DEADALUS author of AETHERBORN

CHAPTER 22

Thorne crouched on the rooftop of a building across the street from the Thornfield estate, the cool night air brushing against his face. The darkness clung to...

CHAPTER 21

As soon as their conversation about the forest ended, Uncle's expression shifted, his eyes glinting with something sharp and calculating. "Let's play a game,"...

CHAPTER 20

Thorne woke to the unfamiliar creaks and groans of a room that felt as broken as he did. He blinked groggily, trying to take in his surroundings. The small, dilapidated space had walls...

CHAPTER 19

Thorne lay flat on the forest floor, his chest rising and falling slowly as he stared up at the patch of sky visible through the canopy. The high-pitched squeals of the dying boar grad...

CHAPTER 18

Thorne moved cautiously through the dense forest that bordered Caledris and the neighboring Elven kingdoms. Dawn had barely broken when he slipped out of the ...

CHAPTER 17

Thorne sat on his small bed, wincing as he gingerly probed the ugly bruise on his side. Uncle had been right: Sid was treating him worse than ever, as if he had a personal vendetta. Si...

CHAPTER 16

Thorne followed Sid through the streets of Alvar, trying to hold back his curiosity, but questions kept flying out of his mouth. "Where are we going? Why can't you just te...

CHAPTER 15

Thorne's heart pounded as the metallic sphere's bell-like ring echoed through the air, shattering the calm of the night and alerting the entire estate to his ...

CHAPTER 14

Thorne perched on the thick branch, savoring the last morsel of his blueberry pie. He licked his fingers, searching for any forgotten crumbs, but finding none, he sighed in resignation...

CHAPTER 13

"Well, well. Maybe you are not a lost cause after all."

Thorne turned to see Sid standing there, his thin, weasel-like face twisted into a predatory grin. His yellowed, rotting t...

CHAPTER 12

“Attack!”

Thorne hesitated, then lunged forward, his hand gripping the knife awkwardly. The blade felt foreign in his grasp, and his movements were slow, hesitant. Sid sidest...

CHAPTER 11

Thorne was woken early the next morning by a gentle nudge. His body ached, every movement reminding him of the brutal beating he had endured the previous nigh...

CHAPTER 10

Thorne sat uncomfortably at the worn wooden chair, trying his best to suppress a grimace. His entire body ached from the beating Jonah and his gang had given him, and every shift sent ...

CHAPTER 9

1 year later

Thorne dashed through the bustling fish market, weaving between pedestrians as he fought to hold his breath against the overpowering st...

CHAPTER 8

Thorne sat beside his father for what felt like hours. He wasn’t sure how long he had cried, but at some point, the tears had stopped, leaving only an emptiness in their wake. His fa...

CHAPTER 7

Thorne jolted awake, his heart pounding wildly in his chest. The room was pitch black, the moonlight barely able to pierce the thick gloom that enveloped him. His breath came in short ...

CHAPTER 6

“HOW MANY?” his mother yelled, her voice filled with shock.

Thorne froze, terrified he had said something wrong. His mother’s eyes were wide, her disbelief so clear that he...

CHAPTER 5

Thorne stood frozen, his hand clutching at his chest as if to protect the core inside him. Fear gripped his body, making it hard to breathe. His mother’s serious expression only made...

CHAPTER 4

The meal was strange. Thorne could feel the weight of his father’s and Bea’s gazes on him, as if they couldn’t help but steal glances every few moments. They looked at him like h...

CHAPTER 3

Thorne heard murmurs all around him—indistinct voices that swirled in the fog of his mind, too far away to understand. He thought he could hear his mother’s voice, soft and soothin...

CHAPTER 2

"Thorne!"

Thorne grimaced, quickly shoving his wooden soldiers under the bed. The valiant Ser Knight had been on the verge of defeating the evil wizard, and now—of all times—...

CHAPTER 1

Nine Years Ago

The hare was munching on some wild ederwheed, completely oblivious to the arrow aimed at it. Thorne’s small arms trembled as he str...