Sometimes, no matter how many precautions she took, things went wrong. They were not the explosive accidents of her novice days, but they were mistakes, nonetheless. Improper measurements happened, sometimes from a fuzzy head after a late night. Delicate mixtures bubbled over when her back was turned for only a… Read the rest...

“The job of the artist doesn’t end with drawings of structure and anatomy.” Rolling his eyes, Rhyllyn resisted the urge to sigh. “What does that have to do with—Ow!” He jerked forward, holding his head with both hands. “What was that for?” “I saw that.” His brother leveled a claw… Read the rest...

The fat snowflakes that drifted on the morning wind still seemed foreign, even after all these years. Kaia lifted her hand, catching one on her fingertip and watching it melt. She’d grown weary of snow, though she wouldn’t admit it. The landscape in this world was always the same; dark,… Read the rest...

Some said her affinity was the worst to have; at times like this, Firal was tempted to agree. She wasn’t foolish enough to think the task would be easy. If it were easy, it wouldn’t have been part of their tests. But she did feel she had a disadvantage due… Read the rest...

Kifel didn’t hear the door open, oblivious to his stewardess standing at the entrance to his office until she cleared her throat. He paused with his pen poised above paper, glancing up. She never interrupted him unless it was important; that his son stood beside her indicated a problem. The… Read the rest...

They were all shapes and sizes, all different colors. Some were semiprecious, glittering crystals with their markings etched in. Others were plain stone in drab hues, sometimes with the markings only painted on the surface. But they were special, just the same. Each one a treasure, a symbol—to him, at… Read the rest...

The desert got cold at night. It was the same piece of advice Laele had gotten from everyone. Take an extra blanket. Take a cloak. The desert gets cold at night. As if she’d learned nothing from the guild academy, or hadn’t taken time to look up information on the… Read the rest...