“I told you meddling hens not to influence that boy’s testimony!” the head arbiter snapped at Mrs. Koraski and Mrs. Hadam. He stood at his full height and jabbed his finger at the two ladies. “I’ll have you charged for witness tamperi…” his voice trailed off suddenly as both Mr. Koraski and Mr. Hadam stood...Read More

In the future, when he would retell this part of the story, he was never able to actually say with any certainty or really any memory at all how exactly it all happened. He knew that he was taking Terync’s life as a mercy, but he couldn’t recall the actual act of doing so. He...Read More

When the lady’s eyes opened again, the soft pale blue of her eyes conveyed a level of sadness that Kre could not believe possible for anyone to feel without having their heart stop completely from despair. Later on, Kre could only describe that the lady wore that emotion like a radiant aura. He could feel...Read More

“What?” the assailant asked. As he did so, Kre had a new wave of feelings wash over him. Those of calmness, serenity, and peace. He looked into Cooter’s eyes and saw the same emotions echoed there, along with a new one. Resolve. “Five seconds.” The blade pressed against Kre’s cheek though it did not yet...Read More

‘Sin?’ Kre wondered what Cooter meant by that. Maybe it did have something to do with gambling after all, since greed was one of those exceptionally deadly sins that was mentioned in sermons every now and again at the local chapel. “Don’t worry Mr. Cootsman,” Kre whispered, “I’ll get you out of here.” The younger...Read More

Hoping that the intruder, possibly plural Kre suddenly realized, was still on the other side of the house, Kre decided to make a dash for the bedroom. It was just the next door down from the den he was currently in. Though he hadn’t been invited to explore much of this specific house, Cooter’s home...Read More

Climbing through the window brought Kre into Cooter’s small den, where the older man kept his few books on a low shelf alongside a small desk. Kre wasn’t sure why Cooter even had a desk since he never seemed to write any letters to anyone and he always read his books in the sitting area...Read More

After a while of walking up the road towards his own house, about halfway there, Kre noticed a medium-sized animal trotting off along the side of the hill. It seemed to perceive him at that same moment and both parties paused for a moment, looking at each other in the dull violet light of the...Read More

Kre swallowed the next words he had been ready to say and thought for a moment. A long moment. “The other night, I thought I saw someone walking around the house. Not close, about a stone’s throw away, but he… or she must have circled a few times. I was nearing the crossroads and it...Read More

The small talk passed back and forth for a while until finally Kre saw a slight opening in Cooter’s line. ‘It’s probably a trap,’ Kre thought to himself. He looked over the map again taking a moment to see what possible counter movements Cooter could make. Not seeing any for several moves, he shifted one...Read More