01.31.13
There was no doubt about it – the oak tree was angry. It creaked and groaned and waved its branches though there was not even a whisper of wind. Taimi swore under his breath. It had to happen on his watch of course. And it had to be the oak tree, didn’t it – just for once, it would be nice if it was the willow tree that demanded his attention. He sighed. Still, there was no escaping it; he had to do his duty.
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06.07.12
The Scholar was excited. After years of research, his first experiment on a living human was a success. The blind orphan boy’s eyesight was restored. It had taken a few days after the procedure for the child to fully regain his sight; the boy reported that his world was becoming lighter and clearer every day. This was in line with the Scholar’s animal experiments – they had all started off by walking very cautiously, but then became bolder as the days passed. He had assumed that this was due to the initial fear of their new sensation, but this explanation worked just as well.
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12.02.10
It is Winter’s Eve and I lie in bed, the blanket drawn up to my ears, with the wind starting to howl outside as the last bit of daylight creeps into the hut. My mother strokes my hair and tells me the same tale as she does every year on this night.
“Close your eyes, my child, and let Sleep take you from here. Let him take you with him to safety before it gets dark. For tonight the Ice Maiden is free to prowl, as she was a year ago to the day, as she has done every year before that since the eve of the very first Winter.”
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10.07.10
Tenki was nearly asleep when he heard whispered voices outside the hut – one of the Elders had come to speak to his father. He lay as still as possible so they would think he was asleep. His father always spoke of more interesting things when he thought Tenki couldn’t hear him.
09.09.10
Keirit spent his sixteenth birthday doing what most boys did when they turned eight. His mother pleaded with him not to leave the Caves, but he was adamant.
“You can’t stop me any more, Mother. I have come of age now and no longer need your permission. You have forced me to stay underground for long enough.”
“But I have been keeping you safe. The visions -”
“I’ve heard enough about your visions. Eight winters ago you should have let me out, as all my friends’ mothers did for them. Instead you kept me here because of nothing more than a bad dream.” He shook her off and made his way towards the Silver Cavern, where his childhood friends had agreed to meet him. They were to escort him to the surface and help him get adjusted to life on the outside. It wouldn’t be long before winter came to an end and everyone would have to make their way back to the Caves, so Keirit didn’t want to waste any more time underground.
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08.06.10
It was a while before dawn would break; they stood by the small fire, talking quietly so as not to wake those in the neighbouring huts.
“Are you feeling strong?”
“Of course,” she said, rolling her eyes at him. “My strength is not in question here – I would not be eligible to put myself forward to be the next chieftain, otherwise.”
“I know, but…”
“Do not fear, Laurian.” She leaned forward and kissed him on the lips. “My determination will see me through, if nothing else. I cannot allow Telsia to win – her views on the future of our people are worrying, to say the least. Her views on you Enslaved Ones even more so.”
“How did it go with your mother last night?” He raised an eyebrow and she rolled her eyes again.
“As well as can be expected, I suppose.”
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07.23.10
Alethea was the only child of the King of Taunder, but only a handful of people knew of her existence. She had been born with the mark, and thus was so valuable that she had to be kept safe and protected from any bad influence until she came of age. On the eve of this occasion, she sat in her apartment in the tall tower at the west end of the castle, undecided as to how she felt about the new life she was about to lead, come the morning. She glanced around at the plush prison she had been confined in since birth. She would be free of it soon enough, but at what cost? Her father was going to auction her off to the highest bidder, and she would be forced to marry a man she had never even seen a likeness of.
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07.15.10
Albert walked up to the funeral parlour feeling happier than he had in a long time. For the last few years he had been performing his mortician duties listlessly, but today he felt that he had a purpose. He was about to enter using the front door, when he saw that the funeral director was in the reception area with clients. He decided to access the mortuary via the side entrance; since the death of his daughter four years previously, his presence made clients uncomfortable. Affronted by this at first, Albert had soon come to realise how his countenance might be upsetting to them. Grief had made him so gaunt that it seemed his skull was only covered by a paper-thin layer of skin. He understood how the prominent cheekbones and the sunken, dark-ringed eyes might perhaps be too reminiscent of the Reaper himself to the recently bereaved.
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05.20.10
All must pass through the Realm of Dusk before they can reach their final destination, be that the fair Evenlands or the pits of the Abyss. All must come here, at the mercy of the Guardians as to which of the Gates will be opened to them. So came I, but here I remain though an age has surely passed in the lands of the living. Neither of the Gates will let me pass; even the Guardians cannot force me through.
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04.09.10
She has been walking since dusk in order to get to the wolf-lord by midnight and has now reached the final hill. Up and up she climbs, heavy-hearted but swift of foot. Up she goes, though she knows she will not be coming down again. In her place the wolf-lord will send the rain, and her people will see their crops grow again. They will once again have plenty, and more girlchildren shall be born so that the wolf-lord can carry on his own existence and fuel theirs. She tells herself that she is not afraid; it is an honour to be chosen as the wolf-lord’s feastmaiden. But as the top of the hill draws nearer and the howls get louder, her heart can’t help but skip a beat or two.
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