Of Foils
“We’re you always this bad?” Kamen asked almost petulantly. He scratches the back of his head with his free hand, now fully understanding Rei’s adamant order to use dulled foils in duels with Artemis. He would have quartered her several times over had they used their own personal weapons, Necrosis and Chaos respectively.
Artemis purses her lips and huffs, nearly throwing down her own foil as she straightens out her white fencing jacket and pulls her visor up to rest on the top of her head, “If you weren’t so capricious I’d have a better chance.”
He scowled at her, “Artemis, I&r
Of Banyans
“You’re absolutely certain we won’t get into trouble for this?”
Artemis gave Kamen a sideways glance, “Diplomatic visit.”
“Spontaneous vacation.”
“To make an appearance in Havati.”
“To escape a surprise visit from Van Dean by hopping on an airship and going to Kaygoia.”
She stifled the urge to roll her eyes, “To see my grandfather.”
Kamen glanced over the iron rail of the balcony adjoined to the room the Dauphine occupied in the Kaygoian palace of Saresvat, to the field of guava trees, “Alladair Udit?” He glanced back to Artemis q
Chapter Fifteen: A Costly Mistake
"Kamen?” Nancy called through the apartment upon her return, “You still here?”
“Right here.” His voice came from the sofa, surprising his host. “Thank you for coming back.”
She smiled and removed her coat, scarf, and shoes, placing them next to the door as she set her phone onto the small table next to the door.
Nancy did not intend to tell Kamen what had happened with Van Dean over tea. There was no reason to give him the false hope that she would choose Clovis—that is if he was as adamant about her leaving with him as Van Dean was.
Kamen was human, Kamen
Chapter Fourteen: Cruel Undertones
“Oh come on Nancy, you know I tell you everything,” Charlie made a gesture to Drake, “and I tell him even more.”
Nancy looked down at her plate of scrambled eggs and fried potatoes; her stomach was already full from the food she had eaten with Van Dean but attempted to eat the contents of her plate as best she could. They were sitting in a booth that day, a small family had taken their usual table for the day that had come much earlier than Drake and Charlie had.
The couple sat opposite Nancy, scarves piled in the corner of the booth, Drake with an arm around the back of Charlie&rs
Chapter Thirteen: The Chain of Command
Pandomé stood in the living room of Van Dean’s human apartment; she smiled wryly at the surroundings, wondering just how fond of living like a human he had become.
She tilted her head at him curiously. He seemed happy enough, in the small kitchenette periodically checking the time and pulling together tea, orange juice, pastries, and fruit.
Van Dean glanced at the stairs suddenly, smiling. His guest was awake.
Pandomé glanced in the same direction and offered a suggestion, “should I go?”
“No,” He said simply, going back to his work slicing wedges of spinac
Chapter Twelve: Rivalry
It was sheer chance that he had the gun, normally he would not have bothered with it.
It was not his intent to kill.
He wanted to send a message: that this was not neutral territory, and the next time the man in the black uniform set foot onto the property it would be his last.
The shot would not wake Nancy, stuck in a dream-state until the sun rose.
Kamen immediately regretted his choice in clothing, the newer under armor had been put in the wash and he had not yet been able to retrieve it from the dryer at the apartment. The bullet tore through the fabric of his older armor shirt and into his shoulder, and exite
Of Cantrips
The powder blue sky had begun to bleed at its edges from the oncoming dusk. Artemis had cozied herself under the apple tree behind the manor with a book for the evening while Lillaine was occupied with an array of doctors after an overexertion of herself.
There was a bitterness burrowing itself inside her chest over Lillaine, the idea that her friend was getting worse rather than better, and the immense loneliness that followed.
For the first hour of Lillaine’s treatment, Artemis had berated herself on the feeling. The selfishness of it all, wanting companionship when her companion (perhaps companion was a bad way to thin
Chapter Eleven: Trepidation
Van Dean watched Nancy in earnest as she lifted her teacup to her lips, the dark steaming liquid did carry an aroma of pears on the heavy lemon scent and for a second she paused, allowing the rim of the cup to rest upon her lower lip. A simple honey chamomile, Van Dean had said, it was only a simply honey chamomile, but mixed with the warnings of the morning, she could not help but think that there was something more to the sweet smell.
Van Dean sighed and sat back in his chair, knowing of the conversation she had held with the man at her apartment only a few hours prior.
Kamen’s presence had been inevitab
Chapter Ten: Omelettes and Inventions
Charlie had already left by the time that Kamen woke the next morning; he had almost forgotten where he was when he opened his eyes and looked up at the bird mobile hanging from the ceiling. After a few moments he attempted to run the events of the previous evening through his head with little luck. All thoughts reverted to the girl who had slept beside him, murmuring every so often incoherently, and at a few times tossing about until he eventually reached out to calm her down. The night had been nostalgic, reminiscent of the countless nights spent with Artemis in the haven, the cave in the forest of Jan
Chapter Nine: Two Bottles of Vodka
“Did he hurt you?”
Nancy jumped in the entryway of her apartment. She had just turned from locking the door behind her and slipped off her shoes when Kamen appeared in front of her to interrogate.
She rolled her eyes at him, “He didn’t touch me. Not one finger. Happy?”
Kamen swallowed and looked at her skeptically, turning his head and glaring at her from the corner of his eye, “Did you eat anything there?”
“He invited me to spend the day with him, of course I ate.” She walked past him and tossed her purse onto the davenport.
“What did you eat