A shrill scream cut through the air as the doors to the central room were pushed open. Four men carried in an improvised stretcher on which lay a body soaked in blood.
"Rockfall!" shouted one of the porters. "The supports have given way!"
Master Wilford was immediately on the move. "In the middle! Claire, Manwise – assist me! Valentina, you too."
The central treatment room w...
2025-05-13 17:12:01 +0000 UTC View PostVyxara's voice woke Valentina before dawn, and Valentina was glad of it – she certainly didn't want to be late today
"There's no need to be nervous, little Weaver," Vyxara's voice sounded amused in her head. "Trust me, unlike the court, you'll be right in your element there among the scholarly Essence Weavers."
"I'm still a little nervous," Valentina admitted in ...
2025-05-11 17:12:01 +0000 UTC View PostAn icy silence fell over the table. The duke gave his daughter a scathing look, while the duchess drew in a sharp breath.
"Hazel!" The duchess's voice was cutting. "This is absolutely unacceptable."
Valentina could feel her cheeks burning, but she forced herself to remain calm and not lower her gaze.
"Oh, the little beast has claws," Vyxara commented with amusement. <...
2025-05-08 17:12:01 +0000 UTC View PostChamberlain Morris was already waiting for Valentina just outside the duke's study.
"If you will follow me, my lady." His measured steps led her first to a wide marble staircase. "The palace was built over several generations of Greystones. Each duke added his own wing, resulting in a fascinating mix of architectural styles. The remaining remnants of the original building are still in the...
2025-05-06 17:12:01 +0000 UTC View PostValentina blinked in confusion as she woke up. For a moment, she couldn't place where she was – the four-poster bed was too soft, the room too big, the air too sweet with the scent of roses.
"The duke’s palace," Vyxara purred in her head. "You'll get used to it."
Before Valentina could answer, there was a soft knock at the door. Jenny, her new maid, entered, al...
2025-05-04 17:12:01 +0000 UTC View PostValentina leaned forward to peer through the curtains. Through the grey haze, she saw only shadows at first, but then the fog lifted a little, revealing a view of Dusktown.
The town stretched over several gentle hills, its grey stone buildings rising in steps from the valley. The permanent haze that hung over the town – a mixture of coastal fog drifting in from the coast not too far awa...
2025-05-01 17:12:01 +0000 UTC View PostThe wheels of the wagon crunched on the dusty road as they left the last houses of Palewood behind them. Valentina turned around in her seat to catch one last glimpse of her home village. The familiar thatched roofs grew smaller and smaller until they finally disappeared around a bend.
"Don't twist your neck," Vyxara mocked in her head. "This miserable pile of huts has never ...
2025-04-29 17:12:01 +0000 UTC View PostValentina lay awake in bed, unable to delay the moment she both longed for and dreaded. Dawn was already creeping in. In a few hours, the Duke's carriage would pick her up.
"You're nervous, little Weaver," Vyxara stated softly.
"A little," Valentina admitted in her thoughts. "What if I'm not ready? What if I make a complete fool of myself at the Duke's court?"
"Yo...
2025-04-27 17:12:01 +0000 UTC View PostOn one of the last afternoons she probably had left with her family, Valentina suggested a walk to her sister. "Let's go to the old pear tree," she said, "like we used to."
Adeline was beaming. She had been waiting patiently all week to have her big sister to herself. She had patiently kept all her burning questions to herself. Valentina – and Vyxara in particular –did notice that. Th...
2025-04-24 17:12:01 +0000 UTC View PostNetta made her way through the crowd, one hand placed protectively on her pregnant belly. In the morning light streaming through the narrow windows of the Flametower, Valentina could see the freckles on her former best friend's nose – just like when they used to run across the fields together and confide their most secret dreams to each other.
"What a contrast," said Vyxara.
The faint morning light gave a hint of the worn Sunday clothes that Valentina's mother had carefully laid out for her daughters. The kitchen was already bustling with activity. Her father had already taken care of the animals and Colm had been woken up first, as he took a particularly long time in the morning and didn't see the point in being quiet when he was thrown out of bed at the crack of ...
2025-04-20 17:12:01 +0000 UTC View Post"And what kind of pattern is that?" Adeline asked, pointing to the invisible lines Valentina was drawing in the air.
"That's a simple Leb pattern," Valentina explained patiently. "See how the lines intersect here? That creates a focal point for the Essence."
Adeline frowned intently and tried to imitate her sister's movements. Her hands moved uncertainly through the air. "I can't se...
2025-04-17 17:12:00 +0000 UTC View PostAfter breakfast, Valentina stepped out into the crisp morning with her father. The sun was still low and the dew glistened on the grass. A light haze hung over the fields, giving the landscape an almost surreal atmosphere.
"It's good to have you back," Aldwin said quietly as they walked side by side along the well-trodden dirt path. "We've missed you."
Valentina felt a lump in her t...
2025-04-15 17:12:01 +0000 UTC View PostValentina woke to the creaking of the wooden floorboards beneath the bare feet of her sisters, who were already getting ready. The mattress she had shared with Adeline when Cecily had lived here felt strangely familiar – softer than her hard bed in Bridgewater, but also more confining.
"Ah, back in the bosom of the family," Vyxara mocked in her head. "In the rather narrow b...
2025-04-13 17:12:01 +0000 UTC View PostAdeline tried to press Thomas' little face against her shoulder while she hid behind her father's broad back. The two-year-old was restless, whimpering softly and trying to squirm out of her embrace. She could feel his warm breath on her neck as he murmured "Val, Val" – his favorite word for weeks, ever since her big sister had sent the letter.
