Ethan smiled as he watched how happy the boys were to see Rothan. They tussled and played and laughed, and they made him smile, too. Kierah had brought the boy again. His brother. He hadn’t told Rothan about that yet, … Continue reading Chapter 27: The beginning
“…each moment with her is like — like it’s made of glass, this beautiful, fragile thing that I get to hold in my hand, but one wrong move and it’ll shatter.” Continue reading Chapter 26: “One wrong move and it’ll shatter”
“We can’t control how much time we have. But we can control what we do with the time while we have it.” Continue reading Chapter 25: Ari’s advice
Kierah walked by the kitchens as often as she could inconspicuously manage, to sneak a glance at Rothan. Sometimes, he’d be nowhere in sight. Other times, she’d see him, and they’d share a quick wave. She wasn’t entirely forbidden from … Continue reading Chapter 24: An unexpected invitation
“I think you should do it,” Kierah approached Zera. They were eating together during lunch, and Kierah took another swig of her coffee. She’d been feeling more and more sluggish lately, and was hoping the caffeine would kick in before … Continue reading Chapter 23: “Do you think she cares for him? My Ender, for your slave.”
He was going to go in there. He was going to fight. And he was going to kill someone, or die. Continue reading Chapter 22: A fighter and a slave
[ TWO DECADES AGO ] The front door of the one-room apartment burst open, the flimsy lock no match for the force of the two bodyguards behind it. The crash startled the little boy, who was already buried as far … Continue reading Chapter 21: Secrets of his past
Flying training was done for the day. Kierah left the speeder hangar, energized and mostly happy. Like combat class, and unlike ballroom dancing or tea etiquette, she could imagine finding a practical use for the knowledge back in her normal … Continue reading Chapter 18: “I don’t think you should go back”
“You need this,” Ari said, in the kind of tone that wouldn’t take no for an answer. And she handed Kierah a mug. Kierah stared at the dark liquid inside it, and wrinkled her nose. “What is it, again?” “If … Continue reading Chapter 17: Coffee — and a confrontation about the past
[Eight years ago] Ethan heard the boy’s sobbing from down the tunnel. Swinging the pick back and digging it into the rock wall, he tried to drown it out. He didn’t know who it was or why he was crying, … Continue reading Chapter 16: Eight years ago
