The Weight of an Axe

I didn't know what to do with myself, which was the worst part. There should have been something—someone to fight or someone to chase—some outlet I could stab until the anger stopped burning beneath my skin. Instead, there was only Garret, who was dead, along with so many bodies.I stood near the edge of the ruined camp, watching two Seekers carry another covered body toward the growing line. I didn't know who was beneath the blanket, though someone surely did, and someone would eventually. As I stood there, my fingers tightened around the crumpled note in my hand.I will keep killing everyone you care about.I shoved it into my pocket. I couldn't look at it anymore."Nera?" Zin stood a few steps behind me. I hadn't heard her approach.

Dear Nera, Love Garret

I hefted the cold, rough-hewn handle of the axe. "Nera." Someone called. I ignored themI swung, the blade whistling through the humid, pine-scented air. Crack. Impact vibrated through my palms. "Nera." Again my name continued to ignore it as sweat stung my eyes. "Nera.""What?" I spun.Carlin stood several yards away, and just like that, everything I'd managed to bury beneath aching muscles came rushing back. He looked terrible; mud covered his trousers, blood stained one sleeve, and his hair was a mess. Moreover, there were shadows beneath his eyes that hadn't been there the last time I saw him.

The Opened Truth

My dear Nera,Happy twentieth birthday.I have started this letter more times than I care to admit. There are battles I have walked into with less hesitation than it has taken me to put these words to paper. You would probably find that amusing. I do not.There are things about your life you do not know. Things you were never supposed to have to know. We told ourselves keeping them from you would protect you. For a long time, I believed we were right.I no longer do.Before anything else, I need you to listen to me.Be careful who you trust.The Seekers are not what they were when I founded them. We have grown too large. There

Secrets in the Ashes

I reached the end of the letter. Then I read the last few lines again. Not because I hadn't understood them. Because I had. That was the problem. The parchment trembled between my fingers. Garret's handwriting blurred until I couldn't see it anymore.I blinked.Once.Twice.It didn't help."Nera?" Carlin's voice sounded far away.I stared at the letter. Twenty years. He'd known for twenty years. Everyone close to me had known something so important about my identity except for me."Nera." Carlin shifted closer. "What did he say?"I opened my mouth. Nothing came out.

Secrets Worth Stealing

I caught up to him before he made it ten steps."Put it down."The man stopped. So did the two others with him. For half a second, no one moved. Then the man carrying the box slowly turned. Up close, he was older than I'd thought. Dark stubble covered his jaw, and soot streaked one side of his face. A Seeker's cloak hung from his shoulders, dirty and torn near the bottom. If I hadn't watched him steal from the dead, I might have believed he belonged here. His eyes dropped to the dagger in my hand. Then back to me."Excuse me?""The box." I pointed at it with the blade. "Put it down."Behind me, Carlin muttered something under his breath. I didn't catch all of it. I was fairly certain the gods were mentioned. The man's fingers

Not One but Four

"Don't move them yet."Carlin's voice cut through the wreckage. The man in front of Zin wisely stopped moving. Not that he had much choice. Zin still had a dagger pressed against his throat. The other two had been forced to their knees several feet away. One held his jaw where Carlin had hit him. The other glared at me like I had personally ruined his afternoon. I stared back. He'd punched me. His afternoon deserved ruining.Carlin crouched beside one of them and pulled the stolen Seeker cloak away from his shoulders."Where did you get these?" Silence. "Who sent you?" Nothing. Carlin's jaw tightened.Zin sighed "You know, I have several remarkably effective methods for encouraging conversation.""No." Carlin answered quickly