Recent content by Lillian Crowe

"Who was he?" Phillip said. He looked no better than usual - the circles under his eyes were dark as bruises and the flesh hung loose from his cheeks. His rich velvet collar no longer hugged his neck and beads of sweat could be seen where his neck met his shoulders. He picked up his cup of wine...

A few days had passed before Jonathan and Eva saw one another again. Each morning the king sent a note with his deepest regrets, stating that he had urgent business to attend to. She was happier to take breakfast in her room with Kate. The Falconer was at the palace whenever his duties spared...

"I'm fine," Jonathan said through gritted teeth. His guard was helping him down the stairs of the office, hurrying him toward the coach while trying to aggravate his wounds as little as possible. Eva followed behind, with one guard at her side. Whether he was there to aid her or to keep her from...

The rain had begun in full force by the time Jonathan Lytra and his companion left the palace. The prince had dressed in the dark blue coat that signified a member of the armed forces. A shining medal proclaimed his identity, as though anyone could be in doubt. He wore three flintlock pistols...

The next morning Eva and Kate attended the king promptly as he broke his fast. Their suite had, as promised, lacked for nothing, and the ladies were able to spend the night in physical, if not mental, comfort. Eva could not help but notice that the king ate very little for breakfast. The...

Siege City’s wealthiest quarter was a carefully constructed neighborhood of mansions, parks and gardens bisected by well-paved streets, a sudden oasis of calm on the edge of the urban sprawl. The wide avenues were lined with beech trees and here and there the front of some large estate...

The mansion of Daniel Gallow was a stately work of classical architecture. His forefathers had seen much more in old-world charm and style than in the need to flaunt their wealth. But as the friends of the king, you didn’t have to show off much before everyone fell in to whatever trend you were...

“Your mother doesn’t know you’re up, does she?” Lord Gallow leaned against the doorway, still in his evening attire. His smile hinted at conspiracy as he looked on his daughter. She was curled up in his favorite chair with a book propped on her knees. On the table beside her were several more...

They spun through the air like snowflakes, glinting in the light and turning over and over as they fell. All around them the fire sent ripples of light over their sharp edges and turned the glass fragments into prisms. The blaze had become instantly uncontrollable. Whoever had planted the...