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One month later The trek back to Birdsbane wasn't easy. So many were injured—so many people had died. It felt wrong to leave the bodies behind to be consumed by the flames, but we didn't have much of a choice. We barely had the time to get t... Read More

The Avian's eyes flickered white, and then back to normal. "How do you know Zef?" I asked, more angrily than I had intended. The crane looked at me. "He's an old friend." His eyes flickered white again as he looked at me. Then, after a pause, he s... Read More

I approached the group of Treeks, my heart beating heavy in my chest. I didn't know what to expect. I didn't want to expect anything, given my last run-in with a Treek, but I couldn't keep myself from dreaming about the family I could find. They w... Read More

Lolan was angry—angrier than he had been in a long time. It wasn't something he had a lot of experience with. It didn't make sense to be angry. It didn't help. Everything had happened to him and he had learned to deal—to roll with the ... Read More

Marv was the last to enter, blocking the little light breaking in through the smashed doorway. I could smell it again, the smell of refuse. We were crowded together in what had to have been another one of the holding cells for the slaves down belo... Read More

We led the way into the staircase, down to the cavern below. No one made a sound. It was solemn stepping down those stairs, with ten or so other groups of mixed races. This could be it. This could be the last thing we did on this island. Zef's eye... Read More

"How are we all supposed to get through that?" asked Lobo. How he still had the nerve to talk around us was beyond me. But who knows, maybe there was still hope for even him. We all stood along the edge of the valley, hidden behind the pillar-moun... Read More

Why did they send the girl out here again? thought Tigala. Hasn't she been through enough? She walked through the canyon that formed at the base of the tall mountains. The Avians walked ahead through the thin stretch of navigable terrain, the Beas... Read More

"He should be stable now," said the apothecary. "Are you sure? We can't wake him up? There's nothing else we can do?" I asked. I didn't want to just leave him like that. Raffa was still unconscious with his upper arm now wrapped in the cleanest cl... Read More

I covered my face with my arms as I expected the worst. The dragon was a split second away from spitting fire all over me when I unleashed the mass of whipping thorns inside its mouth, but the fire didn't come. I was afraid to look, fearing that ... Read More

As soon as Abigail was free of the vines she darted off into the tunnel behind her, free of all of the looks from the other Dwarves. The Dwarves that had gathered around now looked at me with anger. "What were you doing?" asked Marv again. He didn... Read More

We made our way to the base of the hill where the Dwarves were gathered around. Their tents were cleared from the area since they moved their encampment underground. Instead, the clearing had several pillars built around it. The pillars were short... Read More

We arrived back in the colony and noticed a somber air to the place. The warm weather from earlier in the day had receded to overcast skies and a brisk breeze. I could hear the claps of thunder from a distant storm. When we walked through the rear... Read More

I woke to the bright light of the day shining in through the windows. I looked around. Where am I? I thought. The room was messy and cluttered with a desk at the far end covered in open used jars. One had a green paste in it, while another had som... Read More

I looked in the direction Raffa was staring and the forest was alive with creatures. An army of woodland and jungle animals charged through trees and underbrush. Among them were a rhinoceros, an elephant, a giant eagle, a gorilla, a towering warth... Read More

The next morning came in much the same way as the previous one. There was darkness all around us, only to be broken by the daylight that a Dwarf let in as he said, "We're going to the colony. If you plan to travel with us, we'll be leaving shortly... Read More

Zef kneeled down next to me. "That was a good idea, but it couldn't have waited until you were able to at least walk again? You need to rest." "I don't know," I said, my voice soft. "She could be trying to poison us," yelled a Dwarf with a rough v... Read More

A coughing fit brought me back to consciousness. My throat was hoarse. And even though, I was aware of my breathing and coughing again, the light that I had seen was gone. I was surrounded by darkness. Maybe I am dead, I thought. I blinked my eyes... Read More

"She's perfect, Fenna," Zef said, staring at the sleeping baby in his arms. "She'll never do anything wrong." "Hah, I think you're in for a surprise then," said Fenna, laying in bed. She was probably tired, but Zef couldn't tell. She looked more b... Read More

