He watched her leave, walking down through the garden rather than towards the main house entrance. That’s right, she lived in that strange village at the bottom of the cliff, the place Xavier was staying. He wondered what it was like to live in a place that had seemingly jumped out of the pages of …
The friendly maid appeared at the door of the summer house a short time later with two bowls, one of water and one of a finely chopped mix of meat, grains and vegetables. The maid nodded at it. “Orders of Mother Eulogia for the gryphonling, we’re to provide it every night.” A boy of about …
The gryphonling blindly stretched its head forward and bumped its beak into her clenched fingers. It squeaked again and scrabbled its legs. She cautiously unfurled her hand and smoothed a tentative fingertip over its feathered head. Mother Eulogia’s hands appeared, one covering the gryphonling’s body and furled wings, the other using a damp cloth to …
She could hardly say ‘no’, so after a long morning of fierce concentration and smug looks from Dani, she set out with Miklos and the three children. They wound their way through the Old Town, murmurs and stares following behind. Toni pouted. “Why are all the people looking at us?” Before either adult could reply, …
Andreas stood at the entrance of the wide room, greeting his guests. Xavier said Leila was in the summer house, but lacked her loom. Could she sing without her weaving tools? Should he send someone to collect them? As if she had heard his thoughts, the first threads of a working song, the type used …
Juanita raised a brow when Xavier sidled into her kitchen in Marya’s wake. Her second brow went up when Timon raced through the front door, spotted Leila and his daughter, and sagged in relief. “I’ve been hearing such stories.” He straightened and eyed Xavier. “Are you the lad who was harassing Leila, or are you …
Xavier accompanied her to her home, then continued on to the galleon with Marya. It was a tense, quiet walk. Marya asked. "Are you going to go back tomorrow?" Leila nodded. "I have to." Marya tensed. "What did he say? He might be the prince but he can't force you into doing anything." Leila summoned …
Leila twisted her hands into her skirt and looked around the pretty wooden summer house she stood in. Prince Andreas watched her in turn. She wasn’t sure what he was looking for. She turned to take it all in. The walls of the house were an airy lacework of carvings and whimsical pictures. In truth, …
The guard captain closed his eyes and breathed deeply a couple of times, then began to speak. “I’ve known His Highness since we both joined the army. We trained together, and served together. We’ve both been in bad situations, but the Pirate Battle … he saw his best friend, Princess Julia’s betrothed, cut down. It’s …
The evening of the ball, the Shipwreck Villagers gathered on the galleon for a party of their own. Grigor suggested Leila bring her loom. She frowned in confusion. “Why?” He looked a little sheepish and said. “You sing when you’re working. If you bring your work, and sit so people aren’t fixing their attention on …
The DNA of Stories 