EllaThey follow me like baby ducks. I’ve counted thirty-eight of them so far, though several of the witches are barely able to walk on their own. Everytime I speak, thirty-eight sets of eyes light on mine, unblinking. If I stop walking abruptly, the dozen or so strongest unsheath blades and bows and arrows we stole from the dead warriors we left in the caves. The caves… well, the witches and I didn’t leave right away. Those strong enough to fight killed the rest of the warriors while the others went to free their sisters from the networks of cells hidden along darkened corridors. All of the strange pyres were staunched, and the walls…. I glance around at the witches setting up camp along the base of a cliff. Most of them are splattered with blood, and their hands are covered in it. They painted the walls of those caves red. I exhale deeply and continue poking the fire in front of me. Rain rips through the camp in sheets that pass as quickly as they come. A huge storm just tore th

IsaacI gently lift Sydney out of Maddy’s arms. He blinks, then a fleeting smile stretches over his face before he falls back asleep with milk dribbling down his cheek. Ryan is already sleeping in the double-wide crib tucked beneath the window in our bedroom, his chubby arms and legs splayed out like a starfish. Sydney likes to be swaddled but I’m terrible at it. I mumble curses under my breath as I try to adjust his swaddle and gently lay him down beside his brother, who is in nothing but a diaper, which is just the way Ryan likes it. Thank the Goddess it’s a sweltering summer night. I edge away from the crib with my hands out in surrender, grimacing as my foot catches that damned squeaky floorboard I keep forgetting to tell someone to fix, but the twins remain asleep. So does my wife. Maddy’s wine-red hair falls over her shoulder and back as she rolls over on her side and curls into the blankets. She whispers something to herself in her sleep, but it’s lost on me. I’m too focus

Ryatt“She’s oddly quiet,” Granger says as we step out of the pack house in a village called Reighnier, where the pack Silent Crest resides. I glance at my mate who is walking back to the two-story stone cottage we’ve been given to sleep in for the night. Her long dark hair is neatly braided down her back, and her brown cloak is spotless as she pulls open the door and slips inside. I exhale, my stomach tightening as I fumble with the leather armguards around my wrists. “She’s tired. I spoke to her this morning. We’re going to see another healer once we reach Twin Rivers.”Or what’s left of Twin Rivers. The once prosperous city on the banks of the river that separates the Roguelands from Rifthold is barely more than a village of tents and refugees now. It was flattened during the war, just like Rifthold. Once we cross the river, it could be weeks until we find someone to help Ella with the pregnancy symptoms that plague her day in and day out. “Is this wise, Ryatt?” Granger asks in

EllaI wake to bright sunshine streaming through the window next to our bed in the cottage. I squeeze my eyes shut against the onslaught of light and reach over the sun-warmed sheets for Ryatt, but the other side of the bed is still as empty as it was when I fell asleep. For the first time in weeks, I don’t feel like death this morning. Maybe it’s the way the warm sun plays over my skin and the chipper birdsong outside, but I feel… happy. Lively. I feel like getting up and stretching my body instead of burying myself in bed again. I can sense a shift in the air as I dress in a clean outfit of cream colored cotton and try to pull on my boots. Tying the laces is becoming a struggle because of my belly, which is now in the way. I didn’t show for the longest time, and maybe I should have enjoyed that phase of this pregnancy a little longer. Now, it’s over. I grunt with effort as I try to bend down over the hard swell of my stomach. I even sit down and try to pull my leg higher. Finally

RyattI’m not surprised by the warm welcome we receive. I’m also not surprised by the lush apartment Ella, Granger, and I are led into after a long walk in the unfiltered, sand-filled heat. The luxury of this place–Oasia–doesn’t shock me, nor Granger. No, we don’t expect anything less from Jaxon. He’s always liked the finer things, and finally, after groveling in the trenches his entire life, he has the means to make his wildest dreams come true. The village of Oasia is a sprawling network of white stone that spreads out for over a mile, all of the buildings interconnected by tunnels built beneath the sand. At its center sits an oasis, hence the name, the only true source of water for miles. This spring is where he gets his power. He controls the water in Tarsian, so he is king. This is an empire I’m almost envious of. The sheer wealth of this territory–the mines, the gems, the stones–would be enough to completely rebuild the Roguelands and allow my people to live in opulence. Bu