Thousand Autumns Novels & Stories

The whole tall shape sublimes from the edges inward, the plate going to a fine pale dust that holds no warmth at all, sifting down through the white light in a slow drift that settles over the wrecked nursery like ash, like the first grey snow of a winter that arrived in a single second. It falls cold across my burning arms, across the silver-violet pouring out of my own skin, and where the two meet there is no hiss and no steam, only the grey dust dimming for an instant in my light and then going dark. The thing the Director kept twenty years and lent to no one, drifting down to settle on the floor of a nursery.

Cedric rubbed tiredly at his temple. “You two keep arguing like siblings.” Victoria looked immediately offended. “I already have siblings. I did not ask for another one.” Leo pointed toward her, “And yet, here you are.” “Unfortunately.” The colder air settled harder after that. The mountains changed at night. Everything felt larger somehow once darkness settled fully across the ridges, moonlight stretching softly over untouched snow while the trees stood dark against the mountainside. Wind moved quieter here than it had higher up, though every so often colder air swept through hard enough to remind everyone they were still very far from anything comfortable.

She quickly took her arm off his hold, crawled back away from him, then hugged her knees. Estevan winced, shivering. “The cold’s killing me.” His palm and his fingers were pale and blue, covered by a layer of white frost. “Come here, quick,” Raeherys reached out to hold the chronicler’s hands. The burning heat of his touch was enough to slowly melt the frost. Water dripped down as white mist flew up. “I’m … I’m sorry,” Larice held her pounding chest, “I can’t do it … I … I can’t …”

The fever had pooled hot tears in my eyes till it overflowed, creating a path along my burning cheeks to my heavy jaw onto the oversized sweater I had curled my tiny frame into. Steady wisps of breeze escaped into the room from the one inch space I made at the edge of the window frame. The harmattan wind caused me to shiver with goosebumps erupting under my clothes but I didn't close it all through. Inside of me must have had the blacksmith furnace burning without reserve, I wanted nothing but an ice bath even if it would kill me in this condition.

“I’ll see you in the morning, you should rest. If you do not, your energy won’t build up enough for you to go to this Riverside without a river at its side.” The young struggling woman coughed, “Yeah. I feel every inch of my body.” She went into her bathroom to get a cup of water. When she came back, Grandmother Willow was gone. Knowing that she needed to rest before morning. Ava laid her head down and slipped into her mind of dreams.

" The voice was tiny and on top of her. Rolape looked up to stare at someone petite standing on the quadrangle with a beaming smile. ONE. THOUSAND. YEARS. Thank you for

ALISA’S POV The live stream had ended thirty minutes ago, but the city didn’t need me to sign off. It was already voting with every share, every comment, every desperate phone call flooding Kael’s inbox. I stood in the middle of the penthouse living room, barefoot on cool marble, wearing only one of his black shirts that skimmed my thighs. The claiming mark on my shoulder throbbed in time with the bond—golden threads pulsing warm and constant, like they were sealing us into something eternal. Kael paced three steps away, phone pressed to his ear, voice low and lethal as he dismantled yet another threat.

I curiously asked, struggling to sit up on the bed as he quickly came to my aid, perching a pillow behind my back so I could sit comfortably before settling back down on his own chair and taking my hand back in his. "It was called Kintsugi. A broken vase was glued back together, and they highlighted the broken pieces using a gold glue. But it was beautiful. Like that vase, I realised that nothing is perfect; and thanks to that vase, I was able to see the world through clearer eyes, through eyes that find beauty in imperfection. We're kind of like that vase, aren't we?" "I... think so." I slowly nodded, feeling a small smile making its way onto my lips, and with the smile that was partially f

Make all thresholds one threshold. Open it. Let everything trapped move. Let everything outside enter. No more lost dead. The next trouble arrived with dirt under its nails. In the false shrines, symbols had weight. It stained sleeves, cracked floors, moved through crowds, and made ordinary people choose sides before they understood the question. The cold incense smoke pressed against every window while wet footsteps marked the next turn of the case. Nothing about the Shrine War felt clean. It felt like another emergency arriving before the last one had been wiped off the stones.

The day our family went on vacation to an island resort, my younger sister, Alana Fisher, climbed over a safety railing to get the perfect photo. She lost her footing and, in her panic, dragged me into the ocean with her. The rescue crew was about to pull me out first since I was closer when Mom suddenly took a yellowed paper coupon from her wallet and tossed it toward me. "Corinne, let Alana get on the rescue boat first! This is the last thing your father and I will ever ask you to grant!" When I was seven, I couldn't afford birthday presents for my parents, so I drew a hundred wish coupons by hand. Each one read: [Redeem this coupon for one wish. Corinne has to say yes, no matter what.