Beneath A Thousand Skies

Summary:

They took everything, even his name. Now he has nothing left to lose.

Fifteen years before the events in The Many Shades of Midnight, Alyas-Raine Sera was betrayed and exiled by a man he thought of as a brother.

Driven by a need for answers and desire for revenge, Alyas dedicates his life to opposing those responsible—his former king and the mining syndicates that control him. But with syndicate greed growing worse by the year, and disaster on the horizon, spiralling events will eventually lead him to a small mining town in Flaeres and a chilling encounter that will change everything.

Spanning the years of exile through to the immediate aftermath of the novel, this collection of seven stories reveals the pivotal events that shape the man who will reshape the world.

“That,” said Esar, “does not reassure me. Send him packing and forget whatever scheme you have cooking. It won’t end well.”

There is something both heart-wrenching and powerful about starting this collection with a story that is ultimately about hope.

Hope for peace.

Hope for understanding.

Hope for promises to be kept.

The Many Shades of Midnight was a book that throughout held a note of hope, of looking to the future, to a time and place where the conflict could be left behind. Ailuin’s Peace is both the epitome of that, but also the beginning…and in some ways the death of that hope. In this short story Debell takes us back to events that are referenced in TMSOM, events which have influenced every step of Alyas and Esar’s path. In this story Debell takes us to the very precipice of war and devastation, a place in the shadow of Kings and kingdoms in conflict, where greed and want and fear were sparks waiting to kindle a fire; and deliberately and delicately asks ‘why?’ Why is there war? Why does their need to be war? What another path could be taken?

What is so utterly devastating about this story, is that it shows things could have been so different. Blood had been spilled, betrayals had been committed, those sparks cast…and quenched through negation, thought talking and opening up, and the promises and hope of a brighter future. It showed that even in the face of grief and anger, change was possible, that reaching out a hand is always a choice. There’s a beautiful moment where Ailuin reaches out to connect with Esar and Alyas, and for a breath you can feel that hope blossoming, the potential there to be seized; and Debell uses that to devastating effect as the story comes to a close and reality settles in.

This is an undeniably powerful story in and of itself, but in light of everything that happens afterwards, it is elevated. For me, it’s one of my favourites in this collection because it cuts to the heart of who Alyas had been, his hope, his drive, before everything had fallen apart. Alyas was my favourite, and to have this story that showed how he had been – still impulsive and stubborn, and a bane to his poor long suffering brother – but both less and more wounded than the one we meet in TMSOM, and determined in the way of one who still has hope and future, is both a gift and absolutely heartbreaking and I love it.

**

It’s a bitter thing, memory. Forever reminding you of what you’ve lost, yet without it, what was lost was gone forever.

If Ailuin’s Peace dove into the themes that are at the heart of this collection and TMSOM, then ‘Cassana’ is a deep dive into the characters. Debell’s characters in this world have been spectacular from the very beginning, because no matter the stakes or scale of events, it has always been about the characters; and that is very much the case in this short story.

Firstly, it is a masterclass in writing siblings, and Debell not only gives us some powerful, intimate glimpses into the relationship between Esar and Alyas – a relationship that this entire story has balanced on, and through which we have seen them at their strongest and closest, and in conflict and as far apart and nearly broken as it could be. For me, the line that rocked me the first time I read it and continues to hit hard is that Esar did not have to be here with Alyas – he wasn’t banished – but he had chosen to be here. He had chosen that rocky path, despite the impact it clearly had on him, and Debell delivered that line with such simplicity and power, that even reading it again while writing this review has taken my breath away.

Then in this story, we get to see that powerful, cleaving sibling relationship, paralleled by the relationship between the titular Cassana and her brother Melar; another relationship that has been touched by loss and grief, and strained by outside influences through Melar’s role in the wider world. But, theirs, feels more ‘normal’ perhaps in comparison to the brother’s, and there were many moments and interactions between them that had me giggling; and yet it hurt, because it was so easy to imagine that could have been Alyas and Esar in another life.

However, the relationship that really steals the show in this short story is that between Alyas and Cassana; and I didn’t realise until I read this story how much I wanted Alyas to have someone that could be there for him the way she was. Esar was his rock, his anchor, but he couldn’t or wouldn’t step in his brother’s path or press on the cracks in Alyas’ soul in the way that Cassana could and did, and yet it is so clear that Alyas needed both.

