azazele

ARC 7-Cursed Fates-109-Lane

Lane Macklemore felt like a waste. For all the resources poured into him and the advantages he was given, he’d done disappointingly little with his life.

He didn’t grow up privileged by a...

ARC 7-Cursed Fates-108-Mr. Richard

Mr. Richard thought it was about time to make his exit.

One glance at the anxious and, far worse, interested faces surrounding him was enough to tell him there was no salvaging the situation....

ARC 7-Cursed Fates-107-Mr. Richard

He wasn’t intimidated.

As a merchant who’d braved the kingdom’s roads and wilderness for decades, he’d seen far too much to let three women, no matter their reputation or ability, int...

ARC 7-Cursed Fates-106-Mr. Richard

Mr. Richard, and he was Mr. Richard to everyone, including his friends and sometimes to his family, looked over his party with a pleased eye. He wasn’t one for extravagance, being a practical man...

ARC 7-Cursed Fates-105

What does one wear to a slaughter?

After a fitful night of sleep, on my part and no one else’s, a small point of embarrassment despite the logical part of my mind insisting there’s nothin...

ARC 7-Cursed Fates-104

“Gather around everyone. No need to be shy, we’re only plotting mass murder.”

“You don’t have to sound so damn happy about it,” Alana grumbles. She doesn’t see how strained my s...

ARC 7-Cursed Fates-103

“It is rare for you to ask me to spar.”

Across from me on the ruined Teppin lawn, Kierra stretches as she prepares for our bout. As for why I have willingly served myself up for my wife�...

ARC 7-Cursed Fates-102

“Tell me about—wait.”

I pause as Fen enters the room pushing a serving cart. The fare on it is simple, as all my servants have been too busy to properly stock the kitchen pantries with ...

ARC 7-Cursed Fates-101

“Please, sit down,” I offer as I drop her hand. “You can tell the others to make themselves comfortable. Are you hungry? Of course you are. What do you eat? Do you drink? Alcohol, I mean. Ple...

ARC 7-Cursed Fates-100

Should I bring a gift?

It occurs to me that despite having no violent intentions toward these estrazi, a human, their age-old enemy, intruding on a secret rendezvous and demanding they surren...

ARC 7-Cursed Fates-99 (Little Water)

Should she kill them?

The longer the two strange females lingered, the more uncomfortable Little Water became. If the encounter was to come to violence, initiative would be valuable. The prob...

ARC 7-Cursed Fates-98 (Little Water)

Little Water hated the human kingdom.

She knew her journey would be difficult, expected to face hardships that could prove fatal. What she didn’t expect was to be so annoyed and the most un...

ARC 7-Cursed Fates-97

Lancecain presses his back against the door as I approach him, one hand blindly grasping for the handle. For a moment. Then he lets go, straightens his shoulders, and looks me in the eyes. “Pleas...

ARC 7-Cursed Fates-96

Having enough gold to afford the best doesn’t guarantee someone has the taste to make the most of that wealth. The Teppin house isn’t a gaudy monstrosity, thank the saints, but it is practicall...

ARC 7-Cursed Fates-95

[I bring troubling news, my summoner.]

As expected, Geneva returns safe and sound, having successfully completed her errand. With Kiera preoccupied with Lancecain, Yulia distracted catching u...

ARC 7-Cursed Fates-94

Geneva hasn’t returned by morning.

If it were anyone else, truly anyone, I might bother being concerned. Hells, I would be worried for Kierra, despite how capable she is. Had she failed to ...

ARC 7-Cursed Fates-93

Thankfully, Kierra knows how to handle horses, swear that elf can do anything. We stop by the Golden Feathers. I wanted to speak with Marcella, but she isn’t there when we arrive. I imagine she�...

ARC 7-Cursed Fates-92

“Lady Tome!”

I swear softly and reflexively shut my eyes as a gust of wind blows my hair into my face. A moment later, I remember my ‘films’ and drop one to block the dust being throw...

ARC 7-Cursed Fates-91

Before our imaginations get away from us, I bring my treasure-hungry elf and conspiracy-loving succubus back on track. Namely, figuring out what happened here and if it relates to us or the March. ...

ARC 7-Cursed Fates-90

The roads are a mess as we ride toward the source of fire and fear. The complications are undoubtedly because we are going in the opposite direction of the heavy traffic, who are unilaterally movin...

ARC 7-Cursed Fates-89

“G-g-g-good—”

I smile with a mix of amusement and nostalgia as the youngest Teppin makes a spectacle of herself in the doorway of our stolen bedroom while trying to greet us. I have a f...

ARC 7-Cursed Fates-88

Unfortunately, we linger too long and miss our opportunity to sneak off. As we whisper to each other in the dark, our guests are shown out and Rey serves tea. All is calm until Alana raises her voi...

ARC 7-Cursed Fates-87

In the stories, treachery is always done under the cover of deep shadows and discussed in soft whispers. Never blatantly discussed out in the open, spoken without the obfuscation of code or metapho...

ARC 7-Cursed Fates-86

Fear, unease, nerves, tension.

A far cry from the happy atmosphere of my party. I wish all this slaughtering could bring me back to that time of music and bright lights. That’s what I’m f...

ARC 7-Cursed Fates-85 (Marcella)

“Fuck.”

Marcella was inclined to agree with the quiet exclamation, though not even a hint of disquiet showed on her face. Their journey to the Teppin estate was short and uneventful, a st...

ARC 7-Cursed Fates-84 (Marcella)

In Marcella’s experience, the worst thing in business was not competitors or an unstable market, but surprises. She hated surprises. A loss she could handle. Problems could be turned into opportu...

ARC 7-Cursed Fates-83

The parents seem dismayed by the actions of their daughter, her mother watching her with poorly repressed horror while her father glares with disapproval. Do they expect her to face death with quie...

ARC 7-Cursed Fates-82

If I am a monster playing a being human, the man who opens the door is a rabbit playing at being a stoic servant. He’s an elderly man dressed in a nice white skirt, dark pants, and a half apron i...

ARC 7-Cursed Fates-81

A noble is in charge of every aspect of the land they govern. They are charged with taking stock of the resources of their territory and allocating them to serve the best interests of the people. 2024-02-25 22:05:42 +0000 UTC View Post

ARC 7-Cursed Fates-80

What is a noble?

That word has a lot of meanings. The most common, I think, references someone born into a position of power, those who are meant to rule by the right of bloodline. They are t...