The Seeker Hero

Ryder tightened his grip around the large rock in his hand. He’d scoured Idonne’s rocky seashore for months, searching for the perfect stone.

 The first stone he’d brought back to his austere quarters had had a single sharp plane. He’d traded it out with four more before he’d settled on the one he held tonight. One of the stone’s edges sharpened into a jagged point. For weeks, night after night, lying awake on his pallet, he’d practiced shifting it into the right position. He didn’t need to look down now to know the stone’s point was centered.

For over a decade, Ryder, now nineteen, had been trained in the rigors of Idonnic research and documentation. Despite his lack of passion for the work, he had a talent. As Anton’s favorite, he’d been assigned to a closely guarded branch of Idonnic knowledge: the study of Umbra.

He’d read and reread every scrap of information the priests had collected about the mass of psychic ash accumulating in the Void. A product of mortal impotence, frustration, and failure, Umbra had formed a discrete identity and become self-aware over the eons. He intended to enter the realm of the material plane. He’d discovered a means to do so. He meant to destroy the Whole.

The priesthood would do nothing to stop the incarnation, and the Oath of Non-Interference Anton had contrived Ryder into taking a year ago—to the day—choked him. Vowing to chronicle and observe, but never to act, violated every fiber of his being.

There was also the ill-defined thing the young priest couldn’t name which called him. It radiated from deep within his heart, and of late, it left him sleepless most nights. As the summons grew more insistent, the need to leave Idonne dominated his thoughts. But he couldn’t leave without the sword.

Ryder examined the room. There were no guards, no spells of enchanted protection. Only the library’s labyrinth of marble halls hid Koldis from the rest of the enchanted world.

The sword wasn’t safe. Rumors had already reached his ears. Sorcerers and witches from Kyrakkos sought the blade and its counterpart Ormrun. Although there had been no sightings of the bejeweled basin for over a hundred years, there was no evidence Ormrun had ever left the Realm of Faerie’s shores.

The magical sword and basin opened a portal in the veil between the worlds. Plunged into Ormrun, Koldis became the key to unlock the ancient door. Umbra could leave the Void and travel through the Parallel of Shadows. He could incarnate his consciousness into a vessel of his choosing.

Last week a war captain from Huros had dined with Anton. He’d asked about Koldis. His tone had been casual, but Ryder was convinced the pretense for the visit had been a charade. The captain sought the sword.

Ryder raised his arm. No one who wanted Umbra’s power for themselves was going to get it.

He would sail to Faerie with Koldis. — Chapter 5. The Renegade Priest, Half Faerie

The farther I get away from the writing Daughter of Light, the more I love Ryder. Without a doubt, he was the most challenging character for me to work with because his integrity and strength are most pronounced in what he does ... and what he leaves unsaid.

From Morphology of the Folk Tale by V. Propp:

XI. THE HERO LEAVES HOME ...

The departures of seeker heroes and victim heroes are ... different. The departures of the former have search as their goal, while that of the latter mark the beginning of a journey without searches ... 

In certain tales spatial transference of the hero is absent. The entire action takes place in one location. Sometimes, on the contrary, departure is intensified, assuming the character of flight.

There are two, okay, really multiple heroes in Daughter of Light, but the main story revolves around Melia and Ryder. Melia is a victim hero. She is where she is and who she is—figuratively and metaphorically—when the story opens by virtue of birth and circumstance. Birth and circumstance will always impinge on Melia's choices in unavoidable ways. Her heroism will ultimately depend on how she uses her legacy to transform the future. Sometimes the toughest thing in life is working with what we've got and where we're at.

Ryder, on the other hand, is a SEEKER HERO. Yay, for travel, movement, action and adventure! Ryder's departure from the world he's known as home is intensified by hostile feelings for his mentor and an inner imperative to protect the Whole. And then there is that "ill-defined thing ... which called him."

