Daniel Thompson
Stories
13
Chapters
4,688
Words
1.4 M
Comments
0
Reading
4 d, 20 h
-
For the first time ever, I went outside. I kinda doubted it was actually the first time ever. I’d probably been outside plenty, but I couldn’t remember any of it, so really, I figured it counted as a cause for celebration. Celebrations were best done indoors, of course. When I pointed this out to Luciana, she just stared at me expressionless. I paused by the doors. Luciana had decided, halfway into our walk, to turn and bring us to a courtyard. She walked right past the doors and out into the open…-
98 •
-
-
I think I’m getting used to flying. More or less. Having Felix clinging onto me helps a little. She’s like a warm teddy bear, but less plush and more... bones. At least she’s distracting, asking me questions and listening to me tell some of the stories I remember. I’m not great at story-telling, I don’t think, but Felix doesn’t seem to mind, and some of the questions she asks are surprisingly insightful. Mostly, I find myself talking about some of my favourite subjects. Magic! “I know…
-
98 •
-
-
The lead wyvern, the largest in the pack, lands with the grace of a bird of prey, wings sweeping around and kicking up a gust that has me stumbling back a step. “I, uh,” I swallow. “I have to admit I’m not super fond of flying. At all. But wyverns are very fast, and they can fly high enough that we won’t have a hard time spotting something like a caravan, even if it’s a day’s travel ahead of us.” Felix’s jaw is hanging open. “Is that a dragon?” I push my glasses up the bridge of my…
-
98 •
-
-
Caravans are slow. They usually have a number of carriages in them, and wagons besides. Whatever is pulling those needs to stop every so often. I think donkeys and mules are the most common around Santafaria. Horses are much more expensive to keep, even if some might be faster and stronger. Basically, that means I have a bit of time. “Alright,” I say. “We’re going back to the inn first.” “What are we getting there?” Felix asks. “Food, for one thing. I don’t know how much time we’ll…
-
98 •
-
-
Another book that failed to deliver on its initial premise. She sighed a little and shifted upon her seat. Usually, the Dark Goddess would lounge to the side, perhaps with a cushion or some smaller, weaker monster next to her. Now she sat with her legs crossed at the knee and her back straight in a proper royal’s bearing. It was, of course, all the fault of the child. Luciana glanced away from the book held before her in the grasping claws of one of her beasts and to the far end of the…
-
98 •
-
-
I stare at the grown man on the floor and wince as he bobs his head up and down, forehead thumping lightly on the ground with every bow. “You can rise?” I say. He pauses mid-bow, and then shakes his head. “No, Lady Malvada. I, of all people, don’t deserve to have you even lay eyes upon me.” “Yeah, I think there’s been a mistake,” I said. “I’m Valeria Malvada, not Luciana.” I see him blink, then he raises his head up slightly to take me in. I’m clearly not my mom. I’m about a…
-
98 •
-
-
I walk up the steps leading into the Merchant’s Guild and pause as I see that both guards by the door are staring at me. “Hello,” I say. “I’m not sure if this is the right place, but I’m looking for the offices of Mister Javier Juárez. He’s a member of the guild.” “Ask the receptionist,” one of them says. “Right, thanks,” I say as I scoot on by. That was surprisingly easy. I’m not going to complain though. The interior of the Merchant’s Guild reminds me a bit of home. Lots…
-
98 •
-
-
I shift back a bit so that I’m sitting properly in the dining chair, then I bring my head down. My forehead hits first, of course, with a fairly loud bang. A few of the patrons of the inn are looking my way, but I can’t find it in me to care much. “I can’t think of anything,” I say as my head bangs on the table again. I bring my arms up and wrap them over my hood; maybe I can hide from my shame. “It’s okay?” Felix tries. She’s a great friend, trying to comfort me past my obvious…
-
98 •
-
-
Apparently, the grumbling from my tummy was too big of a distraction for Luciana to focus, so we left the library (I didn’t want to, but I also didn’t want to make Luciana mad) and made our way down a long, long flight of stairs and down a corridor. I was feeling a bit lost. Also, a bit tired. I By the time we moved into a big dining room, I felt like I was about to collapse. “Sit,” Luciana said. She gestured to a seat in the middle of the room’s long table. It was a long, long table, the…
-
98 •
-
-
I wake up with sunlight splashing across my face, bright and cheery and warm enough to melt away the last vestiges of sleep that I’m still clinging onto. Yawning, I stretch my legs out under the blankets, then prepare myself to kick some of my friends off the bed. But there’s no heavy weight across my torso and legs, and I can’t hear the familiar rumble of some of my more experimental friends I’ve made. My eyes snap open and I take in a room that’s unfamiliar, at least until my memories kick…
-
98 •
-
- Previous 1 … 22 23 24 … 469 Next
