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“I think we might have picked the right time to do this,” Dialdra said as she led them down a corridor, pausing at each corner to check for guards. “She might be expecting you to still be recovering from the fights you had yesterday. That or she’s got all the guards waiting in the cells. Those are the only reasons that I can think of that we haven’t encountered anyone yet, even though someone must have sensed us jumping in.

“Could be either,” Darlryan said equally quietly. “She’d certainly never launch an attack immediately after a battle, but then she’s aware some people would.” Read the rest of this entry »

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A/N: NaNoWriMo is here. Learn what I’m doing for it and how you can be part of it.

According to Dialdra, the lair where Xantaria was keeping Kayleigh was apparently a pocket suitable for both humans and Kithreiri. She clearly hadn’t wanted to tell them, but she hadn’t been able to avoid Indaturan’s order to help.

“I’ll try to jump us into somewhere I don’t think there will be many guards,” she said. “My master will likely have to tear through when I try because she’ll have a barrier up. But Xantaria knows my situation as well so she may be expecting that. She’ll certainly be expecting a rescue attempt. The only reason I can think of for her not having killed the girl yet – and I’d know if she had – is to lure us in. After what you did to me, she knows you aren’t planning to negotiate.” Read the rest of this entry »

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A/N: Just a short installment this week.

—

Vanna had excelled herself again, Amanpreet decided. The table in the Mess was covered with multiple dishes all giving off delicious smells and she had even managed to rustle up a chocolate cake from somewhere. Oni looked slightly embarrassed when they led him into the canteen.

“You didn’t have to go to all this trouble,” he said.

“It’s no trouble,” Vanna said with a grin. “I’ll take any excuse to make a feast.” She pushed an empty bowl at him. “Help yourself, since you’re the birthday boy you get to go first.” Read the rest of this entry »

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A/N: NaNoWriMo is here. Learn what I’m doing for it and how you can be part of it.

Indaturan returned only a couple of hours later. “One of Estara’s people who has a spatial affinity people met me halfway,” he said. “They’ll see they get to Waldhafen safely. Are we all ready for this?”

“We think so,” Karen said. “Though I still wish we had a better plan.”

“Yes,” he agreed. “I do too.” He looked over Darlryan. “Did they tell you the news?” Read the rest of this entry »

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A/N: NaNoWriMo is here. Learn what I’m doing for it and how you can be part of it.

“How did it go with Gerian?” Ystelyan asked when Takilyan teleported them into his throne room. “From the looks on your faces, not well.”

“It was unexpected,” Takilyan said thoughtfully. “But I wouldn’t say it went badly. Alison’s heart friend is on her way to Waldhafen and so is his heart friend. I think we’ll get the others soon.”

“That’s definitely not bad,” Ystelyan said. “So why are you frowning like that?” Read the rest of this entry »

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“So what does the council say?” Amanpreet asked when she reached the bridge with Oni in her wake.

“Good news, I think,” Niobe said. “They want us to stay put here and continue our measurements while they pull together an emergency contact team. She checked her screen. “And they wish us to see if the Corona system will help fill in our lexicons for the main Coronan languages and send them to them.” She gave a half smile. “It already did that so I sent the information on.”

Read the rest of this entry »

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A/N: NaNoWriMo is here. Learn what I’m doing for it and how you can be part of it.

—

In the silence that followed Sarah’s departure, Kasi trotted over to Ebona and touched horns with her.

“Hello, shadow sister,” he said. “I apologise for not greeting you immediately but I felt dealing with Gerian more important. He was a petulant toddler in my last memories before the blank and he doesn’t seem to have grown up much.”

Ebona gave a neighing chuckle. “I quite understand, light brother. You seem to have him well in hand. Which is a relief – he’s caused us much trouble in the past.” Read the rest of this entry »

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A/N: NaNoWriMo is coming. Learn what I’m doing for it and how you can be part of it.

—

“What?” Sarah stared at the unicorn. “Is this true?”

“It’s true,” Kasi said. “And as to why he didn’t use me before, he had a couple of reasons. One, he only found me a few years ago and I was in a terrible state. I wasn’t aware of how long had passed or who I was. He had to nurse me back to health and I didn’t remember myself until Likadrian pulled off his idiocy. Given the mess he made, I wish I was still amnesiac. Memory wasn’t worth this.”

“I think Kasi had been imprisoned somewhere and escaped somehow,” Gerian said. “Which makes me think Key is free as well but probably in a similar state.” Read the rest of this entry »

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A/N:  This part is a bit short compared to usual. There’s no reason except I hit a natural break.

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While they waited for news of the council’s decision the scientists that Amanpreet had brought to Corona to study the first space mission continued with their measurements.

Once she was sure that the Coronan system had the situation with the railguns well in hand Amanpreet joined them in the makeshift lab they had set up in the mess. Read the rest of this entry »

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A/N: NaNoWriMo is coming. Learn what I’m doing for it and how you can be part of it.

—

Gerian led them straight to the room where the heart friends were in stasis. He didn’t have to say which was Alison’s heart friend – she ran straight to the pillar of light containing an ice nymph. Karen hissed as she noticed the deep cracks and fissures running throughout the nymph’s icy skin. She really was badly injured to look a broken statue like that.

Sarah and Birke walked over more sedately and laid their hands on the beam as if it was solid. After a second, Sarah hissed. “What the hell was done to her?” Read the rest of this entry »