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...

Roman stepped out the door and examined the carnage. Having given up drinking long ago, he could fully appreciate the hilarity which resulted from the party following their great victory. His distant memory served to remind him of how the Pittites could party.

Now, in the early hours of the morning, he looked out on the streets which were strewn with the prostrate forms of slumbering men and wom...

Mariana peered out from the shrubbery, her eyes glued to the form of the man she had been tailing for the past few days. Following Paul had not been her objective, merely a fortunate by-product of her mission of reconnaissance. Her clothing clung to her body as she sweated in the intense southern humidity, but she dared not reveal herself to him. Not yet.

He picked his way through the brush, sw...

It pierced the darkness and rang out across the fields, the unearthly scream. Steven put his book down and stood as the sound made his very blood turn sour. Unable to stop himself, he girded his dagger and strung his bow.

His heart pounded in his chest as he stepped off the safe stoop of his home and onto the parched dirt. He could hear the blood pumping inside his veins, but he tried to ignore...