“Nothing here is sacred, nothing is safe.”

The man approached the group of pious monks and gave them this warning. They quickly exchanged glances and smiled to one another. The chief among them stepped toward the man and addressed him “If it is God’s will that we are to be blotted out, then so be it.”

“You apparently don’t understand; they are not coming to just kill you, they are coming to dese...

Things were different when I was young. In some ways better, but in some ways worse. There was a time when The People rode by in great metal things, pumping melodious sounds out of the openings, but that was long ago. I could see it happening, slowly at first.

Gradually, fewer and fewer of The People rode by and fewer of my descendants were chopped down. I still dropped my acorns like I always...

“She’s gone!” Melissa called down the stairs to the small group gathered there. They had been playing Flotsam when she went to check on Sammie. Those gathered around the Flotsam table abandoned their posts and raced up the stairs to the bedroom and confirmed the news with their own eyes. Gerald took her straw doll in his hands and turned it over gently, examining it for tears or stains which co...

Daniel moved with precision, punching and pounding as he worked. His job was often violent, but he loved it. It was always a cathartic day when he got to use his fists. He began to sweat as he worked, continually punching and beating and slapping.

Gradually, the clay came to the correct texture and he picked it up and slammed it down onto the center of the flat disk in front of him. He sat and s...

The stag walked through the brush, bending the branches as it went under them with his antlers. I was tempted to shoot him, but I was not in need at that point, and his majesty would be put to waste. I know not the hierarchy of deer or wild animals, but he was a king among his order.

He stopped briefly, only a couple meters from where I sat concealed in the bushes, and stripped the leaves off of...

Paul gave chase. He had always been faster than Absolom, but Absolom had a head start as Paul was held up by the fray of people fighting. Roman followed him, as well as Gerry. The final glimpse allowed him to see Dravis holding back the Baaman soldiers to allow the other rangers to give chase.

A horse galloped out of the alleyway as they entered, and the trio of rangers jumped onto the remainin...

Sam pulled the rod from the coals, glowing hot as he moved it quickly from the furnace to the anvil. His hammer rang out in high-pitched pings as he struck the end of it and shaped it into a wide, flat shape and folded it around a point. The piece was cut from the rod and he formed the other end into an elongated shape, making the sharp point of the bodkin.

He dipped the newly formed arrowhead i...

Sophy yelled at Rog, the anger in her voice clear as they fought. “You don’t care about me! If you did, you would actually do what I want to do.”

Rog looked at her calmly, patiently, “if you feel that way, I am sorry. I’ve done nothing but try to make you comfortable in life. Things you don’t even realize, and I’ve received no approbation for it. I cannot apologize for doing my best.”

“Augh!”...

“Why not?” Anna asked, or rather shouted, at Scott.

“Because I am your father. I don’t need another reason.” He replied. His daughter had a history of making poor choices in the men whom she allowed to court her, and he decided to step in to protect her this time. “That boy and his family are criminals.”

“No they aren’t!”

“Believe what you will, but you are not to see him again.” Scott turned a...

He has always fought for the empire. Fiercely loyal, Jonathan believed in their objective and thought others should agree. As they neared victory, he finally opened his eyes.

For the first time, Jonathan’s unit advanced through a civilian city instead of fighting across a battlefield and he witnessed the atrocities committed by the Baaman empire. How could they spread their peace and prosperi...