Will is walking through a labyrinth. His trainers crunch on white gravel; the walls are high hedges of hawthorne, too tall to see through, dense and thick-leafed. He is not worried; he turns corners at random ( Read more... )

Anthy is spinning again, swords gleaming in the dim light of the bar and blood pooling on the floor below her as Will watches in helpless horror. And then it isn't Anthy at all; it never was. Everywhere around him there is suddenly the scent of the ocean, and Will sees clearly that it is Jane, not Anthy, Jane who is impaled in midair, stretched ( Read more... )

Will manages to slip downstairs to the lavatory without being seen by any of his family. He washes his face more carefully than usual, splashing on water until he's sure that no sign of the earlier tears remains. Then he cleans his teeth, says his goodnights, and heads back to his room ( Read more... )

*Will sits at the kitchen table, head propped on one hand, mug of tea by his elbow. Across from him is James, intent on his English homework -- notes on a poem, Eliot Will thinks perhaps, but he hasn't really been paying attention. Near the stove in the corner, Mrs Stanton hums idle snatches of song as she chops vegetables for soup ( Read more... )

Will thinks that he will not fall asleep quickly after tonight's events, but deeper inside he knows that he will. He is too exhausted to stay awake needlessly, worry or not; when he pulls the quilt over himself and closes his eyes, he is asleep instantly ( Read more... )

Will is in his bedroom, sitting by his desk. In one palm he holds the crystal Sign that Moiraine gave him for his birthday; he is tracing it with a finger, idly, circle and cross. It is smooth beneath his fingers, glittering and faintly cool. He taps it once, in the center, and it glows dimly; again, and the glow fades. He smiles a little, and ( Read more... )

A cloud of white plume moths, scattering -- and something is missing. Some verse Will should have memorized -- some knowledge --

"Have you well in no time, bachgen," smiles Blodwen Rowlands. Will raises his head to thank her. With the motion his vision blurs and twists, and there is a great buzzing in his head like rushing water ( Read more... )

*Will lies asleep. Shafts of pale moonlight slant through the skylight of his attic bedroom, and gleam faintly on his face.*

*Will trots down the stairs, and makes his way to his brother James's room. It's easy to tell that James is in there, even though the door is shut; he's practicing his solo in one of the songs they're doing in the school choir. And consistently failing to hit the high note, and halting to try again, and failing again. Will suppresses a wince, ( Read more... )

Will sits on his bed, leaning against the wall, an open book propped up on his knees. He's reading a little before bed, in theory; it's been a while since he last turned a page, though. His attention keeps drifting off, to thoughts of a bright blazing sword and a fire blazing warm with Light beyond all the universes and the White Rider's warm ( Read more... )