Author: JS Groves

We rode our stolen horses hard. It was still eight days from the Vencari border to Liddarn, where the court-in-exile lay waiting for us. It had been a year since I’d ridden a horse. Every part of me hurt by the time we arrived, and my thighs hurt like fire. We all hurt. We were… Read more

We stayed three nights in Khanaarre’s family home. I was never certain whether they approved least of me, of her lying to the prince, or the prince’s lack of sympathy regarding either of those first two points. In the end, Khiilitir came back with a fresh-killed deer just in time to see us off with… Read more

When Derrek and I emerged in the morning, dressed in sao`ashan garb for the sake of wearing something clean, Volalli and Khiilitir were already giving Elana and Rennin a tour of the grounds. Crossing the rope bridge to the home-tree, we found Maosee and Nallaro lingering over their own breakfast of tea and scones, with… Read more

I hadn’t meant it to be a speech, but it had turned out that way. Stunned silence followed in my wake. I glanced toward Khanaarre with a small smile, poured myself another cup of wine, then turned my blandest possible gaze on Elana. The prince endured my undivided attention for less than a minute before… Read more

Altogether, we spent five days in Nagaan. It was not nearly enough rest after almost a month in the mountains. Despite daily baths, it felt like it took the whole of that time to wash all the ground-in dirt off our bodies. We had to burn much of what we’d worn, and replace it with… Read more

Our morale waned after the ogre encounter. None of us, except possibly Rennin, had actually wanted to fight. The diplomats’ tongues spell had worked too slowly, and the language barrier had made it all but inevitable – though, given my own speculation, perhaps I should have anticipated that they would respond to the giant’s tongue… Read more

“The elf.” The words echoed in my mind every hour of every day. There was a part of me that was infuriated at being reduced to my species and grammatical gender – not the elf wizard, or even the elf woman, just … “the elf”. Most of me, though, was terrified. Aemillian Solirius, Usurper of… Read more

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

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