Down to the Sea of Flowers

 

Jaya has lived all her life on the island of Ulu’a, among her tribe, the Tau’ta.  Her existence has been idyllic, living in the green hills and shady forests of the island, swimming and fishing in the crystal blue waters beyond the white beaches, protected by the reef that keeps the storms at bay and protects them from any who might seek to land on the shores of their island paradise.  She is the younger child and only daughter of the chieftain, and her life is simple and comfortable.

The Tau’ta have stories of their past, when they were once a greater race.  They dwelled on grand islands to the west, amidst palaces and cities of ancient splendor.  A disaster drove them forth, and her people are all that remain of that once-great bloodline, living in seclusion as they dream of past glories.

But when a storm drives a foreign ship to their shores, Jaya’s world is transformed.  The strangers are a terrible, pale-skinned race of giants out of dark legend, and their arrival is a stroke of lightning that shatters the peace of Ulu’a.  Jaya discovers that the dark powers that once ruled the world of men are not gone, that their island refuge is not safe from the wider world, and she will find that the history of her people is not one of peace, but one of conquest and war.  A history written in blood.

Looking forward to the new story next year.  Watch this space...