Mercury Hat Days blurred together and time passed in the hazy, disjointed way it always did when Ansel’s reserves were low, when he had pushed himself too far beyond his capabilities. He was only aware a full five days had been and gone when Baptiste summoned him for his feeding. The trip from his room to the … Read more
As Carmen padded down the hall of the mansion’s upper floor, she trailed her fingers along the edge of the wainscoting, disturbing the thick layer of dust that had settled over god knew how many years. This wing of the mansion was always grimy, always covered in dust and cobwebs, always less homely feeling than … Read more
The distraction from Mildred only worked for as long as it took Hector to cross the threshold into his apartment. Once there he busied himself tapping into his network of wards, the magical threads that criss crossed over, around, and through his living space which functioned as alarm spells and repellents. He found them annoyingly … Read more
Another wave of pain washed over Ansel as he lay in bed, one arm thrown over his face to block out the world. His Thirst was a thousand fire ants marching underneath his skin, stinging him, spurring him to find a blood meal. He’d only defiantly worn his glamour for another hour before he’d relented … Read more
A fine mist somewhere between fog and drizzle had precipitated in the dismal late evening of Odette as Hector stalked one of the main thoroughfares which stretched through downtown. He had wiped his glasses off three separate times before giving up and tucking them away into his breast pocket, trusting in his instincts to warn … Read more
Ansel’s brain was so soaked in fear that it took Slate calling for him three times before he blinked and turned his head up to the second story window. Whatever greeting he had disappeared when he saw Ansel’s morose expression, carrying with it all the joy of a man stalking to the gallows. Slate ducked … Read more
The countdown for Malczyn’s release steadily approached zero, and without further word on the subject from Cutter, Ansel took it as a green light to wait for him to show his face. Once night fell, he and Slate stalked the streets of downtown Odette, the latter with the hood of his sweatshirt pulled down far … Read more
Dog. Lip curling into a sneer, Ansel responded with a curt, Hold your horses, I’m coming from downtown, and upped his pace. With the day fully broken by that point, he couldn’t sprint at his top speed without attracting too much unwanted attention. He took advantage of every side street and shortcut he’d memorized in … Read more
An ant picked its way across the table, antennae inspecting a morsel left behind by a previous customer. It crawled from the table to a finger that was just as frigid and still, its owner watching with quiet interest to calm his nerves. With his other hand Ansel swirled the stone cold cup of coffee … Read more
Wind whipped at the exposed skin of Hector’s cheeks as he sped down the strip of highway which skirted along the westernmost side of Odette. The morning was cold for the region, but the air temperature still hovered far above the blistering weather his hometown was experiencing. Even in February, winter’s deepest chill was hundreds … Read more