The desert stretches before you like a ribbon of molten gold under the late afternoon sun. The sand shifts beneath your horse’s hooves, but your mind is fixed on the thought of Margaret, waiting for you at the secret place you both alone know Continue Reading →
You take her hand, feeling the tremor of relief and fear ripple through her fingers. “Then we leave tonight,” Continue Reading →
Hiacynt blinks, stunned. The harsh light of the setting sun catches his bruised features, deepening the shadow under his eye. Continue Reading →
You do not wait to watch the life leave him. The tavern’s din fades into a distant roar as if the world itself were shying away from what you have done. Continue Reading →
You breathe in the thick air of the audience chamber, letting Claudius’s words sink into the heavy silence. Continue Reading →
The guards do not speak as they lead you through many corridors in the emperor’s castle. Their armor is polished, their boots silent against the marble. Continue Reading →
Your heels dig into the beast’s flank. The dromedary lurches forward, ungainly at first, then pounding into a steady, bone-shaking gallop. Continue Reading →
Dawn breaks pale and cold over Al-Mirkat, the horizon a thin blade of silver cutting the desert sky. Continue Reading →
The night in Al-Mazir presses down heavy, as if the stars themselves conspire to judge your silence. Continue Reading →