Another visitor to The Last Teashop. I am back to drizzle as my constant companion and I’m glad this house is well-built, with a slate roof rather than thatch. It’s irrational but I have this belief that all this rain would not only have finally, somehow, made it through the bulk of a thatched roof …
The evening proved surprisingly merry. Astrid and Will carried news from across Clearfall, they’d travelled widely in the preceding months, yet managed to draw stories of Woodbine and its inhabitants from all three of them. Eleanor had never seen Martha so animated and eloquent. She told her tales well, with sharp observations of her neighbours’ …
“You are the seventh son of a seventh son. You are the chosen paladin of the Green Goddess!” The woman finished her oration, which had involved far too much questionable history for Gabe’s patience and looked at him triumphantly. Gabe sighed and rubbed his brow. “Does this one at least pay?” “What?” “We’re pretty low …
Lillabelle looked around with much the same expression as she’d had when Evander had dragged them to a slum area of Starsong’s capital city as part of some scheme of his mother’s to improve the place. She placed a fine, lace edged handkerchief on the seat of one of the chairs and perched on it, …
1/5 Stars Call that a cave? I’ve seen larger rabbit holes I have to admit, I visited this cave with very low expectations, and yet it managed to underwhelm in every regard. First, a cave should be large enough to fit into, and by ‘fit’ I mean be capable of accommodating a decent-sized dragon, with …
She looked at Evan. “Go ahead, my husband will meet you at the junction. Your girls are safe enough with me.” Evan looked to Martha, and back to the woman, then nodded. “I’ll go, but we’ll need to be on our way soon to make the farm before dark.” The woman looked amused. “You aren’t …
Sarah’s arm came around her in a hug that managed to combine affection and exasperation. “He adores you. You both just need a little bit of time to settle and let reason back into your heads. Now come and have dinner, you’ve a long day tomorrow.” Matthew nodded as he joined them at the table. …
It was a large settlement, more than a village but too much of it was temporary for it to be considered a town. Maybe it would, one day, if brick and stone replaced enough of the canvas and wooden planking. In the meantime, it felt like a cross between a market square and a campsite. …
The drizzle has changed to fog. A thick, heavy blanket of cloud with a bruised purple tint, as if the air itself is hurting. My visitor tonight wears the green tunic and cloth badge of a forester, and moves as if he too is bruised. It’s more memory than physical maladies that pain him. A …
His thoughts seemed to be following hers as he pulled her closer and began kissing her with that focused attention Eleanor adored. She threaded her fingers through his hair, then froze. “What’s that noise?” Cadan sat straight and looked around. “It’s coming from the cupboard by the door.” It was a whirring sound, with the …
