Ms. Fairweather sighed to herself, walking steadily down the woodland path, the dog on a tight rope in front of her. A scarf previously belonging to Professor Solomon was wrapped around the dog's neck, reminding the beast of whose scent it was following. Ms. Fairweather herself was a tangled knot of emotions, unsure of why she was so set on putting ( Read more... )

Aden was amazed. She stared at him, her mouth dry. He resembled himself -- pure, perfect, as sleek and beautiful as the day she had first seen him. It almost brought her to her knees; the force of his presence was overwhelming. She had forgotten the tangible power that radiated from his massive wings, completely healed and in tact.

She reached up, ( Read more... )

They had reached the dry riverbed, and had been walking along it for some time. The mountain of vines was growing ever closer, and the more it neared, the bigger it seemed. The vines were now obviously several yards wide, thicker than most tree trunks. Solomon reflected that it was certainly an unexpected sight to find in the middle of the Opaque. ( Read more... )

Ms. Fairweather awoke to a dull, cold throbbing.

Her throat was parched and her head ached like wildfire. She tried to sit up, wavered, and slumped back against the ground. It hurt to move her head, and she could feel countless bruises over her body, caused by the sharp stairs. She wanted to moan, but she was afraid to make any noise. By what ( Read more... )

As the forest began to thin, a new landmark became obvious before them. It was the first real, substantial shape that Lucere could remember seeing since entering the Opaque, other than the Gatekeeper's cottage, of course. He shifted, flexing his shoulders; his armor was becoming more and more uncomfortable, and he was beginning to feel a little ( Read more... )

Aden hugged the wall, creeping closer to the light in the distance. It had grown gradually brighter as she had continued down the corridor, enough for her to make out the ridges of mortar and the flagstones that paved the ground. She was in a building of some sort, not a cave, as she had first thought... but where, exactly?

She could hear noises up ( Read more... )