For the royal family, not even a meal could be handled simply. There were no witnesses to judge them but the family still sat at a dining table with twelve seats. A pristine white tablecloth covered the elegant table, it’s ends nearly covering its long legs like a modest woman’s skirts. There were two flower arrangements despite the coming frost, each vibrant petal expertly selected by the ...
2022-08-24 19:17:47 +0000 UTC View PostThe door being thrown open distracted the queen from her contemplations. A young girl with strawberry pink hair and a bright yellow dress dashed into the room with a squeal, her face split by a wide, excited grin. Following behind her was a woman who wore an exhausted scowl and servant’s dress, her thinning gray hair done up in a severe bun.
“Mommy!”
A reflexive smile lit the ...
2022-08-22 21:41:33 +0000 UTC View PostAngelleen Tulopia-Harvest, queen of Harvest, stared at her reflection with a frown. A hand carefully prodded her face, tracing deep-seated wrinkles and pressing down in places where her skin sagged. She had moved past the stage of lamenting her lost youth, and all the opportunities gone with it, but she wasn’t strong enough not to think of it. Not to dwell on it at the end of every day. Not t...
2022-08-22 21:41:26 +0000 UTC View Post“Did you say the Bleak Peaks?” Sebastian asked slowly rising from his chair, tone cold enough to freeze blood. He scowled as Sir Quintana nodded. “Have you lost your mind, Reis?”
“I haven’t. Are we not having problems now because of our soldiers’ lack of experience? If you want Robert to grow into the next Harvest Hero, he needs a fight and an attitude adjustment. Soldiers a...
2022-08-17 22:43:20 +0000 UTC View PostA young man entered the room. His hair was not quite the white of the royal family, more of a bright silver, too bright to be mistaken for a sign of premature aging and just as eye-catching. His light skin was tanned from many hours training under a strong sun, taking advantage of the powerful physique inherited from his father. His light brown eyes swept the room before he bowed to his father....
2022-08-16 02:37:39 +0000 UTC View PostEdward stepped over to a drinks tray seated at the edge of the king’s desk. He poured two glasses of water, handing them to the two men. Sir Quintana gulped his down and passed the glass back to the servant. There was no point in dragging the conversation out.
“I successfully met with Kierra Atainna and delivered the package.”
“…from your expression, I assume she didn’t ...
2022-08-16 02:37:35 +0000 UTC View PostSir Quintana gazed on the Summer Palace with a mixture of relief and wonder. The modest house he grew up in held fond memories but he was too eager to escape the struggles of peasantry to ever consider it his home. The first year after he joined the royal army, he shared a room in the barracks with the other three members of his squad during training. Afterwards, his missions kept him on the mo...
2022-08-16 02:37:32 +0000 UTC View Post“You’re forgetting something,” Gordon said, still being manipulated by the thrall beside him.
“Hm?”
“The king found out about your plans. Either someone was an idiot or you’ve got a traitor in your midst.” Invisible hands pulled his lips into a cocky smile. “My family has a reputation for recklessly invading people’s minds. You want me to hunt down this weasel....
2022-08-12 21:06:42 +0000 UTC View Post“You’re insane,” Gordon snapped. He would have continued to berate the older man but the door was thrown open.
Three men entered the room. Two of them were strangers but he recognized the third as another member of the Tome family. Lou’s father, Luke Tome. Like his brother, he had changed in the intervening months since their last meeting. The physical changes were minor, the wrin...
2022-08-10 20:51:35 +0000 UTC View PostThree hours later, the two of them drove away from the brothel. Gordon was tense, sweaty, and painfully aroused with no relief in sight. Across from him, Fen languished on the bench looking satisfied with herself. Something he found interesting see as that virtue, Benedial, had practically used her like a toy.
“She is a virtue. It is ingrained within our very being to submit to stronger...
2022-08-08 22:02:36 +0000 UTC View PostGordon stared in disbelief as the two creatures laughed while discussing the future of all humanity. He knew their flippant tones were an act, another way to torture him, but underneath their tittering and giggles was a cold apathy and a sick amusement at the thought of helpless people pulled along by the currents of fate.
“What’s the matter, Junior?” Fen cooed. “You look pale.”...
2022-08-08 22:02:33 +0000 UTC View PostGordon found himself staring out the window, curious to see the thrall’s next source of information. He was surprised that they moved further and further away from the center of the city. The opulent manors were replaced by the two-story homes owned by more successful craftsmen and eventually by the run-down huts common to most peasant families. If it were anyone else, he’d question what in...
2022-08-06 00:08:09 +0000 UTC View PostWith winter fast approaching, the streets of the capital were empty, most of the peasants occupied with preparing for the cold and the nobles of the city reluctant to venture out in the unpleasant weather. It made for smooth travel. Gordon didn’t know if he was happy for the lack of delays. On one hand, the faster he finished whatever tasks Fen wanted done, the faster he could get back to sle...
2022-08-06 00:08:06 +0000 UTC View PostGordon Mason, formerly Gordon Grimoire Jr., wore a tight grimace as he allowed Fen to dress him. Though allowed was a strong word. Like everything else in his life, he had no control over the event. No matter how he felt about the wardrobe choices made for him by his previous servant, he could do nothing to change them. Resistance only led to punishment.
Not for the first time, he wondere...
2022-08-03 21:08:01 +0000 UTC View PostMuch had changed following the death of Gordon Grimoire Sr. The largest change of course being the change of the family’s name from Grimoire to Mason. Amongst the highborn, titles and names were sacred. They held a power of their own. Changing one, especially one as well-known as the Grimoires, was unheard of.
Her summoner had made an emotional speech about distancing himself from his ...
