there is no use in right or wrong

“She – she did these things just to humiliate me,” Einar said, pounding a fist on the table. “She got what was coming to her! The other one too!”

Yori’s brows twitched and his lips turned down in a deep scowl. “She was your wife, Einar,” he said. Shaking his head in wonder, he asked, “Doesn’t that matter to you? You killed your own wife!”

Einar looked at him in shock. “Didn’t you hear me?” he breathed. Before Yori could speak, he added, “She was with your mate too! Doesn’t that bother you?”

Yori flinched at the words. He opened his mouth to speak again, but then closed it. He wouldn’t waste his breath defending Rune against something he already knew wasn’t true. After a moment, he said, “Even if that were the case, Rune… I could never do anything to hurt him.”

“How can you forgive him?” Einar screeched. “How can you expect me to forgive her?”

“I…” Yori started, then he shook his head and pushed away from the table. “I’ll leave him to you, Judson,” he said. It didn’t matter whether Einar’s accusations were true or not. It didn’t matter whether his actions were justified or not. The man wouldn’t see reason. If punished, he’d never understand why.

**

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Meet the Parents – Showing Race Relations

“A… fox?”

Rune blinked at Ulrik’s tone. He frowned slightly and nodded. “Yes,” he said, “I’m a fox, technically speaking. My father is a fox, at least. My mother is a deiva at the imperial court.”

Yori took Rune’s hands and stepped in front of Rune. “Is they something wrong, Father?” he asked. He glanced at his mother. They’d both expected her to object, but neither of them thought his father would.

“It’s just that… well, foxes!” he said, blinking. He looked over at his wife – Yori’s mother. “I mean, you know what they say about foxes, right?”

Shiori smiled faintly. “Your father’s worried that Rune will have a wandering eye,” she said, patting Yori on the arm. She reached up and cupped Yori’s cheek, then, and looked into his eyes for a moment. “You trust him, little one?”

“With my life, Mother,” Yori whispered. His cheeks warmed slightly and he added, “and my heart.”

“Fair enough,” Ulrik said, sounding slightly unhappy. He sent Rune a look that said, clearer than any words could have, the older captain would be in trouble if he did anything to hurt Yori. Then he smiled and added, “You know, I still have power over spiders. Even the large ones.”

As he turned and walked into the little shop, Rune said, “I will keep that in mind, sir.” The comment was innocuous enough that Yori seemed to miss the implications. However, Rune wasn’t quite so naive.

…and a time to choose

Rowan heaved a deep sigh. He loved Freja and he wanted to be with her. However, they were in different divisions of the Snow Lions. His division was so far away from hers that they seldom saw each other. Everytime they had to part, he felt like his heart was breaking.

His brows furrowed and he shook his head. It was time – past time, really. He slipped through the crowd in the dining hall and stepped up to his captain. “Captain Hummel?” he said, touching the smaller man on the sleeve.

“Rowan,” Captain Hummel said, his eyes wide. Something about Rowan’s demeanor must have hinted at the seriousness of the matter on his mind. The normally cheerful captain scowled. “What is it?”

Rowan took a steadying breath. “I’m transfering, Captain,” he said. “I’m moving over to the Thistle Division – Captain Dafyth’s Divsion.”

“Freja’s division,” Captain Hummel said, giving Rowan a faint smile. He nodded and patted Rowan on the shoulder. “We’ll miss you, of course, but… I wish you – and Freja – all the best.”

“Thank you, Captain,” Rowan said, sighing softly. The first task was done. It was easier than he’d thought it would be. “The transfer papers…”

“I’ll talk to Bronwyn,” his captain said. “You’ll be back with your mate – for good – by the end of the week, Rowan.” He smiled brightly, as if he knew something Rowan couldn’t imagine. Then he turned away and disappeared into the crowd.

a long farewell…

Dagny cried out as teeth sank into her thighs and wrists. Her body arched, reflexively pulling away from the mairs as they drank her blood. A part of her wanted to struggle – to fight back the mairs that fed from her. However, it was bound in dark chains. That darkness spread out from her soul and filled her with pleasure at what was being done to her.

