The Shattering

Odrum, Irozia Odrum had been reduced to a pile of ash and death. Caleste, Edrahn, and the knights picked their way through the wreckage of destroyed houses. The cloth masks on their faces kept the worst of the stench out. They guided their horses carefully so as to not to trod upon the charred bodies…

Torvola did not get much sleep that night. After the day’s events she thought she’d have slept like the dead. Instead she had cried until her head ached and her exhausted body finally succumbed to a restless sleep. She was quite suddenly ejected from her fitful slumber by the earth shifting violently below her body.…

Torvola couldn’t shake the sense of déjà vu that washed over her as she opened her door later that night to see Venera on the other side. How was it that even out of her fancy robes and dress, clad in a plain linen shift, and her hair down that she still looked so regal?…

The nap only helped Torvola a little. She woke up slightly less exhausted but very hungry. Her stiff joints protested as she sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed. She stood up and stretched, several joints popped satisfyingly as she did so. The afternoon sun shone bright and warm through…

Torvola sat for a while in the courtyard, letting the warmth of the sun and the gentle fragrance of the roses calm her. Her thoughts raced still: was she spending her life running from her pain? Would she go with Venera back to the coast? And if she did, what would happen afterwards? Would she…

Torvola found herself in a small room adjacent to the throne room. As her eyes cast around the familiar room she couldn’t help the blush that came to her cheeks as she laid eyes on the desk in the corner. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Venera watching her; the queen’s lips…

//AN: Sorry about the random and unannounced absence. Will try to keep you informed of any breaks in the future.// Torvola’s arrival hadn’t gone unnoticed. It seemed like mere minutes after she stepped off the ship four guards in red and yellow tabards and polished plate approached the docks. A similarly armored woman stood in…