In war, fairness is a myth—at least in this world.

Odessa trudged through three feet of snow, her boots sinking with each step. Much to her dismay, bodies don’t bury themselves.

November marked the beginning of the resistance’s plan. By now, Queen Morana’s forces should be half-frozen, their limbs sluggish, their reflexes filled by the cold.

Odessa’s orders were simple: lead a small legion, amb...

After days of negotiating, I scowled, still unwilling to give in to Isolde’s plea for an alliance, even if it was temporary. She sounded so desperate, which made it annoyingly hard to ignore her and Storm off.

“Caliban, please-“ Isolde’s plea echoed through my mind, sticking like a parasite. But the way her voice broke like she was on the verge of a mental breakdown. I can’t believe I’m saying th...

All Juno could hear was screaming ringing in her ears. She couldn’t focus on what Aistis was saying beside her. The screaming filled her mind, her ears.

Snap out of it. It’s gone, it’s done. The battle is won.

“Hm?” Juno asked, looking up at Aistis. She hadn’t heard him at all. Her gaze fell on his bandages that were showing signs of his wounds still bleeding. Concern flashed through her for a...

Olorith is a beautiful place despite the sorrows and tragedies that take place on its grasses and beaches. The forests echo with life, both ordinary and magic.

The northern shore of Thera, one of the most important kingdoms, holds the most Serene waters known to man. Storms don’t dare to pass by, and the water is constantly crystal clear.

The kingdom of Oraria holds Olorith’s most prized locat...

Aistis and Karyan had the moment under control, Juno could see from her perch on the castle wall. The plan was simple:

Infiltrate the castle, check

Get to the castle wall, check.

Sit on the wall until the signal…in the works.

Juno was getting quite bored. She couldn’t hear what the king was saying, though she could guess it was something along the lines of, “you will die and so will your so ca...

After Loreley and Aran finally finished baking the apple pies, she was sent out to their humble little baking stand to sell them. Aran got to work on preparing the other dishes that Loreley had not mastered well enough to help with. When she neared the door, she grabbed her jacket and slung it over a shoulder. She let herself out and closed the door behind her.

“Try to be back in four bells,” Da...

The smell of burning metal wafted up Loreley’s nose as she passed by the forge with a basket of oranges, cherry tomatoes, strawberries, and apples swinging in her hands. She could hear the clanking of metal on metal from inside the forge and many men’s voices. She placed her basket down on the dirt road, stopping to braid her dark hair. An animal’s shriek split the sky a few moments later. No one ...

Aran lifted the swaddled baby from Queen Ellowen’s arms. Her old friend said nothing. Dannon’s face was solemn as he watched his daughter be transferred from her mother’s arms to Aran’s. Loreley stirred in her sleep. Her big, golden eyes opened when Ellowen bent down and laid a kiss on her forehead. Loreley worked her arm out of the warm blankets sheltering her from the bitter cold of winter, plac...

Ellowen rocked from side to side gently and slowly, the baby in her arms cooing at the motion. She felt her daughter caressing her dark hair like she always did as she drifted off to sleep. Ellowen found it adorable. She began to sing to her daughter, her voice rising and falling like gentle waves on the sea. A siren’s voice, her mother had said before. The young princess’s tiny hand fell and dang...

Rain. She could hear the rain. It fell lightly beside her ears. It pelted her face next. She still couldn’t move, could barely breath. She couldn’t remember her name…

She could feel her fingers twitching as she tried to close her hands. She could feel and hear the deep breath she took, gulping down the fresh, life giving air. She willed her hands to close, begging her muscles to agree with her. H...