The small child with wild brown curls and chocolate smeared across his chin was back again. He stumbled through the weeds and thorny bracken towards a small, hollowed tree stump, carpeted with lichen and tiny golden mushrooms. In the child’s grasp was a thick stack of pages, roughly bound with cloth and bark. Resting against the stump—to the chagrin of one small, bumpy-backed amphibian observing from the liquid shadows of a nearby puddle—the child spread out his pages across the grass and began to scribble….Continue Reading “Of Ballads & Bumpy Black Toads”
In the velvet-warmth of midsummer, a young princess awakens from a nightmare. Her gown of gold and fae-spun gossamer had frayed and become spotted with moss. Her crown of starlight and moon lilies had snagged her curls as thorns erupted from delicate twists of crystal. She stood before a faceless court in a ballroom filled with cacophonous laughter that caused her ears and heart to bleed. The princess creeps from her bed, down the cottage stairs, and out into a garden blooming full with the…Continue Reading “Dark Moon”
A star named Kindness watched over the Earth. Fire and ash spun into land into ocean into creatures that roamed. Kindness lit the morning to show them their way. Kindness kept watch over her garden far away, beaming with pride as life learned to walk. It tottered and teetered, falling to the brink and sometimes all the way back to ash. Yet life, ever persistent, crawled up from the earth and the seas, clinging to trees and the underside of the sky. A kaleidoscope of…Continue Reading “A Star Named Kindness”
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Beyond the thorns of demands and displeasure, just past the tangled bracken of small and irksome misfortunes, there is a quiet place known to offer rest. At the cottage of the end of days, there is a gently sloping roof piled high with auburn leaves, and a small bowl of rainwater where birds bathe their crests. Just inside the door, whose hinges groan like aching bones that have finally found a feathered bed, there is a time-kissed stove, its belly filled with mirth and starlight….Continue Reading “A Quiet Prophecy”
A star fell beyond the horizon, past the mountains far to the north, and down into the black waters of the sea. A small creature had watched its path across the sky in the hour after midnight. His wet nose twitched as he wished upon that falling light. A strange thing for a creature such as himself to do. Wishing. After all, what good are the promises of lights trailing the sky when there are seeds to be found just yards from his paw’s grasp?…Continue Reading “A Path of Wishes & Starlight”
“Marmot! Run!!” Marmalade cried, flinging herself to the side as the creature chasing them barrelled through the luminous underbrush. The monster lurched after them, a twisting mass of vines and flowers, bone and thready sinew, and—most alarmingly—several unblinking eyes. Marmot skidded to a halt, paws scrabbling for purchase against the frozen earth and sodden leaves coating the forest floor. Unsteady on its spindled legs, the monster skittered towards Marmot, who huddled in place frozen with dread as probing vines whipped towards him. “No!” Marmalade stood,…Continue Reading “A Gentle Power”
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Lorne was a wretched creature, she had known this her whole life. Other girls scorned her in the play yards, and boys threw clumps of grave moss at her hair. If you insist, they all said, on being so morbid, you ought to look the part. She had confided in Janice, all of once, during solstice, that she found the graveyards comforting, and, well. Once was all it took. Yet Lorne couldn’t help being odd once more. And then just once again. The once more’s gathered…Continue Reading “Darkwood Fireflies”
Penelope awoke, eyes bleary, to a sharp rap on the front door. With a groan, she disentangled herself from the stirring Sisters and stumbled to answer. Peering through the small port window of the door, Penelope spied a messenger dressed in jewel-hued silks bearing an elegant box. Rubbing sleepily at her face, Penelope opened the door as the Sisters muttered behind her about aching bones and bruised joints. The messenger appeared startled at her appearance, tactfully averting her gaze as Penelope recalled her state of…Continue Reading “Ch 25 – A New Season (The End)”
“Hm? Oh! Yes…” Steph grinned sheepishly as he realised what Penelope was looking at. “You dropped your handkerchief that day we met, in the Upper Village gardens… I meant to return it when I picked it up, but I forgot about it in the chaos. I found it in my pocket when I returned home and thought it might be… an auspicious touch…” Steph trailed off, looking shy. Penelope smiled up at him. Then, struck by sudden realisation, she looked down at the skirt of…Continue Reading “Ch 24 – Paths of Power – Part 3”