Run by Thompson Square captures the hopes and dreams of the young priest from Idonne's determined departure:

Run Lyrics:

I'm gonna buy a boat and sail
And I'm gonna grab the world by the tail
And I'm gonna live and love and believe
No matter what tomorrow brings

I'm gonna run as fast as I can
Hold every little moment in the palm of my hand
I'm gonna fly right into the sun
Gravity can't stop me, I've already begun
I'm gonna run, run, run

Love taught me how to cry
But life taught me how to fight
And time showed my eyes how to see
And I'm not afraid 'cause now I'm free

I'm gonna run as fast as I can
Hold every little moment in the palm of my hand
I'm gonna fly right into the sun
Gravity can't stop me, I've already begun
I'm gonna run, run, run

When it feels like the world is crashing down
Just keep your feet on the ground and run, run, run
When you're broken, tired, hurt or scared
Let the wind take you here and run, run, run

I'm gonna run as fast as I can
Hold every little moment in the palm of my hand
I'm gonna fly right into the sun
Gravity can't stop me, I've already begun
I'm gonna run, run, run
I'm gonna run, run, run

I'm gonna run, run, run
I'm gonna run, run, run

As a half-faerie, Melia is an outcast in the enchanted world where she lives with her two sisters and full-blood faerie mother. The girls' father has been exiled to the mortal world for breaking his faerie troth. When a tragic accident destroys what's left of Melia's fractured family, her mother is unforgiving. The punishment she metes out will leave her daughter torn between guilt and ecstasy, challenge the bonds between three sisters, and complicate Melia's relationship with a young priest who’s come to the Realm of Faerie on a mission of his own.

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An Inner Connection

The blood-red sunset—swiped with lavender, fuchsia, and orange—signaled the approach of a pitch-black night. Melia waded across one of the Nyssalei’s sandbanks. The river was an in-between place, the waters unpredictable during the moons’ dark phase. She’d had to choose — risk the waters and reach the enchanted gardens under the safety of twilight, or end up running through the Footing Fields in total darkness.

When the vision overtook her, she stood with one foot on the Nyssalei’s bank and one foot in the water.

Warships approach. Their dark cannons smite the land with ear-shattering blows.

The banks of the Nyssalei wither.

Illialei is black and brown and grey.

I stand with one foot in the river. A luminous thing drifts to the water’s surface. Gold swirls frame it. I take a closer look. A mermaid. Drowned in the sewage of destruction.

“Melia,” someone calls.

I search for the speaker. He stands in the east — a male with dark hair, sunburnt skin, and emerald eyes.

He holds out his hand. It doesn’t reach me. A brown cloak billows behind him.

I want to move toward him, but my feet are rooted.

“I’ll stay with you,” he says. “No matter what.”'

The icy water pooling around her ankles brought Melia back to reality. She touched her forehead. Was the man with the emerald eyes the one Nandana had spoken of? How had he come to her so soon? — Chapter 4. Sisters, Half Faerie

What's going on here?

Whatever it is, it's happening in THE INVISIBLE REALM. But it is REAL?

What, after all, is REAL? Does everything that happens in the visible realm happen in THE INVISIBLE REALM first — as a thought, an idea, energy, a dream?

If everything that happens in THE INVISIBLE REALM doesn't seed the visible, what blossoms and withers? Are humans mistaken in believing we are the maximal determiners of what crosses the threshold between THE INVISIBLE and the visible, or are other forces at work? At play? Are they "smarter" than we are? More "intelligent"? "Wiser"? Must our — do our — thoughts, ideas, energies, dreams —  get "filtered" through such forces?

From Love, an Inner Connection by Carol K. Anthony: Immediately upon the beginning of a true love relationship, a dynamic connection is established between the two lover's innermost selves. This connection exists in the form of an energy that flows back and forth between them, binding them together. It is as if a large underground tunnel, through which blissful nourishment flows, connects them. They are able to feel this nourishment though they may be thousands of apart.

Is the "male with dark hair, sunburnt skin, and emerald eyes" merely a supernatural natural presence to comfort and/or guide Melia on her quest? Regardless, the half faerie experiences an inexplicably strong attraction to him after this, his first appearance in her life.

