Jessica Jackson
Stories
5
Chapters
1,060
Words
656.8 K
Comments
0
Reading
2 d, 6 h
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The Mihtea, largest river in Adalmearc, flowed through Middanhal until it reached the sea in the west. Along the way, it passed by Fontaine, serving as the principal route between the two great cities. Ships passed in both directions, carrying goods and people in great numbers. Coldharbour was the eastern-most port available, as further up-stream, the river disappeared under the Weolcan mountains; Herbergja at the river’s mouth was the western-most destination for the small vessels navigating the shallow…
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After the failed assault, the defenders remained on edge for hours; dealing with the dead and wounded could leave an obvious opening for another attack. Yet nothing happened, and while they kept watchful, most of them sought sleep. When they woke, nothing had changed. In fact, there had not been any sign of their enemy since the attack. It was a strange occurrence; hitherto, the besieging forces had constantly been at work trying to open collapsed hallways, sending arrows through gaps and windows, or…
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When the siege began, the mood inside the castle had been anxious. Now, retreated into the inner part of the fortress, dread lay in the very air. Every other day or so, Harald’s men attempted to breach someplace new. They attacked the barricades in the entrance halls, or they worked to clear the rubble from the collapsed hallways and open new paths of assault. Day by day, the situation grew ever more desperate. Many of the defenders had fallen or received severe wounds; those still able to fight had to…
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Time passed slowly in the castle following the assault. While the mood remained tense, it became less anxious when the jarl’s men did not renew their attacks, but seemed content to continue the siege. Severed from the city, the courtiers had to find other ways of passing the time. Some sought the library, but with candles and firewood being rationed, reading was only possible in the brief hours of the day. Half of the complex lay burrowed inside the mountainside, providing shelter from the cold and…
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Jana knocked softly on Brand’s door. Behind her, Glaukos stirred from the floor of the parlour where he had slept; Geberic was keeping watch on the walls, as he had not been in the assault last night. “Brand? Are you awake?” “I am,” he replied with a voice that suggested this was a recent development. “You may enter.” She did so and found him as he sat up in his bed. Except for his armour and outer layers, Brand had slept in his clothes – white cotton with streaks of red on his arms. He…
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The night passed without incident. Lacking siege weaponry, Jarl Harald did not attempt to assault the castle walls. Instead, his men set up barricades to enclose the fortress, keeping it besieged and protecting his sentinels from archers on the walls. The defining feature of the castle made it both near impossible to assault yet also easy to besiege. Half of it lay hewn into the mountainside, against which Dvaros rested. No path led in or out. Thus, most of the western and northern side did not require…
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An hour after dawn, news of the king’s death had reached everyone in the castle. By the end of the day, the whole city would know. Eventually, ships would carry the news to the other islands and the mainland. Normally, once the many islands of Thusund heard of the king’s demise, the jarls would set sail and gather in Dvaros within the next few weeks to choose a successor. This time, it would not be needed. Nearly all the jarls had already gathered; even a silrobe was present to sanctify their oaths of…
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The feast continued far beyond midnight until even the pale winter morning began to approach. Most found beds before this, including the king and many of the jarls, mindful of the council planned on the following day, even if Leiknarr had not given the reason for the gathering. Brand and Jana also retired early; as the night progressed, more and more eyes looked in her direction, and they were less and less friendly. Bolting the door to their chambers, Brand slept with his sword a few inches out of the…
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With the arrival of nearly all the jarls of the greater islands, about forty in all, it was time to celebrate the solstice. In Thusund, they paid greater heed to this the longest night than anywhere else in the realms. The dark winters on windswept isles, where little grew and life was harsh, bred the hardiest people in Adalmearc, it was said. Solstice gave cause for revelry and caution both. Revelry in the knowledge that days grew longer; caution that the coldest days yet lay ahead before spring arrived.…
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On the morning of winter solstice, the sounds of weapons clashing guided Brand to the courtyard where the housecarls trained. He had been there several times, pitting himself against the best of Leiknarr’s warriors. Usually in the evening hours, but this time, he made his appearance in the morning. While the king’s warriors let any join them in the evening, the early hours were another matter. Every day soon after sunrise, the lady Svana took command of the ring, practising her weaponry against her…
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