Tale of a Minor Chord is my current short story WIP set in the world of Duir’Aion. It’s autobiographical and tells the story of Maureece Brom of the noble House Brom from the island of Maelthus, home of the minotaurs. Maureece has shamed his family and now must take part in the Crimson Circle, a trial by combat with six of his kin. If he survives, he restores his own honor as well as that of his family. If he dies, the Broms honor is restored through honorable death.
Maureece was a sailor, that had become enamored with music. So much so he asked permission to become a skald (warrior poet). He was denied. The Broms were warriors, gladiators and master sailors. While skalds did exist, they almost always came from the lower classes. Of course being Maureece, he did it anyway. When the ship he was serving on was attacked by Drakken, the minotaurs ancestral enemy, and only true naval rivals, Maureece was forced to use the magic of skald to save his crew.
While heroic, it had proven that the young sailor had violated a direct command. Thus to prove his worth, Maureece must face the Crimson Circle.
And now his story may end, before it has begun…
A Darkness Rising 