Darkness closed in at the edge of her vision for a moment. Her heartbeat faltered, missing a beat. She couldn’t breathe! A shiver of fear rippled through her soul. Then, something hot and salty touched her lips. It trickled down her throat.

The darkness that bound her soul grew, forcing the small voice that was crying out at the mairs to stop even further down. Her heart beat slowly – gently – and her breathing evened out once more. A faint smile touched her lips.

As Dagny’s eyes fluttered open, she saw Captain Hummel. Her master held him prone, one hand over Dagny’s face. It was his blood she had drunk. The Lily Captain was pale and trembling. Tears stood in his eyes, which were wide with fear. Dagny smiled at him. “Why so scared, Captain Hummel?” she whispered. “You’ve made me so strong.”

Captain Hummel blinked at her, as if her words made no sense to him. “They – they’re making you like them, Dagny,” he whispered. “H-how can you not see that?” He whimpered as her master dragged him back towards the tangle of branches that was his cell. “What are they? What were they before?”

“Ah,” her master said, “that’s something you will never learn, little captain.”

As Dagny watched them lock him back in the cage, she felt as if she were missing something. Every time they fed her, she felt this way. She simply couldn’t understand why. She was getting stronger every day. Wasn’t she?

No More In Fear – Showing Character History

Eisa stepped around the corner of the building and looked around. Her gaze fell on a crumpled form on the ground. She took a step forward and then froze. What she took for a crumpled form – someone in need of help – was a mair stooping to drink the blood of a small child.

For a moment, Eisa felt as small and helpless as the child. She was back in her own village, cringing in fear from the horrible monsters that threatened to kill herself – her sister! “No,” she screamed, summoning her staff.

Eisa slammed her staff into the ground. Tiny shards of metal flew upward and then into the unsuspecting mair’s back. It cried out in pain and released the child. Then it was on its feet, facing her.

It launched at her and everything seemed to slow down. Eisa sidestepped and swung her staff upwards, bringing more metal shards out of the earth with it. The mair let out a strangled cry and then dropped to the ground, writhing in pain.

For a moment, Eisa stood, panting and blinking. Then someone touched her sleeve and she spun, bringing up her staff again.

“Eisa!”

Flight – Showing Geography

Yori glided over the River of the Four Seasons on his way to Sylvanias Patris. Clouds seemed to float up from the base of the Tyrian Gorge, where the river dropped down into its depths. The river itself wound through Vidheim, towards its headwaters at the border with Olymia.

Once he was passed the water, he struggled to locate a landmark to guide him on his journey. On the horizon, he saw a sparkle of light. He flew towards, gliding over the seemingly endless stretch of green that was the Great Forest.

Finally, the inland sea came into view. Yori backwinged and then hovered for a moment, staring out at the water. He’d never seen anything like it. He’d expected it to be like the ocean near his home, but it was different. It seemed calmer, somehow.

He sighed and then glided down to land near the water. However, while the water itself was calmer, there was a constant hum of activity around it. Just as in Vidheim, the people of Sylvanias Patris used the inland sea as a food source. He dodged out of the way of fishermen that were struggling with their catch. Then, he grinned and hopped up, flapping his wings to get airborne once more.

something pure and out of my hands

“Hurry,” Leif yelled to his adjutant and the others who were fleeing from the giant spiders. There was only so long he could hold their escape route open.

The numbness spread back from where his hands touched the staff. It was a slow, creeping feeling. Leif knew that, when it reached his fingertips, he’d lose his grip on the staff. He ground his teeth and focused on the arching tunnel of ice.

Martin careened passed him, followed by the others – each coming one after another. He tensed when webbing caught around the legs of one of his men. Bernt, he was named. Leif remembered the name as he watched the man dragged back to the spider that had captured him.

Ice began to fall and the numbness crept further up Leif’s hands, reaching his fingertips and his wrists just as Martin started back to help Bernt. “No,” Leif shouted.

Martin paused and the tunnel collapsed in front of him. There was an audible gasp from the other members of the Violet Division. Leif stumbled forward. He reached Bernt at the same time that Martin did.

The spiders were dead – killed by the falling ice. However, it had been too late for Bernt. Leif lifted the still form into his numb arms and sighed. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. Then Bernt dissolved in a shower of light and he was left holding nothing more than his clothing.

