the-harrowbethian-saga

She imagined him leaning against the shuttle, entertaining thoughts of scolding her for dressing like a ragged commoner. Never mind that her present outfit was light years ahead in comfort.(Actually, he__ wishing he had been less critical of you earlier. He feels bad that you won__ acknowledge his presence, and he blames himself.)(Quit it, Ian. I__ not going to feel sorry for him.)She caught her protector__ shrewd grin, highlighted by the fire__ glow. (You already do, Queenie.)(This talent of yours is really annoying.)He leaned close to her ear and whispered, __hat__ not what you thought earlier when you wanted to get ahold of Efren._ __ne tiny rosebud in a handful of thorns,_ she retorted.

I hate you, Edgar. I hate you with all my heart.

Stop tormenting Derian.___e?_ Edgar gaped at her with a clearly fake look of innocence.__es, you.___nd what about you? When will you stop tormenting him?_ Edgar moved past the young queen to approach the unmoving captain. He circled the man as though he were checking out a statue on display ____ not tormenting him; why would you say that?___ou have the poor guy believing you actually intend to marry him._ Edgar stopped to fix the captain__ collar, raising it up high and stiff around his

The watchful Mishmorat commented while waiting, contemplating Eena__ bare back. __our people are so plain and pale.___h?_ Eena kinked her neck to look at Niki, zeroing in on her long spotted arms. Her bronze skin was arguably more striking__peckled in beautiful patterns.____ sorry,_ the Mishmorat quickly apologized. __ didn__ mean to be rude. It__ just that I__e never seen such bare skin before. There__ nothing to look at.__ena quickly pulled the new t-shirt down over her back. She chuckled at Niki__ comment. ____l admit your people are very attractive. But I__ okay with my __lainness.__ She glanced over her pale legs before pulling on a clean pair of pants. __ou__e kinda like a clear, cloudless sky,_ Niki said, cocking her head wonderingly.__nd you__e like a_..a sky dotted with shapely clouds.___nly dark clouds.___torm clouds.___eah,_ Niki grinned devilishly, __hat__ me__ sky full of storm clouds.

Hey, guard!_ Ian hollered out loud. __o you think we could get a bathroom break?_ The guard seemed to snicker as he pointed to the grass outside the cell. Eena smirked at how dead-on her thoughts had been after all. __ome on,_ Ian complained. __he can__ do that, she__ a girl._ The soldier smiled wryly, a shrug communicating his indifference. Eena laughed in her mind. (I don__ know what you think__ so funny. You__e the one who__ gotta pee.) Oddly enough, that fact just made her laugh even more.

The captain put his fingers to his temples as if he had a headache. __o, let me get this straight. Edgar, an immortal, who I assume is as unscrupulous as his sisters, tried to take that bracelet from you

That was the coolest thing ever._ Eena smiled at the fact that she__ been lucky enough to touch the wings of a real crioness. __hat was highly unusual. I can__ believe they came right up to us__o you._ __hey were hungry, I__ sure._ __till, crioness are cautious. They always avoid people. To let you touch him like it did_.._ She grinned with pure satisfaction. __ild huh? Derian__ not going to believe me when I tell him._ Eena cocked her head when Ian laughed out loud. __hat?_ she asked, a note of offense in her

Tell me you didn__,_ she groaned, knowing it would not be the truth. __lease tell me you didn__ take advantage of these poor people._ __ didn__,_ he chirped. __iar._ With an irritated sigh he tried to convince her. __mora, you__e not seeing things from an immortal perspective. The people who built this temple_ __emple?_ she cried, cutting him off. __ou forced these people to build you a temple? Why? Because all of a sudden you__e God now?_ Perturbed by her interruption, he raised a warning finger. __o, no, Amora, not God. But from their viewpoint I may seem a bit_..god-like._ She rolled her eyes in an exaggerated manner. __f you would let me finish,_ he went on, __hese particular individuals had no part in the construction of that monument; it was their ancestors who erected it. And I must say, they did a fine job. My likeness has weathered the centuries quite well._ __ou__e despicable._ He frowned at the insult. __obody was forced to build us a temple, Amora. They chose to do so._ __ou were that impressive to them, huh?_ __pparently._ His eyes twinkled at the memory. He took a few steps toward the distant city, pulling Eena along. __ome on, let__ go have some fun._ __o way._ She planted her feet, refusing. Surprisingly it put a stop to him. __nd why not?_ __ecause your sudden appearance will upset them! No doubt you__l want to show off with some shockingly grand entrance. I__ not going to take part in a game of deceit._ ____ not deceiving anyone,_ Edgar disputed. __ can__ help it if they happen to think I__ perfectly magnificent._ His pompous view of himself earned a nasty look as well as a lecture. __ can__ believe you__e okay with selling people lies that affect the way they live and think! You__e not even close to being a god, Edgar, and yet you allow them to accept you as some sort of deity because of your unusual abilities. For centuries now you__e abandoned this world and a population who probably looked to you and your lousy sisters for help. It__ all a big, disgusting sham!_ Edgar pouted like a child. __ine__poil all my fun. We__l go do something else. Something that doesn__ include your poor, fragile, stupid mortals._ __hey__e not stupid._ __hey think I__ a god,_ he sn

Despair is not for the living but for those unable to rise and continue; they are the only souls with a right to it. It is an end where breath and strength and will have vanished, leaving no way to persevere. To sink into the abyss that is despair is to suffer an existence far worse than death; therefore, cling to its enemy, our ally__ope. For life goes on, and we must not live in despair. We must not.

You know the story._ The Nalnom rotated his hand in the air as if she should recall it. __ don__. I__e never heard the story._ Joshlon summarized it for her. __rometheus was turned into a dragon by his angry lover, Naradite. She refused to turn him back into his manly form. He became the first fire-breathing dragon__aga the Terrible._ Eena dropped her lower jaw. __hat?_ __aradite turned Prometheus into a dragon,_ Joshlon repeated. __aga._ __nd Prometheus is Edgar__ father?_ She was sure the surrounding stares were the result of her virtually shouting out the question. Joshlon answered with some hesitance in his voice. __ don__ know who Edgar is, but Edgarmetheus was supposedly the son of Prometheus, the illegitimate child of him and his lover, Naradi

They went back to scooping up breakfast, licking the mess off their fingers. Soon the pile of berry mush was gone and their tongues were dyed a nice midnight blue. Ian seemed in a good mood, sticking his tongue out playfully at his best friend. Eena did likewise, right back at him. She was happy he was smiling, even if his teeth were purple. (You__e too much fun, Eena,) Ian announced in her mind. (I__ really glad we__e friends.) (Me too,) she agreed. (Best friends.) Ian leaned back on his hands and watched the waves roll in from far off. The swells were building into large, flat-crested waves. (Angelle never thought like you do. You__e creative and kinda crazy. Her thoughts were always more simple and, well_..normal.) (Yeah, well, deadly dragons and evil witches tend to suck all the normal right out of you,) she grumbled. (I suppose.)

But you will die, Amor

Ian was a good man__onest, trustworthy, loyal, and of honorable character. His desire to keep his promise to Angelle and to be a respectable servant of Harrowbeth would always take president over any personal feelings, no matter how intense or gratifying they might be. He would never betray Harrowbeth. He would never cheat Derian or Angelle. He would never deceive his queen, even if in so doing he would find a love and happiness they both longed to share. His commitment to what he saw as right meant more.