The Dark Night of the Soul by Loreena Mckennitt:

The Dark Night of the Soul Lyrics:

Upon a darkened night
The flame of love was burning in my breast
And by a lantern bright
I fled my house while all in quiet rest

Shrouded by the night
And by the secret stair I quickly fled
The veil concealed my eyes
While all within lay quiet as the dead

[Chorus:]
Oh night thou was my guide
Oh night more loving than the rising sun
Oh night that joined the lover
To the beloved one
Transforming each of them into the other

Upon that misty night
In secrecy, beyond such mortal sight
Without a guide or light
Than that which burned so deeply in my heart
That fire t'was led me on
And shone more bright than of the midday sun
To where he waited still
It was a place where no one else could come

[Chorus]

Within my pounding heart
Which kept itself entirely for him
He fell into his sleep
Beneath the cedars all my love I gave
From o'er the fortress walls
The wind would brush his hair against his brow
And with its smoothest hand
Caressed my every sense it would allow

[Chorus]

I lost myself to him
And laid my face upon my lover's breast
And care and grief grew dim
As in the morning's mist became the light
There they dimmed amongst the lilies fair
There they dimmed amongst the lilies fair
There they dimmed amongst the lilies fair

As a half-faerie, Melia is an outcast in the enchanted world where she lives with her two sisters and full-blood faerie mother. The girls' father has been exiled to the mortal world for breaking his faerie troth. When a tragic accident destroys what's left of Melia's fractured family, her mother is unforgiving. The punishment she metes out will leave her daughter torn between guilt and ecstasy, challenge the bonds between three sisters, and complicate Melia's relationship with a young priest who’s come to the Realm of Faerie on a mission of his own.

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Nandana's Mark

The Illustrator pulled Melia into the next room where high oval tables, cluttered with ink jars and brushes, stood between several long, padded benches. Overfilled bookshelves lined two of the walls, and etchings covered a desk pushed into an alcove. More cats, perched about the room, turned their furred heads. An energetic ginger cat slid across the floor. 

Nandana guided Melia to an altar in the room’s far corner.

Before the half-faerie could stop her, the woman pressed her thumb into a saucer of ink, uttered something unintelligible, and pushed her thumb pad against Melia’s forehead.

The half-faerie tried to pull away. “What—?”

“He will help you.” Nandana maintained a firm grip on Melia’s hand as her glossy eyes stared into space. “Yes. I feel his presence in the Parallel of Shadows.” Her gaze gradually refocused on Melia. “Like you, he lives in a world where he doesn’t belong. And like you, he comprehends the horror that threatens and searches for answers.” She placed her hand over Melia’s heart. “This mark will call him to you.”

“I don’t understand.”

Nandana pulled Melia closer. “There are reasons you can see what your father calls forth but cannot bear to witness. Trust that.” The prediction did nothing to calm Melia, but it resonated with an inner knowing she could no longer deny. Her father’s obsession with Umbra had breached her inner world.

She had to stop him. — Excerpt from Chapter 3. The Illustrator, Half Faerie

Melia has an odd (even for the enchanted world!) experience with the Illustrator. The half faerie—who has carefully guarded her secret up to now — easily confesses her troubles to the unusual woman. Melia then gets unexpected advice: "don’t assume stopping your visions is the task before you" coupled with a strange mark on her forehead.

From Lost Knowledge of the Imagination by Gary Lachman: After much meditation Descartes decided that there were two fundamental kinds of reality, or in fact two realities, what he called res cogitates and res extends, 'thinking' or 'knowing' things, and 'extended' things. This was the knowing mind and what it knows, or, in our terms here, our inside and the outside, consciousness and the external world ... Descartes believed that the two realities did interact — they had to, as we experienced this in ourselves all the time — and he thought that this happened in a tiny organ in the brain called the pineal gland. This is located behind the third ventricle and strangely, this is also where in an ancient Hindu tradition the 'third eye' is found, the 'opening' of which triggers mystical vision."

Our inside and the outside, consciousness and the external world: THE INVISIBLE and the visible.

Melia's visit to the Illustrator is a turning point, not only is she encouraged to face her dark visions head on—"don't run away"—her connection with THE INVISIBLE is strengthened by a promise of forthcoming help.

Stand Up by Fireflight:

Stand Up Lyrics:

Look at all the lonely hearts
Shivering out in the dark
Hiding from the truth
Cover up the proof
Demons that I've tried to hide
Imprison me in my own lies
And all that I can do is cover up the proof
Don't be afraid to...