**

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A Fireside Chat – Showing the Climate

“Is it always this dark?” Calliope asked, looking out into the blackness.

Yori shrugged. “Only in the winter,” he said. He reached up and tugged the curtain closed. “You’re letting the heat out.” He settled down beside the fire and smiled at her. “Sit down,” he invited. “Have some tea.”

Calliope sighed. “What do you do?” she asked, as she took a set beside him. The fire felt nice. She shifted a bit closer and then grimaced. “I mean, we haven’t had dinner yet and it’s already black as night outside. Surely, you don’t go to bed now.”

“We tell stories,” Rune said, as he settled down in another seat near the fire. He shrugged and added, “or else we sing or play instruments.”

“Or dance,” Yori put in. He grinned and then shrugged. “Gets the blood pumping and warms you up, you know?” His brows furrowed. “You have winter in Sylvanias Patris, though. Don’t you?”

“Yes,” Calliope admitted. She shrugged and said, “It just doesn’t get so bitter cold. We go out and look at the stars.” She shivered and pulled her shawl closer around herself. “Not going to do that here.”

“We do that in the summer months,” Yori said, shaking his head. He frowned and said, “You… swim in the summer? In the sea, I mean?”

Calliope nodded. “It’s a welcome relief from the heat,” she said. Then she smirked and added, “Of course, it doesn’t get so hot up here.” She sighed. “Maybe I’ll make two homes and live here in the summer and there in the winter.”

“Not a bad idea,” Rune agreed.

another day in black and red

He’d joked with Rune a few times that death, betrayal and dismemberment were part of their normal day. However, it was black humor because there was a seed of truth in it.

Leif scowled at the crumpled heap in the center of the room. At one point, not very long ago, that heap had been a person. She’d lived and breathed and gone about her day, baking bread for her children and washing their clothing. Now, she was nothing more than a crumpled heap dressed in a blood stained black gown.

“Where are the children?” he asked, his voice soft and thick with emotion.

Martin sighed softly. “We found the older daughter out back,” he murmured. “Elias is looking over her, but he doesn’t think she’ll survive her injuries. The mair… took a lot of blood.”

Leif nodded. “The other child?” he asked, looking over at his adjutant. “The neighbors said she had a son, too.”

Martin opened his mouth to speak. Then they heard an almost animal roar of rage. This was followed by a cry of pain. “Eisa,” Leif gasped. He ran out, through the back door. He never could have guessed what he’d see.

**

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A Walk in the Snow: Showing the Time Period

Yori pulled his cloak a little closer around his shoulders and tucked a lock of hair behind one ear. He ducked as the wind blew, mussing his hair and undoing his work. He pushed the hair away from his face again and moved forward.

He squinted into the swirling snow and then sighed in relief as he spotted a familiar figure by the large wooden structure that was the Rose Division’s main barracks. He pulled the cloak closer and hurried through the drifting snow.

“Rune,” he said, touching his mate on the sleeve of his tunic. He smiled tightly when the gray eyes focused on him. “Lord Forseti wanted a word with us.”

Rune nodded. He took one of Yori’s hands and tugged him towards the river. “The snow is thinner down here,” he called over the wind. As they moved along the river path, towards Glitnir Yori’s gaze wandered.

All around, people were making last minute preparations against the coming winter. Some people were on the rooftops, verifying that the thatch was secure. The last thing they needed was it leaking the first time there was a short warming period and the snow began to melt. Others were stacking firewood.

“Did you hear?” Yori called, looking back at Rune. When Rune turned to him with a quizzical expression, he said, “Lord Forseti was able to get some of those viewing crystals from Mag Mell. We’ll be able to keep in contact with our people in the field!”

“It’ll also be handy for keeping a watch over Shadow Hollow,” he said. “Leave a few of those in some of the more remote villages and they can call the moment trouble strikes, rather than hoping that someone can get out and get to the Gardens for help.”

Yori nodded and smiled. “He also obtained some medical equipment for the Iris Division,” he added. “Maybe he was able to get some of those listening devices for me?” His tone was hopeful. After all, why else would he need to see both of them?