It was in lock down. Heavy clasps were engaged, and gleamed with power. The old generators would keep the security system running; there were enough of them in hidden rooms to keep the servers up on the longer running experiments. How much longer they had I couldn’t tell, but USEC had built their equipment strong … Read moreA Throne For Crows (Part 9)
Dean came for me first thing in the morning. It wasn’t even morning, actually, because he knocked on my door and woke me up. Eyes open in the darkness, they adjusted slowly while I tugged on another coat. This one, started to go threadbare from overuse, but it didn’t seem too stained. I gave my … Read moreA Throne For Crows (Part 8)
Quen wasn’t there when I mounted the stairs. Instead, Tane sat there, sitting across from Jay. A small deck of cards between them. Tane looked up first. “There she is. Everything alright?” I shrugged. “I’m hoping so. I gave her the word that the Fey are still split up.” “That took a load off of … Read moreA Throne For Crows (Part 7)
And we were on the tree proper, and there was nothing more to be said. A set of stairs had been carved by ages and hands and fire, spiralling down into the depths of the trunk. Quen paused at the entrance to the stairs. “The Regent awaits,” he gestured ahead. Jay stepped onto the stairs, … Read moreA Throne For Crows (Part 6)
There were no more clearings, and the forest floor was covered in darkness. Gleaming objects poked out of the foliage and leaf rot. I paused and nudged one with my foot. It rolled over, rotting leaves clinging to it. Ivory. Bone. I looked up, and the area changed in shape. Features became recontextualized. Rocks and … Read moreA Throne For Crows (Part 5)
Eyes fluttered back open, and the world had shifted underneath me. Heart thumped in my chest. The lights were still dimmed. None had come to wake me up. I ran my hands across the sheets (stitched after the fall of man, all things had been) and then across my head. Felt my heart pound through … Read moreA Throne For Crows (Part 4)
Quen led us past room after room. Several of the exhibits had been taken out by collapsed rooms, but most were intact. Past the cafeteria, I saw more Crows. Meals were being handed out on new tables; the windows overhead were opened so that birds could fly in and out. They stared at us, pausing … Read moreA Throne For Crows (Part 3)
The city of Atlanta stretched before me. Another re-purposed place for the after-party of America. Nothing more than pain spread drooling across bricks. Another stark reminder of… everything I hadn’t wanted to think about. Comparatively, Quen was a positive obstacle. Quen stood proud, towering over the other birds, and stared down at our party. Waiting … Read moreA Throne For Crows (Part 2)
Less than a month ago by my timeline, I’d been a physicist working for the United States Extranormal Containment agency, Georgia branch. The world had been covered in humans unaware of how close they were to death, whether it came from the presence of the great elder pantheon looking down upon the petri dish of … Read moreA Throne For Crows (Part 1)
“Warden,” Boss said, startling me from half asleep. I cracked open my eyes into that dim night. Exhaustion threatened to take me again. Sleep wasn’t coming easy to me that night, despite how tired I was. Muscles ached and quivered, but scenes played behind my eyes. Old faces and older ideas. Memories from the wrong … Read moreA Court For Crows (Part 49)