I'd like to introduce you to…

Hazil Nightshade is a modern fourteen-year-old. She's normal, with one catch- she would be considered normal if only she didn't live in Shadowsea, Anabru.
Her father is one of a long line of Travellers: men and women who risk everything to monitor the Otherworld. He is the only one who knows of the portal in the Northern Waste, and can use it to take him there- not an easy job.
When something goes wrong, and he doesn't return form a ten-day trip, she is the only one who can help. The answer to his survival lies inthe middle of the Waste, and in the heart of the busy, hectic place we call home sweet home.

I really hope you enjoy this as well! I honestly came up with it an hour ago, but I hope it's good…
Thanks!
Katie

Amara 28

December 21, 2014
Sagecliff

The trial went well, I suppose. I was pardoned for the murder (Good for me!), but as expected, I was pummeled for three hours straight, and although I hated it, I deserve triple.
Now, listen to me! I never would have said that in Sriya!
Anyway, there's a problem here: Max and Sara (the twins)'s mother is missing.
No, its not a joke. Their mother disappeared several days ago, and although I don't know why, I want to go. With the Demona situation, I know how they feel.
My ink is really running dry, so I think this will be my last entry for a little bit. Maybe than I'll have a non-Dark-Army-notebook! That would be amazing.
See you at the next adventure!
Amara

Amara 27

December 20, 2014
Sagecliff

I do not know why, but I will be put on trial. Yes- trial!
They say that they want to see how my deeds weigh out, and although I have sworn that I am, for the most part, innocent, I may be found guilty yet.
See, the culture in Lolinglas is very just. It follows the eye-for-eye-tooth-for-tooth rule. Oh, I hope they grant me mercy for my one murder! Yes, I now consider it murder, and even with as little knowledge of Lolinglin laws as I have, I still know that that (mercy for a murderer) has happened on extremely rare occasions, most of which being the murder an accident.
Ugh, not only do I hate long sentences, but I also hate complicated laws, especially if they might cause my death.
I am so sorry for this rambling! It is a bad habit I picked up in Morfinduil, and they say there that although easy to pick up, bad habits are difficult to lose. Just my luck.
Well, see?! In truth I am terribly frightened. They will convict me of something, I know, but it is hard to know what. I may even be convicted by my stellar battlefield work- I don't know.
Will write tomorrow if not executed!
Amara

Amara 26

December 19, 2014
Sagecliff

I have made my decision.
Yesterday, the battle for the crystal occured. The soldiers in my control (as well as me) arrived after it had started, and many had died already. The Dark Army had perhaps two or three casualties then, but it was about to get much worse for them.
The sight of one Dark soldier 'playing with' a villager (by torture) was enough. I dropped my sword (no killing for me) and punched the man in the stomach.
I know, right? I still don't know what possessed me to start, but it just went downhill from there.
I was a whirlwind of confusion. Thankfully, the first form of combat you learn (at five!) is hand-to-hand. I've always had a gift, but I never had to use it: until now.
Before long, every Dark Army soldier was unconsious, the Spirits were dispelled, and the elf warriors were replacing the memories of us.
Currently, I am staying in a seaside cabin reserved for non-citizens, and writing by candlelight: much different than Morfinduil.
Must write tomorrow!
Amara

Amara 25

December 6, 2014
At camp near Liyana

Once more, a short entry! Many apologies…
I have led my group to a town named Liyana. It is near the border of Lolinglas, and the quiet setting is perfect for hiding the Dark Army.
The attack is scheduled for the seventeenth and eighteenth. We'll leave on the fourteenth.
Ugh. I am becoming too statistical. I desperatly need to change that!
Anyway, my life is both busier and more boring than ever before.
I am really excited to go.
Next entry: December fourteenth!
Amara

Amara 24

November 30, 2014
Near Atriane

We have recieved news, not all of which I am pleased of.
I have, in fact, been promoted: Commander Amara. And yet I take no pride in carrying it anymore. At one time, I craved moving up in the ranks, but now all I feel is dread.
Unless you die, the only way in the Elite rankings is up. If you have to move down, you are sent somewhere- most likely Ragnarôk.
My rank is better than Ragnarôk, but I still cannot stop thinking about the poor soul I caused to die. Yet another death on my conscience.
Anyway, we have orders to attack Sagecliff, a smallish town in northeast Lolinglas. There is a woman- a former duchess/lady of Stronghaven- who owns a pendant they need. I don't want to have to have even more horrible things, but maybe the tide will be in my favor for once!
Bye,
Amara

