THE EYE OF SARCRE

A few people have asked to see my ’semi-successful’ pitch to Abaddon Books for their Twilight of Kerberos series, so here it is…

THE EYE OF SARCRE

Captain Tarsien Dexel is a wanted man. Along with his crew, he’s managing to lie low in Frieport but he’s sought out by Dawn Kaare, an archaeologist and former lover; she calls in a favour and charters his ship for passage to the Sarcre Islands, where she and a team can investigate some ruins more closely. Dexel and his crew are reluctant to return to the islands, however: located there is a village from where the founders and leaders of the much fabled Pirates Guild operate – and there’s a lot of bad blood between Dexel and the Guild. But, his sense of honour invoked, the captain agrees.

The morning of their departure, Dexel is woken by his first mate who informs him that the Frieport authorities are on their way to arrest him due to the ‘indiscretion’ between Dexel and the daughter of a Councilman a few nights ago. As they leave the inn, a strange man, Armol, interrupts their hasty departure and requests passage to the Sarcre Islands, but the approaching militia prove to be more of a concern for Dexel. After a narrow escape, the captain and his crew set sail.

Once out at sea, Armol is found hiding in the cargo hold; Dexel goes to throw him overboard, but is alerted to the wreckage of another ship. They bring the only three survivors aboard, one of whom is Silas Stonebridge, another pirate. Stonebridge explains that, like Dexel, he has been maintaining a low profile to escape the powers that be, but agreed to take some missionaries on a pilgrimage to the Sarcre Islands. However, on the journey, something attacked the ship and destroyed it, leaving him and two of the missionaries as the only survivors. Armol claims that he is a missionary, too, following the others to the Islands, but Dexel remains suspicious.

Once the ship drops anchor, Stonebridge turns on Dexel and attempts to take him to the leaders of the guild, but the captain turns the tables and he, and his crew, take Stonebridge to the founders. Leaving the archaeologists and the missionaries, the crew trek across the islands, encountering various strange creatures along the way, before finally arriving at the village of Neuport – only to find it destroyed, the population slaughtered.

The crew reflect on what could have happened, and, analysing the evidence around them come to the conclusion that they were attacked by the Ke, the strange alien race that live beneath the islands, and who have lived in harmony with the villagers for years.

Dexel and his crew trek back across the island. Arriving at the archaeologists’ camp, the humans are suddenly surrounded by Ke soldiers, but rather than slay them, the aliens invite the humans to accompany them to their garrison, hidden in the jungles. Dexel leaves his crew behind to gather supplies, and heads off with Kaare and Armol to try and find out what happened to his former home.

The aliens claim the destruction of the village was in retaliation for the theft of The Eye Of Sarcre, a precious artefact used in some of their shamanic rituals; the Eye has been retrieved within the last few days, and is due to be returned to its rightful place. Following an angry outburst, Dexel is imprisoned. Kaare and Armol, though, leave him to cool down and learn more about the Eye, both for very different reasons.

Locked up with other human prisoners (sailors who had arrived at Neuport just days before), Dexel puts the pieces together and realises who stole the Eye. Freeing the other prisoners after his release, Dexel confronts Stonebridge and learns the truth about the ‘theft’ and his real reasons for leaving Neuport. Stonebrdige leaves with the other prisoners and their ship. Claiming the other missionaries were killed by the Ke, Armol elects to travel with Stonebridge and return to Frieport.

After Dexel, his crew and the archaeologists, set sail, they’re stopped by a ‘sea monster’; Ke appear from the creature’s belly and board the ship, demanding to know where the Eye is – someone has stolen it from them again. They order Dexel to retrieve it for them, threatening to destroy every human in Twilight if he refuses. Heading back to Frieport to confront Stonebridge, they find the residents reduced to nothing more than strange phantoms – Stonebridge included. It soon becomes apparent that Armol is the one responsible; he’s able to harness magic far more naturally than most people, and can easily unlock the power of the Eye for his own nefarious ends.

Fighting their way through an army of shadow creatures, Dexel and his crew track Armol to the home of a Councilman where the captain narrowly defeats him. Seizing the Eye, Dexel is assaulted by visions of a war yet to happen – a war against the Ke. This gives Dexel (and the reader) the first hints that he may have the ability to harness magic directly, and that he has a larger part to play in the destiny of Twilight.

When Dexel recovers, the people of Frieport are restored, Armol is dead and Dexel realises he’s in the bedroom of a Councilman’s wife – almost the exact situation that caused him to flee so hastily at the beginning of the story. However, the Councilman chooses that moment to enter the room and Dexel realises that his stay in Frieport could be longer than he had planned…