Ander - Part 5: Subchapter 69
69 Luke jerked awake, completely smothered in darkness. He covered his mouth and nose, not wanting his panicked breathing to wake his siblings. Perhaps sensing their big brother's distress, Valery nuzzled against him, moaning softly in her sleep, and...
Ander - Part 5: Subchapter 68
68 There was no light save for the pale glow of the moon. No flicker of orange flames shining through the gaps in the trees, no beacon to guide him. He was sure they would have made a fire by now, but there was nothing, only emptiness. All the colour...
Ander - Part 5: Subchapter 58
58 James knew he had been a fool the moment he saw Luke rise up with that axe in hand, and he knew the time for talk (if there ever really was such a thing) was over the moment Banno grabbed his son by the throat. He wasn't there to protect Emily...
Ander - Part 5: Subchapter 47
47 - midnight. Renna pulled her head back inside the tent, more frightened than she has ever been in her entire life. Nilia had told her to be ready to go when the moon reached its highest point, but she didn't know if she'd be able to. She hugged...
Ander - Part 5: Subchapter 75
75 There was a giant pit dug at the base of the Cora statue, at least two Wolves wide; a gaping, crumbling hole. There were wooden stakes planted all around the edge, anchoring dozens of chains that fed into the shadowy depths like spokes on a...
Ander - Part 5: Subchapter 74
74 It was the longest, most tiring journey of his life. The sun had already started to crest the mountain by the time they finally made it back home. The gate swung open with a groan, scraping the ground clear of snow. It made a shape like a pair of...
Ander - Part 5: Subchapter 81
81 Nilia's muscles ached and her lungs burned with every inhale. She was cold and tired, but the weight on her back was a constant reminder not to slow down. She could feel his blood running down her spine, the smell of it so thick and cloying she...
Ander - Part 5: Subchapter 73
73 Everything was painful. His head, his jaw, the fingers on his right hand, but worst of all was his chest. There was something hard and heavy pressing against it, holding him down. Every time he tried to breathe, it stung him like a giant thorn. It...
Ander - Part 5: Subchapter 70
70 Banno stuck his hand into the snow and swept it aside, hating the feel of it against his burned palm, all slick and cold. Even the noise it made as it fell to the ground annoyed him, so muffled and soft, as if the nothingness had gotten into sound...
Ander - Part 5: Subchapter 77
77 He looked at her hand for a very, very long time. They had dropped her in a ditch overgrown with bushes, and her hand was sticking out of the brambles, as if asking a kindly passer-by to help her back up. Dorin was afraid of what he would find if...
Ander - Part 5: Subchapter 76
76 "Shekka, you're a real mess, and I say that with love." "Go to hell, Wardo." "From the looks of things, you beat me to it." She brandished a bloody piece of broken arrow at his face, but she was off by about three feet. Her eyes had faded to the...
Ander - Part 5: Subchapter 62
62 The rocks were slippery beneath his bare feet, constantly shifting over each other as if consciously trying to trip him up. They pushed painfully against his soles with every step, but he had no idea how long the feeling in his feet would last with...