"The cavern's coming down!" Someone shouted behind me as a wagon-sized rock fell from the central column and crashed into the floor. The vine wrapped around it had pulled a section of the column out of line from the rest and the column was proving... Read More

"They'd kill us too if given the chance," said the Treek, snaking his vine around the central column of the cavern. He wasn't wrong. They would try to kill us if the tables were turned. The looks on their faces when they saw me said it all. Treeks... Read More

We watched from our perch above the Dwarven workers waiting impatiently for Abigail to make a few footholds into the stone. She was almost finished making a path to another opening below us where the worm's tunnel must have continued before they d... Read More

"Run," said Zef in a quiet voice. I looked over at him and found him looking back with wide eyes. Was he scared? That was a first. Usually, he'd be joking in a situation like this. Him being scared was more terrifying than the fact that a group of... Read More

I pushed Tigala back into the crevice as soon as the Gnome stepped out of the portal, hoping he hadn't seen us. We peaked our heads over a rock and watched as he looked around. Whoever he was, he seemed wealthy. He wore bright clothes fashioned ... Read More

"There's a Treek down there," I whispered to Lolan who was laying on his stomach next to me, peeking over the edge. Lolan followed my eyes to the Treek wielding vine-like roots. The Treek commanded the plants to burrow into cracks in the stone and... Read More

"You just did fire magic?" Tigala said, staring me down. I looked at Lolan out of the corner of my eye. "Uh, yeah. Yeah. It was just a little though." "Why on earth are you trying fire magic? You already blew up an entire forest. And then you try ... Read More

"So, what changed your mind, Marv? I thought you were going to hang back and keep Abigail safe," I said. He looked back at me with no sign of amusement. "Something was coming after us in the tower." "What was it? Something big enough to get in?" ... Read More

The sun beamed through the web of vines, rising just high enough in the sky to land one of its rays directly across my eyes. I groaned and rolled over. I heard wings flap and then felt Chipry land in my hair. It was loose from sleeping and covered... Read More

"My name is Kaia. I'm here with your father, Marv. I'm going to come get you," I said. I began climbing the tree, using my magic to bend branches to me and make easy foot and handholds. At the very top of the tree, I found a very small Dwarven gir... Read More

Leaves slapped against my face as I ran through the forest. The only light that guided me was the reflection of the moon off of the deep green leaves. The flashes in the distance grew louder—closer. Something about running through the fores... Read More

"Great. So now you've made another creature out of magic you don't understand," said Tigala. I didn't respond. The rock creature just stared at us and we stared back. After a few moments of silence, it seemed to look around. It saw some other pebb... Read More

Once we had traveled far enough that the screams of the giant lizard and the battle cries of women and men faded out behind us, we stopped to take a break. I leaned against a tree. "So what do we do now?" Marv said. He was slumped against another ... Read More

Tink tink tink It was a sound he'd heard so many times before. The sound of the mines where Marv spent his days. Countless other Dwarves, not unlike himself, were scattered in the distance, each in a separate passage connected by a central minesha... Read More

From the stalk of neck where the Saurian representative had just chopped, were now two more necks and heads. The creature didn't slow down at all. In fact, it seemed to fight with more tenacity. "I'm going to help," said Zef. "Really?" I said. "T... Read More

"Rodrigo! There's a giant lizard running towards the colony!" said the balding Gnome who stood by the window. He looked back at us with raised eyebrows and panic on his face. Rodrigo stood, his forehead creased with concern as he looked out the w... Read More

The hippo Beastfolk worked on Lolan for about an hour before she was ready to stop. Rodrigo didn't say much else to me. And I didn't say anything to him. We sat in silence throughout the whole operation. I contemplated what Rodrigo meant, while he... Read More

With mountains high and valleys low We dig deeper in the earth To protect our mountain home And all that it is worth Not the dragons of the sky Nor the serpents of the sea Nor the beasts of the land Can ever take what's mine from me The red-hair... Read More