Jess Granger

Here are a collection of interviews for some of the characters in the Realms Beyond Series. For the super spoiler sensitive, there might be some slight spoilers, so read at your own risk.

I sat down with Soren, the hero from Beyond the Rain, for an exclusive interview about his past, his love, and his thoughts about the future. A striking figure, his luminescent eyes reveal far more than his mood. They are quietly observant, as if no detail about me goes unnoticed. Just as I can’t help but notice the scars dotting his brow and circling his wrists. They’re an ugly reminder of a terrible past, a past I couldn’t ignore…

I know it may be hard for you to talk about this, but I get a lot of questions about the nature of your captivity. Are you willing to talk about those years? How old were you when you were taken? What was the nature of your enslavement?

There are some things I can talk about, and some things I won’t talk about. I was captured when I was about eighteen years old by your counting. I know the term “sex slave” gets thrown around, but sex had nothing to do with my imprisonment. I was kept like an animal, isolated, drugged and chained while they leeched the hormones from my blood. I was treated like a valuable beast, and I became one. I’d lost touch with myself.

But then you were freed. Did it take you some time to regain your sense of humanity?

I was nearly insane by the time Cyani freed me. I had hallucinogenic dreams, and I acted too much on instinct. I think at one point I kissed Cyani just to get her to back away from me. That proves I was out of my mind.

What did you think of Cyani when you first met her?

At first, I didn’t know what to think, only that I was grateful that she freed me, and I was willing to do anything to get us both out of there alive. I didn’t feel she deserved to die because she tried to save me. That wasn’t fair. She is a soldier, and she’s strong. I admire and respect her for that.

But?

How should I put this—she tries to control things she can’t control. I think it comes from having so little she could control in her life. She’s always been under someone else’s control, or she’s been manipulated by them. It was hard to get her to let go of that need for control and accept the moment.

Is that how you survived your imprisonment? Accepting the moment?

I never accepted my slavery. Sometimes it took all my strength just to keep breathing, but I never stopped fighting. I did learn that if I was gifted with a moment of comfort or peace, I had to take it and live completely in that moment, because it could be my last moment, and good moments were rare and precious.

Now that you’re free, what do you enjoy the most in life?

I love that I feel like my life has purpose again. For years, I felt like my life was completely wasted, but now I’m able to be a provider, a protector again. It makes me feel whole. And I’d tell you what I enjoy most about Cyani, but that is personal.

I can take a hint. Thank you for taking the time to share some of your thoughts, Soren.

For more from Soren, check out this interview on Babbling About Books and More.

I thought it might be nice to get to know our heroine, Cyani. Captain in the Union Forces, team-leader of the eleventh patrol, Cyani is a seasoned veteran of war. I expected her military bearing. I guess I expected her aloof reserve. I did not expect to see the warmth in her expression when she stroked her fox’s ears. That is where I knew I had to begin…

Tell me about your scout, Vicca. How did you choose her?

I didn’t. Vicca was a personal insult. I’m the one who laughs about it, because she’s saved my life more times than I can count. I’ve never seen a smarter stell fox as a scout.

How was she an insult to you?

Scouts are assigned before they’re weaned. One of the lower members of the Elite is in charge of breeding the scout bloodlines and assigning the scouts with the best genetic potential to the women in training. With stell foxes, the genetic ideal is a fox that is entirely black and red, with little or no white. One sock on a single foot, or a white tip on the tail is acceptable. Vicca’s whole head, shoulders and chest are white. She stands out. She should have been killed at birth because of her flawed coat. I’m so glad she wasn’t. Assigning me a clearly inferior scout was a dig at my upbringing.

What was your upbringing?

I was born on the ground.

I don’t understand. Everyone here is born on the ground.

On my world, class is determined by where you live in the trees, the higher the better. Criminals are banished to live in chaos on the ground. If you’re born on the ground, you’re the genetic legacy of criminals. No one cares about the truth.

What is the truth?

My family was ruined, my childhood a nightmare, because my parents chose to love one another.

Ouch. Does that effect how you view love?

Yes. The thing is, I know what love can be. My parents suffered in what you would call Hell, but I always understood they loved one another. I know how good and right love is. I saw it firsthand, and it was the only good thing I had.

Tell me about Soren.

Shakt. I knew you’d go there eventually.

What did you think about him when you first met him?

He was a wrong that needed to be righted.

Is that all?

No.

Care to elaborate?

No.

Fair enough. What drew you to him?

Well, I could start with the obvious, but what really drew me to him was how he cared for me. Aside from my parents, no one has ever cared for me. No one has suffered or sacrificed for me. I’ve been entirely on my own.

Is that fair to the soldiers on your team?

No, you’re right, but I always had to keep myself under such strict control. I care for each of them very deeply, but it was always through the lens of their commanding officer.

And with Soren?

He’s not a soldier.

How did that change things?

I couldn’t command him, and damn it, I tried. He had a way of digging deep into me until I knew he knew me, and I’ve never felt like anyone has ever done that.

Thanks for sharing with us, Cyani.

The Grand Sister of Azra

As I approach the throne of Azra, my eye is drawn up the spiraling branch to the carved platform where the Grand Sister rests, looking like a shrewd eagle. The mantle of power seems heavy on her bony shoulders, but she bears it without flinching, as if it is a part of her. She’s held the throne nearly thirty years, and unheard of feat for a culture that values skill in battle.

I don’t doubt her prowess. If it isn’t physical strength keeping her on the throne, it’s something else, something that gives me chills. I genuflect and address her without daring to look at her. I know I must keep my questions to her liking, because I fear the consequences as much as I fear the pure white whip resting at her side.

With every respect, what do you feel is your greatest accomplishment?

Look at my world. There is order. We are respected throughout the universe.

Is that what you value most? Respect?

I value control. When you have control, you have respect. When you have control, you have power.

I take a moment to ponder the woman above me. Her expression is almost as still as the statues in the Halls of Honor, but her eyes are very alive. She’s thinking, always thinking. Her short clipped answers don’t tell me as much as I’d like to know. She strikes me as a woman who never reveals her true intentions.

What do you feel your legacy as a leader will be?

Azra will continue to be what I’ve made it, strong. We will not bend to the Union mudrats accusing us of abuses of the T.C.R. (Treaty of Common Rights) This is my planet. Azra will follow the greatest teachings of my family line. It will remain as it is. I will see to it.

Her little flash of emotion surprises me. I look down, frightened she’ll see my curiosity and punish me for it. I have to remember to keep to the approved questions.

How significant do you feel the ancient bloodlines are?

Blood is everything.

Yet you do not have a blood heir to the throne.

I will determine my heir.

She returns to her clipped answers, but that doesn’t surprise me. She’s hiding something.

And do you hope the next Grand Sister leads Azra according to your vision?

Why should she lead Azra in any other way? There is no other way. Our traditions, our culture is ancient and holy. There is only one path for Azra, and I’ll make sure she stays the course.

Thank you for your time your Holiness.