Debell nurtured the relationship between them like a seedling, and we get to see it blossom, in snapshots and memories, in a way that felt very organic and true to two characters reeling from different hurts. It was also a very mutual journey, with both Alyas and Cassana having to learn how to understand what wasn’t being said to truly connect with one another. It was masterful characterisation and beautifully emotive writing, coming together to write a romance that wasn’t written in the stars, but in the shattered remnants of a world brought crumbling down; and there was something precious in that.

The foreshadowing, and almost reflective nature of this short story, meant that it was bittersweet, because we had this beautiful developing relationship, and the moments of connection and laughter and understanding, but we also can feel the rug waiting to be pulled out from under us. And that, along with the fact that through Cassana’s POV and their interactions we got to see more sides of Alyas, as well as being given a wonderfully nucleated view of how he went from the Alyas in ‘Ailuin’s Peace’ to the one we meet at the beginning of TMSOM. Seeing him laugh and smile however intermittently, was a gift, but like the first story it carried an element of heartbreak.


**

Old scars faded into insignificance compared with the open wound of Isyr.

‘Scars’ is a nexus story, and a lot of its power rests in that point of connection. Unlike the previous two stories that were set pre TMSOM while looking forward to the events of that book, Scars is concurrent with TMSOM, while also drawing in threads highlighted in the first stories and connecting to ones that come later in this collection.

 That is not to say that it does not stand on its own feet as a individual fleshed out story, because it does; and it provides a lovely additional insight into Brivar, offering us more insight into how he came to be the young man we met at the start of TMSOM, while also deepening the connection between him and Alyas. A shared history, which not only adds extra impact to what happened if you got back and reread TMSOM; but also is incredibly powerful, because we have seen through these short stories in this collection as well as the novel, just how much Alyas had lost; but here we get to see that not everyone had turned their back, from the relationship and interactions between past Alondo and Alyas, to the idea that Brivar had been sent not just as a healer but as a potential ally and friend.

What I do particularly love about this story, as well as the way it threads through stories such as Ailuin’s Peace where the events that happen in Scars are mentioned, and leads into ‘The First Temple’ is that we get to see the relationship between Esar and Alyas from a different angle. Usually, it’s Esar in the role of rescuer/carer and generally trying to deal with the chaos his brother leaves in his wake; but here we get to see Alyas forced into that role (admittedly still through his own chaos and actions, but still…). Their relationship has never been one-sided, but usually we see Alyas trying to protect his brother by keeping the truth masked; here that is stripped away to show the depth of that sibling relationship. It also highlights just how much Esar is an anchor for Alyas, and Debell gives us a glimpse of what could be if that was stolen away.

**

“That, my dear, is because he pulls in his claws with those he loves. Otherwise Esar would have killed him long since. I trust both my nephews are well?”

This. This was a story written just for me, because not only does it feature Cassana who I adore, but also Hailene-Sera – Alyas’ aunt and a character we meet in TMSOM, and who stole my heart immediately, because Debell’s characterisation even with the secondary characters is spectacular. This was a pairing that I did not know how much I needed, and while this is one of the shorter stories in this collection it packs a punch in several ways.

Firstly, as someone who adores Alyas, this short story is very much a balm for the soul as it shows that he and Esar weren’t alone; that there were people outside the company who loved and tried to help them. Helene absolutely stole my heart because she was looking out for both her ‘nephews’ ignoring any difference between the family ties, and doing it so matter of factly. Debell’s characterisation skills hit again here, because the relationship between them, and particularly between Alyas and his aunt is beautifully captured here even though they don’t directly interact at all within the short story.

There was also the fact that this story, as short as it, plays a pivotal role in the events that unfold in TMSOM, and yet the interactions between Helene and Cassana are almost understated. This story is the very definition of ‘In Midnight’s Shadow’, because these scenes were happening behind closed doors and in the shadows – and it’s wonderful seeing them here, because all the way through the TMSOM you had the feeling that you could step beyond the pages and find more waiting.

