They climbed out of the car onto the dusty hilltop. Karlien rushed over to the information sign, trying to find out who Danie Theron was, since this forlorn and abandoned monument was erected in his honour. Darren joined her in a lazier pace, and for a moment there was silence as they read the short history lesson. "I still don't know who he was," Darren st...
Chapter Ninety-One: Ascent For the next several days, we relaxed in between going to meetings with Sereda. She had already made sweeping changes, instituting a new 'military' caste that took anyone who could fight regardless of previous caste (or lack thereof). She had the recruits, mostly former casteless, training under the supervision of a few open-mind...
I rose and wiped the blood from my mouth. I looked down at the young girl, snoring peacefully on the ground. No, I thought, she'll be fine. Probably just wake up with a bad headache. I feel better, though. Fuller. With blood in my veins and belly, my primal need has been satisfied. For now. I disappear into the night; it is almost morning. I awake later in...
Prologue The Reverend Jackson Wilde had been shot in the head, heart and testicles. Right off, Cyrus figured that that was a significant clue. Whoever wanted the Reverend dead certainly did not stop at just emasculating him: Blood was splattered all over the sink and cabinets; collecting in a pool of blood underneath the body. It was messy, but Cyrus figu...
Chapter Nine: Earning Trust I woke several hours later, Tomas still awake and still holding me. Dawn had just begun, and the sky was beautiful in pinks and oranges. "No sleep again? You be careful, ser, or I will start shouting at you in front of the entire group." He smirked. I kissed his cheek again, impulsively. "You'd have made a wonderful father, j...
Have you ever been completely captured within your own fantasy? No matter how hard you try to get it to go away, you can't, you think about it constantly, it invades your every thought when you're awake and when you're asleep. I have had that problem, and no matter how hard I shook my head the dream wouldn't leave. I knew how to get it to go away, and that w...
Chapter Twenty-One: Testing I ate lunch anxiously, trying to determine how to ask the mage what I wanted to know without totally giving myself away. Also, I wondered if I should invite Alistair to the meeting. Deciding that it would be useful to have an 'almost' templar to blame questions on, I motioned to Alistair to follow me after the meal. He gave me a...
Chapter Twelve: And if I die before I wake... When I awoke, it was bright out. I was lying in a field, my overly full pockets bruising me. I heard a shout, and then the pounding of several pairs of feet running. The sun was in my eyes, and when someone's head suddenly blocked the glare I was left temporarily blind. I heard my name being called by a voice I...
Chapter Fifteen: Small Pleasures in Dark Times Once I scrubbed and washed, I dressed with my usual clothes underneath the dress, and opened the door to find the same servant standing outside. She looked surprised to see me, and I started to wonder if she had expected to be required to help me dress. She covered her surprise with an offer to do my hair, whi...
Chapter One Hundred One: Accusation and Explanation *Trigger Warnings: Mentions of all of the Very Bad Things you fear would happen in a medieval dungeon. No detailed descriptions.* Once all of our companions – except Wynne, Aedan, and Duncan, for obvious reasons – were there, Alistair stood. He rubbed at his neck the way Theron always did, and I saw Anor...