Before his eyes could process, before his ears could catch the spilling, before he could feel the liquid as it distorted his solid world, he smelt the blood. Like copper from deep under the ground. It was familiar to him, for most coppers he had seen came dyed in crimson. Crimson, the color of revenge. Only he had yet to feel such a sensation. Like an arrow it emerged from the depths and struck his soul, penetrating it with a smell reserved for coins. He liked copper, for it gave him power over the rats and the dark things. Not as much power as gold, but gold burned. It held a desirable yet insatiable luster, but not one which could be grasped yet. No, for now he would settle for copper. Intermingled with the coin's complexion was satisfaction, but not enough to be called nourishment. He hated that word, for words had power over the hearts of man, and a word like 'nourishment' was especially dangerous. So were all the other words engraved into gold, for they could not be bound to the
Pale skin, now caressed in the reaper's hands. Clouded eyes, now empty. Golden locks, no longer flowing by her own will.Lysander saw the woman's corpse as it was extracted from the brothel. Lodged in her chest was a knife, her hands fixed upon it, unmoving.She had killed herself, abruptly. Suddenly. Without apparent meaning or buildup. Did she pine for the world beyond this place so much? Was she so burdened by sorrow that she chose to end it all? Did he bring this upon her through cursing her with his drunken touch?These questions raced through Lysander's head like arrows strung from an invisible bow. One chiseled from yew bark perhaps.It didn't matter. These thoughts needed to be discarded from his mind. The reason for her death was insignificant. Just more oil to the flame that swelled in his chest, another phantom on his back.But he couldn't help but wonder. It was a wisp of a thought, but it perplexed him. The mystery of what she was living for. Her eyes had been mystified,
Not good enough. These words were lacking in understanding, this tone without spirit, this ink devoid of passion. Had such a speech really come from the hands of Ardos's pen? Was this really how he intended to impart himself on this city?What arrogance. The kind that could only be presumed of a man who did not know the city of crows. Who had not yet seen the sight of a boy choking on poisoned air, who had not been able to save a child from assault, whose eyes had not been accustomed to seeing corpses strewn on the ground. Corpses which looked like him, which had his same sheltered eyes.This place wasn't just a city shrouded in shadow, but one carved in it. The shade extended everywhere, to this house, this desk, to everywhere but his feet. The only one exempt from it entirely was Teresa, but she was a miracle which defied expectations. One protected by the hands of the god who sheltered her and the crest which marked her fate.As long as she was pure….nothing else mattered; but no,
'When hunting a wolf in these woods, one must always bring an army.' That is the creed of the hunters who dwell in Volicheus's western lands. But what can one do, when trying to hunt a pack? A pack of vicious, bloodthirsty wolves at least four times the size of any creature to walk the forests or prowl the mountains. The answer is simple...you run. You run and you pray to every god there is to pray too and try to forget that you were ever there and perhaps even regret your own birth. You swear to give up your bow or your blade and perhaps even make an oath to never touch meat again as long as you live. And most importantly, you cling onto the desperate, slim hope that you are not hunted. Thankfully, there was not a single hunter forced into a situation like that on that day. They were far too intuitive to be so foolish as to walk into the woods that day. There are alway telltale signs to indicate the mood of the forest. When flowers are wilting and larks are quiet and rabbits are mee
The smell of fresh bread. With it, the irresistible temptation to indulge himself. The sensation it brought tempted Alder to drop the wood in his hands and give chase. The market of the people was bustling all around. He saw everything that occurred, and was taken by the feelings which animated this 'everything'. The exhaustion of the workers heaving the boxes and the anger of the fruit seller lady as she smacked a thief. No, it was not apt to call him a thief. He was a boy not yet ready to be a beggar, not truly desperate to steal. Simply poor. But not enough to truly hunger or dream. It was a pathetic existence, but that existence crackled within the spirits of everyone around Alder. But not him. He would become a knight one day. He hadn't gotten many glimpses of them, except when they came to his humble alley to discuss with Aurelia. The older kids understood, but for him big words were not so interesting. Because of that he was different from everyone else in this place. They wer
As soon as the chariot passed...Alder ran as fast as he could. He didn't know where he was going, or even what he was really doing. He just ran to clear his head from the confusion that pestered him incessantly.Along the way he stumbled over stray stones and crashed into members of the now dissipating crowd which had gathered to see the chariot. His torn up, rugged shoes which he had worn for the past three years squeaked as he ran, barely clinging to Alder's feet."What is that little boy doing?""Could he be a thief? Morris, where is my wallet?""What an abnormal little brat.""This inconsiderate little..."Alder heard all of these things as he worked his way frantically through the mass of people who to him were...frankly insignificant. Despite hearing what they were saying and catching glimpses of their disgusted faces, Alder's mind was hardly processing any of it, he was too occupied on his own internal conflict to care about what they thought.After all, why should he devote an
Seven days. That was how long Ardos had spent cooped in that god awful chariot. Now....the chariot was exquisitely designed and very classy, and on top of that it had it's own quarters built in just for him. The chariot was more like a miniature room in all honesty. And on top of that the servants and bodyguards most certainly had it worse, though they were still sleeping comfortably.He had requested to travel alone, but his father had adamantly denied his wishes and sent him on his way."If you die...the family shall be greatly impacted. After all, you are my only heir, so if you were to die the repercussions would be grave. Additionally...you are to be wed in a month! How could you even think of going alone?""But father" pleaded Ardos, before he was cut off once again."Don't push your luck boy! The fact that I'm allowing you to even travel to that vile city is extremely generous. Now pack your things and get out of my sight."Ardos had been given no choice but to comply and as a
"My mask?" Questioned Ardos. "You mean those odd animal disguises that I see everywhere around here?""Don't play dumb with me" snarled the voice. It had a feminine quality to it, so Ardos presumed that the individual threatening him was most likely a female."You're quite feisty aren't you? What's your name lass?""I'm not telling you you son of a..." The girl paused, grappling to regain her composure. "This is not a conversation, this is not a casual discussion. I am demanding that you give me your mask.""How boring. But fine...let me tell you now, I don't have a mask. I just came to this city, so you'll gain nothing from me."The girl sighed impatiently, before suddenly prodding the knife at Ardos's side even deeper."You're not fooling me. I know you're one of those wealthy shits, even though you wear that stupid cloak of yours. And I know you're not some foreigner...so where is your mask?""First of all girl" Ardos said, pretending to be offended. "I am a noble, not a 'wealthy s