Amara 23

November 29, 2014
Near Elfshore

Well, the siege did not go well. Elves of Aíana intervened, and I was forced to go 'negotiate' with their leader. It was just out of luck that I was the one chosen, and I was able to convince them of my innocence.
They agreed to help me, and we enchanted the remaining soldier and citizens to belive that I called off the elves, and they surroundered the city. In reality, it was the opposite.
So now, we're about to go back to Morfinduil. I am holding in all my nervousment- one look, and our ruse is gone- but, in a way, I am excited.
More later,
Amara

Amara 22

November 30, 2014
Near Elfshore, Lolinglas
This, I believe, will be a short entry. Mellisande has returned to health- meaning, she has recovered her usual cockiness, and not the ability to speak a full sentence without hacking up a lung. I am almost disappointed.
The twins escaped shortly after capture. They were 'kidnapped' by a band of elf warriors. I, to be completely honest, wish they had taken me with them!
We are camped several miles from Elfshore, a town near Aíana. I desperatly want to sneak into the forest to seek protection, but there is no way that they would accept my story- and that is assuming that I would not get killed ten seconds after I strolled in. And that not happening is near impossible. But what should I do? It's not like I can get out- once an Elite, always an Elite.  But I don't think I can stand it much longer. There's talk of promoting me to a commander, and that is practically a death sentence.
But what shall I do?
Amara

Amara 21

November 24, 2014
Camp (near The Village)
Not much new to report, other than the fact that we captured the two.
I don't believe it. I have yet to meet them, but it is definitely the boy I saved, and his twin.
I want to see them, and talk with them, but deep down I know I can't. They would ask too many questions and/or give away my crusade before you could say the word 'treason'.
And Mellisande (thankfully) has caught the plague from a villager. It would be frightfully inhumane to wish death/ too much suffering upon her, but I don't know. From the way she currently fares, the former may be the kindest thing for her.
Only problem? Kindness is nonexistant among the Elites.
Oh, how I've changed! When I was in Sriya, I would have lept at the chance to serve the Nameless One in the way I fear now. What was wrong with me?
Later, and perhaps shall  have an answer-
Amara

Amara 20

November 23, 2014
Not far from a remote village in Lolinglas

Last night I had a dream. It told me to lead the Elites to Lolinglas, and to a small village we nearly destroyed a few months ago.
Known simply as The Village, it is one of those really special cities that aren't known of within a hundred feet. It was built on a leak in  the Shift, where chaos would run rampant if not for a tree in the middle. A month or two ago, orders came to sicken the tree. Of course we did so.
Anyway, the dream told me to hunt down a pair of twins originally from Stronghaven. I don't know the exact reason, but it must be importent: nearly no convincing was needed on my part! We are camping in an old Elite hideout- a cave, built for comfort.
Argh. I am really starting to hate Mellisande's timing. Bye!
Amara

Amara 19

October 28, 2014
Near Mirror Woods

Mellisande and I had a fight today. Honestly, it was only a matter of time, and although I could have ordinarily sent her whimpering to the Healer's Tent, this time my heart wasn't in it.
She suspects. I'm not sure exactly what, but it certainly wasn't the Great Cookie Heist. I covered up the evidence, and without confesson from me, it would be impossible to know.
Most likely it is more sinister than that.
All I know is that she knows of my protection.  No way am I ever telling her the real reason of it- I'd be reported for certain. And no mercy would be granted. No humanity, either. The leaders have noticed a change in my behavior, since Demona. They would grant me the same fate without so much as a blink.
I wonder how she is now. Perhaps I will leave the service someday, and look for her.
Amara

Amara 18

The battle lasted three days, and still the Elites lost. I got no chance to escape, but still saved a young boy multiple times.
I believe I made quite the impression on him.
He was the closest in age to me than any of the others- about fifteen to my sixteen. Honestly, he made a big impression on me. We are total opposites- him the timid mouse, and me the fierce yet rebellious protector. It would be very wrong in some places.
I can tell that he is an absolute novice. The first time (of many) I had to dispel a Spirit, I caught him staring at a sword, as if he had no idea what to do with it. He probably didn't.
This is going to be a shorter-than-usual entry: Mellisande is even nosier than usual, and I want to guess she suspects something. If they learn of what I have been doing, they will throw me out. And if they throw me out, I'm good as dead. Demona was just luckier than most.
Until later,
Amara

