LESEACH SMILED DOWN AT THE child who chattered away to the ardwyr. It seemed interested in the child, in an almost protective manner bringing rise to memories of the night she'd sooner forget. 'Sseach?' The young high voice made her glance down in surprise, not realizing she'd been looking off into the forest. 'Yes?''Do you see something?' The child spoke in a loud excited whisper, peering the way she'd been staring.About to answer no, Leseach spied something in the brush.Pulling the pliable leather sling from her belt, she squatted, snatching a large pebble from the ground. Setting the pebble into the back of the sling she gave it a sharp twirl then released. There was a faint whistle as it flew then a thud. The serealil dropped from the tree it had been feeding in, hitting the soft forest floor and bouncing once. Uttering urgent growls, the ardwyr charged over to the small six-legged mammal and seizing it in its large jaws, hurried back to Leseach's side. Ears relaxed now,
WRAPPED SNUGLY IN A KNITTED blanket, Rirae cooed from where she sat safe in a sling that crisscrossed her father's broad chest. They'd strapped her facing outwards so she could kick her legs and Citaan giggled as the baby had a sudden active spell, tucking her knees up with her feet close to her backside then thrusting them down, repeating the whole motion several times in a row fast.'I think she's enjoying that,' Citaan said to Gredel, smiling at her little girl. 'Are you having fun?'Rirae squealed, the high pitch making both her parents flinch and did the move again, this time adding fist pumps.'Don't encourage her,' Gredel said with laughter in his voice. 'It isn't comfortable!'Tipping a hand to her mouth Citaan giggled at the pained but adoring expression her husband wore while he caught his daughter's tiny hands as they walked along the corridor toward the Griffons Quarters.They'd sought permission from Elena to get back to their manor for a few days. Instead, they'd bee
'NO, MORE FORMAL.''Oh, come on, this is formal!' I scowled at Alek as he peered into my dressing area to see what Maeri and my dresser Serryn argued with me over. I'd picked out a calf length navy dress that gathered comfortably at the waist but looked sleek. The perfect solution to being able to sit and listen to councillors in comfort instead of fantasizing about yanking the stabilizing bones out of the dress and stabbing the droning idiots with them. After weeks of travel and fighting, I didn't think they would have me in full day meetings only five days back.I was wrong. Very wrong. 'What are we discussing today?' I snapped the words, trying to shake off the urge to voice my real thoughts.The last thing I wanted to do today was sit for hours.Before Alek could respond bangs and shouts rang out from further down the hall. The redesign of the Griffon Guard Quarters and the Elemental Quarters was in full swing.Kassie and Rumal had vanished to Delanta to avoid the rebuild wh
THE METAL CUFFS FELT COLD, causing shivers along his limbs. In that instant a portion of his mind recognized that he dreamed, the lack of clanking from the chains giving it away, but the shadow creature baring its fangs at him caught the rest of his mind. In the dream of a memory Alek scrambled away, coming up hard against the cool marble wall. Saliva dripped from the long thin teeth. The creature hissed again, splattering its drool against the shield surrounding him, but Alek still flinched, heart racing. She liked to lift the shields. The chunk of flesh missing from his left arm the latest injury from her vomit inducing version of amusement. He had nothing left to vomit, his stomach achingly empty for ten days straight now. The lack of food, and now lack of water left his mind wandering, convinced he could hear her, his princess, crying out for him. He wavered on the edge of reality, unsure of everything. The semi-permanent darkness made him unsure of night or day.The sudden lack o
BY THE TIME THEY'D SHOWERED and changed the others had already made their way to the Great Hall. Entering behind another crowd of nobles, Loi ignored their stares, smiling at Lady Lenia as she waved frantically in their direction. They weaved their way around the crowds of people, breakfast without Cat and Alek in attendance a casual affair. Many people nodded at them as they passed and Sabyn responded while Loi smiled, the faces vaguely familiar by now but none of the names stuck.'Here! Sit here,' Franti pleaded as they arrived at the seats assigned to Sabyn's family.'No, here!' demanded Lenia.'Good morning, Laura,' Lady Venilleta smiled graciously at her over the heads of the squabbling girls. 'Will you be joining us at the market today?'Sabyn greeted his mother as Loi did and shook his head.'Not today, I'm stealing her away for the day.'Howls of protest rose from the two girls, while their grandmother, Duchess Ceilible, tsk'd from the other side of Venilleta.'Girls! En
SPREAD ACROSS A FLUFFY KNIT rug that swelled out in stripes of taupe, tan, and cream over the wood floor, Sian frowned at the page of the book she read.'A zu-gyn, zugyn.'The strange word matched the curious looking creature which to her eyes looked like an upright horny shell backed snail. It had a wide spread foot that looked more like a jagged edged flipper, with a split in the centre that allowed the creature to hobble and hop from lake to lake.'Won't be seeing any here then,' she mumbled while turning the page to the next creature.A thud outside made her look up from the pages. With a gasp of delight, she froze, not wanting to startle it. Moving just her eyes down, she fumbled back several pages with her index finger, moving as little as possible until she found it. Looking up, she compared it. Same wings by the looks, same colouring for sure, bit of a mane though – sexual dimorphism perhaps? Looking back down to the page, she mouthed the name, hyxn. A sudden ear-splittin
THE DARKNESS CLEARED WITH A sucking gasp into fresh air. Sian blinked as her eyes cleared from the eye watering iciness of the leap. She felt Nesha pull through behind them. 'Daron says the Estate is a few hours from here, we'll lead.' Nesha's thought came to her and Sito.'Okay, we'll keep close,' Sian thought to him.The air felt cooler than at the cabin and a mile or so beneath them spread a forest, dense and green. Sito dipped a wing, swinging into a tumbling roll toward the trees before flicking his wings out, catching air with an ear ringing snap. A screech rang out as Nesha swooped overhead before dropping down. She smiled as Daron twisted to look back at her, a cheeky grin in place. Urging Sito on Sian laughed as a dance between the two-winged creatures began, ducking, diving, twisting and racing.It made the hours past swiftly, too swiftly.The forest petered out to clusters of trees here and there, interspersed by farmlands. Releasing the clasps on her harness Sian shim
BEFORE SIAN HAD A CHANCE to respond, the man repeated the welcome, making the same open gesture. Her father wore his grey streaked, dark blond hair, long, in a neat plait that came over one shoulder. In a million years Sian could never have envisioned these two as her parents, despite the obvious familiar traits.Stunned, Sian couldn't help the instant comparisons to her Earth family, to her mum who wore her dark blonde hair in a long bob, a style she'd always worn, to her mother standing here, with her sparse blonde hair scraped into an elaborate up-do, littered with pastel coloured ribbons.Or her dad, with his white hair kept short to help disguise the thinning on top and his brown eyes that always seemed to laugh, to this manher birth fatherwith that long plait and light green eyes that seemed to glitter with intrigue and speculation.'May I introduce the Lady Sian, Elemental of Water,' Daron spoke up, smoothly bowing low to the couple as he gave Sian's fingers a squeeze. She al