The wealthy yeoman Aldred Brentwood stood ...
2025-04-10 17:12:00 +0000 UTC View PostAs announced, here is the map of the Kingdom of Sommerland.
Dear patrons,
This is it – the first part of Valentina's journey has concluded, and with it, my very first novel-length story has been completed. Although for you, the journey will continue seamlessly with Book Two, titled "A Weave of Ambition," I'd like to take this moment for a little reflection.
"A Blossom of Flames" essentially combines two ideas I've been carrying around for ...
2025-04-09 12:12:01 +0000 UTC View PostThe Burning Quill was well attended that evening. Students were celebrating the end of exams, saying goodbye to friends or drowning their disappointment in ale and fire tongues. The smell of roasting meat and spicy sauce drifted from the kitchen into the bar.
Valentina, Innogen and Crispin had managed to get a quiet table in a corner. Wilbur, the innkeeper, had served them his best lamb c...
2025-04-08 17:12:00 +0000 UTC View PostValentina woke up long before sunrise. The pale light of dawn was only just creeping through her small window, but sleep was no longer an option. Her heart hammered against her ribs as she eagerly awaited the inevitable announcement of the exam results.
"Awake already?" Vyxara's amused voice echoed through her head. "You're almost as excited as before the Greystone Competitio...
2025-04-06 17:12:01 +0000 UTC View PostIn her small attic room, Valentina sat at her table and stared into a medicine book, reading the same paragraph for what must have been the third time. She let go of the book and began to rub her eyes hard.
The exhaustion of the day lay heavy on her limbs, and for the first time in hours she allowed herself to think of the doubts she had been pushing back all day.
"You're broodi...
2025-04-03 17:12:00 +0000 UTC View PostWhen Valentina woke up on the first morning of the exam week, still half asleep, her first instinct was to feel in her mind for Vyxara's familiar presence, for the demonic force that had so often paved the way for her in recent months.
"Ah, you're awake, little Weaver," Vyxara purred in her head. "Ready for the first test?"
"Yes," Valentina said quietly, sitting up...
2025-04-01 17:12:00 +0000 UTC View PostProfessor Horne's message was short and formal, written in his characteristically shaky handwriting: "I expect you in my office this evening at the eighth hour. The matter cannot be delayed."
"He'll want to... adjust his demands," Vyxara said thoughtfully. "Your new status changes the rules of the game."
"Maybe he just wants to congratulate me," Valentina mumbled w...
2025-03-30 17:12:00 +0000 UTC View PostWhen Valentina woke up the next morning, she blinked in the bright light and tried to block out the throbbing aftermath of yesterday's banquet.
"Good morning, little Weaver," Vyxara purred in her head. "How does the triumph feel today?"
"As if I've drunk too much of Duke Cosimo's expensive wine," Valentina mumbled and sat up carefully. Her head was pounding. Perhap...
2025-03-27 18:12:01 +0000 UTC View PostThe next pattern hovered between them, more labyrinthine still than the previous ones. Valentina noticed Faustus' hand twitch to a bulging, misshapen pouch on his belt – probably where he had hidden the Eye of Deceit.
"Here it comes," warned Vyxara. "Let's see how he likes our little surprise."
Faustus' eyes narrowed in concentration. His fingers moved in precise...
2025-03-25 18:12:01 +0000 UTC View PostThe morning of the competition, a beautiful spring morning, crept through Valentina's small window. She was already awake, staring at the ceiling and trying to get her pounding heartbeat under control.
"You're nervous, little Weaver," Vyxara's voice in her head sounded half sympathetic half amused.
"Scared to death would be more appropriate," Valentina mumbled. She sat up a...
2025-03-23 18:12:00 +0000 UTC View Post"...strange," she heard a voice through the wall. "The door to the main corridor felt different."
"What do you mean by that, Professor Veilford?"
Valentina's heart skipped a beat. Why hadn't her alarm pattern warned her? What was Professor Veilford doing here now, at this time of night? Veilford was a master of Essence manipulation. If he noticed her changes to the protection patter...
2025-03-20 18:12:00 +0000 UTC View Post"Four vials for basic stabilization," Valentina muttered, scribbling the number on her already overstuffed parchment. "Plus at least five for the more complex patterns..."
"Don't forget the emergency reserve," Vyxara admonished in her head. "You know how Faustus likes to play dirty tricks."
Valentina sighed and added more numbers to her list. The soft glow of the E...
2025-03-18 18:12:00 +0000 UTC View Post"STOP!" screamed Vyxara in her head. "The corrupt Essence – it's leaking through!"
Valentina saw it too. Fine black veins began to run through the ambient Essence of the room, like ink in clear water. The sweet, foul smell grew stronger.
"What should I do?" she whispered in a panic.
"Don't stop!" ordered Vyxara. "You have to control both proces...
2025-03-16 18:12:00 +0000 UTC View PostValentina sat in her usual corner of the library with a crumpled piece of parchment in front of her, going over her plan with Vyxara for the hundredth time.
"Let's go over everything again, little Weaver," Vyxara whispered in her head. "The messenger..."
"Hobkin's friend will break the news to Faustus tomorrow evening," Valentina murmured so quietly that no one cou...
2025-03-13 18:12:00 +0000 UTC View PostOn Friday evening, Valentina stood in front of her small mirror and stared at her reflection. The dark circles under her eyes seemed to have deepened even more and her skin looked pale in the flickering light of her little lamp. With a touch of Distilled Essence, she began to refresh her face, to give herself a little more color.
"So," Vyxara spoke up, "are you finally ready ...
2025-03-11 18:12:01 +0000 UTC View Post