Suddenly Queen Aetherina emerged in her sea funnel, water rushing and whirling around her body; the power radiating from her instilled fear in us all. She rapidly flung forward what seemed to be an endless amount of water spears, exploding the chests and heads of countless soldiers in a bloodbath. She paused for a moment, her eyes glazed over and […]
Click here to read “Storms May Come” from the beginning. … Mist rolled over the land, obscuring everything outside of the archers’ range. The Sirens had pulled the sea onto dry land, filling the air with humidity. The army would not be able to see us until they were fired upon by muskets and bows. We waited in a tense silence, ready […]
Click here to read “Storms May Come” from the beginning. … “Less than three weeks to be ready for a battle against thousands?!” a villager named Bartram exclaimed. He was a lean middle-aged man with a hooked nose who was distrustful of everyone, especially the Sirens. “We have already finished the walls, and we have the aid of the Sirens,” […]
Click here to start reading from the beginning. … I ran my hand along the rough walls, fingers catching on the innumerable tiny shells. Everyone in the village who could lift the coquina stones had been helping to build a wall around our homes. Even the children combed the beaches for oyster shells, which were burned into lime and mixed […]
To read from the beginning, click here. … We stood on the rocky shore as the sun first peeked above the ocean, glinting off the water and painting the skies vivid colors. We watched as a dozen tails broke the surface of the waves, the glistening scales more beautiful than the sunrise. They skimmed across the water towards our party […]
After the storm, in the silence and the calm, he came, like he was ushering in the sunlight himself. Later, I thought it more likely he had pushed in the storm. But when you’re desperate and someone offers aid, you don’t question it. So we began the rebuilding, along with Dreven. And his presence made us believe that this time […]
A crinkled-skinned man looked around with glistening dark eyes, and drool slowly dripped from his lips. “Yes-yes all according to plan!” His face stretched into a too-long smile, cracks in his lips opening further a path for blood. The sky was dark above, a dense fog stretching past all sight. Contorting shadows littered every inch of the ground, their moans […]
If you haven’t read the beginning of The Ilodian Rift, you can find it here. … Ellisar steps through the portal first, then waves at us to follow. I grab my brother and sister’s hands. With a deep breath, I step through the glowing rift. I feel a tingle along my skin. Then, the air feels lighter and the world […]
The sound of loud music pops the bubble around me as I am pulled out of the intense moment in the story I was reading and brought abruptly back to the present. I sigh as I sit my book on the table and launch up from my chair. I stomp to my brother’s room next to mine. “Can you turn […]
When Lyna plays for her fans the music comes to life. You can see it in their faces, as her voice flows through the audience, their eyes alight with awe as if they were shining stars, their hair practically floating, and a soft golden aura surrounding them in the warmth of her music. Lyna loved playing music and adored her […]