Amara 13

October 26, 2014
Near Atriane, Lolinglas

I have not written for several months, and for that I am sorry. Elite work has put me up to my neck in red tape,  and my new roommate, Mellisande, is nosier than you could ever imagine. And trust me, you do not want to have a journal found by her- hence her name, she is like a tiny backstabbing bee. In fact, her hunting knives carry little difference to a stinger…
We march on Atriane, the rebels' capital, today. I am shaking now, in fact. The paragraph above was to fool myself into a state of forced calm, but it didn't work.
Therefore now I shall get to the importent part.
Right now the sun hasn't yet risen. This proves to be the best time to write- Melli is snoring in her cot, and the piercing alarm bell has not sounded in our earpieces. No one is yelling, "What are you doing?" so loud it could be heard across camp.
No birds sing, either.
I wonder if that's a premonition for today. If so, I'm really frightened. In fact, I'm nervous anyway.
For the last few months of battles, I have chosen a young soldier (most times a boy) to protect. Not one has died yet.
My reason? Compensation for the man I killed. And, I suppose, compassion for the boy. Often it's their first battle, and if I didn't help they'd die. It always makes me feel better.
Ohhh no. Melli is stirring.
Bye!
Amara

Unplugged?

I'm thinking about going unplugged for a few days. My family is going on vacation, and I'm going to slack off a little. Writing nonstop, hopefully! Perhaps I'll do a little Torn, but if I don't, I'll try to make up for it.
That's right! No Kindle! And the Internet is spotty up there, so if there is no entry every day, don't freak!
Ahhh. Lakes and woods in winter always give me goosebumps, with all the inspiration…

More about me

Okay. I'm sorta going out on a limb now- before I was too scared- but here goes.
This is  writing blog, right (write)? (okay, too cheesy)
I was recently reading Pen On Fire an awesome writing book by Barbara DeMarco-Barrett. (That's a title, by the way- no itlicizing-or-whatever on this thing) She added details on her life and family in her book, and maybe I will add a few in the blog.
First: I'm a Christian. Please don't feel uncomfortable or whatever! I'll just give tips for other teenager Christians from time to time. Also, you won't find passionate romance, cursing (even mildly, minus the expression "Rats!"), or any inappopriate stuff in my writing. Christian perspective and all. In fact, it might be better for you!
Second: yes, I am a teenager. Well, nearly one. I hate not being taken seriously, though! I am now in the period where the Teen's section in the library is inadequate, and the children's is juvenile. I have, however, found a few special ones! Otherwise, I stick to adult nonfiction, Lord of the Rings, and Artemis Fowl.
And the dictionary.
Yes- third is that I read the dictionary in English class! I'm trying to find a better vocabulary. Currently, my favorites are 'acclimate', 'acme', 'azure', and 'betwixt'.
More later!

Amara 12

May 25, 2014
Moorpond

I cannot get my mind off Demona.  What if she's dead? I can not think about that possibility. I know she won't be captured again- you know Demona- but still.
Moorpond is a lovely little city. It it near impossible to either get in or get out- peat bogs, lakes, and a river turn it into an island. As a result, it is very isolated. A work camp is on the other side opposite the city, so as we are staying in the city, we are inspecting the camp.
I don't know if I can handle this much longer. Part of me wants to run, the rest knows I must stay. It is torture- being torn between my life and my sanity.
I can not allow myself to play with the options. I cannot do both!
But truly- what if Demona is right? They certainly fit the bill. If she is right and I wrong, all that I know is nothing. My training, my upbringing- everything. Perhaps except for my morals- I will not kill, I value a good heart- maybe some things I can hold on to.
I may not write for a while!
Amara

Amara 11

May 9, 2014

Ragnarôk

I am embarrassed beyond measure.

I was taking a walk earlier to find a way in the mountain (as you may have guessed, plan A failed). Of course, as most people would, I nearly shrieked when I  noticed the head sticking out of a bush. Demona's head.
When she saw that it ws me, she quickly hid, but she wasn't fast enough.
"Demona?" I had whispered, unable to believe it.
"Go, Amara. And don't you dare-"
"I'm sorry, okay?" How was I supposed to handle it?
"It doesn't matter. You nearly killed me- and you might still."
I was near the point of tears, now. Seriously. And I don't cry.
"Demona, please. I tried to rescue you!"
"Rescue me? Me!? You thought I couldn't handle it? Well, missy, newsflash- I survived. Now bug off, and if you tell anyone, I will haunt you."
I didn't understand a lot of what she was saying, but I could tell (1) tht she was being extremely rude, (2) she wanted me to leave and not tell, and (3), she was speaking in the Morfinduil dialect.
Why can't she forgive? I have a feeling I will see her again, but I don't know. She's right- if she dies, I will have murdured her just as if I had wielded the knife myself.
On that happy note,
Amara 

Amara 10

May 16, 2014
Ragnarôk Mt.

