Lyonne Forest received them quietly. The road narrowed almost at once, swallowed by moss and root until it became less a road than the memory of one. In the early afternoon, light slipped between the branches in pale threads. The air had changed as they left Lyonne d’ura behind: less salt, tar and fish; more […]
Tag Archives: Thorn
EotOF 2 – The Journey through Calithor
“Land ho!” a sailor shouted from above. The call tore through the lower decks long before Quintra even thought about rising. It was not shouted only once, either. It spread, repeated along the length of the ship with the kind of excitement that made sleep suddenly impossible. Somewhere above them, boots thundered, a hatch banged […]
EotOF 1: A day on the Kestrel
The sea was calm, an endless plain of open water rolling in gentle swells beneath a steady breeze. Far ahead, the sun Quintra rose just above the horizon, low and bright, spilling warmth across the waves until the surface glittered with flakes of gold. Along the ship’s side, careful white letters caught that newborn light: […]
The Outcasts 13: The Price of Mercy
The climb to the watchtower took the rest of the night. By the time the torches on its walls came into view, the sky had begun to pale with the first hint of dawn, soon the sun Quintra would show her face above the trees. Inside, the tower was cool and dim. Christopher guided them […]
The Outcasts 11: The Lake
They ran beside the river’s bend and foam, as swift as water over stone. Thorn’s dire-wolf paws ate the distance, Suraia balanced low across his broad back, fingers buried deep in the thick ruff of his fur. Wind tore her curls behind her shoulders. The little arctic fox darted just ahead, blue-tipped tail streaming, loosing […]
The Outcasts 10: The River
Morning light sifted through leaves and laid a pale sheen across the stream. Suraia knelt at the water’s edge with a fold of cloth spread beside her, rinsing a handful of berries and turning each one in her fingers before easing it onto the cloth to dry. The air smelt of crushed mint and damp […]
The Outcasts 9: Between Reeds
The forest deepened with every step. Daylight bled to green dusk beneath the canopy and the sounds of the farms were gone as though they had never been. The air was cooler here, damp with leaf-mould and running water, the hush broken only by the occasional crack of a branch under Thorn’s tread or the […]
The Outcasts 8: The Boar at the Farm
Dawn spilled pale and gold through the high leaves, brushing dew from the canopy. The little shelter Thorn had shaped with the hammocks creaked softly in the morning breeze. The forest whispered awake—birdsong threading the hush, branches sighing as light touched them. Thorn was first to move, unweaving the living roots that had cradled them […]
The Outcasts 7: Into the Wilds
At the gate the road turned to rutted track. The trees received them with cool shade and the resin-clean scent of pine. Behind, the trading post’s noise dulled to a murmur; ahead, the hush of the wood rose like breath. They left the road and took a hunter’s path into the trees. The trading post […]
The Outcasts 6: The Watchtower
Dawn sifted through the leaves in thin, pearly threads and the little shelter of woven boughs breathed with the forest—cool air in, warm air out. Vasha was still awake from second watch, a quiet silhouette with her knees hugged to her chest, tail curled about her ankles like a white plume tipped in blue. Her […]