Category: chapters

Whatever I had expected of the Draddial and the uurnigath, the reality was beyond anything that I had imagined. I had grown up on the border of the Wolfwood. My mother, Maosee, had had a handful of encounters with the Children of Enhyl over the years. Where the djuunan seemed to think of the uurnigath Read more

It was almost certainly not the same hut that I had been given when I first came to the Wolfwood – I remembered it as smaller, for one, though that might have just been perspective – but it was similar enough. Wooden construction, roughly circular, the dirt floor about fifteen feet across, with a south-facing Read more

“No,” said the dark and wizened Child of Enhyl. “The Prophet of Enhyl has foreseen your coming. We know who you bring with you, and the ambition you serve. The House Traianum oversaw generations of encroachment into our territories. We see no reason to believe that this scion of that House will be any different.” Read more

“I am the leader of this hunt,” said the woman who clearly led this small pack. “I will speak with you.” I lowered my arms and let the ward fall. It wasn’t my best work anyway, but hopefully it had been good enough to ensure that most of my wounds would close. I wanted to Read more

Derrek did not emerge from his tent until dawn. When he did, he looked somewhat worse for wear. He had bags under his eyes and his hands were shaking. Rennin and Orland took one look at him, exchanged a glance, and sighed. “I take it you’ve foreseen trouble,” said Rennin. Derrek nodded. “The movement in Read more

As we walked the river border west, looking for the ford I knew was there, somewhere, it was Elana Traiana who could not take her eyes off the Wolfwood. “This forest ate my father’s rule,” she said on the afternoon of the second day. “The settlers and loggers had not had his blessing to cross Read more

It was the latter weeks of spring by the time we set out from Liddarn again. Some of the delay was logistical. Sirs Rennin and Orland needed to be outfitted with lighter armor for a journey without horses, and which would likely run well into the heat of summer. Elana brought her own armor out Read more

As soon as the decision was made, I began gathering my strength. I knew that I would be able to part the Eastern Veil and bring us into the Holy Lands – this had all, after all, been inevitable, and I had divined much of the road ahead more than a decade ago – but Read more

Rrii`aa’s chambers were in a different corner of the complex than mine, adjacent to the other Sisters of Amalai, and near to the spaces that had been set up with altars to Amalai and the other divine children of Es, where we celebrated feast-days together, and other communal rituals. The Sisters of Amalai had not Read more

I had considered dressing in the loyalist fashion. When I saw the effect of my Obsidian Cabal regalia, though, I knew that I had made the right decision. Awe. Fear. Hope. “You certainly know how to make an entrance,” the prince murmured as I settled in beside her. I chuckled. “One does one’s best,” I Read more