I haven't actually gone in yet, but I can already tell my rescue will be hard to pull off. Guards stand every five feet around the mountain, and there is only one (visible) entrance/exit. It is virtually impossible to get in (without a pass) or out in secret.
The area gives off a sickly feeling. All three of the poisened places meet here- the River that Runs Black, Ragnarôk, and the dark, always-expanding forest. The Nameless One hasn't named that one yet.
I am scared for Demona. Chances are, she's already dead.
Oh, we will enter soon! I want to see these horrors, and I don't- at the same time. What will I do? My plan is more likely to put me in Ragnarôk than get her out. In fact, I don't even have one.
Oh, wish me luck!
Amara

Amara 9

May 8, 2014
Morfinduil

I don't know what happened. One day I gather my courage and (try and fail to) visit Demona in prison, than the one day I make it there without getting scared, she's gone.
They told me Ragnarôk. Ragnarôk! She will be dead in a week.
Yes, you might say "Demona's tough. She'll last at least a month."
But most don't even last forty-eight hours. Perhaps it is kinder- no one that goes in that mountain can hope to ever come out.
I have made my choice- at least, I think I have. I will go to Ragnarôk, and rescue her from the worst work camp in Iona. It won't be a problem- we are taking a 'field trip' there in a week. After that, I might not write for a bit- my company is going around Iona to inspect work camps like Ragnarôk. I personally want to be horrified, but I won't play as they want me to. They want to make an example of Demona, and to scare us others. That, at least to me, does not put them in a good position. They are manipulating people.
No surpise there.
Amara  

Amara 8

May 2, 2014
Morfinduil

Oh, I am torn to pieces about this. No one should ever read journals without knowing what it gets them into!
Demona wrote about me, mostly. She's worried about me. She thinks The Nameless One will bring destruction to Iona, but he will save us all… right?
I don't know what to do! It was a mistake, and I know it. She didn't want to hurt anyone- except the Nameless One, of course.
Now she's wasting away in prison while her sister is dying without aid, and her friends are starving, and it's my fault. If any of them die, I will call myself a murderer, stooped to my cohorts' level. A child-murderer. Brilliant.
This realization came over me right before I was going to visit her in prison. She must hate me!  Going in there would be the mst painful of torture, because all that they do to her is my fault.
I wish time travel has been invented.
Amara

Amara 7

May 1, 2014
Morfinduil training camp

I read the book, and while there is a good chance it's heresy, it makes sense.
Her parents were killed by two Elites- Beverly Monroe and Ebony Sharmure- when she was eleven, leaving her and her five (now seven) year old sister Angel to fend for themselves on the streets of Catyla Sal.
Angel is the girl in the picture, I just know it.
Well, now that Demona has been imprisoned (Hopefully…), Angel might not get medicine that she desperatly needs.
I now know I did wrong. I turned her in because I thought she wanted to hurt us- and all she did was hate us for orphaning her and Angel. Now her sister might die, and it would be my fault.
How can I live with myself?
Amara

Amara 6

April 31, 2014
Morfinduil, outside of the High Court

I know I did as I believe right- at least, I think I did. I can't believe Demona was a spy. Right when I thought we might be friends, I found her journal. Being the troublemaking person I am, I read it, of course.
There on nearly every entry was the cleary-stated fact that she was a rebel. She hated us-the Elites plus the Nameless One- and wanted to wreck havoc upon us.
It had to be the right thing-  but here I am outside the court, sobbing. She was against us. She wanted to hurt us. Oh, even writing it doesn't seem to help!
What caused me to snap like this is this: when she came out, wrapped in chains, she looked at me with such an expression of betrayal I knew she knew it was me.
What if it wasn't right? They killed a family, they send people to their deaths in Ragnarôk- what if she was right? I saved her book- maybe I can read the parts about us and than give it to her?
I shal do so tonight.
Amara

Sochi 2014

So, is anyone besides me anxious for the Olympics?  I am going to watch Charlie White and Meryl Davis. They've skated together since they were, like, ten years old. Insanely good. Apperently they're one of the favorites!
So who are you watching this year? What sport will you be perpetually (or two-week perpetual) watching? Please comment- I haven't gotten many of those here…
Katie

