When Mardichi awoke, Elsabet was at his side. His large hand held in her palm as one would a dear friend. “Hello harpie.” “Hello barbarian.” She smiled slightly. “I had to tuck pieces of you back in.” He snorted. “What happened to you.” “I told the demon master ta go fuck ‘imself.” “Well,” Elsabet nearly laughed. “That’d do it.” Her face sobered. “You almost got him killed.” “I didn’t ask for his help.” Mardichi turned his head. “But you had to know he’d come.” “I purposely didn’t think of him.” “But somehow you did. He heard you.” “Dammit.” Mardichi swore softly. Despite that he wasn’t looking at her, Elsabet probed. “Why were you going to let yourself die?” Mardichi finally rolled his head to meet her gaze. Pain was written over his face. “I have naught, Elsabet. I lay awake at night missing her next to me. I rise early hoping to hear the cries of my son.” Elsabe

CHAVIAS Chavias was a shadow moving behind Acharius. Edging closer. And closer. Close enough to breathe on his neck. Chavias thought. His eyes turned shining black in their intensity. His black hair was slicked back from his forehead. The pitch-black goatee trimming his lips was made starker for how tightly they were compressed. He looked severe. Vicious. Watching them walk ahead, he saw their hands flexing and tightening against their clothing. It was plain to Chavias, they both suppressed the urge to reach for each other. Take her bloody hand! Chavias willed him. He couldn’t even remember what it felt like to hold a woman’s hand. How could I kill him when he’s just now finding what we’ve all sought so desperately? Chavias swallowed hard. Eyes narrowing, as he slowly shook his head. I won’t. He decided. Not while she’s with him. I’ll give

The slithering creature whipped a thin tail to tuck it around it’s many legs. It was fixated on Chastain. Eyeing her as though it might launch from the shrubbery to attack her. Chastain’s mouth was dry, her hands trembled, and she instinctively knew that this horrible little thing was evil. The penetrating look in its eyes was disorienting. She’d never seen anything like it. That tail whipped again. Then it did just what she’d feared. It launched up at her with a violent hiss. Cracking off branches in its momentum and tossing leaves in a swirling typhoon. She screamed and threw her arms up to shield her face. But nothing made contact. There was such silence that it was haunting. Like everything in the forest had hushed. As she peeked open an eye she caught the glimmer of opalescent white scales curving just above her to traverse upward at such incredible speed that one moment it was there. The next, it was high above. Blending

Elsabet grabbed Bast’s other arm in grip just as painful as the first. Her nails had turned to long black claws. She was twisting his arm to see the wounds. Just tearing his sleeve aside had dragged the scabs stuck to his dark blue shirt, loose.Making each wound sting like it was new.“Would you like me to continue?” She hissed. “Or is it just that leg?”She twisted his arm to show him how badly torn it was. There were several gashes that were so deep that they were white. Where the fat shielding the muscles had been ripped into. Leaving wide tears in their wake. She ruthlessly looked at it.“Ouch.” Bast hissed through his teeth.“Well, it must not hurt that bad.” She declared. “You didn’t even bandage it!”“I didn’t want you to worry.”“Do I look worried?” She snapped.“You look very, very angry.”“Strange...”“You’re not?”“No, I’m beyond that.”“I wasn’t trying to make you angry.” He said quietly.“Well you certainly failed, didn’t you?”“Appears that way.” He said dryly.She used

WhiteHall, Harridan Hamlet, Paladines (Lost for twenty years)RAESERaese Whiting had torn apart every library in the Paladines, in an effort to fill in the gaps in his memory. He was frustrated with the not knowing.The places I don’t understand.The questions I have no answers for.His mind before he’d arrived in Harridan Hamlet had been a blank slate.From what he knew his best friend had found him wandering the road naked, muddy, and bloody.But no one knows why.But Raese had seen something, some strange kind of a dream that haunted his mind’s eye his every waking moment. A presence that was always with him, but just out of reach, had indicated that there was a book he had to find.Something I have to read.But where?He was searching for a staff. One he’d once wielded as the most powerful weapon in all existence. That was what the book she’d pulled from a shelf for him to read had shown him.He had reason to believe that the gorgeous spirit which haunted his sleep and tormented