The lights of Lantern Town were like every other town that followed the Path. Aralim saw no reason that this place should be called Lantern Town, though the ship’s captain of the Wayfinder had said that no towns north of here had as many lanterns. It was mid-afternoon, and only a few lanterns were lit.
Aralim decided to wander the streets until he found a place to stay. Continue reading Aralim 1
The smugglers spent the time at the Public House of Kedar, for two days. The Public House was the only inn, more or less, in the city, a bustling business with a hundred guards, a hundred rooms, and one of the largest common rooms that Renado had ever seen. No smaller taverns could keep their doors open in a town with no law, none could afford to keep any sort of decent calm within their doors. Each faction in the city had its own establishments of course, but the Continue reading Renado 2
Dago’s home had become a small, damp cell. The bricks around him were mismatched colours, a dozen tones of brown and beige, and many were stained with blood. He tried to do stretches each day, but he knew he would receive no aid from his captors if he reopened the wound in his back. His muscles were stiff, and without the proper food, he might be stiff for the rest of his days.
Sitting in the dark, Dago wondered how many more days he might expect. Continue reading Dago 2
The water in the bay of Keda was dark, lurid water, and it stank of dead fish. As the sun set behind them, the crew of the Vanci Dispatch rowed, without saying a word, toward the sprawling city. Kedar was not the largest port they had visited, but it was a large one. It was the danger of their task that instilled the silence upon the ship, and Captain Vanci, at the helm, did nothing to sooth them. Continue reading Renado 1
Outside of Rainrest, the caravan camp was abuzz with activity. With supplies purchased the day before, their wagons were heavy-laden and seating was an important process for the thirty men and women of Vaenuth’s caravan.
“Vae,” said Tagg, stepping into her tent. “Want me to start packing yours?”
Most of the tents and pavilions were already packed up. Continue reading Vaenuth 2
The city of Ellakar was vaguely familiar to Dago Ai Ji Malzo. He had been here before, and had just delivered a bounty—living, this time—to Lord Shea. He didn’t know street names or establishments, but he knew how to find the clean part of town, and, more importantly, how to avoid it. He had coin to spend. The only time he went to those neat streets and groomed gardens was when he was in need. Continue reading Dago 1
Vaenuth waited at the bottom of Master Kivrad’s estate. An enormous log wall surrounded the yard, but a grey stone building built of massive bricks supported the nearby staircase. She sat, with long legs crossed, in a silk cushioned armchair beneath a green forest canvas. The relief from the sun was nice, but the city of Rainrest was brutally humid. As always.
“Kivrad is making us wait,” said Banno, a massive man that had accompanied Continue reading Vaenuth 1