The Hands of Time

#1 In the Hands of the Enemy

Mississippi, 1730

Kokumbo has only ever known slavery, and he's decided he's had enough.  When he revolts and flees through the British American South and eventually back across the ocean to Africa, seeking both freedom and revenge, he encounters a group of former slaves with such power that they could potentially end slavery forever.

Madagascar, 1923

Rivotra finds himself on a chain gang, convicted of treason against the French government, yet hated by his own people and accused of being a traitor.  When an accident leaves him blind and helpless in the world, he meets a man who may hold the key to liberating his occupied nation.

London, 1963

As the paths of the two men converge, they find themselves at the beck and call of destiny, though whether they are destined to be deliverers or destructors remains to be seen.

#2 The Hands Pulling the Strings

The Gentleman Killers have been decimated and the Tacagans removed from power.  With the Borelians as a powerful ally, all the Cult has to do is move in for the kill and take control of the Time industry.

This task is decidedly easier said than done, as several obstacles stand in their way, not the least of which is the loss of the Book of Abilities and the mobilization of the Akarin.

Not content to sit around and watch everything they've worked for go to waste, Rifun and Cassius decide to take matters into their own hands, but in very different ways.

Cassius sets out to destroy those who escaped his massacre, crushing factions as they arise, and playing controlled opposition for the Cult.

Rifun, meanwhile, embarks on a spiritual quest, seeking to fulfill his destiny and reclaim his name, but the questions he is presented with prove only that things may not be as simple as they seem.

All of this leaves Isthim and Julianna in charge of things back home, with a unique opportunity to shift the balance of power, but in whose favor?

#3 The Hand Holding the Knife

What should have been a quick jaunt into Forbes Cave turned into a forty year absence, and the Cult of the Akari is in quadruple overtime to make their move. If they can't pull something off in the next election, it's straight into Borelian slavery for everyone.

Except things aren't looking so great at home. Cassius' reputation has faded into obscurity and the dragon is ready to release the bullet in his face. He needs to prove himself or else risk falling into the same abyss where he's sent all of his victims over the centuries.

This sends Rifun scrambling to find a way to vanquish the dragon once and for all, but he finds himself fearfully alone in his endeavor. He believes that if he can somehow rally the chosen ones of the Author, they can work together for this noble cause. Problem is, none of them want anything to do with him. Even Julianna, though trapped in the in-between dimension, is lackluster in her support.

As Cassius and Rifun become more desperate in their respective missions, they may just discover what it means to look in the mirror and see the one responsible for all of their problems.