Hrothgar frowned. “Selfish,” he mumbled. Alfhilde lifted a shoulder, then rocked Jakob gently. “I can’t argue with their results. Do you—” “There they are,” Hrothgar said. Alfhilde turned halfway, and there they were, emerging from the gloom much nearer than … Continue reading
Sif shifted from foot to foot and tried to breathe quietly. The seconds slipped by, and she felt a deepening uneasiness. The tower of smoke from the city rose across the sky and blotted out the stars, lit eerily by … Continue reading
Night descended over the forest. The moonlight filtering through the branches was barely enough to stay on track, but Falthejn could hear the flow of the stream now. A few minutes more walking brought them to its bank. “A cairn … Continue reading
Sif sucked down air in gulps, legs wobbly as she slowed to a walk. She felt herself calming—her mind still sang with fear, but she had a lid on the panic that had driven her this far. She became aware … Continue reading
Hrothgar Hrafnssen knew these woods, experience gleaned over a decade of logging the foothills the city nestled in. Here, away from the mountains, the best trees had been culled long ago, but the lodgepole pines still stood straight and tall. … Continue reading
For Alfhilde, the shriek of passing arrows sent long-dormant instincts singing through veins: stand and fight! She pushed them away for now. Jakob wailed, and she could not endanger him, and even were he far away and safe, she knew … Continue reading
Sif sheltered behind the debris, heart hammering. She drew short little breaths, trying to keep quiet. A wall of sound crashed around her, drilling her ears into the sides of her skull. She grabbed at them, registering a look of … Continue reading
Falthejn dashed out of the alley, and in the space of a few moments, he and the others crouched in the shadow of the wall. Flattening himself against it, Falthejn watched the gate. He could see an ontling, facing away. … Continue reading
He retreated from the mouth of the alley, closed his eyes, and gathered his wit. The warp and weft of the world slackened and twisted, and suddenly he saw possibilities fanning out before him. Likely futures wound through the myriad … Continue reading
“What do we do?” Alfhilde whispered, tightening her grip on her hatchet. Falthejn held a finger to his lips and regarded the scene before them. Twenty yards of open ground separated them from the base of the wall. From there … Continue reading
