Norman eyed his daughter’s uncharacterized stillness out of the corner of his eye with a rare smile of amusement. In the privacy of his personal library with its comfortable plush couches in front of the hearth with ruby red material, the quiet tomes around them insulating the space against the slight summer breeze ebbing in from the tall peaked windows… It brought back fond memories of Ain...
2021-10-08 02:41:05 +0000 UTC View PostA discordant chord rang out into the King’s forest outside of Austice in Daxaria, followed by the dulcet tones of a young woman.
“There once was a cook in our castle,
My father said he was quite a… Hassle.
He saved my mother and I,
Then fought a dragon and...
Bloody hell, I should juust die.”
Taking a very long slow breath the young woman dropped he...
Not quite yet twenty, Princess Alina of Daxaria has finally agreed to meet with suitors for her hand in marriage. For the first time since infancy, she will be returning to the military city of her kingdom, Austice. However, her decision and family troubles are about to be impacted with the arrival of the infamous House Witch family that she has not seen since her childhood. How will their pres...
2021-10-08 00:53:40 +0000 UTC View PostBrendan Devark sat in the high back chair that was far too large for him, and looked out at the sea of Troivackian nobility that gazed up at him. Their faces were pale, and grim. Ever since news of their defeat in Daxaria and the death of the King, there had been great unrest amongst them.
“Do you, Prince Brendan Devark, swear to uphold Troivackia’s strength and discipline?” the o...
Eric stared down at the two infants fast asleep in their bassinet and tilted his head while staring perplexedly at them.
“Is something wrong?” Fin asked the young Prince who was nearing his ninth birthday.
The young royal had been beside himself with excitement to meet Fin’s children, and had even tried to steal his baby sister from her nursemaid so that they could all mee...
Well everyone, we made it to the official end of the first book of ‘The House Witch’!
I cannot tell you how much your support and encouragement has meant to me during this journey, and I have no superfluous way of fully describing to what extent you have changed my life and myself.
You have brought a whole new world of meaning to my life, and for that I cannot ever repay you ...
It was the dining hour, the sun was setting in a blaze of magnificent golds and red, and the castle servants and courtiers were in jovial spirits… all save for the Viscountess Ashowan.
With Physician Durand positioned down by her legs and Fin sitting behind his wife holding both her hands as she bore down and worked to push out the first of their children, anyone in the second floor c...
Norman stared around the table at his inner council members seriously as the stewards completed their task of pouring wine for everyone, and setting out other small refreshments for them.
Captain Antonio looked grim in his seat, while also remarkably ordinary for once… Instead of donning a fine tunic and fitted black leather vest, or gleaming armor, he wore a simple white tunic and br...
With the dead lined on the castle grounds for burial, the remaining Troivackian soldiers locked away, some of the Knights and soldiers had immediately set off to go help Rollom in the south. The ones to remain did so in order to ensure there were no further issues with the Troivackian captives, and to be sure there were no other surprises.
By sunset, the banquet hall was packed with sol...
Fin stood beside the King in a fresh tunic, and while clutching a short sword, stared at the wall of Troivackian soldiers that stood on a semi circle on Austice’s border. While the the Troivackian’s had lost the majority of their men, the hulking giants before them almost looked as though they were double the size of any Daxarian male.
The tension in the air grew as the Matthais’ ...
“Sire, there is a fire near the docks of Austice!” one of the lookouts with a cutlass pressed to his eye called behind himself to the Captain and King. Who were conversing on the dewey front lawn of the castle, the chilly night air making their breaths come out in puffs. At hearing the soldiers call however, both immediately ceased their conversation.
The two strode forward together,...
Fin groggily opened his eyes, his entire body stiff and heavy as though he had been working tirelessly for days and days on end. As he yawned, and tried to bring about another adrenaline rush to carry him through, the fact that dawn had not yet begun made it all the more difficult to be roused.
“Oh, thank Gods, you’re awake! I’ll alert his Majesty and Captain Antonio!” Annika’...
The pounding of hundreds of feet sounded down the docks of Austice’s shores. There was no need to try and be quiet. Despite night surrounding them, torches were lit, and there was darkness in the minds of the men as they moved forward, preparing themselves for the barrage of attacks.
However, everyone gradually began hesitating in their journey once they began climbing the streets up t...
Fin stared out over the sea of faces cheering him. The shock rendered his mind blank, as he blinked at them all, unable to say a word, when Annika broke his stupor.
“Why are we glowing?”
Snapping his head back to stare at his wife, the witch looked down and realized that there was a warm magical light emulating from both of them. Frowning, he tried to fathom what on earth wa...
Aidan seethed as the Physician stitched his shoulder wound closed. Fortunately, while the wound was deep, it hadn’t done any permanent damage. He had been about to crash headfirst into the masts of one of the ships, when an air witch had caught him and managed to reroute him and slow his descent.
His familiar was taking up the entire deck of the vessel beside Aidan’s, and while sunn...
