“You are moody,” Jester observed as they walked towards the Commander’s office after being called for. The little ball of sunshine that had given him a kiss this morning now looked like a storm cloud ready to strike. “It’s only been twenty minutes since I left you alone, and you’re already scowling. Careful now, or the others will think I taught you that.”Alisa sighed. “It’s not your fault. It’s because my brother is such a jackass.” And she proceeded to tell him why.Apparently, Spencer (Jester vaguely recalled the young man with an easy smile he had met when they captured Hogar) had been in Hong Kong for the past week. Instead of staying in the family residence, or crashing with his sister (which he usually does, according to Alisa), he had booked a hotel suite on the other side of the city, and hasn’t called or messaged Alisa since Gillespie un-Lar. She could understand if he wanted to stay wit

“There’s only one way to find out for sure,” said Jester.I watched as his fingers pinched at the cover of the diary and pulled. I thought he was going to actually rip off the cover. There was a dull flash of light, and he continued to pull on something only he could see, as if he was peeling off clingwrap. There was a small popping noise, and the diary suddenly snapped open.  “April 5, 368 AI,” a cool, female voice murmured and I nearly jumped out of my skin. The diary was floating in front of Jester, the pages turning along with the voice as if there was actually someone who was reading the entries aloud. Now, I am not someone who spooks easy, but I got shivers imagining that the ghost of the previous owner—instead of a spell, as Jester soon explained—was doing that.“…told Aurelius not to wander around that area. I told him so many times! And yet what does he do? He went to the caves again, and this

M’lonia is known as one of the most beautiful cities in all three worlds. It’s to be expected from the capital city of Ellenis, the Elf world, since elven culture is heavy on the aesthetics. Ellenis, as a whole, has this guided elegance, you know? But even so, M’lonia is unique. Like a forest that’s been tamed, where every tree and every shrub and every flower is placed in exactly the right spot to maximize its presence. The city sits at the bottom of a canyon, a sprawling wonder of green and gold and silver, running along the length of one of their planet’s deepest fissures like a jeweled bracelet peeking from in between the floorboards. I said it’s like jewelry hidden underground because it is a place that embodies the saying ‘more than meets the eye’. A significant portion of the canyon walls are actually hollowed out, and what seems like a roof of earth is actually ground glass, enchanted to look like dirt. From above, it would look no different from the earth surroundin

Dr. Jamy Hansel sat on a bench under a small oak tree in the little cloistered garden below the hospital room where his student-assistant lay unconscious. He sat there, staring at the scuffed toes of his sneakers as if it held all the secrets of the universe and he was trying to tease them out with just his gaze. He looked so focused on whatever it was about his shoes that captivated him, that when the young man came to sit beside him, his head snapped around so fast, the newcomer flinched visibly.“You are not welcome here,” said Dr. Hansel, recognizing who it was. In a plain sweater and jeans, wearing a disguise that turned his streaked blond hair a despondent black color, the young man who interrupted his reverie sat down beside him. He frowned, perhaps unhappy that he had been taken by surprise. Otherwise, the young man looked completely unconcerned at the doctor’s evident hostility.A soft breeze lifted stray locks of silver from Dr. Hansel&rsquo

District Five is the only inner district in M’lonia that is accessible to everyone, even non-citizens. It is a very large sector that covers most of the mid-south section of the city, and is solely reserved for parties, events and public gatherings. It boasts four stadiums, each located at a strategical distance from each other, where there’s always some concert or show or sports event happening at least five nights a week. Theaters and cinemas and lounge bars are open twenty-four hours, and show-hopping (attending shows or concerts back-to-back-to-back) is a very popular tourist practice. My cousin Leno once told me that when the AG posted him in M’lonia, he went to a show or performance or concert every night with his girlfriend for three months straight (unfortunately, that’s also how long their relationship lasted), and he never had to go to the same place twice.It is not all entertainment in District Five either. Company events and personal celeb