Ander - Chapter 7, Subchapter 27
27 Kiana didn't look it, but she was reeling on the inside. Too much had happened in too short a time. The horror in the pass, Banno, Shekka, Hezzi... each one was enough to shatter her heart all by themselves and leave her a blubbering infirm, but...
Ander - Chapter 7, Subchapter 26
26 She didn't think it would be this hard. The pathway stretched before her, bordered on both sides by rows of tents, turning it into an endless hallway. The ceiling was a black, starless sky and the walls were broken by innumerable gaps and...
Ander - Chapter 7, Subchapter 25
25 "Kiana!" She jumped at the sound of her own name (all these 'jumps' couldn't possibly be good for her heart) and looked around. Mother was dabbing an alcohol-soaked ball of cotton against the forehead of a wincing Wolf with one hand while...
Ander - Chapter 7, Subchapter 24
24 The firewood was stacked so high in Kiana's arms that she had to lean to the side just to see where she was going. The splintery edges snagged at her dress and dug painfully into her aching arms, but she didn't mind. There was a lot of work to be...
Ander - Chapter 5, Subchapter 16
16 "You understand, Father?" Hezzi said, hoping to catch a glimpse of the Cora through a gap in the clouds. "Lana is chained to Danado, and Danado is chained to that tent. They can't come." If anything, the clouds were getting even thicker now, the...
Ander - Chapter 5, Subchapter 15
15 A single tear ran down Hezzi's cheek, amplifying the already cold breeze into a freezing line against his face. He would allow himself one tear, but no more. One was enough to show his grief, but any more than that would only make Father sad. He...
Ander - Chapter 5, Subchapter 14
14 "Hoooo boy," Kiana panted, wondering why Ander had decided to have his home built all the way up here, of all places. Sure, it was nice and private, but the long walks up and down were killing her, and the overstuffed basket banging against her...
Ander - Chapter 5, Subchapter 13
13 The clouds were still building, but the wind was starting to die down and the shadowy branches of the oak were slowing to a gentle sway. They had made small talk in that tiny room for a while longer, not really saying anything until it was time to...
Ander - Chapter 5, Subchapter 12
12 "My word, you are quite a big one, aren't you?" Michael said, standing next to his wife. "I'd offer to shake your hand, but from the looks of things I'd either end up breaking your fingers, or you'd end up breaking mine. Ha ha!" "Um..." Ander...
Ander - Chapter 5, Subchapter 11
11 "Oh dear... Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear..." she said, looking him up and down, her face rapidly switching between uncontrollable joy and crushing sadness. "It's not as bad as it looks," Ander said, all too aware of the miles of white bandages...
Ander - Chapter 5, Subchapter 10
10 Ander held the knife in his hands and slowly ran the blade across his thumb. It was sharp. Very sharp. The perfect tool for the job. Only... he never thought the job would be so unpleasant. This had never happened to him before. It was supposed to...
Ander - Chapter 5, Subchapter 9
9 Out in the middle of the night, walking the streets with a thick winter hood over her head and a lantern dangling from her hand she felt absurdly like a prowler in the moonlight. Even though she'd walked this very road hundreds of times during the...