She dreams, and as she does she slips away from herself. Not entirely - she can still feel the tug of her body - but enough to see them sitting there. Fire, glowing in the dark of the orcish hut, and another beside him…

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He’s done this before, though he can’t remember. Last time was a wild guess, a leap into the dark. This time he’s ready.

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It is dark in the hut. Tashorr is already sleeping, tired after his watch, and I move quietly to the shelf where my potions sit. Vials click together as I sort through them in the dim hint of light from the fire outside. At last I find the one I need, and slip it carefully into my pocket. Then I straighten the others, brush a hand along my ( Read more... )

She slept and dreamed as the world shook around her. The herbs she had been given had all been converted into the sleeping potions she'd been practicing, and her workspace upstairs dismantled to make room for Sheshafi and her mate. Food had been prepared and stored away, tents had been repaired, assembled, and re-packed, and all of her and ( Read more... )

She rose before dawn, as always, and stepped softly through the hovel, feet barely making a sound as they brushed against the bare earth of the floor. There was still a bit of the thin soup from last night remaining. She added a pinch of herbs and some chopped vegetables and carried the pot outside to heat over a small fire. She didn't have to ( Read more... )

She steps out of herself more easily this time, leaving her body and the bitter, ashy taste of the sapta behind as she enters the spirit wood. It is dark in the forest, and the pale grey trees stand with gnarled claws stretched to the swirling sky. Their leaves fall all around her, hissing and rustling underfoot as she turns to look around, seeking ( Read more... )

Yunari pressed the vial to her wrist, counting the drops as they spilled out and ran down the smooth crystal. Four... five... six. She'd need more than that, but after tonight she didn't have the strength to risk filling it all at once. Seven... eight ( Read more... )

I slip out of the inn, bare feet padding across the wet grass and bare earth toward the fire pit. Tashorr's asleep; his snores follow me, drifting to mingle with the night sounds of the village. There's a pale shape before me--the chief's tent--and I nearly trip over a log. I must have misjudged the distance. Blinking, I crouch down, hand on ( Read more... )

Yunari clung to Tashorr, her arms wrapped tightly around him, clutching his belt for added security. Despite her grip, she felt as if she might fall from the wind rider at any moment. The beast beat down with its wings again, leaping higher into the air, and she closed her eyes as once again her stomach was left behind.

The satchel bouncing ( Read more... )

Fire sat cross-legged, watching her as she stirred the stew ( Read more... )