Recent content by Spectral Omens

To far too many souls, an instance of the same dream, across the greatest lands of Liaidain- "Power is a poor salve against terror," says a crow with a mouth for a beak. It grins. "As a shield, poorer still. Know this: even the proudest and most comfortable shall know fear, and those who have...

As a side effect, a pair of nearby ravens squawked and then went dead quiet. Oh, they still tried to squawk, but not a bit of sound came out. They flapped away in deep consternation and infuriated silence.

A small sheet of paper fluttered on the deck of the ship. A crewman snatched it up before it could blow away. It was a cartoon, magically duplicated: this was just one of some number of identical cartoon leaflets. It depicted Vizier Medja trying and failing to lift Gerra's big firey mace. Her...

Over the ensuing two hours, Basmarc ran Chasmine through all the fundamental moves and stances. Most hewed closely to the rapier work she'd already done. The spirit offered no explicit praise. He spent his time adjusting the angles of her balance and motion with precise flicks of a weeping...

Chasmine The moon was a little fuller tonight, brighter in the willow leaves, and Basmarc's silhouette was more distinct. IT WILL SUFFICE FOR NOW. YOUR FULL-CONTACT TRAINING WILL NOT REQUIRE A LIVE BLADE. IF YOU NEED TO USE THAT SWORD TO KILL, DO IT QUICKLY. IT WILL KILL — ONCE. The willow...

SIMPLY THIS: THE EXERCISES I SET YOU WILL PUSH YOU FARTHER THAN YOUR PREVIOUS SWORDMASTERS. YOU CARRY A TRAINING RAPIER. FOR SOMEONE OF YOUR HEIGHT AND BUILD, A RAPIER IS NOT OPTIMAL, CERTAINLY NOT FOR DAILY CARRY. YOU NEED A SMALLSWORD. HALF A POUND LIGHTER, A FEW INCHES SHORTER. A NOBLE'S...

One gravestone jutted up at the clearing's edge, in the shade of a weeping willow. Moonlight painted a threadbare silhouette in the leaves. A breeze twined the draping branches and gave the impression of a once-over. PRESUMABLY YOU'RE HERE TO LEARN THE SWORD. The voice was large but hollow...

Dandy — invisible and comfortably ensconced in Chasmine's lap — returned Sable Pembroke's slow blink. If the orange cat had understood the comment, it might have taken offense at the idea that Chas had found Dandy rather than the other way around.

My sources say yes.

The Cortosi coast, between Vel Anir and the closest holdings of the Empire of Amol-Kalit... A thousand ravens croak as one, a blink before dawn. Fish bob up as the ocean — for a single heartbeat — boils. Every egg cracked for breakfast has blood inside. Every dog runs away.

The event had begun to settle into dark corners like waves into familiar tidepools, choked with flamboyant life and occasional stagnation. Old friends and rivals reunited with eagerness or reluctance. Destinies teetered on the knife-edge of courtly relationships. One wrong word, one poorly...

Steam wafted from the tumultuous lake. Far below the surface, an echo of firelight gleamed on broken teeth the size of men. Galen Tytus Amladeris

In a blighted treetop at the edge of the forest, three ravens fought over a meal. Their squabble came to an abrupt end as the meal tumbled free and smashed on the ground, right in Gylfi's path. The meal was a pale dove, a mess of white feathers and brilliant blood with most of its meat stripped...

Soft incorporeal paws kneaded at Chasmine's knees as Dandy, long dead, tried to get comfortable. Dandy didn't have to try for long: Chasmine's presence, wherever the girl went, was the closest thing to home. Her lap was Dandy's Territory, and that territory had just been reclaimed. A satisfied...

Centipede Arnor Skuldsson Elle Selena Through the roaring of the flame, high above the keep, ravens shrieked on the wind. Stray fire — magical fire — had fountained up from the battle. A raven fell burning, dead before it crashed in the courtyard.