The campfire dimmed, the snores of men could be heard from above where they slept in hammocks, but the rest of the world was silent. My body ached, the pain in my shin had dimmed to a dull throb and by all rights I should have fallen fast asleep. I lay there, under the blankets … Continue reading Chapter Five
Chapter Four
The Great Prince came to me in what felt like a dream. But it wasn't. My mind just couldn't comprehend the impossibilities happening around me. As I fell to the ground I felt myself slip through something like a thick web covered in mist. The wood looked the same but different. More vibrant, a strange … Continue reading Chapter Four
Chapter Three
Someone was whistling a merry tune. I opened my eyes and I was suddenly all too aware of where I was. In a tree. Deep in the forest. Alone. But who was whistling? I quietly switched my positioning in the tree branches so I was on my stomach, looking down onto the ground below. Alarm … Continue reading Chapter Three
Chapter Two
Gavin and I ran to the courtyard, seeing the flurry of activity, warriors astride their horses riding out through the gate to the village below, the screams of the villagers renting the air like the shrill cries of a banshee. The sound of it made my blood turn to ice. The air smelled like smoke, … Continue reading Chapter Two
Chapter One
“Why don’t I look like you?” It was my favorite question to ask my mother when I was a little girl. She would be brushing out her sleek dark hair. After I asked the question she would pause a moment and turn to regard me carefully with dark eyes that were a startling deep violet … Continue reading Chapter One
A Beginning Continued (part III of III)
A story that begins with a warrior, a princess and a witch and ends with a curse—the story of my beginning . . . My father was a great warrior. The eldest son born into a line of kings who made war their business. His destiny was laid out for him since before he took … Continue reading A Beginning Continued (part III of III)
A Beginning Continued (part II of III)
A small girl stands at the edge of a great forest with trees as black as the shadows that dance inside, just out of sight . . . I knew as my bare feet padded against the cool moss, and carpet of leaves that I was breaking a rule. But I couldn't keep myself from … Continue reading A Beginning Continued (part II of III)
A Beginning
A small girl stands at the edge of a great forest with trees as black as the shadows that dance inside, just out of sight. She is far too young to wander so near such a place alone, but here she is unafraid. Mostly. There is a little fear, but even that begins to fade … Continue reading A Beginning
Heavy Things
Her hair was wild, falling long over her shoulders and back. But her eyes were sad. A shadow graced the places just beneath them, long dark lashes contrasted with the vibrant color, reminding him of dew soaked meadows, of sunlight through leaves. He could feel it, almost, her sadness. Which was unusual. He wasn't an … Continue reading Heavy Things
Of Monsters and Midnight
The clock struck midnight. She remembered hearing stories about how midnight was a time for spell-breaking, a time for endings and revelations. The ticking from the small green clock on the wall indicated that another day had begun, another decade had started, and another had ended. It was a significant marking of time, and yet … Continue reading Of Monsters and Midnight
B. Diaz 