More than power? Never had anyone offered her that, and she leaned forward, intrigued. "And what would you say is greater than power, pray tell? Love? Wisdom? Other people have tried to sell these things to me before, and they were never able to carry through." "No," answered the merchant, bargaining for his life. "Magic. A magic that will make ( Read more... )

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Pluck the tiger's teeth from his jaw and burn the phoenix in her blood. She winced as she read the instructions. "Are you going to tell me that this is allegory or that these are actually terms for different herbs?" she asked her teacher, a note of hope in her voice. He shook his head. "Nope. But it isn't about the animals, either. The Phoenix and ( Read more... )

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Toad Way split off from the merchant's district in Dragon Row, and that was where the sailors went. Sometimes sailors asked why the pleasure district's street name was Toad, but older hands took them aside quietly and explained about certain beneficial effects of toad-licking, and why you should avoid it, but why there were parlors dedicated to ( Read more... )

The jester capered, and the king laughed. The jester flipped, and the queen smiled. The jester left, and the animation drained from their faces as if they were nothing more than wooden statues. "We don't dare kill him," the Arms-Commandant murmured to his assistant. "They become themselves again briefly when he is here, entertaining them. Serious ( Read more... )

The under-priestess of the sect of absolute purity slammed her hand down on the bar counter again. "Another!" she demanded. Everyone in the bar held their breath. There were already six empty glasses lined up along the counter where the priestess had slammed them after she drank the highly alcohol, very peppery, and quite likely to lead to dancing ( Read more... )

Discovering that the baby you never planned to have, almost decided not to keep, but in the end kept and went back to a village not too near but not too far from where you came from, and claimed yourself a widow of the war--discovering that baby can spit fire is no small thing. Nobody asked what side your husband was on, of course, because dragons ( Read more... )