Ash and Song Chapter One
The first time Toryn heard the music, he thought he was dying. It came through the trees like a dream. He had been walking for hours—no, more like staggering. The forest around him blurred into streaks of green...
The Winter Garden Chapter Two
The mountains rose for another two days before Roland finally saw it. At first he mistook it for another snow-covered peak. Then the morning mist shifted. His breath caught. Frostspire. It was unlike anything he had...
The Winter Garden Chapter One
The bells of Dyrestone did not ring for victory. They rang for surrender. Their mournful voices rolled across the valley like a funeral hymn, carrying over stone walls and autumn fields until they reached the army camped beyond the river. Tens of...
Ash and Song Chapter Nine
“T- Toryn," Cassius stammered Still shy and very clearly overwhlmed. "I don’t- I mean, I- I've never-" "Shh." Toryn's thumb brushed the curve of Cass's cheekbone. "I know." He had suspected, of course. Cass's reactions to...
Ash and Song Chapter Two
Toryn rose, careful not to move too quickly. His tail shifted behind him, betraying his eagerness . He followed Cass to the door. He ducked instinctively beneath the frame, careful not to bump his...
Ash and Song Chapter Ten
The fire burned lower, settling into a bed of glowing embers that painted the cottage in soft amber and gold. Cass remained tucked comfortably against Toryn's chest beneath the blanket, one hand still resting atop the Dragonborn's...
The Winter Garden Chapter Three
The conservatory seemed to grow quieter. The songs of the birds faded into the distance. The gentle murmur of fountains became little more than a whisper. Soon there remained only the soft rustle of leaves and the warm scent of...
Ash and Song Chapter Six
The forge ran late into the evening. By the time Toryn finally left, dusk had settled fully across Grovehollow, cool blue shadows stretching between buildings while lanterns flickered warmly to life along...
Ash and Song Chapter Five
**Cassius** Morning came gently to Grovehollow. Soft light filtered through the small window of Cass’s bedroom, pale gold and quiet, accompanied by the distant sounds of the waking village—roosters calling, wagon wheels creaking...
Ash and Song Chapter Eight
Toryn forgot every word he had ever learned. The river kept moving softly. A bird called somewhere distant in the trees. Cass, meanwhile, looked increasingly embarrassed by the silence. “You do not have to,” he...
Ash and Song Chapter Four
The small cottage came into full view now, smoke curling faintly from the chimney, the garden fragrant with herbs. Cass slowed, turning to Toryn with that soft, careful expression that never failed to unsettle him. “You’ve walked quite a bit,”...
Ash and Song Chapter Seven
The days that followed settled into something soft. Not courtship. Not quite friendship anymore either. Something quieter. Something growing carefully between them in the spaces neither man quite knew how to...