TheIron Rook II It was several more years until the King and Queen had another child; and little over a year after that when the golden Sage Ordon returned to Castle Traeur, to see Duncan Whitetree. He had told him to take a small force of no more than twenty men, in addition to his chosen two other nobles to sit with him at the new court. After that Ordon had gone to the Riverlands, to grab the three nobles who would rep...

The Iron Rook I "You want to assassinate the royal family?" Duncan repeated the elder Sage's words slowly; doubting every word."I prefer to call it a silent coup, but yes." Sage Ordon replied with a calm smile. As if they were talking about taking a nice sail down the Riverlands, rather than a plot of high treason.The Sage had appeared at his castle, deep in the woods, entirely out of nowhere. Though Duncan was not a man...

I sit alone on the hilltop in the lush green grass. I always come here when I need to think. Looking out, I see the vast valley dotted with homes nestled in among fields of corn and wheat. The golden crops sway in the wind. Not far from my perch, the trail snakes up from a near dirt road below. The quiet lulls me into a calm state. I feel the sun warm my face, and the wind tousles my honey brown hair. I can feel the peace...

The Widower Katrina made it all the way home before falling apart. She shed her cloak, tossed the bloodied dagger aside, and leaned back against the door, struggling to breathe. Slowly she fell to the floor, then brought her knees up to her chest and buried her face in them and started sobbing. Her aunt eventually grew tired of it and came by to help her to the bathroom and clean her up.Meradith sat her down at the table...

Tensions were high that at sea, for in an an un-precedented move that took place. The world's Navies ordered their ships from both their home ports, and from their posts of call from all over the globe to assemble in task forces or groups, after having been ordered to one spot in the vast Pacific ocean, in order to say goodbye and to pay tribute to two legends that were leaving that day. And to see them off as they headed...

In the darkness of the night, a young child's voice could be heard. He was whimpering softly to himself behind an old wooden door. Endless tears stained his black and blue cheeks, soaking through his once-favorite Sticker Man sheets. He gripped the soft, plush material, piercing the flesh of the mattress with his nails as the screams he bottled up for so long, running past his lips with their venom began to seep through h...

"So let me get this straight. " Chole said looking over the forged documents. One had been recently printed in London, and looked new, but Cytheria had gone back two centuries to London to have it forged with the Royal Society's official script. The other was much older or looked much older. She had it written in the 10th Century. It was basically an additional letter to be added to something called the " Loachim Chronicl...

The White Pawn XVIIIWilliam sat down at the Sisters fountain, twirling the bronze Rook around in his fingers, today was the last day Jordon gave him to offer the proof he needed against Walden's innocence and to reopen the greater case at large. But it had no matter now; all his evidence was lost. The last of captain Gren's men who could provide accountable details about the night of Albert's death, had themselves died; k...

The Pawn XVIIThe Divine temple stood an enormous white structure, the mass of which was the center room of prayer: the Equiltarium. The arched entrance to the temple had no gates, a design intending to make it feel open to all. If, however, the great steps leading up to it didn't overly intimidate the worshipers; for the climb up them was tedious even for William himself.The roof of the temple was a round dome with a skyl...

The White Pawn XVI One week wasn't much time for William but he made a deal, and from what both the commander and Derren were telling him, this Baron, (self-named lord of crime) would need to be stopped soon. But he had a fading trail to follow first, after he took care of these killers in the shadows; then he would deal with the man trying to burn the world. Of course, none of this is what he told Loren when he arrived a...

The White Pawn XVA hard banging at the door interrupted Meradith while she was going over the seating arrangements for all the guests at the feast, for the fourth time that morning, for which William was grateful, he hadn't a mind for wedding plans. In fact, he didn't see the need for it to be so extravagant. He wasn't a lord or royal; though Katrina's family was wealthy, and friends with some nobles in the Grasslands, sh...

The elves gave Gav the sack that contained Giorgia and Poppet. He took it inside his hovel, where he turned it upside down. Giorgia dropped out of the sack and was mad as hell. Confronted with a mean looking huge red monstrosity, she stood her ground along with Poppet, whom she cuddled closely. "Who are you?" she said. "And where is Reece? Mum and Auntie Ginger are gonna be so mad at him for this and so is Kermit." Lookin...

The White Pawn XIVBy some undignified luck, William and the wife had lost the men chasing them and lay hidden in a dark corner behind some boxes in a random back street. They had a nice head start as the men were still searching the house for the gold thinking it was still there. William had led them off the long roads of Wall Street and into a maze of back roads and nameless streets."Who the hell were those men and what...

The White Pawn XIIIThe late Walden Fen's house stood at the end of a row of houses each identical to one another. With only about 8 feet between them, the houses were made of a wooden framework with cob walls and clay thatched roofs. Walden's home lay at the north end of the line. William walked up to it and knocked.While waiting he glanced up at the sky, the sun was slowly setting off in the distance. The door soon opene...

The White Pawn XII"It's suspicious isn't it?" The cloaked stranger asked sitting down on the stool next to William at the bar. Their voice was muffled by something covering their mouth so he couldn't tell if it was male or female. He paid them little mind as it was, he was half drunk already and didn't intend to stop there.Katrina's aunt had come into the city at last and all they did was talk about gossip back home. He w...