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Valiant
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Empress of the World A Miracle
In the darkness of night, Brinn took her usual path to Aurora's old room. When she had first come to the palace, she had seldom felt like using the appropriate entrance. It was a habit she found hard to break.The path was familiar, and even in the moonless night, Brinn had no problem picking her way up the wall. Her muscles remembered the way even when her eye could not see. 'This is much easier to do without Alvar,' she mused.Pulling herself onto the wooden bannister, Brinn held her breath. She closed her eyes, listening intently to hear if anyone was within.She could only hear and smell one occupant, and it was a human. Placing a tentative foot on the polished stone floor, Brinn tiptoed toward the pulled curtains that led into the bedchamber.She stopped short of entering as her fingers brushed the velvety fabric. Something did not seem right. The curtains were pulled very tight--too tight. Running her finger along where the two curtains met, she could feel needles pinning togeth
Empress of the World Regeneration
Alaron felt like his body was being torn apart. His broken insides were being shredded and knit together anew in order to rid the body of the cancerous magic that plagued his being. Each sinew and bone were being destroyed and remade. It was all more painful than Alaron could bear. He truly thought he would die before the process was complete. His only choice was to let his consciousness drift into the great unknown.Beside him, Brinn and Lukoss watched as the boy let out a blood curdling scream. The young man's back arched as his body began to glow with a light brighter than the sun. It shot upward into the sky, filling the entire night firmament with blinding brilliance. Bathed in its glow, Brinn expected to be burned, but only a feeling of warmth engulfed her as she shielded her eyes.Alaron's screams continued even as the light lessened. His body faded to the glow of a firefly, with strange sparks streaming across his skin at random intervals. Finally his cries quieted to little
Empress of the World The Battle Begins
"What is she doing now?" Reyan pestered the scientist.Renat was holding the spyglass up and peering through it across the Beachy Plains. The two were joined by Zan on the high mound of the Imperial Army along with Okan, another half-dozen archers and Renat's ballista. The scientist had aimed his weapon very carefully before the Empress began her trek across the neutral ground. It was shielded by a cloth so it resembled a headquarters tent, but one pull of the lever would both release the canvas and the deadly bolt."She is still riding to meet Cafer," Renat answered "Just like the last four times you asked.""Maybe you should give me the spyglass. I will be able to do a better job of seeing what is going on," the fairy tried to take a swipe at the long tube, but Renat side stepped to avoid him.Zan could see the bubbling dispute. "Renat needs the spyglass to tell us when to act, and we need you to have both hands to open the portal at just the right second. Are you sure you can reach
Empress of the World A Choice
The human army, led by Nurlan, did not have a clear view of the hill on which the Empress and gnome were meeting. He was on a different side of their triangular defense, and it left him blind to his leader. The general hated being in the dark. He paced up and down the ranks as he examined his men and silently counted the enemy to in order to pass the time and lessen his tension.Mairwen walked beside him in a helmet and a set of armor that covered her torso. While she would not be fighting with a sword, she needed protection if the enemy decided to return her arrows. Her flowing blue skirt matched the Imperial troops and hung loosely down to her ankles. With her bow slung across her back, the princess looked like some glorious ancient statue.Watching Nurlan sigh, she finally mustered up the courage and asked, "How bad is it?""Well, they have the numbers to overwhelm us." the general told her honestly when he tallied the totals. "At least three times over," he added not wanting to su
Empress of the World Shades of Blue
Vahan could sense the sound of the horn before he could hear it. After voicing a warning to the general, he took off and found the rest of the Guardians."Prepare yourselves!" He yelled as the horn finally sounded.Those whose hoods were down quickly lifted them. The men and women sworn to guard humanity faced off against some of their own. It was not the first time a tragedy like this had happened, and Vahan deep down knew that it would not be the last. However, that did not make this time any easier. His heart ached at the thought of doing this again, but it must be done. His eyes flashed silver.To anyone who looked at this strange, ubiquitous mass, all they would see beneath each hood was a faceless black void. But those who wore the Guardian's cloak could see their comrades faces illuminated in a strange purplish light.Vahan looked fondly at the red headed woman next to him. She was the Guardian he had known for the longest, and her playful wink gave him the encouragement he nee
Empress of the World Leprechauns
Dropping both his helmet and sound cone, Nurlan swatted at the leprechaun on his shoulder. Knocked to the ground, the small creature was dazed for a moment before disappearing from view.The General gripped his bloody ear. The bite marks were clearly visible."Oh!" Mairwen produced a cloth and hurried to dab at the blood. "Are you alright?""Blasted little devils!" Nurlan spat as he grimaced. He took the cloth from the princess and held it to stop the bleeding."Are leprechaun's bites poisonous?" the princess asked with an anxious expression.The thought had not occurred to him. After a flash of panic, the color returned to his face and he shook his head. "It does not seem so, but it sure is a blasted nuisance. They are worse than fleas!"Mairwen looked out at the army and her face fell. "It seems they are far more dangerous, too."————Timur was the first unlucky man to be attacked by the leprechauns. He felt the sting on his neck and, like Nurlan, reacted by slapping at the obnoxio
Empress of the World Breath of Life
Xander sat on his ship lazily regarding the magical and human troops on the shore. Earlier a bunch of the humans had gone swimming, which was quite curious to the pirate."Maybe they just want one last thing to remember before they die?" His first mate had suggested."Perhaps," the Captain was unconvinced, but as the men eventually exited the water, he had given up trying to figure out the uncommon behavior.Now he stood leaning on the deck's railing trying to decide why he was there at all. It was the question he had been asking himself over and over. When he watched Baak die, Xander was almost positive that Cafer had aimed Ravenna to hit the gnome king. The pirate was already wary of the crafty advisor, and to see him so easily become king without having to lift a finger was both impressive and concerning.How easily would the magical gnome be able to take him out if things went south? This is what bothered the Captain the most. He did not like feeling helpless. With the Emperor bei
Empress of the World A Sailing Jig
Having recovered from his near drowning, Devrim had no desire to put his head back below the water. He could still feel some of the water sloshing about in her ears no matter how hard he tried to empty them. It was frustrating, and he was unwilling to repeat the event.Fortunately, none of the dozen or so pirate ships seemed to have anyone bothering to look their way. Anyone keeping watch was looking at the shoreline. Even if some sailor had deigned to look their way, spotting the bobbing heads in the water would have been difficult among the shining waves.Their first goal was to make each boat unable to sail. The boat furthest from the shore and behind the rest of the fleet was their initial target. Riding over on the Selkies' backs, twenty men attached themselves to the side of the ship and began using their large screws to bore holes into the ship's hull. It would have been much easier to have the merfolk complete this task, but Darya had said she was there to engage pirates, not
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