A woman of your blood should not be seen in such a state.” Her voice was harsh, mocking, and had a nasal quality to it that the people of Timata found attractive and fashionable. My stomach sunk and tears came to my eyes again. I shouldn’t have expected a different reply from my mother. “Your dau...
I felt a pang of disappointment that I was not dreaming of the floating islands, but I supposed that even a violent memory was better than nothing. Still, if I closed my eyes, sometimes I heard the sounds of the water falling off the islands and the distant cries of the white birds. Of course, th...
I had never been inside of her tent. The interior was exactly as I would have guessed: impeccably maintained, with a simple bed, planning desk, collapsible shelf system that held clothes, half a dozen sitting pillows, and a rack for her war gear. Other than the pillows, it looked identical to min...
Relyara stood behind me on my balcony and looked at the painting over my shoulder. “Thank you.” I sighed inside and set down my oil brushes. I thought the piece was a failure, but didn’t feel like arguing with my servant. Her opinion mattered little, and no matter what garbage I produced she woul...