The last reason why this chapter hits so hard and especially when taken in conjunction with the two other Cassana stories, is two fold. Firstly, these two women, were some of the only characters to accept Alyas as he was and not push and pull and try to stave him from the path he was setting himself; even Cassana who did her best to make sure he would come back, gave him that choice and ultimately trusted him to make his choices. Esar is his anchor, but he tried to stop his brother from taking the path he set himself – understandably so – but there is something powerful about Helene and Cassana letting him walk that path and being there for when he faltered. The other, which is much more apparent after the last Cassana story in this collection, is that this story was pivotal to more than Alyas’ future, and also shows in his own way how much he cared because this introduction in the end paves a way forward for Cassana.

(Also I will forever love the image of Helene keeping secret documents hidden in the folds of her dress, and commenting how useless new fashions are).

**

The First Temple

Is he honest? Esar thought again of all the little lies he allowed Alyas to tell him because he wanted to believe everything was fine.

Esar deserves a sainthood for putting up with all the things his brother puts him through; and for being able to handle Alyas in a way few others come.

Honestly, if I didn’t love the Cassana stories so much, I think ‘The First Temple’ would be my favourite story in the collection, because not only do we get a heist with all the intricacies, twists and chaos that brings, a glimpse of the company at work before TMSOM, an origin story for Della; and a wonderfully raw and complex exploration of Esar and Alyas being the best (and worst) of brothers. In this one it feels like we got to pull back some of the public image, and seeing the tangled, messiness of their relationship, the ebb and flow and the limits – what each would do for the other (and I will always love getting to see glimpses and insight in Alyas as the protective brother) and where the line is drawn. And how, in their own way, the line is always the other’s life. Not the truth. Not lies and secrets. But, staying alive and making sure the other does too.

Again, this short story draws on threads within this collection and in TMSOM. Here we have an Alyas who has Cassana, who has listened to advice and built up a good company, and yet who cleaves to the past and the wrong done them. The hurt done to his brother. There is never simple black and white, but many shades.

What I particularly liked about ‘The First Temple’ is the hints it lays out about Isyr and its effects, in general i.e. how Esar himself reacts to holding it, and towards Alyas. It’s painful too, because you can’t help but wonder what would have happened with Esar had pressed the issue sooner? If he had focused on how it was impacting on his brother, could it have changed what followed?

The action was well done, the twists and turns, and secrets carefully done so that we in the reader are right there with Esar in how much we know. His panic and fear and desperation are ours, which only serves to heighten the relief at the end and the feeling of victory… as well as really understanding his urge to throttle his brother.

**

Instead, she held tight to the memory of the young man in her garden at midnight, laughing as she scolded him, and even though she had hated him then, she had always loved his laugh.

This story of all the ones in this collection is the most devastating. It is also incredibly fitting that Cassana would have the last story in this collection, and in some ways the first chapter in the world that Alyas left behind.

Again, Debell does so much with their relationship in such a wonderfully understated way. It was incredibly fitting that the realisation that time was running out would come in Cassana’s home, in her embrace, where Alyas was always at his most open and exposed. I love that there in those four walls he could lay down his half-truths and secrets, the things he kept from Esar to protect him; and that Cassana accepted it for what it was and him for who he was. The trust and way it is shown in their short stories, and especially this one, gives their relationship the weight and depth as though we had journeyed through hundreds of pages with them, and leaps clean off the page.

The Last Time is an exercise in grief and all the turbulent emotions that come with it, and Debell captures its complexity perfectly. From the loss of lover to the loss of a brother, and even the loss of a way of living and being, with life whittled down to surviving in the wake of devastation. It’s beautifully written here, and yet as heavy as it is, once again we have the siren song of hope. Through Esar and Cassana understanding one another, to Esar’s having a family and reason to keep going, to Alyas’ last gift… and the reason, why I said ‘Aunt’ had an even greater impact; because here in open and direct terms we get to see just how much Alyas cared for Cassana, leaving her with a purpose to keep going, a companion to fill the void, and something to remember him by far more tangible than any physical item would have been. Seeing Helene with Cassana, both women wounded by what had happened, and the roles whether direct or indirect they had played in Alyas’ life and demise; and the connection and potential that forged was an incredibly powerful note to end this collection on.