Stone birds

The day was busy with appointments and annoying servants trying to make the Emperor feel good about his new hair-do. He didn’t believe them. The only words echoing in his mind were Adelaide's and they were saying he looked like a manly paint brush. The thought made him smile but at the same time angry. How could he have hired a hairdresser so incompetent? As the last guest left the hall – one servant carrying his head and two guards dragging off his body – he found himself finally alone. He sat on his sencurium throne for a few minutes just staring at the red floor being cleaned by an elderly woman. She had gray hair and her skin was wrinkled but she was fast and her movements precise. It was clear she had plenty of experience. She didn’t allow the Emperor's look to bother her. Many of her younger colleagues made the mistake of getting nervous around their ruler, they allowed it to disturb their work. Their incompetence sometimes amused the Emperor, on bad days it could cost...

The Emperor looked in the mirror questioning his new look. His head had been shaved on one side and the hair kept longer on the other. Some hair had fallen on his face and were already getting into his eyes. “I hate it,” he finally said and a young girl hurried to his side. He hadn’t bothered to learn her name, they never lasted long enough for him to need it. The servant combed his hair back again. “Perhaps if we shaved the other side as well, Your Grace?” she asked. “And keep the middle part long?” “It is considered fashionable in many regions, Your Grace.” Hugo tried to imagine the right side of his hair gone and found himself liking the vision. “Okay, let’s try it then.” The girl nodded and got to work. Her hands were fast and fingers skilled. It must have not been her first job but it might be her last. Very few people lasted long on their jobs working for the Emperor but what could he do. Was he supposed to lower his standards just because the level of people working...

Andrew was having trouble keeping his eyes open. It was his turn to keep watch and after the 8-hour shift, he was really exhausted. It was still dark which made it only more difficult. He tossed another log into the fire and watched the sparks make their way into the air. The past few weeks had been better and at the same time harder than the rest of his life. In a way, he had started to think that the freedom had been overrated. Eliana had wanted to be free, she had tried to convince him to escape. All of her stories had been full of promises of a better life. Andrew enjoyed the freedom of choice, the fact he wasn’t ordered around and treated like a worthless piece of dung. And at the same time, he missed the stability, the routine of the life in Sencor. “You want to take another shift?” Madden asked sitting beside him. “I’ve been waiting for you to take over for eight hours,” Andrew responded. He yawned and rubbed his eyes. “The nights are the hardest,” Madden agreed. “How l...

" The Cirren people are easily identifiable by their looks. Their hair is often described as the color of the night and their eyes as the bright stars. When they first appeared 2000 years ago, people believed them to be ravens who had been turned into humans by the Black Witch to spy on the common people. Some claimed to even have seen the transformation themselves ," Dre read. Samuel looked at her proudly. He was amazed how fast she had started to make sense of the words that had looked like some weird pattern to her less than a week ago. "It makes no sense," she said. "Why would a witch spy on the common people? And turn birds into humans?" "Well, Dre, people thought differently 2000 years ago," Samuel answered. He was tired and not in the mood to discuss the essence of life. He rested his head on the pillow and looked at the carriage standing by the road. It was Dre's first ride with one and she hadn't liked it. That is why they h...

"Ahhhh!" Rhyn yelled wanking a piece of wood at Kalbott. Although the guard wasn't drunk - which was a miracle - he fell face first into the mud. Andrew found it weird that Kalbott had been alone. No other guards or any other living beings were in sight. "Good job!" said Margaret whose compliment brought a proud smile to Rhyn's face. "What will we do now?" Madden asked. "My feet hurt too bad to keep running without some rest." "We could tie Kalbott to some tree?" Margaret offered. "With what?" Andrew asked. "We have no rope or extra clothes." "Don't ask me," Margaret said rolling her eyes and rested her back against a tall pine which bark matched the color of her hair. "Just brainstorming here." Kalbott was already starting to move a bit so they really had only a few options. They could've hit him again, keep running or try to keep his company. The last one seemed impossible ...

Three hours had passed but Andy couldn't get her nose out of the book. She could now read the alphabet front to back and back to front with ease. "I don't get it," Samuel said. "Even I can't read it backward." "Beginner's luck, I guess," Andy answered and started showing off again. "Z - Y - X - W - V - U - T ..." She didn't even think as she read out the letters. It felt natural to read and learn. She had never been happier. "Show-off," Samuel said with a grin. "You're just jealous!" "Reading the alphabet backward is not exactly a talent to be jealous of," he replied but Andy didn't care. In her mind, she kept singing the alphabet song Samuel had taught her. "Anyway, it's getting dark. I think we've got all we need," Samuel said closing the book and grabbing his pile from the table. Andy pulled her book against her chest hugging it tightly. "Are you sure?...