turning to Caim, she poked him on the forehead and watched him smile. The rain began falling again.
             “Make sure you keep an open mind and practice hard. I’m sure that both of you will be great swordsmen one day, your father thinks as much. Remember that everyone has strengths and weaknesses, and that true strength lies within realizing each of your own . . . Be kind to yourself, and to each other. Work hard, never give up, and you will find what you seek. Always respect your elders, for they understand the sorrows and wonders of life better than anyone . . . I want you to be careful of ambition, for although it can be a powerful force, it often leads one away from what is truly important. Sometimes you will be lost. Sometimes you will be scared. But you must always follow your heart, especially in the darkest of circumstances, even if it feels as if the entire world is against you.”
             She stopped trying to hold back her tears as the rain came down harder upon them. She could hear the cries of the soldiers making their way through the dark forest. She could feel their footsteps getting closer.
             “From now on, you’re going to face hardship that has no equal. You will feel pain that no other will understand as deeply as yourselves. No one will be able to relate to you, and it will be hard to make friends. But you will always have each other. That is your strength. It is in one another that you will find the bravery you need to persevere through the fear. You must be strong, for each other . . .  I’m . . .”
             Her tears fell one after another onto the two infant’s faces.
             “I’m so sorry your father and I can’t be there to see you grow and mature into the two heroes I know you will be one day. In this day and age, many believe that true heroes have become a thing of the past. But that is not true. Their blood is our blood, and if they were once able to make changes for the greater good, then it must be true that we are capable of making changes for the future. Nothing is impossible. Believing this will make you light as air, unburdened by the so-called realities of what can or cannot be. That is why you must always be true to yourself and your beliefs. Don’t let anyone take them away! Cherish them as I cherish you.”  
             Rose began sobbing, the words becoming harder and harder to get out. “There’s so much . . . I wish I could say to you, so much I wish I could pass on to you. So much time . . . we’ll never have together. Your father and I love you so much, more than anything. And even though we will not be here to see you grow, we will always be here,” she placed a finger on each of their chests, “in your hearts . . . forever.”
             Rose’s eyes looked to the sky. High above the clouds, the smaller of their world’s two moons had come to eclipse the second. The first moon was dark, but the light of the second moon behind it gave the appearance of a brilliant blue halo gazing down on them from above.  
             “You two are born on the day of the Neo Solar Eclipse. In the olden days, our ancestors thought of this eclipse as a time of new beginnings. And so you shall bring forth unto our dying world.” The light of the moon’s halo cast a sheen of warmth down upon Rose’s cheeks. Clasping her hands together, she closed her eyes.
             “Lady Vale . . . We have lived in the shadow of your warmth since the beginning of time. And out of all the cycles I have lived in this world, I have lived my life in accordance to your wishes. In all my time, I have never once asked for anything. I understand my crime, and I understand why I am being hunted. I understand the Great Laws were created for good reason, but if this moment had been predictable at the time of their creation, would the law have still been constructed?”
             The sound of footsteps passed out of the forest behind her. She could hear their silver boots crunching down on the rock of the cliff. “Please, I beg of you, my lady,” Rose bowed her head. She heard the mass of shuffling stop, yet one pair of footsteps continued walking towards her, closer and closer.
             “My two sons, Caim and Storm,” Rose whispered. “Please find it in your heart to save them from a death they do not deserve. They should not be held responsible for the selfishness of their parents. They deserve to see your gifts, to live life, just like everyone else. And one day they will return the favor. One day they will be strong enough to protect even you, Lady Vale.”
             A shift in the clouds cast a single ray of moonlight down upon the cliff, illuminating a teary-eyed Rose and her two sons, who stared up into the light as if it were the embrace of their own mother. And then it was gone. The clouds had passed in front of the moon once again, and the shadows of the future were all that remained. 
             “Young Rose,” A lady’s voice snapped open Rose’s eyes. “You are hereby accused of treason for willingly and knowingly breaking the Law of Blood. You will have no trial, and have been sentenced to a hasty execution.”
             Rose stood up with her back still facing the soldiers, the wind lifting her long hair out behind her.
             “You pray meaninglessly,” the voice of the lady continued. “After your death, the two Half-bloods will be killed. There will be no pardon. There will be no trial. They will not exist, as they should have never existed in the first place.”
             “You will not lay a finger on them,” Rose’s voice cut through the air like a whip. She could hear the bowstrings tense within the hands of the soldiers watching her. Judging from the sound of them, she could tell that there were many archers, likely more than a dozen, standing directly behind her.
             “She is but a Curseborn girl and yet you flinch upon hearing her voice?” The woman leading the soldiers asked her own troupe. Rose could hear the amusement her tone. It was the voice of someone who enjoyed the torment of others.
             Rose turned around, her eyes radiating her steadfast will. “You would do well not to underestimate me.” Before her stood twenty soldiers with their bows raised and arrows nocked. Out in front of all of them stood the woman in command. She wore elegant black armor smeared with blood. Over one of her eyes was a simple patch, and beautiful silver hair fell down the length of her back.
