short-story
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The Stone-Scribe’s Pilgrimage
Aldwin Quillheart pressed his palm against the warm granite wall of the Great Archive, feeling the subtle vibration that traveled through living stone as Grandfather Ironheart continued his eternal migration across the wind-swept plains of Nomados. The mountain’s heartbeat thrummed through his fingers—ancient, patient, steady as geological time itself—while three hundred feet beneath his boots, Continue reading
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The Price of Glory
Devon Blackhand pressed his weathered shoulders against the cold brick wall of Merchant’s Alley, watching the morning mist curl between the narrow buildings of Millhaven like ghostly fingers seeking purchase on stone and mortar. At fifty-seven, his once-powerful frame had settled into the comfortable thickness of middle age, though his sword arm remained steady and Continue reading
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The Weight of Hours
Apprentice Mage Tobias Quillheart blinked slowly at the manuscript spread across his desk, the candlelight wavering just enough to make the carefully scripted runes seem to dance on the parchment. His shoulders carried the pleasant ache of hours spent hunched over his work, while his mind bore the deeper satisfaction of breakthrough achieved through stubborn Continue reading
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The Ritual of Words and Steam
The brass kettle sang its familiar song as steam escaped through the delicate spout, filling Magistra Cordelia Inkwell’s modest study with the rich aroma of Northwood coffee beans. Five-thirty in the morning, the same time she had risen every day for the past twelve years—early enough to claim the world’s silence before Lumenvale began its 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
Chadwick Rye 