All Chapters

The slain man lived in a hovel converted from a stable. It once served an inn attached to it, but that inn became a bakery and no longer needed to house horses. Outside it, a cat toyed with a mangled bird. People worked in the bakery, but flour ran thin as they...

A long-haired dog licked at Athia as they reached Ted’s home. It moved out to greet her, but never strayed more than a few feet from the door. Ted the ice maker met Athia on her third knock. He ran it with his two sons. The older son left his wife and two children...

They assigned two women to Athia’s protection, Tricorn trainees local to Galister. Nineteen and twenty, a little younger than Athia, and plenty happy to be closer to the hero. Clare, the younger one, used a bow and short sword, imitating the style of Serra the Savior....

They assigned two women to Athia’s protection, Tricorn trainees local to Galister. Nineteen and twenty, a little younger than Athia, and plenty happy to be closer to the hero. Clare, the younger one, used a bow and short sword, imitating the style of Serra the Savior....

A member of Gar’s bodyguards asked, “uh, ma’am, people is wondering. Who’s the Mayor?”   She squinted, face scrunching, “the mayor.”   Gar approached her while the people dispersed back to their homes. He took a long breath as he got to her.   “My...

Jon met her outside the hall as people filed in, one after another. He waved, bouncing on his toes, like a young suitor hoping for a glance from a higher ranking other. Athia snickered to herself, always fond of attention, though not necessarily the person giving it....

A member of the militia joined with Athia as she walked out towards the Socratian camp. An hour remained before the town meeting, and she planned on using it. The militiaman, Jon, tapped a spear on his shoulder while they walked. He volunteered, young and excited to...

Lieutenant Gar oversaw his small Tricorn company as they tended to their weapons and a large pile of cudgels. They chatted among themselves, quiet but with humor. Above them a stained-glass mural depicted the heroics of the town’s namesake, Galister. Blood flowed...

Bog-skulks, as expected, came from bogs. Such places, swamps and other inhospitable environments, produced many of the most fearsome of lurkers. Stories of such things stretched back to the beginning of oral history. An ancient king, before Loiys and the boom of...