Misbegotten Memories

Chapter 29

Volithur waited almost an hour for the Castellan to emerge from his office, then a snap of the man’s fingers and a gesture to his feet commanded Volithur to heel like a dog. He followed without w...

Chapter 28

Hector smacked the alarm clock to turn it off and pushed Jasmine to gain a temporary respite from her snuggling. Staring at the dark ceiling of his bedroom, he found himself wondering why he woke s...

Chapter 27

Volithur ground his teeth during his walk to the palace. As useless as the rock he had received from the Evergreen Institute may be to him, he did not want to surrender his reward. Every precious r...

Chapter 26

Thassily found him quickly, throwing an arm around his shoulder and pushing his own mug of rum into Volithur’s hands. “You’re back, Harridan!”

“What’s going on here?”

“S...

Chapter 25

They were led off the stage through its back exit, through tight corridors, down several flights of stairs into a subterranean section lit only by flickering oil lamps. Volithur couldn’t help but...

Chapter 24

Volithur returned to consciousness after about three hours of sleep. Not the wisest strategy to prepare for an academic competition, but he couldn’t bring himself to stop the previous night. He h...

Chapter 23

Hector blinked himself awake, clearing away lingering memories of Volithur mentally cultivating for half the night as he turned off his alarm. Before leaving his bed, he brought up his nascent unde...

Chapter 22

Volithur didn’t make it back with Jemmi’s wine before another girl accosted him with the demand to dance. He managed to convince his assailant to allow him to deliver the beverage, but a short ...

Chapter 21

Volithur held hands with Hazen and stepped forward and back in time, their hands rising out to each side like they were flapping wings. Khana laughed at the spectacle while the Head Scribe marked t...

Chapter 20

Volithur sat across from the Sergeant as he explained the deal he had made.

“A tea powder elixir is more than worth your time. I will clear your absence with the Marshal. I’m certain he w...

Chapter 19

Volithur stole glances at Rolanda while the Head Scribe wrote on the chalkboard and prattled on about long division. He didn’t feel like he had made hardly any progress at cultivation since the b...

Chapter 18

Hector worked out like a maniac before buying seeds from a lawn and garden store and picking up some fresh produce from a grocery. He was still clenching his jaw and trying not to think about the d...

Chapter 17

The vitality that had filled Volithur drained away on the walk to the palace, leaving him exhausted and sore. It seemed his aches had not healed after all. The Sergeant gave him instructions as the...

Chapter 16

The cold water barely sufficed to quench the endless waves of heat radiating from his flesh. For once, Volithur did not miss heated water. He felt as if he might catch on fire. Strangely, the heat ...

Chapter 15

When he arrived for breakfast, the Sergeant himself approached Volithur with a vial of blood boiling elixir. “Ward Harridan, the Marshal has provided the elixir for you. It is best taken after a ...

Chapter 14

Hector woke to the assault of a wet tongue. “No kisses, Jasmine!” The pit bull perked up at hearing her name, looking quite pleased with herself.

A quick check of the time revealed that i...

Chapter 13

Volithur limped throughout the dark barracks, trying to ease the pains of his body through movement. His efforts saw mixed results. The steady ache receded somewhat, but more acute discomfort arose...

Chapter 12

Hector woke to hands shaking him awake. He sat up as the nurse who had performed the checkup on his father earlier leaned over him. She jerked back as he began to move. “You were out cold!”

Chapter 11

Volithur’s nose crunched under the fist and he fell back onto his rear. His vision cleared just in time to witness Instructor Gordo’s cupped hand make contact with the smirking brawler’s ear....

Chapter 10

Jerking awake. Hands tangling in sheets as they struggled to protect his face. Alarm blaring. Gasping for air. Confusion. Hector turned off his alarm and collapsed back onto his bed, trying to calm...

Chapter 9

Volithur discovered a deep loathing of the Castellan as he scoured the pipes. The task, it turned out, could not be conducted in a dignified manner. Standing beneath clay pipes as you stabbed at ob...

Chapter 8

Hector smacked his alarm clock hard enough that he worried he might have damaged it. Petty tyrants pissed him off. The bullying directed at Volithur bothered him on a professional level almost as m...

Chapter 7

Volilthur vowed to skip breakfast for the next two weeks. Cleaning out the septic invoked a potent bout of nausea that mixed poorly with a full belly. Given that the stone trench beneath the palace...

Chapter 6

Hector’s eyes stared at the ceiling as his alarm blared in the background. Was it real? Does Volithur really exist? The revelation that the entire world experienced the hyper-realis...