Pre-story: Tairiekie a year earlier
This story is set in the cold-season before school begins for Tairiekie. “Tai-tai, hurry up.” It wasn’t so much that Tairiekie’s father was rushing her as that he’d called three times in the last half...
View ArticleGetting Ready (Tairiekie)
“Do you have everything packed?” Tairiekie’s mother dropped a handful of dresses on top of Tairiekie’s luggage. “I thought you might want something for a formal event; they had a few of those when I...
View ArticleGetting Ready (Saydrie)
“It’s almost time. Do you have everything?” The soldier was looming in the doorway to Saydrie’s parents’ house. “Remember, the winters are much colder in the North. You’ll need warm clothes, mittens,...
View ArticleGetting Ready (Enerenarie)
“I have every faith in you, Enerenarie.” Enrie’s mother smoothed a pair of pants into the loaded satchel. “You’re going to do us proud; you’re going to do your family proud.” “Of course I am.” Enrie...
View ArticleGetting in (Kinyozhanyas)
The letter was delivered by public courier with the last day of Kinyozhanya’s secondary schooling. She had been looking for it, dreading it, hoping it. “I got in!” She flapped the letter around as she...
View ArticleAlmost There (Tairiekie)
“Look, Tai-tai, there’s the Capitol.” Tairieke’s father pointed out the window of their carriage, rather unnecessarily, as the Calenyen capitol rose up out the cliffs on the Lannamer River like it was...
View ArticleAlmost There (Saydrie)
“We’re only a day out. You’ll be a student of the Edally Academy soon.” The guard passed Saydrie a jacket – it was in a dark purple, trimmed with red and teal. “Those are the Bitrani versions of your...
View ArticleAlmost There (Enerenarie)
“You’ll do fine, you know.” Enerenarie’s mother patted her leg gently. “And look, we’re coming out of the pass.” The sides of the pass looked as if they had been cut out of the stone like a slice of...
View ArticleVery Nearly There (Enerenarie)
“Now, remember, Enrie, you’ve got to get good grades at the Academy, and you can’t goof off the way you did at the provincial schools.” Enerenarie’s mother fussed with Enrie’s braids, the lay of her...
View ArticlePrelude: Saydrie
Saydrie went to pray. This was not unusual, of course; he was in a strange place, surrounded by strangers, and strange things kept happening to him. It said in all three of the books of the Three that...
View ArticlePrelude: Kekdela
“Do you remember?” She had quizzed Riensin until he refused to talk to her. She had pestered Tesdes until he had picked up a charcoal and a slip of paper and drawn his memory ot the Voice of the...
View ArticlePrelude: Riensin
“And then what happened?” Kietsap was – well, not exactly jealous, more like irritated. Riensin knew why, although he didn’t know if his twin understood it. “Well, then we talked to The Emperor’s...
View ArticlePrelude: Tesdes
Tesdes was doing his best to be invisible, which, he was finding, was harder than it had been before. He had done a very good job of hiding in Kekla and Riensin’s rather bright shadows up until now....
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