Ander - Part 5: Subchapter 20
20 The entire tribe was gathered in the centre of the village, beneath the shadow of the Cora statue. Even Danado was there, wearing thick leather gloves and footwraps, but he still needed his sister to support him. Hezzi couldn't even imagine what...
Ander - Part 5: Subchapter 19
19 "I think Nilia might be a little bit crazy, but in a good way," Hezzi said to the mountain, so far away he knew his voice could never reach it from here, but it wasn't really the mountain he was talking to anyway. "She makes me train with her every...
Ander - Part 5: Subchapter 18
18 "So, how did it go?" Nilia asked, punching a training post hard enough to make the top vibrate. It was a bit scary to watch, actually, since Hezzi couldn't stop imagining that post as his own head. Not that Nilia would ever hurt him, of...
Ander - Part 5: Subchapter 17
17 "You understand, Father?" Hezzi said, hoping to catch a glimpse of the Cora through a gap in the clouds. "Lana is chained to Danado, and Danado is chained to that tent. They can't come." If anything, the clouds were getting even thicker now, the...
Ander - Part 5: Subchapter 16
16 A single tear ran down Hezzi's cheek, amplifying the already cold breeze into a freezing line against his face. He would allow himself one tear, but no more. One was enough to show his grief, but any more than that would only make Father sad. He...
Ander - Part 5: Subchapter 15
She dropped the basket, put her hands on the side of his face and gave him a good, long kiss on the mouth, the warmth of his lips a stark contrast against the nippy air, their breath mixing together in a misty plume.
Ander - Part 5: Subchapter 14
14 The clouds were still building, but the wind was starting to die down and the shadowy branches of the oak were slowing to a gentle sway. They had made small talk in that tiny room for a while longer, not really saying anything until it was time to...
Ander - Part 5: Subchapter 13
13 "My word, you are quite a big one, aren't you?" Michael said, standing next to his wife. "I'd offer to shake your hand, but from the looks of things I'd either end up breaking your fingers, or you'd end up breaking mine. Ha ha!" "Um..." Ander...
Ander - Part 5: Subchapter 12
12 "Oh dear... Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear..." she said, looking him up and down, her face rapidly switching between uncontrollable joy and crushing sadness. "It's not as bad as it looks," Ander said, all too aware of the miles of white bandages...
Ander - Part 5: Subchapter 11
11 Ander held the knife in his hands and slowly ran the blade across his thumb. It was sharp. Very sharp. The perfect tool for the job. Only... he never thought the job would be so unpleasant. It's never happened to him before. It was supposed to be...
Ander - Part 5: Subchapter 10
10 Out in the middle of the night, walking the streets with a thick winter hood over her head and a lantern dangling from her hand she felt absurdly like a prowler in the moonlight. Even though she's walked this very road hundreds of times during the...
Ander - Part 5: Subchapter 9
9 - her hands over her mouth and her eyes wide with shock. "Oh my word, I'd nearly forgotten all about that!" she said. "I'm so sorry, Sarah! I don't know what came over me. That was such a terrible time for me, and to hear you talk like Ander was...