Palace of Mirrors

Palace of Mirrors opened with the legend of Dark Sheldon and the end of the Empire, as Darien told the story to his aunt in her final moments. Now Nightingale begins to tell the story of those events as he experienced them. He starts by describing how Dark Sheldon, an unknown space miner, came to become a memeber of the Imperial Guard. Dramatis Personae Nightingale - Thirteenth ship of the Imperia...

Darien destroyed the Kraken and escaped with the talking sword named Night, but now he wants nothing more than to return home to his family. He and Night argue about the path forward, with each having their own idea about what should be done next. Darien opens the box that Bluebeard left him and receives a final message from his old friend and enemy. Dramatis Personae Darien - A farm boy who grew...

A preview for Season 2 of the podcast.

As the Kraken sinks out of the sky without an engine and under attack, Darien makes a desperate attempt to save Captain Bluebeard. Dramatis Personae Darien - A farm boy who grew up with big dreams fed by his aunt who raised him on a mixture of history and fairy tale. He’s currently on a quest to rescue Marialla, a woman he met earlier in the story, who has been kidnapped by the moon’s government f...

Darien experiences visions of the past as he attempts to destroy the star engine. He and Gent come to a crossroads as they attempt to rescue the prisoners on the ship. Dramatis Personae Darien - A farm boy who grew up with big dreams fed by his aunt who raised him on a mixture of history and fairy tale. He’s currently on a quest to rescue Marialla, a woman he met earlier in the story, who has been...

The first part of the season finale sees Darien and Gent put their plan into action. However, it isn't long before they run into a problem that may very well be the end of them both.

Captain Bluebeard convenes a meeting of the crew to discuss their path forward now that they’ve been discovered. The conversation splits open old wounds between the captain and Deathmask and Darien finds himself caught in the middle. Dramatis Personae Darien - A farm boy who grew up with big dreams fed by his aunt who raised him on a mixture of history and fairy tale. He’s currently on a quest to...

Darien and Gent work to come up with a plan to escape from the ship, but before they can put anything into motion the Kraken is pursued by pirate hunters. A chase ensues across the surface of Six during which Darien finds his courage tested once again. Dramatis Personae Darien - A farm boy who grew up with big dreams fed by his aunt who raised him on a mixture of history and fairy tale. He’s curre...

Darien has made his choice clear to Bluebeard. He will not remain on the Kraken and become a member of the crew. Now he must come up with a plan to escape the ship, but with the Captain aware of his plans he can only hope to succeed with the help of a friend. Dramatis Personae Darien - A farm boy who grew up with big dreams fed by his aunt who raised him on a mixture of history and fairy tale. He’...

Show Notes: As Darien recuperates in the medbay, Captain Bluebeard shares the rest of his story recounting the tale of revenge that shaped him into the man he has become. His story takes him from the crew of a pirate ship all the way to a space battle above the surface of a planet and finally to his confrontation with the woman who betrayed him, the woman he loves, Arlinda. Dramatis Personae Darie...

Darien experiences a strange vision of the past after touching the reflecting pool during his fight with Fantasia. Afterward he faces the fight of his life. His survival balances on the edge of a sword. On one side the empty void, on the other something like hope and beneath him the edge of all he has to lose. Dramatis Personae Darien - A farm boy who grew up with big dreams fed by his aunt who ra...

Having killed Trollbreath, Darien must now face trial by combat against Fantasia.  With the odds stacked against him, it will take all the luck and skill Darien possesses to survive. Dramatis Personae Darien - A farm boy who grew up with big dreams fed by his aunt who raised him on a mixture of history and fairy tale. He’s currently on a quest to rescue Marialla, a woman he met earlier in the stor...

Episode Description Captain Bluebeard informs Darien that he must face consequences for killing Trollbreath. Gent and Darien talk about the coming trial without much hope that Darien can emerge alive, but Bluebeard believes that Darien has a chance and sends him to Deathmask for further training. Dramatis Personae Darien - A farm boy who grew up with big dreams fed by his aunt who raised him on a...

Following Darien’s killing of Trollbreath, Bluebeard opens up and tells a part of his own story. From his summers on an ancient sailing ship, to the love of his life, and finally to betrayal that breaks him from the inside out. Previously on Palace of Mirrors: The kidnapping of Marialla from her farm set off a chain of events that led to Darien being taken prisoner on board the Kraken, a space pir...

Darien finally confronts the horrors of the pirate ship and the ways that it has changed him. Will he let Captain Bluebeard turn him into a pirate or will he take a stand and make a fateful choice? Previously on Palace of Mirrors :  The kidnapping of Marialla from her farm set off a chain of events that led to Darien being taken prisoner on board the Kraken, a space pirate vessel. Instead of throw...

Captain Bluebeard begins to train Darien in earnest, but sword fighting is more difficult than the stories ever made it seem. Just as Darien is becoming more comfortable in his role on the ship, he is forced to face a stark reminder of the cruelty of the people who surround him on every side. This episode gives the audience their first real look into Bluebeard. Just what kind of a man captains thi...

Darien overhears a tense conversation between Dragon-Eye and Bluebeard. In the second half of the episode Gent takes him to the engine room, but things don't exactly go as planned.

Darien is taken aboard Bluebeard's ship, the Kraken, but finds something very different from the childhood stories about starships his Aunt Kathy used to tell him. On the ship, he finds an unexpected ally in a pirate going by the name Gent. The man once suggested hanging him, but now he offers Darien some much needed advice.

The narrative takes a brief break from Darien and gives us a view into what happened to Marialla following her capture in episode 5. She meets her captor, a man claiming to be the King of Six, but quickly learns that there's someone else who wants her. Later, in the room where she's being held, she finds a hidden doorway leading to a ruined library.

Darien spins a story that he hopes will earn his freedom, but Bluebeard responds in an unexpected way and Darien finds himself slipping further from his quest than ever before. Confronted by a member of Bluebeard's crew, Darien will need to marshal all the strength he possesses just to survive the night.

Night's plan to capture a pirate ship takes an unexpected turn and leaves Darien in a precarious situation.

Darien follows the instructions of the talking sword through the ruined city and beyond. The sword has a plan, but it promises to be dangerous beyond anything Darien had imagined. On the road they find a crashed ship, derelict and striped down to bones. Though wrecked, the ship still has a glimmer of something like life.

Wounded, Darien finds himself lost in the warrens beneath the ruins. A mysterious figure guides him to help, but it turns out to be something out of one of his aunt's stories. From this moment, everything will change, and the only thing Darien can be sure of is that nothing will be the same again.

This week, on a special double-length episode, Darien gets to know the Reynolds and finds himself drawn to their daughter, Marialla. An ancient book hidden in the basement of a ruined house holds secrets of the past. Darien begins to think that maybe with Marialla, he can finally see the appeal of the quiet life his father wants for him. But on the world of Six, a storm always lies on the horizon....

In this week's episode of my science-fiction audiobook drama, Darien and Tom travel to an ancient bridge that rekindles Darien's wonder. He travels to a crossroads and must choose between his father's dreams and his own.