Table of Contents - (spoilers) read part 73 The order of the watch for the squad’s first night at the church was, Knuckle, Choke, Pinch, and Peep. This was not random. Skillful bandits and professional soldiers all know that the best time for night raids and attacks is just before dawn, when people are at … Continue reading The Children of Stron – part 74
The Children of Stron – part 73
Table of Contents - (spoilers) read part 72 The squad were sitting around a table in front of the cottage Brother Cornelius Barrelmender shared with his illicit family. Choke was worrying as he stared off into space. Knuckle was similarly lost in thought, while Peep and Pinch were bantering quietly together, swapping jokes about hillbillies … Continue reading The Children of Stron – part 73
The Children of Stron – part 72
Table of Contents - (spoilers) read part 71 It was late afternoon by the time Brother Cornelius Barrelmender of the Brothers of the Holy Stone returned to his cottage from fishing. He approached from the lane, walking with a resigned plod with a fishing rod in one hand and a basket in the other. Pinch … Continue reading The Children of Stron – part 72
The Children of Stron – part 71
Table of Contents - (spoilers) read part 70 Cowslip Holler was a pleasant, forested hollow with the Cowslip Creek running through it. The village of Bristlehump had spilled beyond its palisade walls and up the hollow. There were a good number of mature chestnut trees, with quaint-looking cottages and cabins spread out beneath them. Riding … Continue reading The Children of Stron – part 71
The Children of Stron – part 70
Table of Contents - (spoilers) read part 69 It was a fine late-spring morning when Peep, more widely known as, Otilla of the Holy Fire, and her three men, Choke, Pinch, and Knuckle, more widely known as, Bartholomew, Nikolas, and Theodas, rode into the village of Bristlehump. The village was a full day’s ride from … Continue reading The Children of Stron – part 70
The Children of Stron – part 69
Table of Contents - (spoilers) read part 68 After breakfast, Peep went to the barracks near the compound’s main gate to talk things over with Choke, Pinch, and Knuckle. They were happy enough to hear that she had accepted the Lady’s invitation on their behalf. With the pheasant hunt decided for the early afternoon, Lady … Continue reading The Children of Stron – part 69
The Children of Stron – part 68
Table of Contents - (spoilers) read part 67 “So, Otilla, what do you want?” Lady Hart asked Peep as they sat down together for a private breakfast. Peep was quite lucky that the Baroness preferred to rise late. The head maid, Sarah, had awoken Peep and Rebecca about an hour earlier, at about half-past nine. … Continue reading The Children of Stron – part 68
The Children of Stron – part 67
Table of Contents - (spoilers) read part 66 Dinner was a surreal affair. True to her word, Rebecca was able to manage herself perfectly well, and if her mother noticed her altered state, she chose not to acknowledge it. Peep, however, was even more scattered than she had been before. Lady Hart and her entire … Continue reading The Children of Stron – part 67
The Children of Stron – Part 66
Table of Contents (spoilers) read part 65 In the Baroness Hart’s manor house, Pinewhispers, the lady’s youngest daughter Rebecca took Peep to her room upstairs. One of the household’s maids followed. As with the rest of the house, Rebecca’s room was comfortably appointed with good furniture and simple tapestries. The young woman eagerly ushered Peep … Continue reading The Children of Stron – Part 66
The Children of Stron – Part 65
Table of Contents (spoilers) read part 64 The Lady Hart received her guests in her sitting room. The space was pleasantly appointed with comfortable furniture arranged in a lounge around a wide, low table, near a large fireplace. Set away from this was a music corner, with a lute in a stand and a small … Continue reading The Children of Stron – Part 65