3: Wards

Corvus hesitated briefly at the heavy cell door, steeling himself. A mixture of guilt and determination churned within him, but duty had always been heavier than his own comfort. “This is your cell. I’m sorry that I can’t make it more comfortable, but in a show of clemency, you have a proper pillow and blankets, […]

2: Judgment

Emrhys Coldriver sat before the arbiters in the Imperium High Court and tried to calm herself. She drew in a shaky breath, the cold stone of the bench on which she sat anchoring her briefly. Panic fluttered in her chest, chased swiftly by defiance. She would not break here. Not today, not when her life […]

1: Weapons

*Content warning: blood, mention of crime scene. Imperium, the Dominion capital city Two weeks before the Kraah attack on the Easthaven Mageguild Corvus blinked, his vision clearing. The faint scent of burning wood clung to his cloak, but he remembered nothing clearly. A hollow unease tightened his chest, dread tangling with confusion. What had he […]

0: Prologue; Family

Reshk, Capital of Canrish; One month before the Kraah attack on the Easthaven Mageguild. Leneah Thorn gazed out over the rooftops of Reshk’s Guild District, watching heat shimmer and dance over coppery tiles. The Crow’s Nest—a narrow tower at the center of this Ivory Order safe house—was where she went when she needed to think. […]

Intro to Season Three: Sixes and Sevens

He is sentenced to death and she to life—can their unique connection save them both? Emrhys Coldriver is sentenced to life in prison for crimes she can’t remember committing. She struggles to simply stay alive in a prison warded by corrupting magic, afraid and alone—until her new guard arrives. Corvus Sevens knows to listen to […]

7: Promises

Leneah walked through the quiet streets, so much more somber with the midsummer decorations gone for the year. Knowing what evil lurked in the dark corners of her world cast a pall over everything. She shuddered away thoughts of Harbingers, Kraah, and Brother Night. Tonight’s mission was about hope for the future. She wouldn’t spend […]

6: Rescues

*Content warning: mild fantasy violence, dagger cut. Brennan padded along the mausoleum’s passageways, magelamps casting light enough he could see a few feet around him. There were no signs of anyone. Leneah had gone in here, he was sure of it. He’d seen her and the hooded man walk through the main entrance and heard […]

5: Darkness

*Content warning; mild fantasy violence, daggers Leneah followed on Brother Night’s heel, or cloak hem, since she had never noticed his feet. A scream cut through the air around her but stopped short. What the hells were they doing in there, and what had she gotten herself into? Every instinct screamed at her to run, […]

4: Fierceness

Brennan’s fingers ached to move, to do anything but remain curled over the hilt of his sword. He could barely see Leneah bathed in moonlight, standing in front of the silent, looming mausoleum. The silvery illumination deepened the color of her hair to almost blood-red. The sweat on his skin chilled, and the night darkened […]

3: Hunters and Quarry

Leneah pressed on, the terrible scream ringing through her mind. The Valiant–Brennan, he’d called himself–followed on her tail. His presence behind her was a warmth that spurred her on and gave her courage. He was heavier than she was, and armored and armed, but quiet for someone running in garrison-issue boots. It was a mystery […]