Small clumps of cream fell from Penelope’s borrowed gown as she emerged into the space behind the ballroom stairs. She peered around the edge of the staircase, hoping to find a glimpse of Steph, or the Sisters, yet the dance floor was packed with twirling figures she did not recognise. Beyond them, small groups clustered around the banquet tables, chatting and laughing. In the far corner, attendants were clearing away what seemed to be a collapsed table and piles of upended food. Penelope’s stomach grumbled…Continue Reading “Ch 24 – Paths of Power – Part 2”
Penelope wandered the gardens until her feet ached. With numb detachment, she turned to face the lights shining from the tall windows of the ballroom. As she approached, the sounds of strings and flutes, so pleasant earlier in the evening, grated at her, causing nerves along her neck to twitch. The bright glow spilling from the ballroom, which had earlier seemed so enticing, now seemed harsh and piercing. She blinked against the onslaught to her senses, breathing through the pain building behind her eyes. Drifting…Continue Reading “Ch 24 – Paths of Power – Part 1”
Despite the season, the garden air was warm and humid, heated by the glow of amber stones set along the pebbled trail. Even so, Penelope shivered with apprehension as she followed her family towards a distant corner of the gardens. At last, they crossed a threshold into a circle of weeping rose trees, secluded from view of the ballroom terraces. Around them, the night was quiet but for the distant strum of music and the chorus of insects. Clarity began to dance between the trunks,…Continue Reading “Ch 23 – Reunion – Part 2”
Everything that followed was a whirl of chaos. The King offered another rousing speech of battle, sacrifice, innovation, and triumph. The Rangers were ushered away by the Healers and Alchemists. Steph squeezed Callum in a tight hug, refusing to release him until the Ranger promised he would eat, rest, and follow the Healers’ every instruction. Callum gave Penelope a quick embrace and a shaky grin, his arms still trembling from the trauma of battle and injury, before a Healer helped him make his way out…Continue Reading “Ch 23 – Reunion – Part 1”
Callum lay prone surrounded by Grimwood Healers garbed in billowing robes of bronze and green, their cuffs embroidered with the marks of their station. Steph was intercepted by a cluster of Rangers standing nearby, watching the proceedings with a grim set to their mouths. Penelope clipped across the hall towards Steph, stopping shy of the frenzied activity so as not to impede the workers. She heard snatches of rapid conversation from the Healers and gathered Rangers. “—spirits aren’t taking, they’re slipping away—” “—weren’t enough left,…Continue Reading “Ch 22 – Battle – Part 2”
It took some time for the crowd to settle. After many reassurances from the King, the initial terror gave way to an atmosphere of morbid curiosity. As an extra precaution, the audience was moved to cluster along the mid and upper level balconies, ushered by Rangers and palace staff. Eager to find the Sisters amongst the chaos, Penelope moved through the throng with Steph in tow, slowly making their way back downstairs. Failing to find the Sisters among the crowd moving to the upper level,…Continue Reading “Ch 22 – Battle – Part 1”
“Welcome, honoured guests! The Royal House of Grimwood is humbled by your presence this night,” the voice said. “My father,” Steph mouthed as they strained to hear. “For two long decades, the great Houses in this room have supported the realm of Grimwood with steadfast compassion and generosity,” the King continued. Penelope startled at the sound of footsteps approaching beyond the curtain. It sounded as though multiple people were marching along the balcony from either direction. Penelope flinched back, anticipating that the curtains would be…Continue Reading “Ch 21 – Revelations – Part 3”
Steph’s face fell with hurt and confusion. Penelope marshalled her spiralling thoughts, wanting to explain, yet unsure of how. Or if she even should. For a fleeting, uncertain moment, she considered keeping the truth to herself. After all, she hadn’t even told the Sisters about that night in the woods. But then a deep guilt took root, gnawing at her gut. Could she truly allow herself to lie by omission while Steph was standing here apologising for doing the very same? Yet… Could she trust…Continue Reading “Ch 21 – Revelations – Part 2”
Penelope’s relief made her almost dizzy as they ran the length of the carpeted balcony, dashing past portraits and tapestries, and climbed a set of steps to the balcony above. Steph then guided her back around the other way, towards a door set directly above the one they had just fled. Two armed Rangers wearing cowls and carved masks stood guarding the door. “Prince Steph! There you are! The King was looking for you earlier this evening. Did he give you your instructions?” The guards…Continue Reading “Ch 21 – Revelations – Part 1”