Linda Moore
Stories
5
Chapters
715
Words
704.9 K
Comments
0
Reading
2 d, 10 h
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♝♝♝♝♝♝♝♝♝♝ A festive air had taken over the interior of Gilwren Manor. The small banquet hall boomed with music and laughter that drowned out the tumultuous rain and wind, which rattled against the bolted stained-glass windows along the eastern wall of stone and mortar. Servants carried away the remnants of the starter course of venison pâté with cranberry compote and toasted brioche. The forest delicacy had gone over well, thanks to the skill of Viscount Gilwren’s cook and the…-
139 •
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♝♝♝♝♝♝♝♝♝♝ Ivy pulled her shawl close, shivering as rain pelted against the manor window, illuminated by the two large floor candelabras tucked away in the corners of the bedroom. The candlelight cast long shadows across the large four-poster bed where Lady Hana knelt worriedly beside the unconscious Duchess. The Viscountess had taken over Lady Kirsi’s care the moment the royal physicians had finished their discreet examination and left with grim expressions. The howling wind…
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139 •
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♝♝♝♝♝♝♝♝♝♝ Nicholas glanced up at the ominous sound of rain drizzling against the canopy attached to the side kitchen door. The Silver Stag, which hung over a bucket with a good three inches of blood, now waited to be skinned and processed. Two members of the manor staff held the stag’s front legs while Lord Bromwell took a bone saw to the already cut skin of the deer’s neck. The Crown Prince folded his arms as he watched the young nobleman complete his task. While he found the…
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139 •
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♝♝♝♝♝♝♝♝♝♝ Carina stared at the immortal god of wind with mounting unease. The faint tingling of Kirsi’s resentment beneath her skin offered a strange comfort as the Duchess faced Veles alone in Gilwren Forest. At first glance, the cunning deity of the Air Covens resembled an old man shrouded in a simple black cloak. However, upon closer inspection, the mantle’s dark fabric gave off a strange sheen and rippled with the immortal’s movements like a shroud of woven tiny black…
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139 •
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♝♝♝♝♝♝♝♝♝♝ The back of Carina’s skull felt as if it had been stretched and scraped into the shape of a clanging tambourine. The single-horned viper who held the imprisoned ice witch in its mouth appeared to derive some sick enjoyment from flinging the frozen egg-shaped barrier against any solid surface that got in its way. Not long after escaping Percy and the Air Covens, they had entered an eerily similar system of tunnels that reminded the Duchess of the underground labyrinth of…
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139 •
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♝♝♝♝♝♝♝♝♝♝ Carina allowed the navigational pull of Lumi’s connection guide her toward the cluster of oaks where their quarry waited in the shadows. She could see a faint outline of the snorting, snuffling wild pigs foraging for acorns, roots, and various mushrooms like a transparent film across her vision. However, maintaining the dual image of the scriva's visuals along with the forest trail she and her white mare were riding on was far too disorienting for the Duchess to maintain…
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139 •
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♝♝♝♝♝♝♝♝♝♝ The gathered nobles greeted Viscount Gilwren’s arrival with mingled impatience and anticipation. Carina took her seat at the same table as before, where she was joined by her cousin, Walter Bromwell and Viscount Gladstone. A surly-looking middle-aged huntsman with a rather wispy beard soon joined them. He offered the Duchess a stiff bow, then took a seat at the end of the table without comment. “I got a quick look at the other groups’ turn-ins,” Walter whispered as…
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139 •
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♝♝♝♝♝♝♝♝♝♝ The Duchess’s hunting party dispersed to refresh, recover, and resupply before meeting up at the main tent by Gilwren Manor to verify their kill count and gauge how the other hunting parties were doing. Carina handed her mare off to one of the knights as she trudged back toward her tent, doing her best to ignore the dull ache in her shoulders, lower back, and inner thighs as she walked stiffly through the tent flap. The pulled-back tapestry curtain revealed Lady Hana and…
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139 •
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♝♝♝♝♝♝♝♝♝♝ “Thank you, gentlemen!” Acheron flashed a confident smile as he shook the hands of his latest recruits. “If you could just bring your horses and gear to the counting booth outside the southeastern quadrant, the Crown Princess and I will be along to join you shortly!” The three Lafearian lords nodded, their less-than-enthusiastic expressions confirming the rogue’s earlier assumption. Acheron wiped his hand against his trousers and sighed as he leaned against his…
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139 •
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♝♝♝♝♝♝♝♝♝♝ Beaumont walked between the Duchess and Crown Prince as he strode towards the center of the dueling ring, which the nobles rapidly vacated as they moved beyond the hastily erected rope barrier. The Knight Captain ignored their whispers and pointed looks as he turned to meet the ice witch’s blue eyes. Kirsi looked away first, though her gaze returned to the knight frequently as he circled the ring. Beaumont declined the steel gauntlet offered to him by one of Nicholas’s…
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