2022-08-01 22:37:14 +0000 UTC View PostFendelheim loved being contracted to human summoners. They were full of desires and pursued them by any means. It was rare to find a species with so little regard for their fellows or themselves. A wolf would kill another wolf for territory, mates, or food. A human would kill another human for looking at them the wrong way. Or for laughs.
They’d do the most horrible things imaginable to...
2022-08-01 22:37:05 +0000 UTC View PostRobert couldn’t sleep.
It wasn’t a condition that particularly bothered him as for the last few weeks, sleep wasn’t an enjoyable activity. Rarely did he go a night without nightmares. If it wasn’t his dead friend asking why Robert hadn’t saved him while trying to stuff pieces of his brain back through the hole in his head, it was about that damn woman, morphed into all manner of...
2022-07-29 22:57:14 +0000 UTC View Post“Going somewhere?” one of the acolytes serving as a doorman for the Gold Dorm asked as a young woman exited the building. Truly, he had no authority to ask the question but given the late hour, he couldn’t resist. Sneaking off in the dead of night screamed that the girl was bound for trouble and he thought he should at least attempt to head her off. Maybe offer his assistance. It never hu...
2022-07-29 22:57:10 +0000 UTC View PostSir Quintana, sans armor, smoothed down the front of his shirt, and tried to force the frown from his face. It had been a long day, to put it lightly. Normally, he didn’t mind travel but the king had asked for haste. That meant taking the fevids and he hadn’t had time to arrange a driver who could handle the beasts, forcing him onto the driver’s bench. He made good time but in return, he ...
2022-07-27 22:06:00 +0000 UTC View PostThe steward led them through the kitchen to the hall containing the servants’ rooms and out the back door, leading to another garden. Not far from the door stood a long table though it was missing place settings and chairs. A glass vase that contained a dozen pink flowers sat in the center, the few petals scattered over the white tablecloth an unexpected glimpse of beauty that eased some of O...
2022-07-22 23:18:37 +0000 UTC View PostThe manors within the residential district of the Grand Hall would be impressive to anyone but true nobility. When most peasants squeezed entire families into homes with one room, two-stories and an expansive garden seemed opulent. Being set far from the road gave the illusion of privacy, mimicking the isolated estates of nobles, despite the manors lacking the individuality of a personal home.<...
2022-07-22 23:18:35 +0000 UTC View PostDismissed from the grandmaster’s office, Orphelia joined Cecile and Lanston in the hall. Both were absorbed with reading their respective letters, paying no mind to her. Not wanting to risk the chance of the enchantment on the exit smiting her if she tried to leave, Orphelia leaned against a wall and opened her own letter. Predictably, it was written by her father and he was not happy.
...
2022-07-20 19:43:05 +0000 UTC View PostSir Quintana watched his apprentice for several moments before letting out a deep sigh. “I understand. You want to be an honorable man. You want to be merciful. That caused you to stay your hand.” He straightened off the desk, stepping forward and towering over the seated young man. “But honor and mercy are luxuries reserved for the strong. You cannot be a hero if you’re dead, Bobby. 2022-07-18 23:05:56 +0000 UTC View Post
Robert stiffened as his mentor’s gaze fell on him. He didn’t know what expression he was making but it made the older man sigh. The knight straightened up and grabbed the chair behind the desk, setting it in the center of the room. He waved for Robert to sit. “I’m sorry you had to see that. It was unbecoming behavior for a knight.”
“You…must have had your reasons,” Robert ...
2022-07-18 23:05:53 +0000 UTC View PostRobert didn’t know what he expected. A part of him realized they were somewhere important given the location of the room, at the top of the Center Hall and behind a door with the most sophisticated enchantment he’d ever seen. However, he couldn’t imagine that he would be coming face to face with the Harvest Hero himself.
He had seen Dunwayne once. His mentor had taken him along to a...
2022-07-15 23:50:50 +0000 UTC View PostDespite the early hour, the Center Hall was a hub of activity. Robert observed the endless flow of casters entering and leaving the building as his thoughts wandered. With the completion of the qualifiers, he would be promoted to an acolyte. That meant no more mandatory classes.
Each of the students would take control of their own futures, selecting what to attend from a list of free clas...
2022-07-15 23:50:46 +0000 UTC View PostMost of the Gold Dorm remained asleep at the early hour but the servants were already busy. They bowed their heads as Orphelia passed. They didn’t know her but it was assumed she held a higher status than them. The Hall may preach all to be equal on the road to magical excellence but good intentions couldn’t change reality. Nobles had noble wealth. They expected better and could afford it, ...
2022-07-13 20:28:12 +0000 UTC View PostThe carriage came to a stop. Geneva disembarked and held out a hand. Orphelia reluctantly allowed the succubus to help her to the ground and looked around. She recognized the Grand Market. At the early hour, the roads were empty and the shops were closed, the buildings quiet shadows of their usual selves without the boisterous advertising trying to entice people into their shops and the inactiv...
2022-07-11 21:35:22 +0000 UTC View PostThe biting wind that blew through the Grand Hall whispered that winter was closing in. The robes favored by the residents of the Hall were supplemented with heavy cloaks lined with fur or thick underclothes, but even the extra layers couldn’t keep the casters warm without the presence of the sun, something Orphelia could attest to.
Orphelia Yemen stood outside the Gold Dorm in the pre-d...
2022-07-11 21:35:17 +0000 UTC View PostAlana trembles as I guide her upstairs. Normally, she’d already have pulled her hand out of mine, railed at me for being a pervert, and stomped around the house until she found an empty guest room. I guess she is feeling a little raw after her confession. That, and she’s been a little glassy-eyed after the cake Geneva served for dessert. I swear, if I hadn’t directly ordered her against i...
2022-07-06 22:12:33 +0000 UTC View Post