[Chorus:]
Stand up!
Stand up if you're broken
Stand up!
Stand up if you feel ashamed
You are not alone when you hurt this way
Stand up!
Stand up if you need love
Stand up!
This is not judgment day
You don't have to hide
There's no need to run
Everything will be okay

Secrets got me torn apart
Trying to destroy my heart
But I can see the light
It's cutting through the night
Don't run away
(Don't run away)
Don't be afraid to...

[Chorus]

You say You love me
That's all I'll ever need
If You say I'm good enough
That's good enough for me

[Chorus]

Stand up!
Stand up if you're broken
Stand up!
Stand up if you feel ashamed

As a half-faerie, Melia is an outcast in the enchanted world where she lives with her two sisters and full-blood faerie mother. The girls' father has been exiled to the mortal world for breaking his faerie troth. When a tragic accident destroys what's left of Melia's fractured family, her mother is unforgiving. The punishment she metes out will leave her daughter torn between guilt and ecstasy, challenge the bonds between three sisters, and complicate Melia's relationship with a young priest who’s come to the Realm of Faerie on a mission of his own.

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Have You Made Contact With the Strange World in Which We Live Today?

Melia settled back down into the grass. “Nothing about the doors between the mortal and enchanted worlds opening?”
“No.”
“Then I wonder what my father's thinking?”
“Do you want to hear the prophecy?”
“You can recite the whole thing?”
“Yes.”
Melia didn’t believe a dusty old poem offered a solution to her problem. “Maybe another day.”
“Fine.”
“I’m so tired of all this.” The half-faerie propped herself up on her elbows. “Maybe we could catch a ship at Southend and sail beyond Faerie, to a place where it doesn’t matter that I’m the wingless daughter of Pressina and Elynus.”

“Do you think that will stop your visions?”
“My mother wouldn’t even notice I was gone.”
Tatou frowned.
Melia rolled over and stared into the sky. “Maybe I’d be happier somewhere else. Maybe being happier would stop my visions.” — Excerpt from Chapter 2. The Prophecy, Half Faerie

Melia frequently travels between the visible and THE INVISIBLE realms. In the above excerpt, she uses her imagination to explore another possible solution to her "dark vision"/dark inner terrain problem. (She's already made several failed efforts.)

It seems like a minor detail, but what if it wasn't?

What is imagination, after all?

From Lost Knowledge of the Imagination by Gary Lachman : Imagination, [Colin Wilson] said, is the 'ability to grasp realities that are not immediately present'. Not an escape from reality, or a substitute for it, but a deeper engagement with it. We could also say that imagination is simply our ability to grasp reality, or even in some strange way, to create it, or at least collaborate in its creation ... While it can be used for fantasy, illusion, make-believe, and escapism, the real work of imagination is to make contact with the strange world in which we live and to serve as both guide and inspiration for our development within it. It is the way we evolve."

What if, every time Melia crosses the threshold into THE INVISIBLE realm she's planting a seed, a seed that will blossom in the future?

First Aid Kit's I'm Building Myself a Boat:

I'm Building Myself a Boat Lyrics

I'm building myself a boat
it's gonna sail across the globe
until I find what I want

I'm building myself a boat

I'm building myself a boat
it's gonna sail across these seas
until I find what I need
I'm building myself a boat

And you can surely come along
no, we won't be gone for too long
we'll be back by dawn

Well I might settle down
in your lonesome town
or I'd leave right away
I know here I can stay

And you can surely come along
no, we won't be gone for too long
We'll be back by dawn

I'm building myself a boat
it's gonna sail across the globe
until I find what I want
I'm building myself a boat

I'm building myself a boat
it's gonna sail across these seas
until I find what I need
I'm building myself a boat

As a half-faerie, Melia is an outcast in the enchanted world where she lives with her two sisters and full-blood faerie mother. The girls' father has been exiled to the mortal world for breaking his faerie troth. When a tragic accident destroys what's left of Melia's fractured family, her mother is unforgiving. The punishment she metes out will leave her daughter torn between guilt and ecstasy, challenge the bonds between three sisters, and complicate Melia's relationship with a young priest who’s come to the Realm of Faerie on a mission of his own.

Free eBook

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Buy the Paperback

Amazon  |  Amazon (UK)