Click here to read parts 1-23! “This is a trap,” Pikkif said, trying to persuade the queen to listen. She flicked him away like he was an especially annoying fly. “I insist that you let me detain that mage and get the truth out of him.” Sorcha’s head drooped and she sighed. “Captain, the boy ...

Click here to read parts 1-22! Sorcha didn’t wail when her child disappeared. She’d learned early on that crying served no one. Unlike the king’s first wife, Sorcha didn’t come from nobility. She’d come from the slums and the brothel district, a spindly girl named Sia. Growing up, she’d ferried messages for the girls, taking love notes ...

Click here to read parts 1-21! They moved through the halls as quietly as possible, Tristan’s feet now safely encased in a found a pair of boots. Sean had been bundled up in Connor’s arms, finally giving out after nearly a half-hour of sneaking around. Petya had used a little magic to help him along ...

Click here to read parts 1-19! Tristan played with the hems of her pants. Her shoes had been taken. The cold nipped at her exposed toes and turned the nail beds blue and purple until she tucked them under her legs. Since being taken, Tristan found herself shivering nonstop. She kept waiting for them to take ...

Click here to read parts 1-18! There wasn’t any frost on the ground the morning it happened. There was a dusting of snow The thin crystals dampened the footsteps of the men that snuck into the camp. When It was over, and they’d done what they were paid to do, the ground was mud and ...

Click here to read parts 1-17! Sarai didn’t know what she’d expected after arriving at the camp, but this hadn’t been it. She settled against a tree, unnoticed by her daughter. She’d let Tristan finish before announcing her arrival. “I wasn’t aware you’d be using her as a training instructor,” she mumbled to Anfir. The ...

Click here to read parts 1-16! Rebellions did not pick up traction quickly. Tristan was slow to learn that lesson. Connor laughed at her nervous energy, having learned years ago that a soldier’s and rebel’s closest companion was boredom. Her whole being felt rushed to move the cause forward, but reality dedicated that they must ...

Click here to read parts 1-15! As soon as Anfir opened the tent flap, Tristan knew why he’d led them there. Fenrir hobbled up from the cot where a redheaded girl was attempting to tend to his bandaged leg. The woman’s cat-like features turned down in a scowl as she watched Fenrir hoist himself up ...

Click here to read parts 1-14! They were leaving again. Angie plodded along beside them, thrilled to set out on an adventure her mother had unknowingly agreed to when Anfir offered to “hire” her daughter. It didn’t hurt that the woman was fond of Anfir and thought he was a distant nobleman. Tristan wrung her ...

Click here to read parts 1-13! Everyone had days where they wished that sleep was something permanent, something that would stop them from opening her eyes and seeing the carnage strewn around. Only one clear memory of that feeling stood out like a monolith in Sarai’s mental landscape. After the Doerman’s attacked her home, she ...