She closed his eyes with trembling fingers and sat back on her heels. Someone had laid him out before she arrived, wiped his hands clean of blood and folded them over his stomach. His legs were straight and mostly covered by the battered wooden shield. His unruly hair had been pushed back from his face and confined to a leather strip. They had just left his eyes gazing sightlessly up at the ceiling, waiting for her. Come back with your shield or on it, they were supposed to say. It meant that death was better than cowardice. But a coward’s wife could keep her home and belongings. A coward’s wife had food, and a table to put it on

Run by everwalker, literature

Literature

Run

She closed her eyes, reluctant and dreading. She’d put off sleep as long as she could but it was pressing darkly at the edges of vision and trembling in her muscles. If she waited any longer she’d become useless or, worse, dangerous. She just had to hold to the thought that it wasn’t real. But the crisp snow felt true enough, soaking into her thin shoes and chilling her toes. The dark pines looked solid, crowding dark trunks against the white. Their snow-laden branches towered over her, shutting out all but the smallest patch of star-flecked sky. She had stood here once before, mind torn by fear and grief, and come back eve

Penates by everwalker, literature

Literature

Penates

Sulla closed her eyes and scanned the mind of the praying mortal. He was praying for the eradication of his debts again, for stupid moneylenders and gullible traders. The scent of charring pigeon rose to Sulla’s nostrils and she breathed in deeply, filling her lungs with the strength of the sacrifice. He’d sacrificed every morning for the last few months, since the ship he’d invested heavily in had been destroyed in a storm. After years of surviving only on feast-day sacrifices and the occasional chicken from the domina, Sulla was greatly enjoying the increased attention. The trouble was that she couldn’t do anything

Faith by everwalker, literature

Literature

Faith

Dhati Jay’Ing closed her eyes, took a deep breath to steady the nerves, and slid into the pool. There ought to have been a sizeable wave from a creature of such bulk, but lizardfolk were perfectly at home in water and she made no more ripples than a sea-otter. The petals and little candles scattered across the pool’s surface shifted and calmed, and the priests began their low chanting. Dhati took a moment before surfacing. Partly because she loved the sensation of being submerged. It felt safe, peaceful, and powerful. Partly because she had never been in the ceremonial pool before and the mosaics of the lining were stunning. The

Freedom by everwalker, literature

Literature

Freedom

“Close your eyes, Jia Ying.” The little girl looked up at her father, clutching his hand tightly. “Why?” “Because the way out lies through the Temple of Crimson Winds and it is not permitted that you should gaze upon the faces of the gods.” He smiled briefly and drew his sword. “Stay close to me and, no matter what you hear, do not look.” She transferred her grasp to a fold of his tunic and closed her eyes. There was a grinding noise as he drew back the massive counter-weighted bar that held the doors closed, and then they swung inwards with a soft hush of perfectly oiled hinges. The f

Introductions by everwalker, literature

Literature

Introductions

Tally closed his eyes, straining to hear past the irregular drip of the dank tunnel. “People, some distance ahead. Shouting… sounds like street vendors.” He frowned. “And something behind us. Claws on tile. A guard? Only one, I think.” His companion gave a soft chuckle. “One sewer rat against two men? Good enough odds, were it to come to blows, but I have no mind for undue exercise tonight.” The lamp was lifted high to show them both clearly. One - the listener - was a dark-skinned elf, dressed well in a foreign style and with tense shoulders. The other man had black eyes in a white face, wore

Madness by everwalker, literature

Literature

Madness

I close my eyes to listen to the rain coming back, pattering little hands against the edges of things as if it is a child exploring the world. As if it had never been away at all. The sun is still shining, golden light on all the surfaces, and people walk past with their heads up. Summer has stayed on for them. But silver strings sway between us nonetheless. Can you hear its drumbeat in your distant corner of space? Or, when you look down your telescope and see me nodding along, do you think I’m mad? The poor mad girl who hears things, who dodges into unnecessary shelter. Who can’t see clearly through non-existent water. If that&

Crashing by everwalker, literature

Literature

Crashing

I closed my eyes and concentrated. It wasn’t easy, with so many of my friends singing their alarm, but it was important. The security protocols at the first gate were old acquaintances and they moved aside as soon as I gave them the password. They didn’t say anything - it wasn’t their place - but I could tell from their jerky coordination that they were very worried. Behind me, dimly, I heard a nasally voice pierce the room. “Captain, there’s a report from… wait, what’s it doing?” “Shut up, Jenkins.” “But Captain, you can’t let it into our systems like that. It

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