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  West Flows

  Winds of Destiny Book 2

  Hannah Steenbock

  Buehsteppe Verlag

  West Flows – Winds of Destiny Book 2

  Copyright © 2022 by F. Moebius

  All rights reserved.

  No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher or author, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law.

  Cover design: Tairelei (www.tairelei.com)

  Chapter Image Credit: Depositphotos

  Editor: Frauke Moebius

  This is a book of fiction. The characters, incidents and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Published by

  Buehsteppe Verlag

  Frauke Moebius

  Westring 270

  24116 Kiel

  Germany

  This book is for those who connect to animals.

  For those who believe that animals have their own souls and minds.

  For those who treat them well.

  There could be a person beneath that fur, those feathers or those scales, after all.

  Acknowledgments

  I’m always grateful for everyone who helped birth a book. It takes a team, after all.

  Once again, my sister deserves first place here. She is my best friend and everlasting support. Without her, life would be so much more difficult. (No, I’m not naming her, she doesn’t want any fame outside of her own. She’s an outstanding scientist.) Thank you, Sis.

  IshKiia Paige did another amazing job as a beta-reader, pointing out those spots where what I knew in my head hadn’t made it to the page. Because of her, the book is so much better.

  Dallas Smith is my best Patron ever. Thank you, my friend. (Did I mention that you should check out his music?)

  My wonderful friends and cheerleaders Thomas A. Simmons, Tim Kirk, Mette, and Nicole always have my back. You are the best.

  Quickshot, my awesome irc chat friend, who is always ready to discuss world-building.

  Teirelei once again created a wonderful cover, capturing the colors that I had in mind for West.

  Atticus and crew deserve thanks for another easy formatting round.

  And finally, I want to thank you, dear reader, for sticking with the series and delving deeper into the world of the Winds and Pillars.

  Contents

  1. Chapter 1

  2. Chapter 2

  3. Chapter 3

  4. Chapter 4

  5. Chapter 5

  6. Chapter 6

  7. Chapter 7

  8. Chapter 8

  9. Chapter 9

  10. Chapter 10

  11. Chapter 11

  12. Chapter 12

  13. Chapter 13

  14. Chapter 14

  15. Chapter 15

  16. Chapter 16

  17. Chapter 17

  18. Chapter 18

  19. Chapter 19

  20. Chapter 20

  21. Chapter 21

  22. Chapter 22

  23. Chapter 23

  24. Chapter 24

  25. Chapter 25

  26. Chapter 26

  27. Chapter 27

  28. Chapter 28

  29. Chapter 29

  30. Chapter 30

  31. Chapter 31

  32. Chapter 32

  33. Chapter 33

  34. Chapter 34

  35. Chapter 35

  36. Chapter 36

  37. Chapter 37

  38. Chapter 38

  39. Chapter 39

  40. Epilogue

  East Roars Sneak Preview

  Dear Reader

  More books by Hannah Steenbock

  About the Author

  Chapter 1

  West could smell the tang of the sea when they were still half a day away from the coast. The wind was blowing strongly from the west. And something was familiar about that tang, just like the cries of the seagulls that were riding high on the gusts. Which was strange, since he only remembered life with the Whales, in their house in the Sacred Square.

  Riding out of the forest that covered most of the west coast of the Holy Empire, he saw the Pyramid jutting into the sky, set high above the harbor town.

  He looked away.

  That was where his life would end, and he didn’t want to think about that at all. Despite himself, his thoughts wandered back to the Sacred Square, where four of his family had died, Moon, Sun, Sky and Earth.

  Only Earth’s death had touched him. He had been the one taking her to her sexual release before the Priests slashed the arteries in her neck, letting her blood flow down the side of the Earth Pyramid.

  With an effort, he wrenched his thoughts back to the present, focusing on the last trees they were passing, his mule carrying him to the site of his death with no delay.

  The town itself wrapped halfway around the large harbor. Two wave breakers reached into the sea, made of the same dark rock as the houses in town, the cliff to the north of it and the Pyramid that stood on top of it. Beyond the harbor, the sea shone in burnished silver, darker than the cloudy sky.

  West pulled his cloak tighter around his shoulders, not just shivering because of the cold wind. This whole town seemed dark and hostile.

  No, he didn’t want to die in it.

  But then, none of this had been his choice.

  When they reached the compound nestled at the foot of the cliff, he was relieved to be out of the wind and glad to be surrounded by familiar sounds and bustle.

  Keyla, the Priestess who he had lain with a few times during their journey, directed him to a small room with an even smaller window. At least the bed was wide and looked comfortable.

  She had been caring, touching him with some kind of love, about the only one in the entire procession. He hoped that she would be the one to be with him on top of the Pyramid, when his time came.

  Oh, and he hoped she would lie with him tonight, driving away the cold dread that seemed to have settled in his bones.

