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Chapter Twenty Nine: Poetry and Flowers
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2021-10-19 12:33:21River Black
She couldn't see what Aelnith saw. River couldn't see the creature called 'Dub'. He insisted it was there, a tall, person-shaped skinny shadow lurking by the windows of Inana's cottage. For a moment, she thought she saw -something-, but no. Nothing. Dawn would come soon and Aelnith needed shelter.
“I can't leave you here,” he told her. “When the sun rises, Dub will surely be weakened, but I will be...dead. At his weakest, he'd still be able to make short work of you.”
Aelnith had taken her in his arms again and though she wanted down, she knew she didn't have the strength. “What about Tamsin? We can't just...leave him there vulnerable,” she said.
Aelnith shook his head, moving deeper into the woods. “There's nothing we can do with you weakened and my curse...” He paused. “And neither of us know for sure where Cinder is
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CinderThey'd returned to the cottage less than a day later. Cinder expected to see River and was surprised when she wasn't there. Surprised...and much to his chagrin, worried. Inana scolded him, blamed him for it. Said he should've stayed with River. He couldn't recall whose idea it was that he go with the witch, but she was probably right. It probably WAS his fault. Most everything was.He shouldn't have cared about some dumb mortal girl. He had stolen away so many for the Dain, he'd taught himself not to feel any way about it at all. Long, long ago, he'd loved mortal girls. Many of them. Frequently. He'd lure them into the woods for secret kisses. Not to get brutalized by Carmun's terrible abomination of a son.Now, he thought about it. Thought about all the poor mortals who had the misfortune of meeting him in the waking, human world. It really soured his victorious mood. Just moments earlier, he'd b
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CinderHe couldn't rouse River. She'd passed out in his arms shortly after delivering the terrifying news about Dub. He cursed Aelnith Eventide under his breath. He'd taken too much. River was sick. Maybe even dying. Cinder didn't know! He had little long-term experience with humans. They seemed -very- fragile. She needed Inana, but Inana was possibly in more danger than River was.Cinder paced, holding River. He didn't know what to do. Every instinct he had, that had kept him alive for hundreds of years, told him to run. Run and not look back. Leave River there as a distraction. Dub could be lurking in any and every dark corner. Unlike the Dain, Dub was clever and quick. Always plotting. Always scheming. He wouldn't attack outright. No. He'd wait until the perfect moment.Cinder did love surprises, but not -those- kind of surprises. River groaned, snapping his attention back to the present. Right. He couldn't l
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River BlackTamsin dragged her away, teeth not breaking the skin, but it hurt anyway. She begged and pleaded for him to drop her and when that fell on deaf ears, she thrashed and beat on his muzzle with her fists. He seemed impervious. If he understood her words, he made no sign of it. Finally, River just went limp. Fighting was no use. As a wolf, he was bigger than any horse she’d ever seen. There was no fighting him, no reasoning with him.She didn’t know how much time passed, but her body felt utterly battered and bruised from head to toe by the time he stopped and let her go. River lay in a crumpled heap in a part of the forest she’d never seen before. It was strange, she’d started to be able to recognize certain landmarks even after only a day or two, but now they were somewhere she’d never been before.
Last Updated : 2021-10-23
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House Eventide Chapter Thirty Two: Any One of Us
CinderHe couldn't rouse River. She'd passed out in his arms shortly after delivering the terrifying news about Dub. He cursed Aelnith Eventide under his breath. He'd taken too much. River was sick. Maybe even dying. Cinder didn't know! He had little long-term experience with humans. They seemed -very- fragile. She needed Inana, but Inana was possibly in more danger than River was.Cinder paced, holding River. He didn't know what to do. Every instinct he had, that had kept him alive for hundreds of years, told him to run. Run and not look back. Leave River there as a distraction. Dub could be lurking in any and every dark corner. Unlike the Dain, Dub was clever and quick. Always plotting. Always scheming. He wouldn't attack outright. No. He'd wait until the perfect moment.Cinder did love surprises, but not -those- kind of surprises. River groaned, snapping his attention back to the present. Right. He couldn't l
