Soon enough, they came to a fork in the road.  The main road curved to the right and following it would continue along the trade road until they eventually reached the next town.  The left path was a forester’s trail used by hunters, loggers, and apple pickers.  The wild apple trees of the Milo region...Read More

A large bump brought Kre back from his half-nap.  It caused his head to smack against the wooden side of the wagon and he cursed softly as he gingerly touched the growing welt. “Sorry about that,” came the apologetic call from the driver’s seat.  “I was trying to get an apple out of the sack...Read More

The cuff to the side of Kre’s head made his ear ring for several seconds. “Back from daydream land then, eh?”  Lowil used to box his ears at least three times daily just to get his attention back to the classwork.  He had tried just about everything else before it came to physical violence, but...Read More

They both looked up at Braun but the sullen driver refused to look back at them.  Lowil shrugged and drew his finger along the map.  “Given our late start, we’ll be lucky if we reach the hills.  If it starts to get dark, we may have to make camp just off the road and call...Read More

“Perhaps it is time to renegotiate the agreements with our military forces.”  Braun slid the reins through a metal loop in front of the driver’s cab.  There really wasn’t much need to direct the the horses, there was only the one main road and the horses had trod that same path many times over, enough...Read More

Despite the knowledge that he could get out of this whole ordeal by turning the other way, Kre had a growing feeling deep in the back of his mind.  It had started as a simple feeling of commitment, almost a compulsion to do the right thing.  As he stood there, it intensified and grew until...Read More

Still tugging at the collar of the cloak, Kre looked up at the smirking face of Braun.  “It suits you,” the Magistrate sneered down from his high seat on the wagon.  “Now get in and shut up.  We need to make up some time.” Lowil shrugged apologetically and hopped up into the back of the...Read More

Realizing that he had been daydreaming again, Kre touched his eyes with the back of his hand just to ensure that there were no stray tears from his jog down the sad memory lane of self-pity.  Satisfied that he was presentable once again, he took a deep calming breath, tripped the latch, and pushed the...Read More

When Kre looked up from his reverie, Syonette was gone.  He expected that though, so it was no real shock, although he had hoped to at least get a hug out of it.  “Time to face the music,” he muttered to himself, feeling less confident than he sounded. With his hand on the door knob...Read More

Knowing that any further delays would only serve to make the trip that much worse, Kre lifted a water pitcher from the table, poured some into his free hand, and swiped it through his face and hair a few times.  He switched hands and continued his paltry efforts at a morning wash.  Spotting the dried...Read More