They had to begin addressing the problems... and one of them isn't far away... ------ Chapter 17. The Watchland's Fortress lay in front of them, only a few hundred yards distant. Of their dual group, only Rion was not present; he had remained behind with Lythos at Vantage Fortress. His presence would have vastly complicated the entire issue. Kyri looked to the five younger people. "Ready?" Toshi nodded. "This should not be complicated, only potentially dangerous. For our purposes, there are really only [ Continue reading... ]
Phoenix Ascendant: Chapter 16
January 18, 2016 By Leave a Comment
Xavier and his friends finally tell something about their adventures... ----- Chapter 16. Poplock watched from his perch on one of the unlit candleholders, nibbling on a thimbleberry, as the others slowly filtered in. Xavier practically leaped back into his chair and started eating. "You know," said the Toad, "you seem to eat like twice as much as everyone else." "Yeah," Xavier mumbled around a mouthful of crispwing, "my sensei said something about that being a consequence of burning more energy than [ Continue reading... ]
Phoenix Ascendant: Chapter 15
January 15, 2016 By Leave a Comment
Finally, after hearing about them since Phoenix Rising, we get to meet Xavier's four companions! ------ Chapter 15. Kyri gave a full, formal Armed Bow to the five young people – all of them definitely younger than she was, Xavier's age, sixteen or seventeen at the most. "Welcome to my estate, all of you." She was dressed in the Raiment; not only was this an official council of war, with hopefully new allies, but also if somehow their enemy realized what was going on, she wasn't going to be caught [ Continue reading... ]
Phoenix Ascendant: Chapter 14
January 13, 2016 By Leave a Comment
Poplock had made a welcome discovery in the last chapter... ------- Chapter 14. Once more, Tobimar found himself hiding in shadows, watching an inn. A misty, warm drizzle of rain wet his hair and dripped from the eaves above. Poplock was on his shoulder as they stared at the Balanced Meal from the darkness of a narrow alley between a clothier and a farrier's stables across from the main inn of Evanwyl proper. "This is going to be difficult," he murmured. "Why in Blackwart's name aren't they [ Continue reading... ]
Phoenix Ascendant: Chapter 13
January 11, 2016 By Leave a Comment
At long last, Kyri and Tobimar have come back to Evanwyl... ----- Chapter 13. "Gharis again," murmured Tobimar. "Appropriate. It was the easiest of the outlying towns for us to get to from Rivendream," Poplock said. He was feeling perhaps unreasonably cheerful and optimistic; getting out of the vile, sanity-eroding nastiness of Rivendream had that effect. Maybe Evanwyl wasn't the sparkling perfection of Kaizatenzei, but compared to Rivendream Pass, well, close enough. "How do you want to do [ Continue reading... ]
Phoenix Ascendant: Chapter 12
January 8, 2016 By Leave a Comment
Well, between Kaizatenzei and Evanwyl lies an area not nearly so pleasant as either... ------ Chapter 12. Tobimar heard the triple twang-twang-twang as Poplock's clockwork crossbow fired. "Behind you!" Tobimar whirled, silver-green swords out, slashing across the shadow wraith which was already burning white in three places, shattering it to fading shards of night. "Close." "We're not done!" Two more shadow wraiths, graverisen affected by the dark powers in Rivendream Pass, had [ Continue reading... ]
Phoenix Ascendant: Chapter 11
January 6, 2016 By Leave a Comment
Where there are heroes, there must be a villain... ------ Chapter 11. Once more the scroll remained silvery, blank, even as the voice spoke from it. "A few weeks only, now." "Really? You have made good time. The matrix remains intact?" "Astonishingly so. I need only focus on my intended path and impression, and it brings forth the words, the posture, the gestures… everything I need." The voice paused, and in the silence it read something else. "You sound troubled, my friend." "It [ Continue reading... ]
Phoenix Ascendant: Chapter 10
January 4, 2016 By Leave a Comment
Now, Kyri had made a promise to Lady Shae... ----- Chapter 10. Zogen Josan stared at them from wide eyes. He hadn't moved for several seconds. It is, Kyri admitted to herself, an awful lot to take in at once, even if some of it tells you that you weren't crazy. Reflect Jenten also had the glaze-eyed look of someone hit in the head hard during sparring. He was the only other person they'd brought in to hear the story of what had happened in Sha Kaizatenzei Valatar; the ruler of [ Continue reading... ]
Phoenix Ascendant: Chapter 9
January 1, 2016 By Leave a Comment
The party had set out, and that means a long journey in the wilds... ----- Chapter 9. Poplock caught a tenzili on the wing and crunched down. The glowy-stuff the little insects used gave them a particular tang that he liked. "That's… kind of eerie, Poplock," commented Tobimar. "What is? "When you eat those things you end up with a glowing mouth for an hour or so. So I just see this little floating smile and sudden flash of you gulping something else down." "I didn't realize that! Sounds [ Continue reading... ]
Phoenix Ascendant: Chapter 8
December 30, 2015 By Leave a Comment
And now let's see what might be the most tragic figure of the saga... ------ Chapter 8. With a slight groan of effort, Aran heaved himself over the sharp edge of the black-glass scar across the land. Ahead, he could see that the Necklace continued down a gentle slope a short distance away. If he'd been willing to walk down the dark-polished miniature canyon for another quarter mile, it would have ended due to that downward slope. But the slope rose again in the distance, and Aran Condor could see the [ Continue reading... ]
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