Tag: Fantasy
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Market Day
Shara peered through the nearest window as she worked the complicated controls. Jumping onto the long crank shaft to add her full weight to the effort, she grumbled under her breath. The thing creaked louder than a banshee shriek, and moved about as fast as old Piet dozing in his armchair. She heaved a sigh…
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The Glass House
It was a house like every other. Brick walls, stone trimmings, wooden doors, and shingles roof. At least, that what everyone saw during the day. A nice, ordinary dwelling, if a little old-fashioned and pretentious. The moon told a different story. Bricks and boards gleamed, reflecting the soft rays with a greenish light that could…
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Water of Life
Hera’s hands rested on her trembling knees, breath coming in deep gasps. The bowl perched on a rock nearby, but her head swam, threatening to make her black out. She knew why the Wise Ones required this journey. She did know. But the sick trying to force its way up her throat questioned. The bowl…
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Frost
There were lights in the mist. I glanced at the sun overhead as if to reassure myself that it was in fact daylight, that the glare that squinted my eyelids reflected from the snow. Surely that’s all it was, my eyes playing tricks. It was just bright spots under the trees where the light made…
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Quest
The street was empty, oddly so. That squirmy feeling was back between my shoulder blades, and I scowled at the too bright clouds overhead. Why on earth had Lakra sent me here? Cryptic to a fault, that one. Trustworthy? I still wasn’t sure. I knocked on the wooden door set deep in the stone, my…
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White
She stopped just below the rise, nervously adjusting her shield. The bridge of her nose was starting to hurt; whiteout suits weren’t designed to be worn more than a few hours. How many days ago had she left the Dome? Did days even exist out here? She sighed and watched a flock of frostlings whirl…
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The Gorge
The bridge had stood for a thousand years, Pere Aule taught in Remembrance. Shuri believed it, but cared little. The gorge, carved deeply into the mountain that towered over Vale, called to her with the voice of the Elementals. Pera Leilin urged in Admonitions that the gorge was forbidden, that the wars that destroyed the…
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Fire
He could see Liam on the opposite bank, pole in the water, as usual. His brother was never happier than when he was fishing or gardening or puttering with some household task. Like their father, he was, quiet and naturally content. If he had his way, he would never leave home; even trips to town…
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Footprints
The old ones called these valleys the footprints of the gods. Impossibly pressed between rocky conifer peaks, the rich dark soil harbored fertile fields and close-knit villages. The only paths in led through crevices and over streams accessible only by foot, cutting us off from all but the most adventurous outsiders. Few even of those…
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Spirit of the Tiger
“Tenzin! Tenzin!” Dorji’s sandals slapped the floor of the quiet chamber as he nearly careened into his teacher. “You must come quickly! The cave!” He clung to the old man’s robes, panting wildly. “Calm yourself, boy!” Tenzin surveyed the young acolyte with a mildly disapproving frown. “What has happened?” “I wanted to pray where the…
The Word Worker 