Forever Across The Marsh Novels & Stories

The Marshal Sergeant was taken aback, but an order was an order. The vessels sped down the marshes as fast as they could, bellowing black smoke and arcane discharge as they whipped the engines into a frenzy. The Frontier Marshals had their weapons drawn as they neared their charge. They went deeper into the waterways as the crack of blastfire and the guttural howls of the Birchmen could be heard. As well the stench of blood. It had only been a few days, but the Marshals had gotten accustomed to the stench, emptied boats and bleeding wounded had drifted onto Richardson at an alarming rate. But this was fresh, the smell was unnerving.

The Phoenix Pact had crossed oceans, but fire does not burn the same way everywhere. What had begun as a movement rooted in the soil of the Philippines now flickered in languages Maria could not speak, in traditions Celeste could not fully understand, in contexts Leah had never imagined. The flame was alive, but the winds were shifting. And with new winds came crosscurrents—clashes, misunderstandings, complications.

Elara's footsteps echoed like a quiet storm through the Hollow Wards, swallowed by the mossy earth beneath her boots. The soft glow of her lantern danced over twisted roots and the ghostly runes etched into the blackened bark of ancient trees. The air held its breath, the marsh thick with a tension that hummed just beneath the surface, as if the land itself waited for her to speak, or turn and flee. But Elara pressed on, the hem of her cloak whispering against thorn and vine. Around her wrist, a red thread pulsed in rhythm with her heart.

Damon The marshlands breathe like something alive. Every step I take sinks into black water that clings to my boots, thick as blood and twice as cold. The air hums with whispers… voices I can’t see, can’t name, but know belong to the dead. The witch lives here. I follow the scent of smoke and burning sage through the fog. The trees bend unnaturally, their trunks warped like they have spent centuries listening to secrets too heavy to bear. Somewhere in the distance, a crow screams and goes silent.

"Get out of my sight. Don't come back until you've found enough silver-leaf to stop that rot from smelling up my house." I stumbled out into the grey twilight, my back screaming. Every step felt like a serrated blade dragging across my skin. I headed for the Black Marsh, the only place where the healing herbs grew. The mist was a thick, wet blanket. I could hear the frogs croaking and the slow, rhythmic bloop of gas escaping the peat. Then, a different sound. A wet, heavy splashing. A desperate, choked sound that made the hair on my arms stand up.

My shrieks echoed through the forest. Everyone cackled. Suddenly, the situation took a turn for the worse. With an even more terrifying roar, a huge beast burst forth from the forest enclosure. Sebastian and the others watched on in horror as it tore into me with its claws. Then, it crushed me under its paws!

"I have a proposition for you and if you do that, I'll make sure you have a roof over your head and meals, free of charge." "Hmmm." He got me there, I have no house and I'm starving. With a side eye glance at him, I crossed my arms across my chest. "Go on." "Marry me!".

I accepted the piece of cloth and mumbled my thank you to him. We shared the shawarma he bought for us as we continue heading back to Whale Bay. Alicia decided to just walk on her own while Jack insisted to carry the basket for me. Thick clouds covered the sky, hiding the golden and merciless sun. "Jack, have you remembered anything yet?" Alicia inquired curiously. I glanced at Jack, waiting for his answer. His jaw clenched before a sigh escaped his lips. His head shook dejectedly. "What if you won't remember forever?"

“Almost there,“ I tell her as we near the edge of the forest and get a clear view of the marsh from where you can see the smoke coming from the chimney of Olwyn’s cottage. “It’s small and it has a strange vibe. Almost as if it’s pushing me away,” MacKenzie says as she stands beside me looking at the cottage in the middle of the marsh. During the trek over the narrow marsh path MacKenzie becomes slower and slower. Her hands are on her stomach and she’s sweating. “Almost there, whatever it is Olwyn can help you,” I try to encourage her. “I can’t, it’s as if I'm walking through quicksand. Every next step is harder than the last step. It’s as if I’m being pushed away, as if I’m being warded off,

I was also surrounded by water and when I looked up, I realized it was a dark, starless and moonless night. I knew I had to get the hell out of the marsh so I began to wade in the opposite direction, hoping it took me to dry land. As I waded through the marsh, I heard a voice calling my name and turned immediately, nearly tripping and falling into the water. "Serafina!" It came again. An oddly familiar feminine voice that sounded like it was coming in the northern direction so I began to follow the sound, still hoping it took me to dry land. The hem of my dress was already wet and it was starting to get heavy around my knees.