“You assumed I was spineless and cowardly, but look where that landed you,” Melek said as he stood in front of Harand. Harand was kneeling on the dirt, his feet turned out to the sides. Melek’s blade remained in his hand, the line of blood on the edge contrasting with the shining steel as it dripped off and onto the floor. Harand’s face turned up and his gaze left the pile of intestines for the ...

The pond sat off to the right. She was vaguely aware of it as her water source, but she ignored it for now; something else held her attention. Motionless, she stared into the clearing where she usually crossed to the water. Though the sun had set hours ago and the forest was baptized in darkness, a light shone among the trees. Unwilling, or perhaps unable, to move, she stood there in the dark, ...

Julie ducked behind a tree, panting as she tried to make herself as small as possible to stay out of sight. He had been a perfect gentleman when they had met, but now he was more like a predator. She heard Dathan call out to her, his voice menacing but inviting in a way. “Julie! I know you’re out there!” Her breath caught in her throat and she put a hand over her mouth in a vain attempt to stifl...

I remember it vividly as if it were yesterday: the cold rain fell like daggers as we ran into the barn which offered little shield from the elements. At least the rain didn’t fall as hard in there. Papa looked in my eyes and told me with sincerity “We are going to be fine. Just lay here and don’t make a noise,” as he gently shut the door over my head and covered it with straw. Those were the las...

Scraping, scratching, scrounging, the aged man searched for something as he moved slowly along and kept digging around as a squirrel searches for its hidden acorns. His movements became continually more frantic as he kept going, not finding whatever it was which he searched. “It’s got to be here,” I could hear him mutter to himself as his panic grew. The locker for which he searched was not there...

The autumn chill is giving way to the freezing December; the snows which follow make my bones ache more and more every year as I try to keep up with the seasons. Farming is a game for the young, but I can’t seem to give it up.
I might not have enough to last the cold season. The jars on my shelves remain hopelessly empty as I stand before them, wishing them to fill themselves and knowing that t...

The mask is slipping. I have put up with the cabal of dissenters who try to undermine the rule of law in favor of the military regime. They place their own agendas above the welfare of the people whom they claimed to represent. My task was to slip in and reconnoiter the situation, but that changed when I made my report. The king instructed me to stay in cover and continue to monitor the progress...

Steph walked through the forest, ducking under some low branches as she made her way to Buckley. ‘Why,’ she wondered, ‘are there no roads in better condition leading to Buckley?’ An invisible spider web hit her face and she lost her composure for a moment, waving her arms around in a futile attempt to escape the unseen net. “Are you alright, lady?” A voice reached her ears and Steph whirled around...

The old lady passed across the street, the customary scarlet ribbon still tied around her wrist as she shuffled her feet in her slow progression down the road. “Miss Gerry!” Elaine called, waving from the other side. She paused and looked over at Elaine. “Oh, hello,” came her quiet reply as a smile spread across her face, adding more wrinkles to her already wrinkled face. Elaine waited for a ca...

Too long have I lived here, isolated from the world by my own choice. My tower lays in the middle of a lake, surrounded by towering pines and shielded from prying eyes. An old friend brings me supplies once per month and I pay him handsomely for his effort, but he has not arrived this month. I grow impatient as my stores begin to dwindle. Where is Haru? My focus shifts toward my training, my pas...