Styles and Attitudes
Part one _(In which a client avails himself of Temple's best-trained rebel, and is quite impressed with his submission.)_ Ten Proudarm's fingers thumped on his keyboard. Exhaustion made him impatient, and in a hurry to end this day. His large...
An Obedient Fall 2
Insistent knocks resound against the thin wooden door, way louder than they need to be. My eyes burn a bit when I slowly blink. I don't move without permission, nor speak. The night hasn't exactly been restful, but I'm used to that permanent feeling of...
A Lesson in Need
Under the earth, in an abandoned cave of damp concrete, a single spot of bluish light pierced the darkness. It lit up a sleeping muzzle --sleeping, but not restful. The rust-colored face of the wolf twitched and leaned away in reaction to the glow. His...
A Silvergate story (Chapter 9/11) - Belonging
I allowed events to unfold. I had to act as if I knew nothing of the assassin. I decided to make that the policy in my mind as well. It granted me a special satisfaction to watch Red dive me while lunging with his staff. I repressed my laughter. Didn't...
A Silvergate story (Chapter 8/11) - Truce
I woke up with the Manachar account over my face. I put it aside. It pulled my owner away from his slumber as well. I was lying halfway over him. One of his black scaly arms held my waist. I pushed it away. I pushed the blankets away. I pushed away...
A Silvergate story (Chapter 5/11) - Silvergate
The atmosphere within the Quiet Palace changed at the onset of the third day. Most of the barbarians had their orders. The Northwestern army disappeared to rebuild the fortifications or patrol the streets, and their chiefs with them. The Quiet Palace...
Two for one
-- The governor is irritated at me and, frankly, I can't blame him. Merron appeared rather displeased himself. The panther stared with his black arms crossed over his red linen tunic, but not for long. The Bonehead chief gestured emphatically when he...
A Silvergate story (Chapter 6/11) - Choices
I emerged from the lukewarm liquid. I rubbed the bar of animal fat soap in the fur of my right arm, just as I'd done for my left arm and my chest. The bath was a good distraction; it prevented me from thinking about the Silvergate too much. It'd been...
A Silvergate story (Chapter 7/11) - Everyday
In the center of the palace courtyard, at the base of the stairs, a disused fountain dreamt of former glories. The Fair King had never liked it; it was too wasteful for his tastes. There was no nearby source of water to supply it, so a complex system...
A Silvergate story (Chapter 10/11) - Drowned
-- Here he comes. Meleth nudged my hip with his elbow, and I stood to attention. The living relic advanced at a slow, crumbling pace. Every five minutes or so, a cloud would grant us a few moments of shade. The rest of the time, I had to endure the...
Iron Moon
The moon rose proud among the low, mist-like clouds floating ominously over the somber, strong trees of the ancestral forest. It bloodied the horizon in a potent forewarning of the events to come. The ancients called this special autumn evening the...
A Silvergate story (Chapter 3/11) - Kingdom
Morning came as a surprise. So strong was my impression of impending apocalypse that I hadn't imagined daytime would ever return, but it did. I first heard the sound of chains, but it barely entered my consciousness until I felt myself being lowered....