Author: JS Groves
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Chapter Fifty-One – In which Derrek recalls a vision
I severed the connection, and the tent went dark. Outside, the fire had been extinguished, and whatever moon and stars hung above us did not cast enough light to penetrate the canvas. I could not even see Khanaarre’s silhouette. “Fuck,” she said. “Yeah,” I said. I waited for her to ask what seemed like the Read more
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Chapter Fifty – In which Khanaarre and Derrek are reunited with their companions
In the morning, Derrek Rowan flew us up the tunnel we’d bored through solid rock. The spell he used was simple enough – two words of the celestial tongue, and the blood it took to fuel them – and he taught it to me in the process of performing it. I looked forward to trying Read more
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Chapter Forty-Nine – In which Derrek falls from a very great height
I should have seen it coming. Not the kick, per se, and certainly not Khanaarre’s attempted intervention, but my death-sentence. We had resisted the will of the Prince of the White Steppes, used his honor and pride against him. He could not retaliate against Elana, who he had acknowledged as his equal, or against Rennin, Read more
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Chapter Forty-Eight – In which Khanaarre looks over the edge of the world
Trade talks took up the last few weeks of winter: Elana and Rennin locked in an assortment of offices with various combinations of the Prince of the White Steppes, the archons of Ghol Vidar, and a laundry list of local commercial interests. Although I had no standing to negotiate for my people, I was invited Read more
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Chapter Forty-Seven – In which Derrek suffers a pyrrhic victory
I could not, in all courtesy, take my eyes off the Prince of the White Steppes, but I would have given much to see the look on Prince Elana’s face when our host gave the full name of the Storm. Tal Thannuu was known in the south as the Demon God, ever at odds with Read more
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Chapter Forty-Six – In which Khanaarre feels very alone, and the party at last meets the Prince of the White Steppes
And so we settled in, enjoying the hospitality of Vol Mak Khan while we awaited the pleasure of the archons and the Prince of the White Steppes. After so many weeks rushing from one city-state to the next, our eyes always on the horizon for signs of another wyvern attack or oncoming storm, the enforced Read more
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Chapter Forty-Five – In which Derrek is reunited with his mothers
To say that I did not expect to see my mothers in the house of Vol Mak Khan was an understatement so vast that even I would not have found it funny. Our host, however, clearly had expected them, for they and their cook laid out a feast more than generous enough to provide for Read more
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Chapter Forty-Four – In which Khanaarre is welcomed by the archons of Ghol Vidar
The formal dining hall to which we were led was only a little larger than Ignmatmar’s breakfast room had been. A fire burned on one long wall, a scenic tapestry depicting the valley below hung on the wall opposite, flanked by banners in the blue and white colors of the house. The foot of the Read more
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Chapter Forty-Three – In which Derrek and the party settle in to Ghol Vidar
The three green-liveried rhu xian made themselves comfortable in the sitting room, taking a tea table by the massive glass window overlooking the city and the valley. I made myself comfortable on a cushion in the corner, out of everyone’s way but where I could look out the window. I had been a child the Read more
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Chapter Forty-Two – In which Khanaarre recovers from her injuries
The wyvern’s venomous spray was, by far, the worst physical pain that I ever experienced in my life. I slept almost all the first day, waking only long enough to drink a thin broth provided by the cyclops healer, Xijuma. The first time I woke, Rennin held me up while Elana fed me by hand. Read more