“This isn’t real,” The reaper queen whispered as the skin on her face burned off, enraptured in dark fire. “But it could be, couldn’t it? We could pretend this was real, we could pretend the battle meant something, we could pretend that we are safe here, that we can cling to this moment, this most … Read moreSong of the Venturing Owl (Part 43)
As her sword tumbled hilt over blade away from her, the Colonel reached into her belt and pulled a final dagger. It gleamed, carved out of exotic metals, a blue sheen to the blade. Then she lunged in, half mad, a snarl on her lips even as blood fouled up the speckles of saliva frothing … Read moreSong of the Venturing Owl (Part 42)
It wasn’t fast. Most of the students had been hobbled or hurt so they couldn’t run, so it wasn’t an elegant sort of move that brought us there, but rather a hurried procession of limping. Every so often, a soldier would stumble upon us, and the sirens would fall upon him like rain, and he’d … Read moreSong of the Venturing Owl (Part 41)
Pinion grabbed a great branch from the forest, set it on fire with a torch gathered from her troops, still churning smoke into the air, and then, without a command, the other sirens did the same until they were lit up by smoke and tar and cinders, and then they came down on the human … Read moreSong of the Venturing Owl (Part 40)
Ten minutes crept by, and the evening stars were starting to bloom on the far horizon, escaping the gaze of the sun behind the mountain. Air crept down into the tunnel, fresh, and then we were free, emerging into a cave with a massive skylight. Harley crept forward, and then, with her muscles bulging, and … Read moreSong of The Venturing Owl (Part 39)
“YOU-” a voice boomed down the hallway. “WILL-” And the sounds of many dogs barking in fear and terror, teeth gnashing wildly. Harley twisted herself and leapt ahead, beating fast tracks down the hall, faster than I could run if I were a marathon runner. Vali and I locked eyes, and then she grabbed two … Read moreSong of the Venturing Owl (Part 38)
They reeked of blood and fear. Violence, happenstance, pain, and they said nothing when they started to talk. A knife at my back urged me forward. If I wasn’t so useless- but that wasn’t fair. I wasn’t useless. I just… wasn’t… the same as everyone else. Steps turned into yards and then down hallways and … Read moreSong of the Venturing Owl (Part 37)
Afternoons I often spent in Vali’s company. Not because she necessarily needed it, but because most of the birds were interested in fighting and training, and the professor was perpetually busy with side projects. The three eyed siren was easy to talk to, when she wasn’t in a murderous mood (which was often). “- And … Read moreSong of the Venturing Owl (Part 36)
On the day before the Captain left, she offered me the spear, tore it from my fingers, and gave me a smaller spear. Very gently, we circled each other, and she showed me the basics. A poke here, a press there, legs the proper distance apart, knees bent just so, just right for ease of … Read moreSong of the Venturing Owl (Part 35)
Jerome found me, lost, a few passages over from the room we’d shared the night before. She shook her head, snapped her fingers at me a few times to make sure I was paying attention, and gestured at me to follow. I did so, not only because I was lost (being able to tell where … Read moreSong of the Venturing Owl (Part 34)