  Soon, he was called to dinner. It felt strange to eat with a group of people who weren’t his Whale family, but he didn’t have much of an appetite, anyway. Not knowing whether this was the last food he would eat in his life could do that to a person, he thought.

  The Priests chatted and talked about the town, and he learned that it was called West Harbor. It was a trade port as much as a fishing port. Building the wave breakers had been the joint project of several houses, although the Whales had not been involved. He tried to feign interest, tried being polite but he longed for silence.

  Of course, Keyla saw through that.

  “West is tired,” she said gently. “We should let him get some sleep.”

  “You may rise,” the Head Priestess said with a wave, and West gave her a grateful nod. As he pushed his chair back to get up, he caught Kayla’s wink, and felt relief flood him.

  He wouldn’t spend the night alone.

  She came later than he had expected. He lifted the blanket, and she slipped into bed with him quickly. He didn’t need her kisses and caresses to feel aroused, but he enjoyed them nevertheless. In the Whale house, he had made love to South most of the time, with Earth demanding his attention when she felt like it. But South had always pined for Sky, and so he had felt like a flawed replacement all those years. Of course, Sky wouldn’t even look at South.

  Keyla wanted him, West, for himself. And he was safe to make love to, he wouldn’t demand any long-term relationship of her, something she couldn’t have as a Priestess. Or so he thought.

  When she mounted him, he let her, enjoying her warm embrace when she took him inside her. A part of him was too weary to fully respond to her,
but she obviously didn’t care. She rode him with an enthusiasm that he had never experienced in his entire life. Soon, she reached her release and was considerate enough to make him find his, as well, before lying down on him, panting and smiling dreamily.

  “You are so good,” she muttered after a while.

  There was nothing he would say to that.

  “And I’m not supposed to tell you, but there hasn’t been a signal yet. We’ll have tomorrow.”

  He felt relief wash through him. He had at least one more day, and he hoped he could spend it to find the calm and acceptance that Earth had displayed before her death.

  That was expected of them, he knew that.

  That was why they meditated every day.

  And finding calm would make it so much easier to ascend that black Pyramid, every step taking him closer to his death.

  Keyla fell asleep on top of him, and he didn’t mind. Her weight anchored him for now, even as his mind wandered.

  Those meditations had rarely been about finding peace, he realized, looking back on them. Most often, they felt like work.

  Once, just a few months ago, their meditation time had been spent in battle. All Houses had united to attack a village south of the Empire, a small place, one that the Priests had called the Home of Evil. Even then, he had wondered why Evil had chosen such a beautiful, calm place to roost. Of course, it hadn’t remained calm. Nor beautiful.

  The Winds didn’t actively attack, they just prepared the way, and crossing the Veil to reach the village hadn’t been easy. The Veil itself had resisted them, something that he had never told the Priests.

  And when the attacks had commenced, when fire, hail and lightning had rained down on the village, when the ground shook, he had sensed her. The one protecting her home, the one working to save everyone.

  She had been incredibly strong.

  And yet, she had not once lashed out at the attackers. No, she had spent all that immense energy to keep a shield going for much longer than anyone had expected.

  House after House had dropped out of the fight, exhausted, spent, worn out.

  Of course, Sky had enjoyed spurring Moon and Sun on, and had delighted in throwing lightning down himself. He had speared the main house, lighting the fire and then telling North to fan the flames.

  So typical of Sky.

  West sighed.

  North had blown wind into the flames, and both had cheered when the house had collapsed.

  He had watched that lone woman, struggling to protect those that had fallen around her, impressed by her courage and determination. And he hadn’t sensed an ounce of evil in her, either.

  There had been that last burst of energy from one of the women lying on the ground, and the protector had used it to reach out to the Veil. And a moment later, the Veil had blocked them all, locked them into the Empire, had prevented any further attacks.

  The Priests had been furious, and very privately, West thought that they had been shocked to the core. Of course, they wouldn’t admit to being afraid to anyone, but they were.

  Because the Veil itself, the Empire’s holy protection, created with the energy of the Sacrifices, had stopped their attack on that village.

  On that woman.

  West still didn’t understand it, and never would. Yet he couldn’t forget her. He wished he could meet her, but it wouldn’t happen. Instead, his own energy would be added to the Veil soon.

  Keyla stirred, kissing his throat. His neck. The places the Priests would slash soon. He shuddered at the thought, and she put both of her hands on the sides of his face.

  “Shhhh, West. Let me distract you.”

  And he did as he was told, letting her fill his senses, fill his mind, until she had driven out all thoughts of death, at least for the night.

  The next day dawned clear and bright, and when he was served breakfast, he knew that Keyla had told him the truth.

  Sacrifices fasted on the day of their death.

  Except Sky, of course, who had crept into the kitchen when the Priests weren’t looking. But then, Sky had always loved to make trouble.

