romance
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The Geography of Love
The evening light filtered through the workshop’s western window, painting Gareth Stonecarver’s hands in shades of amber and rose as he worked the chisel across marble that would become a fountain for the merchant guild’s courtyard. But his attention kept drifting toward the door—not with impatience exactly, but with the particular anticipation that had characterized Continue reading
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The Warrior’s Rest
Grasha Ironquiet pulled her woolen shawl closer as she stepped onto the stone porch of her cottage, the morning air carrying the crisp promise of autumn’s deeper embrace. From her doorway, she could see neither Lumenvale’s towering Crystal Spires nor the market square of Thornhaven, though both lay within an easy hour’s journey by horseback. Continue reading
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The Compass Within
Kharis Sandstrider pressed her palm against the crystalline surface of the scrying bowl, feeling the heat that radiated from its core—a fragment of concentrated ruby dust that held the memories of a thousand desert storms. The bowl’s surface shimmered with heat mirages, but these weren’t the false visions that plagued ordinary travelers. These were deliberate Continue reading
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The Ritual of Coming Home
The brass chimes above Matthias Brightforge’s workshop door sang their familiar farewell as he secured the last lock, their melodic notes carrying across the Artisan Quarter like a prayer of gratitude for work completed. Another day of coaxing magic into metal had passed, another collection of commissioned pieces awaited their destinies in the homes and Continue reading
Chadwick Rye 