They soon left the mountains, and travelled stealthily among the scrub and treed slopes that ran along the south-reaching spine of the Shaelfells. They had to hide from passing columns of soldiers several times, and once spent the whole day sheltered in a thicket of leaves because of draig-riding knights sweeping low over the forest-tops….
A Charm for the Nameless Child #135
They left the she-boggart sitting by her fire, musing over her thoughts. As a last departing farewell, the old witch had told them how to find a secret path that twisted its way above the ivy-dens so that they would not need to trespass into her tribal lands again. “And if you ever return, permission…
A Charm for the Nameless Child #134
Gloranthorgth tightened the muscles of her eyelids, straining her gaze, and at the same time stretching her neck out until her throat bobbed and snatched with each word. “We met before. In the boggart-holes.” A gentle wave of claws. “With these others.” He nodded. “I didn’t see it then. And yet, and here, I see…
A Charm for the Nameless Child #133
She dug around in the various sacks and satchels, bags, gourds and little wooden lockboxes that hung from her person. “No,” she muttered. “Not that…” pulling a softly glowing stone orb from one bag, putting it away again. “No. No. No.” A piece of soapstone with scratched snake-shapes all over. A lifelike little mouse that…
Update
Hi there. Just another quick post to let you know that I haven’t given up or stopped. The contract work I took on keeps getting extended. It was supposed to finish mid-2022, and is now running through to the end of March 2023. I’ve been very clear though that I can’t keep pushing on with…
Just a quick update
There aren’t many readers checking in at the moment, but for those who are: I haven’t given up. I’m inundated with work as part of a short-term contract I’ve agreed to. It has another 3 months to run. However, the pay is good enough that I’ll be able to take time away from work for…
A Charm for the Nameless Child #132
“So,” said the she-boggart, “you come before me. In this, I ought be pleased. I suppose. I s’ppose.” She waved a hand of tapering, knotty-knuckled fingers and long, hooked claws. “Will you sit?” Caewen returned a polite, if awkward, half-bow, half-curtsy. “We will.” She lowered herself into a cross-legged position opposite, and across the fire….
A Charm for the Nameless Child #131
They wended a path among the trees, over soft shushing pine needles, under the harsh laughter of wind in the branches above. It did not take long to find themselves thoroughly lost. Cliffs and ravines, dead-ends and blind rifts stood all about the flank of the mountain here. The sides were too sheer to be…
Just a quick update
Okay. So, I want to let the (few) readers here that I haven’t given up. I’ve been offered a 6 month contract, and that’s suddenly eating most of my time. I’m hoping that the contract work settles down to a point where I can at least be posting weekly. That should be viable, but I…
A Charm for the Nameless Child #130
The funerary rites of the hobbes struck the boy as both appropriate and horrific. By the time he was standing–watching it all unfold–his mind had grown dimmed. The sight of it all passed like clouds before the sun: fleeting, illusory and never quite blocking out a sun-brightness of guilt and grief beyond. Before they did…