Chapter 2 The Novitiate carried the tray along the hall, the silver and plates rattling from his trembling arm. He had never been so nervous but, then again, he had never been in the presence of the Archmage in all his years at the Academy. He’d spent his youth here, struggling with the hard looks from the others, living with his parent’s disgust. It was rare for a human to enter The Elven Way’s mysterious world, rarer still to do so with the hope of becoming a Mage. The other Novices had a j...

Ragged tears mark the path taken The past runs down my fingers Pooling about my shadowed form In the crimson depths the pain lingers I stretch out, seek again to cross The world slides by, forward again But as always, I glance down The pool stays where it has always been A part of me, my burden to keep I try.. I've tried... so many times over the years But while the view may change, even glow My shade remains with one foot in my fears The cuts, they stay with me, unhealed Stitched shut by a c...

Arkinal had already taken steps to limit the pain but that didn’t repair the damage to his hands. His blood pattered down onto his coif, sounding just like a gentle spring rain, while the gashes in his palms and the blood flowing freely over his tattered skin conspired against him. One slip was all that it would take to send him plummeting hundreds of feet to his death. It had been months since he had seen home where he was sent away by his master on this nameless quest. He had seen many str...

Jeff Harmon collected simple truths. He kept them in a special place, observed them, lived with them throughout each day of his life. There were two truths most prominent at the moment. Truth one, he hated his damn stomach and it hated him. Truth two, always use the Cadillac stall. It always had paper, had the little bar to rest your arm on, and was roomy. Most important of all, it was too long of a walk for those whose mission in life seemed to be the wrecking someone's day with an errant st...

I grab ether, it would seem The words flee pel mel I point, I huff, I flop And another god laughs My eyes are wet Bear witness to me Losing a bit more of myself Can you hear them laughing? I hide the distress It's... blue... fucking blue The thing... sucking wind... no words Damn them anyway And they ask me Maybe.... just old, right? Make it fit... cut the fear A twist in the god's gift Not enough to lose Much more to lack trust To be dismissed.... appeased How the Val Hallan's roll In the he...

I do not wish For miracles Nor great wealth Or even comfort I do not wish For anything at all But I do dare To hope For nothing more Nothing less Than for the gods To turn their eyes From my family And find a new toy If only for a day