I push Metis onward. The mass of wolves in quadrupedal form smell the air, then reluctantly parts before us. Their instincts, pushed by the curse, still see anything with four legs as prey.
Fortunately, Metis does not behave like prey. At all. Some of the more adventurous wolves are still healing from having an ear nipped off. What can I say? Metis is a gourmet.
It helps that we do not smell like their usual fare either.
Finally, we arrive in front of Augustus...
2020-08-19 17:51:21 +0000 UTC
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I regret everything.
“For the love of all that is precious STOP SNIFFING ME!”
“But it’s so strange…”
“NO SNIFFING!”
“Eep!”
The tiny woman jumps back with a stricken look, but not for long. A man taps her on the shoulder and she turns with a smile.
He is naked.
Regrets. So many regrets.
I agreed to follow the big grey werewolf back to his encampment with the rest of the horde in order to discuss what would follow....
2020-08-13 03:29:32 +0000 UTC
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“Oh, Adeline, since I met you on that fateful night and rescued you from Alonzo’s men, my world has changed beyond recognition. I thought I knew my place at court and the course of my life until the day I die. How wrong I was! ‘Twas but a lie! A gilded prison that encircled my soul in its invisible embrace and condemned it to an existence without happiness. You opened my eyes, dear Adeline! You freed me from the grey fog of apathy with the sun of your spirit! At the ver...
2020-08-06 13:10:10 +0000 UTC
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The werewolves have made camp in a basin nestled between the mound to our north and the ridge we stand on. The small depression hides the camp from sight, if not from smell, and bitter wind disperses the upward clouds of smoke of the campfires before they become visible.
What shocks me is not the size of the camp, fully capable of hosting a good two hundred men. No. What shocks me is the incredible level of organization displayed here. This is not a refugee camp or even a c...
2020-07-30 13:46:55 +0000 UTC
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It takes us only two days of hard riding to head north up to lake Michigan, then east until we reach Detroit. Melitone, Frost, and three of his men ride by day while Melusine and I slumber. By night, the roles are reversed and since we use lesser Nightmares to pull the carriage, we manage not to stop.
During the trip, I learn from Melitone that she expects the City master to be somewhat hostile, which does not surprise me in the slightest. We arrive in Detroit from the Sout...
2020-07-26 15:19:42 +0000 UTC
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The Dream. My old bedroom.
Marquette is still bustling with activity, but the nature of the night shifted. Perhaps leaving the city gave me the distance I needed to come to a realization.
Marquette is no longer a godforsaken mudhole.
When I came here for the first time it most definitely was. Now, even at night, ladies and gentlemen decked in good if conservative clothes walk the street, going to some fancy restaurants or the newly opened theater house. Even the...
2020-07-21 14:00:01 +0000 UTC
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Alright everyone, two things.
First, you can see the final version of the ebook cover of Journey , which I should manage to publish next week.
Journey itself will remain free online. I will never take it down, so don't fret. With that said, I would really appreciate if, when it comes up, some of you take one for the team (ok, for me) and give me some sterling review so that I can achieve fame and fortune. It would mean a lot to me if you did.
As an in...
2020-07-16 14:38:58 +0000 UTC
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Constantine’s office is as spacious and ordered as before, but now it feels crowded. To my right stands a tall man with dark curly hair and the beard and mustache of a Spanish Conquistador, which, arguably, he might be.
He is also my rival for the ownership of the State of Illinois.
Behind his desk, Constantine gauges the both of us as we sit at attention, studiously ignoring each other.
“I have a task for you,” he finally says.
“I hav...
2020-07-14 05:53:56 +0000 UTC
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Warning: vulgar.
December 13th, an unnamed hamlet in Illinois.
Laurel was the last to come in. He slammed the door behind him to keep the cold at bay and sighed with relief. Warm, at last.
The inn’s common room was mostly deserted at that time. The road to Chicago was mercifully closed at this time of the year, which was why they had decided to use that establishment as a rally point for Brotherhood activity. The refuge was an absolute necessity now that winter was i...
2020-07-09 05:36:36 +0000 UTC
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Washington, two nights later.
The venue Lady Sephare chose for her meeting is the top floor of an elegant gentleman’s club she recently took over. The guests are led up through the deserted building by a butler exuding disapproval at the uncouth louts defiling his august halls with their unwashed bodies, grimy clothes, and rancid breaths. The gaping wastrels are then invited to sit at a long table in a large reception room upon which refreshments have already been served....
