Category: original fiction

"A New Dawn" 373 words "Come," she whispered in my ear. I hadn't heard her approach, the sound of her steps masked by the noise of the marketplace, crowded even in the evening. She breezed past me, her black robes brushing my arm, smooth, silky, cool. She pulled back the flap of a tent at the end of a row. I followed her in, hit by the fragrance of cassia, and something else underlying it, something musky that I couldn't place. The woman turned to me, the candles' light reflecting in her eyes, the flickering flames leaving the corners of the tent in shadow. She picked up a bottle that shimmered with greens and purples and held it toward me. "One hundred sheckles, and you'll forget it all." Expensive, but I was here for that freedom. I had searched out this beautiful, dangerous woman knowing she was the only one who made the potion, or at least the only one who worked for herself...

Striking First 406 words She had managed to slice him with the knife, his thigh bleeding. "Shara," he grabbed her wrist. "Stop," he said calmly, quietly. She looked up into his deep brown eyes and stilled. She dropped the blade, sank to her knees and buried her head in her hands, her golden curls reaching the ground. "I thought..." He cut her off. "I know. He's gone." He couldn't blame her for her reaction. After all, Micah was his twin, nearly identical. In the soft evening light, she could easily have mistaken them, and after what Micah had done to her last time in he was in town, he couldn't blame her for her reaction. She had nearly died then, recovering had taken months, learning to trust again even longer. He was proud of her, actually, to have the courage to strike out as she had, not to cower in fear or hide in desperation. She was a fighter, a survivor. He would...

The King Is Dead 388 words Listening. Watching. I know the hunters are out there searching for me, ready to kill me, just as I had killed the King. Now that the snow has stopped falling, I need to be careful. They'll notice any tracks I leave, just as they hear any snapping branches. But these are my woods, I grew up here, climbing the hills, playing in the valleys, talking to the critters, whistling with the birds. They will not catch me, these foreigners. They may work for the royal family, but they don't know our land, don't care about our people. Mercenaries, enforcers, hired thugs. But who am I to judge? I was paid well for my service, too. Does it matter that I did it for a cause I believe in? Ah, they're nervous. The small fire they've built to warm themselves, eat a bite of dinner, doesn't provide much sense of security, but I wonder what happened that made them...

The Healer 362 words Shayne hated the sounds of battle, the clashing of swords, the war cries of the men, the groans of the injured. She stood on the hillside, away from the clearing. If the spies were speaking true. the Duke's men would be passing by here midday, heading toward the castle, but the men behind her would be waiting, ready to protect the kingdom. She could feel their excitement, tinged with apprehension and even some fear. She knew too, that seeing her here on the battlefield would give them hope and courage. As a young woman she shouldn't be near the combat. As a single woman, she should be wary of the fighters, roughened, violent men. As a princess, she should be safe at home in the castle. But as a healer, she could be nowhere else. When the skirmish was over she had a purpose. Just a touch could stop the pain, heal the wounds. The dead were beyond her...

Waiting on Mr. Aaron Baker 361 words Leticia looked at the sketch, a small smile curving her lips. A genius, eh? The man was quite handsome, young,  intelligent-looking. He would be here shortly. Hiding the page under the stack of papers on small table at her side , she stood and sighed. As arranged, he would arrive shortly in his carriage to take her to the theater. She walked slowly to her bedroom, her dress trailing behind her. She thought back to the dinner where they had met last week. It had been, overall, a boring affair. The usual gossip and men trying to impress each other, ignoring their wives, boasting of their latest accomplishments. At her request, she was seated by Mr. Aaron Baker and quickly fell into conversation with him. He had actually been amusing and when tonight's invitation came she was delighted to accept it. So rarely is work enjoyable. Too often, she found herself attending events with stuffy old...

Branches 368 words The pain was excruciating, but she wouldn't scream. The tree howled as his branches pierced her skin, his upper branches whipping as if in a windstorm, sap rolling down his trunk like teardrops, but he wouldn't stop. She had made this choice, wanted this connection and he knew that she might be the one who could restore balance. For too long, war had ravished the countryside. The new weapons could cause more damage than he had ever seen. Acres burned, fire came from above. No more was it simply arrows piercing their bark, swords slashing their branches or horses galloping over their roots. They were truly in danger now, and the humans did not seem to understand that their lives depended on the forest more than the trees had ever depended on people. The ancient tree did not care who was fighting, it made no difference. He had seen kingdoms rise and fall and human politics meant little too him,...