A Beginning

As I stand atop the temple roof and look out over the Beautiful district below, the scene that meets my eyes is one from a nightmare. The once-lovely gardens, the pride of the city, are now scorched by …

A Beginning

I’m not yet used to the sound of waves crashing against the rocky beach. We’ve only been on the coast for a day, and everything still seems foreign, so far from Dimmingwood. Sand and pebbles cover the ground …

PROLOGUE

Varian Nakul had kept the crypt at Umanath ever since the last keeper had been relieved of his duties for hearing voices in the walls. During the last fifteen years, there was one thing Varian had learned. The role …

A BEGINNING

I’m glad the path we follow edges the borders of Dimmingwood. Do the others take this route for my benefit? It seems like years since I’ve felt the soft earth of the forest floor beneath my feet, smelled …

A Beginning

I’m distantly aware of the ring of my footsteps and those of my armed escort echoing down the stone corridor. We pass weapons mounted on the walls and scarlet tapestries embroidered with battle scenes, but I don’t stop …

A BEGINNING

Tossing in my hammock, I try to ignore the gentle swaying motion of the craft, the sickly shifting sensation of the waves I haven’t yet grown accustomed to. It’s a stormy night on the lake and the winds …

A BEGINNING

The brisk autumn wind plays through my hair and tugs at my clothes impatiently, as if trying to pull me down the forest trail more quickly. Each new gust sends a storm of red and ocher leaves showering …