             “Lady Scylla,” Rose said, not hiding her surprise. She took a deep breath as she took in the sight of their world’s most famous heroine. “I suppose I should be honored, but I just can’t help but feel otherwise. It’s a shame, I’ve always looked up to you.”
             Scylla let a grin curl her lips. “Honored? I am but a soldier, and you are a villain. I am here to make sure you are the first and last person to ever break one of the great laws. You have twenty arrows aimed at your heart, Rose. You deserve to die. You said it yourself in your attempt to sway the will of Lady Vale.” The moonlight shifted, revealing a smear of blood through Scylla’s hair.
             “Don’t lie to me,” Rose said through clenched teeth. “You loved him. This is personal.”
             Scylla met Rose’s gaze with a look of deep disdain.
             “He told me about you,” Rose said, tightening her fist. “You killed him . . . didn’t you?” Rose asked.
             “It is you who killed him,” Scylla answered coldly. “Although I may have his blood on my hands, it is you who sent him to the executioner. You should have left him alone. You should have known your place.”
             Rose felt a smile tug at her as she thought of him. “You should know better than anyone that there is no one in the world who could have told him what to do. I only loved him, and I will never feel regret because of that.”
             “Yes, it was his choice. He chose the path of betraying his country, he chose to walk the path of revolution where only one possible fate awaits. There are two types of people in this world. There are those to whom fate smiles, and there are those to whom fate condemns.”
             “That may be so,” Rose answered, looking down at her sons. “But they will walk a different path. I will leave this world knowing that you cannot hurt them. The light of Vale has shined upon them.”
             Lady Scylla smirked. “Has it now? It is the Lady Vale herself who condones each and every Great Law. You are delusional from loss of blood and fear of death. Do you think they will survive this night and escape the judgement of Soria unscathed? Their fate will be the same as yours, and their deaths will be painful, that I promise you. I will make sure you watch those Half-bloods die, so you can exist soullessly in an eternity of regret as your penance. That is the only thing you will leave this world with.”
             Rose carefully pulled her wooden bow off her shoulder, stepping in front of her boys. The soldiers tensed once again, but the leader raised her hand, steadying them. “I’m afraid you’re wrong,” Rose answered. “They are the first of their kind. They have the spirit of the old, and the blood of the new. It is they who will restore this world to its former glory. It is their chosen path. It cannot be avoided. I have seen it.”
             Rose’s eyes were soft as she looked down at Caim and Storm. Each of them were crying quietly, for despite lack of understanding, they could feel the turmoil in the words of their mother.  
             “I have heard enough,” Scylla said, and Rose could hear the bowstrings tighten.
             Rose was not listening. She was not thinking. She was merely being, taking in the final moment between her and her sons. She gave them one last smile before reaching up to her hair and pulling out one long black strand. Focusing her thoughts, little crystals of energy materialized around her forearm and over her hands. Her energy twisted over the single black hair, changing it into a long black arrow.
             Rose nocked the arrow to her bow and pointed it at Scylla’s eye.  
             “You may be stronger than me in every single way. You may have me outnumbered and completely outclassed. But you underestimate the strength of my will. It is a strength you will never know. The unconditional love between a mother and her children is the most powerful force there is. It has the power to sway gods, change fate, and live eternally. It is because of that love that you have no power to harm my sons.”
             As Rose was speaking, she did not notice the cracking of the cliff’s edge around her feet.
             “Farewell my sons, and know this. Your father and I will always love you.”
             As she stood before the soldiers, her inner fire and desire to protect her children manifested itself, blossoming forth from her body. Several of the soldier’s eyes widened at the sight, for it was unlike anything they had ever seen. The aura of Rose’s resolve lifted up and around her, guarding her, until it flowed off her shoulders like a cloak of light and flame.
The crack of the cliff accelerated and ran around her feet to the other side. She could feel the ground beneath her becoming unstable, but she did nothing. She only stared back at Lady Scylla, releasing her arrow at the same time the soldiers released their own.
             Rose’s arrow shot forth like a spear of flame, tearing through the air and scarring the ground in its wake. Arrows struck her as she lifted her arms out in front of her sons. She felt each and every arrow shot by the soldiers’ pierce into her body one by one. Blood pooled into her mouth as she continued gazing at her sons with nothing but love shown on her face.
             Rose felt the edge of the cliff lose stability as the crack grew deeper and wider. The boys looked back up at her, their eyes blank and unsure. She felt her body collapse, her once white dress stained red with blood. But she did not stop smiling. Her vision blurred, and the voices of the soldiers seemed to be fading further and further away. Even with her eyes closing, she could see their little hands, reaching for her. And just before she opened her mouth to say their names, the edge of the cliff collapsed and the three of them fell into the dark of the night sky.
             Lady Scylla walked forward to the edge of the cliff, looking out from the floating lands in the sky. Along her cheek was a deep gash, dripping blood, an unforgettable memento from the one person she most wanted to forget. Lady Scylla looked down for a long while before her face twisted into a grin. The fall would be long and dark, perhaps even endless. No one knew what rested beneath the lands of Soria. To them, it was only darkness, and always would be.