Fantasy
The Gravedancer’s Waltz Part - 1
The forest grew too still. Even the wind held its breath as the trio stepped beyond the last line of trees and beheld the forgotten ruin of Valemire Estate. Moonlight glazed the crumbling spires, and the ivy-strangled balconies jutted like bones from a rotted corpse. The manor stood silent on a hill of frost-hardened grass, its many windows aglow with flickering gold light that could not, should not, exist.
By Richard Bailey9 months ago in Chapters
The Secret Drawer
Growing up, there was one rule in our house I never dared to break: Don’t touch the drawer in Dad’s study. It was an ordinary drawer in an old wooden desk — scratched, dusty, the handle barely hanging on. But to me, it might as well have been a vault. Dad’s tone made it clear — that drawer was off-limits.
By Straylight9 months ago in Chapters
The Ember and the Crown - Part 5
The false Queen's body hadn’t yet cooled when the first birdsong of dawn touched the cracked windows of the throne hall. The scent of sorcery, ozone, blood, scorched vellum, still clung to the air like a storm that refused to pass. Light broke through fractured glass high above, casting shards of gold and red across the ruined marble floor, where Elira knelt with her fingers brushing the ashes of the broken glamour sigil.
By Richard Bailey9 months ago in Chapters
The Ember and the Crown - Part 4
Rain traced silver rivers down the glasswork spires of Drevril’s upper court, the storm cloaking the palace in a veil of soft thunder and distant lightning. Below, within the East Gildhall, laughter spilled through stained crystal like wine from an overfilled goblet—fragrant, rich, and sharp with something spoiled beneath.
By Richard Bailey9 months ago in Chapters
The Day I Stopped Apologizing for Existing
The Day I Stopped Apologizing for Existing I’ve always been the type of person who apologizes to chairs. You know, the ones you bump into and go, “Oh sorry,” as if the chair might file a complaint for emotional damage.
By shittu adeola9 months ago in Chapters
How I Failed Miserably at Being a Morning Person
I once believed that becoming a morning person would magically fix my life. Instagram told me so. There were thousands of beautiful people sipping green smoothies at 5:00 a.m., journaling about gratitude, and greeting the sun like they’d just won the lottery of life. I wanted that. I wanted to be that person.
By shittu adeola9 months ago in Chapters
The Ember and the Crown - Part 3
The wind howled through Arlavorn’s spire district like a beast in mourning, clawing at the bone-white towers and rattling the glasswork domes that crowned the palace rooftops. Dust lifted in swirling eddies across the marbled streets as if the city itself were trying to breathe out the corruption settling in its lungs.
By Richard Bailey9 months ago in Chapters
RAVEN'S GAMBIT. Content Warning.
The air was heavy with silence as the survivors of the splintered expedition emerged from the mountain. Every step they took back to camp was a quiet tribute to the fallen—Sir Cedric Lightbringer, Zel Dorne, Fox-Eyes, Jorek, Evelyn… and the others. Some were carried. Others were only bags of belongings and broken gear, cradled in solemn arms.
By W.S. Klass9 months ago in Chapters
RAVEN'S GAMBIT. Content Warning.
The room fell silent again, save for the slow dripping of water and the fading whisper of the shadows retreating into the stone. The last spells flickered out around the exhausted united bands. Breaths were short, magic reserves gone.
By W.S. Klass9 months ago in Chapters