  There had been that one year when the two House Priests had actively prevented Sky from riling up everyone. That year, Sky had done more latrine duty than ever before or after. And it had been the only year with a little harmony among the Whales.

  Of course, once they moved Houses after the Solstice, Sky had taken his revenge on all of them, and the new Priests had looked away. Moon and Sun had distanced themselves even more, and South had become inconsolable.

  He certainly didn’t miss Sky. Sensing his death had been a relief. Not that it would last long.

  West got permission from the Head Priestess to leave the compound and wandered down to the harbor. There he sat, staring at the sea and the waves, reaching for a calm that just wouldn’t come.

  For a while, he walked up and down those wave breakers, disregarding the salty spray that soaked his hair.

  The sun moved through the sky, and when it was close to reaching the western horizon, he found himself on the waterfront again. Sitting on a bench, he stared at the silver sea.

  Seagulls screeched overhead, and something blew up a little fountain of spray inside the harbor.

  Dolphins.

  He watched them for a bit, but their freedom made his heart ache even more. He was trembling when Keyla found him and sat down next to him.

  “Oh, West. Please don’t be so hard on yourself.”

  He gritted his teeth and didn’t answer.

  “It is Fate. You were chosen for this.”

  He took a deep breath. “I know. It doesn’t help. I’m not ready.”

  “Sacrifices rarely are.” She put an arm around him, and something about the way she did it told him that it would be tomorrow.

  The sun was hanging lower in the sky, giving the silver sea a blood-red hue. He shuddered.

  “Come. Let me comfort you.” Keyla tightened her hold.

  “Not yet.” He couldn’t. He wasn’t even sure he wanted her close. He wanted nothing of this at all.

  “West.”

  He glared at her. “This is the last sunset of my life. Would you let me watch it in peace?”

  She looked shocked, but she did remove her arm from his shoulders and sat a little further away.

  He could sense the Pyramid towering above them, an ominous presence, menacing, almost evil.

  A dolphin blew in the harbor.

  He yearned to be far away from here.

  In his meditations, he had often flown, free as a bird.

  But he was caught in his body, much too heavy to fly.

  “West,” Keyla said again. “Don’t make it so hard for yourself.”

  He glared at her, but she smiled, with some determination.

  “Just think, tomorrow you’ll be reunited with all the Whales.”

  Revulsion tore through him at those words. That was the last he wanted.

  “The Pillars are already waiting for you.”

  That was a lie. Not one of them cared in the slightest about him, least of all Sky.

  He did not want to be reunited with Sky. Not in this life, not in energy. Not ever.

  “West.” She put her hand on his thigh.

  Shaking with disgust, he rose from the bench in one fluid movement, and without even knowing what drove him to it, he ran two, three steps and flung himself into the harbor.

  Chapter 2

  The water was cold, a slap to his entire body, shocking him breathless. And he sank like a stone.

  Energy swirled around him.

  Something squealed, clicked, and nudged him.

  His face broke the water, and he took a deep breath before sinking under again.

  More nudges.

  Realization dawned.

  The dolphins. They were playing with him, or maybe saving him.

  If only he could be like them.

  Another nudge, another breath, a glance up.

  Keyla screaming his name.
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  He wanted none of this, letting himself sink under again. Even death would be better.

  Squealing.

  Dolphins.

  Free to swim where they wanted.

  Free!

  Energy swirled, grabbed a hold of his body, twisted him. He screamed under water as his arms shortened, his legs fused and his face stretched. The pain of the change was excruciating.

  Another nudge, and he grabbed a breath, fast, quick, deep, before sinking under again.

  He could see in the water now. Three dolphins circled around him. He moved his arms, and his body tilted.

  One of the dolphins steadied him.

  Clothes floated in the water, and he recognized the shreds of what he had been wearing.

  With an effort, he pushed awareness through his body, and would have stared at himself if he could have. His shape did not allow it.

  Carefully, he moved his legs, sensing the water around them. Around the fluke at the end of them, at the end of his sleek, strong body.

  With a shock he realized what he had done.

  He had shifted into the shape of a dolphin.

  Which made him a human in dolphin-shape, not a true dolphin. He had no idea how to move. Or what the real dolphins were saying to him.

  One of them positioned itself in front of him, then nudged him to get his attention.

  When he looked, the dolphin moved very slowly, very clearly, obviously showing him how to swim.

  West grinned to himself and copied the movements. He was surprised at how fast his fluke propelled him forward.

  Dolphin laughter echoed around him.

  He pushed up, for a new breath, and then looked at the harbor, keeping his head above the water with less effort than he had expected.

  Priests were rushing around, two were staring into the water, and Keyla was on her knees, being tied up. For a moment, he worried about her, then pushed that thought away.

  The dolphins squeed, and he followed them, swimming awkwardly, out of the harbor and away from that black Pyramid.

  Away from his fate.

  He would have laughed, but all that came out was a squee just like the others had uttered.