Fin’s mind was exploding with the panic and fear of everyone staring at the dragon flying straight towards them. His own hands were trembling, and his mind had gone blank as the King roared orders at his side and Captain Antonio drew his sword.
Mage Lee had grabbed onto Fin’s shoulder and was shaking him profusely, which succeeded in making the redhead turn his head to face him, the...
King Matthais of Troivackia stood by the helm of the ship, watching the single fire at the top of the city of Austice. A flickering eye from the castle, beckoning them closer…
Night cloaked their fleet, but the dawn was only a couple hours away. He smiled slightly as he thought of the King of Daxaria’s face last they’d met… and thought how he was going to show the man what true ...
As Fin stood at the crest of the hill of Austice with the castle behind him, his eyes glowing and his arms outstretched, Mr. Howard regarded him with his usual look of irritation and mild contempt.
“Are you aware that you have flour on your tunic?” the assistant asked dryly.
“Can’t say I’m surprised. I had to bake Annika some bread this morning.”
“You do real...
The Knights were far quieter as they worked on coordinating their attacks against Fin’s magic, yet as they also went along, the very helpful questions such as:
“How do we fight against a witch from Troivack if they…”
“How can I get around…”
To which Fin had very little he was able to help with. He had never considered the combative side to magic, and really w...
“Finlay my boy… I’ve been meaning to ask you something,” Lord Fuks began slowly.
The redhead looked over to the elder expectantly. The other Lords had been excused and the inner council had been requested to stay behind along with Annika.
“What is it?” the redhead asked patiently while noting that mage Lee and Mr. Howard were sharing similar looks of uncertainty.
Fin stared at the clothes before him and let out a long suffering sigh.
He was not used to having to dress like a noble, and wasn’t entirely certain he was looking forward to the experience in a long term capacity.
“Would you like my advice?” Annika asked from behind him as Clara added the finishing touches to the elegant updo she was wearing for the council meeting.
<...
“The camp will be set behind the castle. Viscount, you are confident you can provide the shield should the military make it this far?” The King turned towards Fin with his hands clasped around his back, and his chest plate armor glinting in the late afternoon sun as a small crowd moved with the leader around the back of the castle.
“I can. I can maintain one longer if I’m not exp...
Fin stared at his reflection in the mirror for a long while. Standing only in his trousers, he regarded the new marks on his body with barely any emotion, save for the ancient magic symbol that was burned into his left pectoral… the symbol of his mother’s magic and mark of her curse. Not far off the mark was the thick ropey scar where the Troivackian King had stabbed him to death.
T...
The rulers of the continent stood silently at the top of the stairs to the castle. Annika stood several feet to the side of the Queen as Knights lined the stairs leading all the way down to the ground. Mr. Howard, Mage Lee, and Lord Fuks stood at the very bottom of the stairs wearing morose expressions. Everyone waited under the cloudy sky without a word, the dark mood of the day smothering.
Annika didn’t remember being moved, or when she fell asleep. All she knew was that she woke up in her old chamber beside the King and Queen’s, with Ainsley beside her sitting with her back against her headboard.
As she slowly sat up, her eyes feeling almost too swollen to be open, the monarch turned with a start.
“How are you feeling? Are you well? Do you need Physician Du...
“The ship is being steered by a dog,” the King announced as he lowered the cutlass and turned to the three witches who all wore matching expressions of bewilderment. “You mean to tell me this is not your doing?”
“No. Now either surrender Mr. Ashowan to our care, or-”
Aidan stepped forward and flung out his arm, a ring of fire crackled into existence that coiled around...
The council room had fallen into a silence after Annika’s anguished shout had rung out. It had been incredibly strange, she had suddenly taken on a milky appearance and all color drained from her face…
“Lady Ashowan, is everything alright?” the King asked while Ainsley immediately stood and walked over to her friend.
The Viscountess didn’t speak as she allowed her head...
After plating the last filet of salmon, Fin noted both Bruce and Stanley standing by the galley exit with their hands folded over their fronts. Knowing what this meant, he slowly placed his knife down, and removed his apron.
“Have either of you met the Troivackian King?” the redhead asked while placing his hands on his hips.
“No. Neither of us have had the honor,” Bruce ...
Annika stood on the docks, her hood drawn as Clara faced off with the two Knights guarding the gangplank to the ship. She knew the moment she boarded the vessel, word would be sent to the King, and so, she waited.
Her churning stomach reminded her that she had eaten significantly less for her dinner in order to try and deter the nasty illness she was beginning to experience as a s...
“Madame Mathilda’s ship docked two days ago and has already been turned over to the King for any documents or stowaways. Currently it is sitting at the dock with a handful of Knights guarding it, that as well as finding a crew at such short notice to sail the damn thing is the next problem,” Annika explained to Clara as she swept down the corridor of her keep while removing her cloak and ...
2021-07-09 02:34:46 +0000 UTC View Post