Tag: dark fantasy
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Patina – Chapter 11
Elissa laid in her bath, ribbons of vapor covering most of her naked, wounded body. Her breaths came out pained, in short shivering spurts. Her left hand rose from the water and adjusted the blindfold that hid her eyes, so that it would stay up even in the damp air. She was drained. Mastra had…
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Patina – Chapter 10
The Hunter proceeded at a glacial pace. Second day of the twelve allotted to him, and though a part of him would have much preferred to pull on the reins, rev up the engine and fly through the bushes, the ever-present chorus of growls, hisses and far-off whispers through the woods was a compelling argument…
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Patina – Chapter 9
Cloria enjoyed being a Venatrix. She liked the looks, the whispers. People stared at her equipment, from her polished knives to her guns, her precious rifle, the tetraceramid plates peeking from beneath her clothes, everything that identified her as one of those people keeping the darkness back. What she did not like was what followed…
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Patina – Chapter 8
She opened her eyes and purple twilight rushed in. She sputtered, sitting up on her elbows. What happened? Her head felt heavy, just like when they put more of those hurtful needles into her arms… By habit she looked down at her arms, now clean. Yes. She had thrown away the rubbery tubes. And what…
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Patina – Chapter 7
The Hunter had reached the end of the road. Though he had managed to ride north for two days now, the river had shrunk to little more than a torrent, and he was far enough from the sea that the influence of the Wicked Fae easily overwhelmed any conventional attempt to contain it. Tall grey…
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Patina – Chapter 6
The girl ran. Which was barely enough. Brambles and branches rose to scratch her face, to bite her naked ankles. She breathed in panicked spurts. Something slick and warm ran down her forehead. Might have been blood. She did not care. The girl ran. It had to be enough. Far-off voices ran after her. Indistinct,…
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Patina – Chapter 5
There was a weird stillness to the night forest. With the last embers of sunlight eaten by a growing cover of clouds, not even the moon could peer through and cast the trees’ shapes out of its black veil. They had to make do with lamps and the rare fizz and sputter of electric light. …
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Patina – Chapter 4
It had been a while since he’d been in Arguta’s shop. The furnace blasted heated air and the continuous huff of bellows turned into a roar inside the rounded hall. As soon as he was in he took out his coat. “Cotton?” Arguta pointed out. “I’m going to make you a premium.” “I did not…
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Patina – Chapter 3
By the next morning, the boat gathering has dispersed. The only one still anchored to the riverside was Verna’s, the only reminder of the makeshift market the footsteps around the shore. No other footsteps or oozing black liquids, which meant it had been a quiet night, for once. She did not come out to meet…
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Patina – Chapter 2
Thank the spirits, the inside of Verna’s cabin was warm. The heat did not come from a fire or an oven, it seemed to spread from the leaden pipes running all over the floor, a boon for his cold feet. While the shipmates took care of his clothes he’d been given a cotton vest and…
A. Montresor 