Eleazar performs a final dangerous experiment to bring his deal to an end.
3745 words
Eleazar performs a final dangerous experiment to bring his deal to an end.
3745 words
I sat in front of the sink, cupping my smoothly scaled hands beneath the automatic tap. I splashed the water onto my grey and white muzzle and watched it return to the drain, slightly reddened, where it would be reclaimed. Depositing some soap onto my hands, I lathered it before I scrubbed away the remaining…
Say your goodbyes.
2719 words
Written May-June 2022
Index | < Royal Request (Chapter 16)
Say your goodbyes.
2719 words
Written May-June 2022
The weak winter sunlight was waning, but still the pen scratched away at paper under the glow of a floating crystal. Notes about the day’s events, experiments with enchantments, and thoughts on further possibilities to try were immutably inked.
A knock at the door interrupted the writer’s thoughts.…
Someone in the capital wants something.
3931 words
Written March-May 2022
Index | < Dream On (Chapter 15) | Farewell (Chapter 17) >
Someone in the capital wants something.
3931 words
Written March-May 2022
Pestowbo, the Imaadudish imperial capital, was far less expansive than Longjing. From the sky, Irikshan was actually able to see the far side of it, straying only a little into the valleys between the northern mountains. It was still the second largest city he’d…
Nothing like a series of vivid dreams to start the day.
4298 words
Written January-February 2022
Index | < Scholars and Schemers (Chapter 14) | Royal Request (Chapter 16) >
Nothing like a series of vivid dreams to start the day.
4298 words
Written January-February 2022
Stamping feet and rustling wings filled the hall with applause as Irikshan accepted his award. Hundreds of eyes were upon him. He basked in it for a time, but something nagged at him. He scanned the crowd. All the shifting…
Irikshan is back in action, and so are others.
3145 words
Written December 2021 - January 2022
Index | < Specter (Chapter 13) | Dream On (Chapter 14) >
Irikshan is back in action, and so are others.
3145 words
Written December 2021 – January 2022
“Yes, I believe you have recovered enough to leave the property. Do not travel on foot through the outer city until a week from now. It will not be good for your health to be exposed again so soon to the foul miasmas that caused your…
An elusive figure.
2937 words
Written August-November 2021
Index | < Reporting In (Chapter 12) | Scholars and Schemers (Chapter 14) >
An elusive figure.
2937 words
Written August-November 2021
A sudden snort from the sleeping Irikshan made Lucile freeze in place, hands buried in her saddlebags. As his breathing returned to the regular heavy rhythm that she’d grown used to over the past week, she continued softly rummaging about. She gathered a few…
Lucile makes her report.
3423 words
Written July-August 2021
Index | < Longing (Chapter 11) | Specter (Chapter 13) >
Lucile makes her report.
3423 words
Written July-August 2021
The utilitarian stone architecture of the headquarters stood out like a sore thumb against the ornate wooden architecture of most of the inner city. Lucile felt intimidated as she approached. This wasn’t Shormton anymore. She’d never been beyond Namhni, let alone met a dragon.…
The travellers arrive at Meihian’s megacity.
3323 words
Written June-July 2021
Index | < Memories (Chapter 10) | Reporting In (Chapter 12) >
The travellers arrive at Meihian’s megacity.
3323 words
Written June-July 2021
Irikshan circled in the air as he drifted down to the paved road, hemmed in by a low stone fence before the hilly fields. Before his final approach, he took a glance at the small caravan of horse-drawn carts some distance away. They were not facing in…
Dredging up the past.
3349 words.
Written January-June 2021
Index | < Bandits (Chapter 9) | Longjing (Chapter 11) >
Dredging up the past.
3349 words
Written January-June 2021
Saitai village teemed with life in the dusk. Adults milled about, minding to their business or clustering together to chat, the scarce dragons joining the occasional group. Children ran about, screaming, shouting, and disturbing their parents. The newest village hatchlings ran…
A clash in the woods.
3855 words
Index | < Saitai (Chapter 8) | Memories (Chapter 10) >
A clash in the woods.
3855 words
In a large artificial clearing in the woods, a small gathering of buildings stood. There was a cookhouse, a meeting hall, storehouses, and several communal houses – two of them being dragon-sized. Yet, this cluster of buildings couldn’t be called much more than that. It was not even close to a village. The…
