Let it be known to all subjects of the Kingdom of Holwood that with the triumphant conclusion of the Great War, our land stands victorious over the accursed race of the Mondi. By our virtues, their corruption has been purged, and the peace we...

Left jab. Right hook. Dodge. “I know your moves, Sinclair,” Tate taunts me with his chin tucked. He knows if any of my hits land, they’ll land hard, “I taught you them, darling,” he winks. Hours of dirt and sweat coat my brow and line every...

Rain patters the roof over my head, gnawing at my senses, pulling me to full consciousness in the early morning light. After hours of rolling over in bed, I give up. It’s nearly time for me to meet Tate and the others anyway. I pull the blankets...

Frosty air slices my lungs. I’d known it would be cold today, but I hadn’t expected it to be this cold. In the time I’d gotten dressed, the rain had turned into mist that faded away with the night. I pull my hood closer to my head, and my eyes...

I tug my cloak closer to myself as the mountain air settles into my bones and wish I hadn’t shoved my extra shirt so far down in my pack. The day had been warm but the closer we get to the mountains the quicker it fades. Gates of the outpost cast...

Carter is asleep in the twin bed next to mine. The slow rise and fall of her chest can be seen in the dim light that fills the round window of our room. Her hair floats around her head. Locks of gold and silver fall onto the pillow, and I fight...

Something creaks behind me, and I rub my eyes as I sit up in the lumpy bed. “Good morning,” I hear Tate whisper. In the dim morning light, I watch him run a strong hand through messy blond locks. He climbs out of bed and snatches his shirt from...

Idon leads us along dark alleys and cuts through the crumbling frames of old buildings, heading straight for the palace. He’ll know the fastest route there, and he doesn’t check his map once as he casually leaps over scattered stone and mounds of...

Michael and I walk in silence for over an hour on opposite sides of what used to be functional cobblestone streets. We peer in and out of fallen doorways, unsure what we might find. I come out of another empty ashen shop, where I imagined baked...

I think my eyes might pop out of my head. This cannot be happening. I glance over at Michael. In the moments between Vin stepping into the clearing and his fists turning into a giant ball of fire, he must’ve heard the commotion and dipped into a...

I watch them from a window seven streets away. Those foolish Legion soldiers. If I wanted to, I could set them all on fire from here. If I wanted to. But I’m not in the mood today. What had started off as a great day is now entirely ruined. I'd...