The Heart of the Kella (short story)
| Author | M.C. Beeler |
|---|---|
| Series | Sacred |
| Number in series | Volume One of A Sacred Tale Collection |
| Formats | Ebook, and print within A Sacred Tale Collection |
| Followed by | The Way Shadows Live |
The Heart of the Kella is a novella by M.C. Beeler, set in Eslura before the events of the Sacred novels. It follows the thief Aero Ellisvat through a single night in the canyon city of Varaar as he steals back a necklace for the dying woman he has loved since childhood. It was published first on its own as an ebook and afterwards as Volume One of A Sacred Tale Collection, which is its first appearance in print.[1][2]
The novella runs to three chapters, "The Letter", "The Errand" and "The Delivery".[2]
Synopsis
Aero Ellisvat, a thief in Varaar, is reading at home when his bird-cat Mawris comes down the chimney carrying a letter sealed with the mark of The Avonbourn, the tavern at the outermost edge of the Kella Desert. It is one line long and it is from Noran Daharshi, who cannot write for herself: it is time. Aero understands that she is ready to end her suffering, and that the necklace stolen from her moons earlier by the Rewakan gang has to be recovered tonight rather than on the anniversary he had planned around. He takes down his sword, The Viper, and rides his mare Sela out of the canyon.[2]
At the Rewakan compound he drugs three guards with cactus needles dipped in rhinespire, is mauled by the hound Rhazgol, and kills the gorilla Kai Demari with the Viper when Kai corners him against a wall. He climbs to a balcony and finds Jensaad, once his mentor, in bed wearing the Heart of the Kella. Jensaad admits that the Daharshi family were killed for being a threat and that the rule was to leave no witnesses. He puts a hidden blade into Aero's shoulder; Aero cuts his throat, takes the necklace and seals it in his satchel.[2]
Aero rides to the Avonbourn, where Reslyn Keiser keeps the bar, and climbs to the last room on the second floor. Noran has lain there for five moons, blind and with every bone in her body broken. He fastens the necklace behind her neck, tells her the story of the day they met, and holds the vial of pytocane Reslyn has prepared while she drinks it. She asks him to leave his old life behind and start again somewhere it will not get him killed, and he gives his word. She dies holding his hand. On his way out Aero lays the Viper on the bar and tells Reslyn that the weapon no longer belongs to him.[2]
Characters
- Aero Ellisvat, a thief born and raised in Varaar, and the story's viewpoint character throughout.
- Noran Daharshi, the woman Aero has loved since he was eight years old, blinded and broken by the attack that killed her family and bedbound by the time the story opens.
- Jensaad, the Rewakan answerable for that attack, and once Aero's mentor.
- Kai Demari, a gorilla of the Rewakan gang.
- Reslyn Keiser, who keeps the Avonbourn and refuses Aero's coins.
- Mawris, Aero's pet bird-cat, hand-sized and half feathers, half fur, of the kind kept across Eslura to carry messages.
- Sela, Aero's mare.
- Rhazgol, Jensaad's black hound, one eye red and one grey.
The volume's front matter carries a pronunciation guide that lists the cast and the settings of each story separately.[2]
Setting
The story moves between three places: Varaar and the Rewakan territory inside its canyon, the road out through the Kella Desert, and the Avonbourn at the desert's outermost edge. All three carry over into the novels.[2] The back matter of A Sacred Tale Collection places both of its stories before Sacred: Eslura's Calling, which it names as the next in line chronologically.[3]
Publication
The Heart of the Kella was published on its own as an ebook before the collection existed, which makes A Sacred Tale Collection its first print appearance.[1] The collection was funded through Kickstarter, the author's first campaign there and a Kickstarter Project We Love pick; its own closing pages credit the book to Kickstarter and fifty contributing backers by name.[1][3] The print edition adds commissioned interior illustrations that the ebook did not have.[1]
The volume was edited by Mike Myers, copyedited by Celestian Rince, and published by Half Sun Press with cover art by Emir Orucevic and cartography by Alex Wiersum.[4]
See also
- A Sacred Tale Collection
- The Way Shadows Live
- Heart of the Kella
- Aero Ellisvat
- The Avonbourn
- The Viper
- The Sacred Series