It was an unusually warm day for this time of year, and Karissa had some heavy cleaning to do. While scrubbing the bar down, she saw a man pass by the window dressed in priest’s robes. She wondered what he wanted. She slipped out the side door of the tavern and followed him to the… Continue Reading
A Drunken Hercules
Dom had gone to negotiate with his suppliers for charcoal, timing his visit with the late summer fair in his ancestral village. He entered the strength contest and won a trophy, a small purse of gold coins and was ceremonially draped with the ‘Hercules’ tiger skin. By way of return he celebrated through several public… Continue Reading
The Ranger’s Dream
The ranger had slept fitfully of late, his rest interrupted by dreams he couldn’t remember and disturbing feelings he couldn’t shake. It affected his hunting. He had not been sharp enough mentally to stalk effectively for nearly a week. His hunger was great but it seemed he could do nothing about it. That night, a… Continue Reading
The Handfasting
It had been an eventful day. After Karissa had found Kitty in the tunnels and got her safely home, she had rushed to get ready. Time was running short. Luckily, she had set up everything the night before. She bathed, powdered and perfumed herself. She pulled out the package from Desire from the cupboard, the… Continue Reading
Comeuppance
The old seer had had a bad day. Several of his incantations to preserve herbs had not worked. He was distracted by a throbbing tooth that magic and herbs had failed to dull. In desperation he had turned to whiskey. To distract himself, he decided to go for a ride. He found himself on the… Continue Reading
The Ranger
The ranger left the inn in the wee hours. The need to hunt was upon him, as it had been since his puberty. It was almost like a thirst for the kill that he felt, as if he were a beast himself. His eyes adjusted quickly to the surrounding darkness, shape and sound informing him… Continue Reading
Kitty’s Rescue
After searching for Kitty for two days, Karissa had almost given up hope. The only place she had not searched for her were the tunnels beneath the town. Karissa hesitated to enter the tunnels after getting lost in them once before. Her legs were battered and sore. Her horse had thrown her the previous day.… Continue Reading
Laundry Day
The night had been restless, Desire could not shake a feeling of foreboding that plagued her. The visitor that came to Tanninhold the evening before left her with a sense of uneasiness. She had listened to the conversation between the woman and Barnard, and she watched his face. There was pain there. Just when things… Continue Reading
Brandi Hard at Work
Brandi had to push hard on the heavy wooden door to the old tavern in South March. It creaked and groaned as it opened. The place smelled like old tobacco and stale ale, with the stench of urine mixed in. Dust flew up as she walked in, dancing in the sunlight like tiny butterflies. She… Continue Reading
A Stranger Comes to Tanninhold
Paua was sweeping the porch of her newly acquired bakery when the stranger approached. She paused as he appeared in the distance, and kept a wary eye on him, still sweeping, until he got close enough to see his face well. He was quite handsome in a wild sort of way, unlike any of the… Continue Reading