Daniel Thompson
Stories
13
Chapters
4,688
Words
1.4 M
Comments
0
Reading
4 d, 20 h
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Romulus seems very uncomfortably curious about what we’d been up to. I manage to deflect his first few questions, but I’m falling behind his continued onslaught. “Hardly safe for a young noble lady, and for you to head out with only your young companion here isn’t all that wise. Not that I would question your wisdom, but perhaps your foresight. Which begs the question once more: what “Ah, well, we were just looking for, um, something,” I say. It has the advantage of being partially true as…-
98 •
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I hold onto Felix’s hand as we run down one alley, then shift over and run down another. There are screams behind us, calls telling others where we’re running. I’m beginning to have a few small regrets. Notably, I should probably not have flashed so much gold around. I’m still not sure of the actual value of gold, but it seems like the dozen coins I have left are enough to encourage people to rob Felix and me. Or maybe worse. Some of the things the men are shouting at us are downright…
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98 •
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I had never fallen in love before. Probably. I’m pretty sure I would remember that a little, because what I felt as I entered the library behind Luciana was love, and I couldn’t imagine not remembering a feeling that strong. “Whoa,” I said. Saying ‘there were lots of books’ was like saying the ocean was a bit wet. Shelves ran from the floor all the way up to the ceiling, with ladders mounted on rails perched here and there. There were multiple floors of the library, the upper floors mostly…
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98 •
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Fancy backs up until he’s leaning against his desk, then he crosses his arms and gives us a brilliant smile. “From the top then. Javier. You know plenty about him, I’d wager?” I shake my head. “I’m not here to tell you anything, but if you’re asking so that we’re on the same page, I’ll admit that I don’t know that much about him.” “Hmm, well, he’s a big-name trader, probably one of the biggest ones to come and visit our humble little city,” Fancy says, his hand wheeling around…
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98 •
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There is one problem with Fancy. Well, maybe not the man himself, other than his sense of fashion and what he’s chosen to do for a living. The problem is this meeting place. It’s open, and any of a dozen people could be listening in. I’m not exactly trying to be stealthy, but a bit of subtlety wouldn’t go amiss. “So, girl, how can the most handsome man in the room, any room, help you?” I blink and stare at Fancy. “You’re not that handsome,” I say. Fancy laughs, head tilting back with…
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98 •
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Fancy’s place isn’t very fancy. It’s a warehouse, tall and built of brownish bricks, the same as most of the buildings in the South Quarter of Santafaria. It would probably be a lot more imposing if it wasn’t stuck in between a dozen nearly identical buildings. The only thing that really sets it apart are the guards by the front, and the constant flow of people moving in and out in ones and twos. The people leaving the place often look angry, or on the wrong side of drunk if they’re being…
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98 •
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“That was pretty good,” I say as I set my fork down next to my plate. The inn served us a nice little meal. Some bread, cheese and a small cut of some sort of meat. The sauce was actually pretty good. I lean back into my seat and look across to my... guest? Friend? I’m not entirely sure what Felix is to me yet. I guess she’s just a nice girl that was willing to give me a hand in exchange for a bit of help. She looks a bit stuffed. I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone scarf down their food so…
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98 •
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I walked carefully along the edge of the wall, one hand out and trailing against the rough brickwork to help keep my balance. I didn’t feel dizzy, but I did feel weak. My legs were heavy, as if something were clinging to them, and staying upright was tiring. Moving ahead, I paused by a window cut into the wall. A huge thing, with glass from hip-height all the way up where the window ended at an arch. Leaning against the base, I looked out of the castle and onto the wider world beyond. The view from…
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98 •
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Felix is a simple girl. A happy girl, even. She needs to be, because when she’s not happy, the world shrinks, becoming smaller and smaller until she suffocates in the tiny bubble around her, where only what she touches is real. So she remains happy. Always happy. That morning is a good one. A day begging by the Monster Gate while the early morning train of farmers walk in and do their things. They’re always a little generous. Not with coin, but they have bread and food. She can almost always get a…
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98 •
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I stare at the temple for a while. I don’t know what it is about it that’s so captivating; after all, it’s just some burnt wood and torn down stones. Maybe it’s less the state of the temple and the idea behind it? I’m not the cleverest girl around, but I’m hardly an idiot. A glance at the buildings around the temple and I can see that none of them are burnt. This wasn’t a fire that hit all of the temples here, just this one. Which means that it might have been done on purpose. “I…
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