Amara 5

April 22, 2014
Moorpond

This entry may be very short, but I must state  possible game-changer.
First, I am sorry for the break in time. Honestly, there hasn't been anything to write. Believe me, I would have written!
Anyway, if you could see me now, you would see that I have lost my former cocky-ness. I would gladly give up my newfound captain title, after what I have seen. Last night, I passed several of my cohorts running to the main tent, talking about a trial. Of course I decided to follow him. Now, I both regret my desision, and I am glad I went.
There a man and a woman carrying a child knelt. The woman and babe were sobbing helplessly- the ground was dark with old blood.
My corporal read off a long list of charges- all of which I found them incapable of- and raised a blade. I shielded my eyes, unable to look, but nothing could block the woman's scream, although cut short. I was barely able to control my nausea. Running from the tent, I flew with an infinete amount of energy to my tent, where I burst in to a startled Demona. She hurridly closed an old, musty book.
"What's happened?" I told her the full story.
"They wiped out the whole family, Demona. A whole family- man, woman, and the babe- not two months old. Where is their humanity!?"
I have so much anger- perhaps not a short entry after all… 

Amara 4

March 30, 2014
Northmere

I have been camped for a week here, along with Desdemona, and about fifty other (human) Elite Officers.
Thats right: not even a month after my arrival, I was promoted to Captain. Captain Amara Lingliss- perfect.
The old women of Sriya warned us, saying that pride goes before a fall, but I can hardly think of that at a time like this.
Still, I am starting to have conflicted feelings. Yes, you heard that right!
In battle, I killed a man. I have never done that before. I still remember his face as he went down, the anguished scream, the shallow breaths he took as he lay there, dying.
I will never be able to get those images out of my head, but I swore something that may help.
I will protect someone in every battle I fight, and keep them from the pull of death. If I do not, life is forfeit. If he dies, forfeit.
I must do this, else I be unable to live with the guilt. Why did I join them, anyway? Why do some people love fighting? It strips humanity away from a person, leaving them a lunatic.
I shall not kill again.
Amara 

Amara 3

March 21, 2014
Morfinduil

Good grief- if I thought training in Sriya was hard, Morfiduil work increases it by a thousandfold. I have never been so tired in my life. As my roommate,  Desdemona, says, I 'hit the showers' after my 'workout'. She's about 14- a year younger than me- and from a small, little-known city named Catyla Sal. Apperently it is 'somewhere' in Iona (she won't tell  exactly where, I don't blame her), and terror has recently struck. She has been here a month already, and knows her way around fairly well.
It's odd. Although Demona is always quiet, I get the feeling that that's not how she always was. I think she left someone behind in Catyla Sal- last night I woke up thirsty, but decided against it. I saw a candle lit on her side, peeked, and found her sobbing, hugging a painting to her chest. It was of a frail, blond girl, about seven or eight years old. Maybe her sister? I really don't know. I really need to look into it. Oh dear- she has returned from the town! Must run!
Amara 

Amara 2

Oh, I am back!
Morfinduil is so much different than Sriya, my old home, in ways both good and bad.
In Sriya, the air was filled with the smell of spices, and of the sounds of their hawkers. Here it is slient, except for the clanks of metal, and marching soldiers. There is a metallic smell about the air, but I do not mind it. I can now concentrate, and have the privacy I did not have in my little desert town.
Sriya is an isolatd town far to the northwest. There we learned to fight at an early age, and though we were content with our one town, we ruled the desert. Many legendary bandits arose and ruled, and most of the Elite have Sriyan roots. That is the reason I, rather than my brothers and sisters came here. After all, to be an Elite soldier is by biggest dream!
Morfinduil, as I said in the last entry, is so technologically advanced. I did not know these things were existant in Iona! I suppose the Nameless One keeps the best things for his best soldiers!
Once more, I must go!
Amara

Amara 1

March 3, 2014

Morfinduil Training Camp

Hello. This is Amara, speaking (or, really, writing) in a new notebook. 'Tis an odd style, with thin lined paper, and a metal spiral holding it together, but it will do. It is not the strangest thing I have seen today.

Today I joined the Elite. As the name suggests, we are the elite of the Nameless One's forces. Really, I should be calling him His Majesty the Supreme One Who is Nameless, but really- who wants to write that out every single time you want to cite him? Of course I will not say that to my superiors, but they won't find this now, will they?

My tour of Morfinduil revealed technology farther than any above- average citizen of Iona could fathom. My new room is designed in an unorthodox way. Strange cots stacked on top of each other, while more (like mine) are singular, although bigger. Down the hall is a room called a 'bathroom' with bowls that spew water, and 'beauty products' littering the countertops. Oh, I apologize- my roomate is back from patrol! More later!
Amara