The Great North Review Novels & Stories

She bared her teeth and let out a deafening roar, hoping to intimidate the wolves. Just when all hope seemed lost, as Samantha and her children braced themselves for the inevitable attack, the ground shook beneath them as Alexander's massive form burst through the trees.

My heels clicked sharply against the marble floor, the sound echoing through the grand hall. I stopped in front of James, lips curved slightly as I raised my glass toward him. “Don Hill, long time no see.” My voice wasn’t loud, but it carried clearly across the entire banquet hall. “Gerald Family from North Atlantis has come to visit.” “P-Pia?” James’s voice trembled uncontrollably. He reached out a hand toward me, as if trying to touch me and make sure I was real. However, Kane stepped forward, smoothly positioning himself between us, blocking James’s hand.

I'd assumed I might never see them live again. Suddenly, someone tapped me on the shoulder. I turned around to find a handsome young man I didn't recognize. He wore a black beanie, a trendy varsity jacket, and ripped jeans. He looked like a college student. His face lit up as he asked, "Hi there, beautiful! You like Arcadian Fire, too?" Before I could reply, Rachel gave me a discreet elbow jab and quickly jumped in, "Of course she does! My sister's their biggest fan! You like them too? You guys must have tons to talk about!"

65 In the midst of the soft whispers of falling snowflakes, I cautiously made my way beyond the grand doors of the snowy castle manor. The air was sharp and cold, and the floors beneath my boots were uniformly blanketed with snow. The entire world around me had transformed into a winter wonderland—so, this is the North. The castle's majestic turrets stood tall, resembling silent sentinels against the canvas of the pristine, snow-covered landscape.

“Well…it seems that we need to thank them for their own manufactured stupidity…anyway, Eliza…how is it on the north?” “[It is cold up here…just constant snows falling down …. about the Northen progress…with the Frozen Peak City conquered…my men are now all fully rested and ready to move…. I have stationed our men at the border town, near the Central Region…. we are prepared to move out as soon as you give the order, Sir President…]”. (General Eliza) True to her words, the Norther Alemia Region, is snowy and cold all year round there, even right now on the screen on her background she was enveloped by a scenery of a snowy forest.

​The Great Beacons of the North were a defiant scream in the darkness. From the jagged peaks of the Dragon’s Spine to the salt-crusted cliffs of the Iron Coast, the fires roared not with the orange glow of timber, but with the haunting violet-white flicker of Elara’s own essence.

I reached a clearing and stopped. The Great Northern Stag lay in the center of the snow. It was a massive beast, its antlers spanning six feet, white as the frost. But it wasn't a prize. It was a carcass. Its throat had been torn out with a precision that didn't belong to a wolf. The snow around it was a dark, frozen lake of crimson. The scent was overwhelming. Bitter copper. Ozone. And rotted lilies. "You're late for the feast, little wolf."

They stand in the Aldenvale night and above them the stars are the stars as they appear at elevation far from city light, which is to say they are abundant and factual and entirely themselves, and the creek runs in the dark, and in the building behind them eleven people and Cort are cleaning up after a meal that has been thirty years in the making. The compass rose pointed north. They came north. And now they know what the Elder cottonwood looked like.

His dream seems like a complete waste to me, so it's hard for me to maintain the same enthusiasm for it. Before pulling onto the property, he exits the main road and continues driving for almost five minutes. He clearly sees something I don't because it is just as horrible as I had anticipated. Look at this, he exclaims as he stops in front of the yellow stone structure with some interesting original elements. In particular, I find that it has the most incredible sash windows. It is completely watertight, has power, and is fed with water from a nearby stream, but gas needs to be connected. Do you feel up to the challenge?

Eli sounded almost apologetic when he spoke the words gruffly. “I like it,” said North, and she was being sincere. It was untamed and unusual compared to other places she had been so far, but it was different enough to be intriguing. Plus, the bed was large enough to hold all of them easily, and she appreciated that touch most of all. She could’ve lived with any manner of inconveniences just to have that bed available to her and her husbands. “I’m certain the staff will handle unpacking, so what would you like to do, North?” asked Eli.