2020-07-08 13:29:58 +0000 UTC
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The woman jumps in fright when I accost her. It is late, and dark, and she is not a denizen of the night like I am. When she sees I am a woman too, her shoulders relax, the fear receding from her wary figure.
She turns in my direction and I see that under the heavy green hood, she wears an evening dress of decent make, a shawl and a bag containing at the very least one magical item. Probably her focus. She is young, not a day over eighteen, I’d wager, and beautiful in a g...
2020-07-03 17:44:31 +0000 UTC
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At the northern end of town, hidden between a cattle feed shop and a small glassmaker, stands the Alexandria Shop of Books Rare and Precious for the Discerning Gentleman. I immediately notice two major issues.
The first, neither Urchin nor I are gentlemen.
Second, there is absolutely no way that twenty people would fit in there unless the building also sports an extensive underground network, a stupid idea this close to the Potomac.
Hypothetically, i...
2020-06-27 15:19:22 +0000 UTC
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I miss the opera.
The entertainment is better, and the spectators at least make a token attempt at maintaining personal hygiene.
The Ratcatchers’ Death Dance venue is a repurposed warehouse with a circle of sand in its midst overlooked by rickety ‘lodges’. I am in such a lodge now, with Urchin by my side. All of the remaining ones are occupied by the Ratcatcher leadership. On occasion, Jed the Paunch will ‘invite’ one of his subordinates for a private talk t...
2020-06-22 08:06:13 +0000 UTC
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The planning phase of the conquest takes me by surprise. I expected many things from Lady Sephare: a cold and reptilian intellect, an impressive network of informants, a secret army… something! I also expected her to give me a precise plan that I would have to follow since she is the leader in this operation.
I was terribly wrong.
I do not know if the difference stems from culture or her personality, however what is certain is that Sephare’s approach to strategizi...
2020-06-18 01:33:22 +0000 UTC
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It has been one hour since the end of the exam. Hopkins mentioned a complication and an opportunity and I decided to stick with him and see how things develop. Right now, I am not too worried as I patiently wait inside the White Cabal Council building, their seat of political power.
I have to give it to the Cabal, they have a vision. The council building is a large, two-storied square edifice with plenty of windows and a cupola beneath which an amphitheatre serves as the hu...
2020-06-11 13:17:04 +0000 UTC
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Warning: POV change.
Today is a mighty important day! It’s the day we finally get to call ourselves full-fledged mages and wear the white uniform with the golden tassels, even us girls! Well, if we pass the final exam, of course. I am not too worried, though. Reggie said it would be a piece of cake, and besides, we passed every other exam with flying colors. What I really want is to beat Cornelius and wipe that self-assured grin off his stupid mug.
The teams have ga...
2020-06-05 13:37:36 +0000 UTC
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The next night, I find myself teaching Urchin the most basic form of elementary etiquette in the privacy of my study.
“No, it is not appropriate to compliment a lady on her bust. Or on her rear. If you must make a compliment, commend her for her poise, skills, presence...”
I swear this man could not be any slimier if he tried.
“But what if I, beg your pardon, want to get to know the lady intimately?”
Case in point.
“The only kind of lady wi...
2020-06-03 22:12:37 +0000 UTC
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“I am glad that the candidate you are considering is a man. Quite tactful of you, dear,” I tell Torran.
“Hmm,” Torran replies, apparently lost in thought.
I tsk and roll into the bedsheets so that my butt is covered. Torran blinks owlishly.
“Hmm? You were saying?”
Torran expertly dodges the pillow I throw at his head and chuckles as he sits on the bed. His tone switches from playful to half-serious.
“Yes, I am cons...
2020-05-29 04:58:11 +0000 UTC
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I take one last look at the note in my hand. It contains an invitation to visit the 26th Dorcer alley to meet an informant regarding mentors of the mystical arts. I had been looking forward to learning magic, so the letter was welcome. The problem now is quite obvious.
There is no 26th Dorcer alley. The “alley’ is a dead end with a brick wall between a tailor shop and a writing supply store. Only the lack of any aura nor heartbeat convinced me that this was not a trap.<...
2020-05-22 14:01:06 +0000 UTC
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The moon is exceptional tonight. It hangs there in all its gibbous glory, beautiful and luminous but otherwise useless. The contrast with the Watcher is fascinating. The moon changes and moves across the sky but as far as I know, it remains at the same distance and is boringly inanimate. The Watcher exists at a level where distance and size lose their meanings. Under its eldritch influence, lines become curves and curves, points. It is also sapient, and alien beyond anything that...
2020-05-21 13:18:45 +0000 UTC
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The door closes behind me. This is it.
I am nervous.
Torran walks up and hugs me from behind. I am not tactile, not since I was turned, yet this firm embrace soothes me. Torran is solid and dependable, and he has shown time and time again that he was there for me, even if I had lost myself. We have known each other for all of two weeks, I remember. Somehow it feels longer than that.
My lover remains silent. He must have an idea what goes through my mind right no...
2020-05-21 13:15:12 +0000 UTC
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I dodge low and sweep the blade with my spear. The foe is strong, diverting his strikes takes all my might.
Fighting during the day is wrong, I should HIDE AND REST, but being prepared pays off and I need to train now in case I get caught off-guard one day. My thoughts are sluggish and moving is difficult. Sometimes I need to stop and remind myself that I am fighting. Vampiric speed is all but impossible.
Thankfully, I am not entirely defenseless. My ...
2020-05-16 06:16:06 +0000 UTC
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I lost the race.
But only because Torran cheated!
Then after a nice shared snack, we left to steal a few jewels. Bingle gave us general directions to a remote compound to the south of the city, not far from the manor. The private property sits at the edge of a fishing village, with only a muddy road as an entry point. The reek of decaying life and scummy waters slap me in the face long before the wooden palisade surrounding our destination comes into view. Bingle did ...
2020-05-09 14:29:24 +0000 UTC
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When vampires hold a party, there are no half-measures. Take the manor’s receiving room, for example. The solemn space could host hundreds of people under its exquisitely molded ceiling and crystal chandeliers. I could place a throne at one end, a pair of guards and pretend to be in Versaille’s Galerie des Glaces while dukes and counts bend the knee. The long rectangular surface is lined on one side by french windows leading to the inner court and its fountain, and on the oth...
2020-05-04 06:09:20 +0000 UTC
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Wilhem’s office shows a lot about the man himself. The walls are covered with rough wood, giving it the mood of a log cabin. The furniture was handmade by a patient craftsman. There are few decorations, yet the carvings show a level of intricacy and dedication that only hours of meticulous work can create. The few paintings are of landscapes by day. Wilhelm favors forests and mountains.
In the corner, a grizzly head greets visitors with a silent roar. The hunting trophy w...
2020-04-29 03:35:10 +0000 UTC
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I wake up and slide the sarcophagus open to an unfamiliar view. The ceiling is ornamented white plaster, a bit gaudy but a welcome sight. Nothing bad happened. I awake truly free for the very first time since I woke up in the Louisiana fortress. There is no abusive Mistress to obey, no knight squad to hide from, nothing. It took thirty years to achieve this state but achieve it I did.
My elation is short-lived. Outside of these thick walls, the sun’s merciless embrace lig...
2020-04-22 14:15:44 +0000 UTC
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I stand in front of Constantine with my arms crossed while he adds the finishing touches to the official document. It is a mere formality but it appears the Speaker enjoys his formalities.
Once he is done, he delicately puts his pen down and crosses his hands before his mouth.
In the following silence, neither of us yields. In the end, Constantine speaks first.
“The tasks of a leader are many. It is our burden to take difficult decisions for the good of al...
2020-04-18 14:18:28 +0000 UTC
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“Do not worry overmuch, I assure you that you are in good hands,” Jimena assures me.
“That would be a nice change,” I answer with a wince. Jimena says nothing, and she makes no comment when I lightly pull on one of my fingers.
We make our way to the dreaded courtroom. I have no time to prepare, no time to work on anything. My hearing is to start tonight and this is it. My only saving grace is that the request not to delay came from my self-ap...
2020-04-14 04:37:48 +0000 UTC
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FAIR WARNING this chapter justifies the traumatizing content tag. I am not kidding. I will provide a summary to those who ask for it.
We make our way to New-Orleans without incident. I remove a silver bullet from Metis’ flank though she did not appear to be bothered, after which she trots off while munching on an arm. Jimena informs me that only a Nightmare and vampire with a true bond could call on each other like that, and that I must ha...
2020-04-11 04:12:56 +0000 UTC
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I just wanted to thank everyone for their support. There are almost 300 of you now and I cannot express how flattered and happy that makes me. I am even considering going full time if this goes on. So, in order to express my gratitude, I present to you this new chapter.
2020-04-11 04:10:11 +0000 UTC
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