Emily secured us a room at the hotel, and we went upstairs to take a nap. We walked into the room and stood next to each other awkwardly looking at the bed. After a moment I declared, “Uhh…I’m gonna go see if I can get us the adjoining room.”
So, after going back downstairs to secure the adjoining room, I retreated to my side and she stayed in hers. If things could possibly have gotten more awkward with her, at least I could keep a locked door between us while I slept. That way ...
2023-07-31 02:55:34 +0000 UTC
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The police dropped us off back at Emily’s office a little after 2AM. We went inside and she put on a pot of coffee. This time I took her up on her offer after all we had gone through this evening.
“Here ya go,” she handed me my coffee and started asking questions, “do you have any details at all about this Devil man of yours?”
“Well, all I could tell you is that he would be a ruthless tyrant if given the opportunity. He wouldn’t have been in power longer than a few d...
2023-07-31 02:51:46 +0000 UTC
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Once back inside, we all went back to the entryway together. There we found the butler, dead from a blow to the head with a large bent pipe lying in a pool of his blood next to him. Mr. Teal picked up a large candlestick holder and clutched it as if he was a cornered animal ready to defend himself. Emily went over to the body and inspected the lead pipe.
“Now what do we do?” Violette asked.
“Well, we can’t stay here,” said La Crème, “either one of you is the killer or...
2023-07-31 02:49:08 +0000 UTC
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I slept until noon considering the long night I had. After a quick breakfast at the same diner, I went to the night before I made my way back over to Emily’s office. She was standing outside waiting for me. Once again, she was dressed in an all black Victorian Goth getup, this time a little less frilly and her hair was pulled back into a ponytail. She was lighting up a clove cigarette when I approached.
“Are you even old enough to buy those?” I teased.
“Funny,” she said,...
2023-07-31 02:44:24 +0000 UTC
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I followed the man in the fedora's directions and about ten minutes later I was out in front of a concrete staircase leading up to an office front. There was a window sticker with the shape of an all-seeing eye that read, E. Grimwood, Private Eye. Clever.
But hold on a minute. It looks like a light is on in the back. I went up closer to the glass. Under the window sticker it said, Office Hours: 7PM to 5AM. Are you serious?! What kind of hours are that?!
It didn’t matter. I was t...
2023-07-31 02:40:41 +0000 UTC
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The next few days passed, and I used them as a time to relax. I didn’t even bother leaving the property. With Bristol under control, there was no urgency to any of the current red stones at the moment. We spent our days cooking at home, teaching Anabel about our world, and didn’t really discuss the well very much. It was early Spring, so I would go on property walks with Anabel and Higgins would work in his garden.
But on the third night, after dinner, I brought my father’s journa...
2023-07-31 02:37:50 +0000 UTC
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The next day, I asked Higgins to get my father’s journal out of the safe again. I needed to read that thing and make sure I was much more informed before I went into another world. He got it for me and said he was going to take Anabel shopping for some modern clothing and let her see outside a bit. I sat down and started reading the journal.
To my son Eric,
This is a catalog of information I deem important enough to aid you on your quest. Not every world is well doc...
2023-07-31 02:35:34 +0000 UTC
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I didn’t see Anabel the rest of the time I was in America. We split up that afternoon and the next day I left by horseback to go back to New York City. Within a week I was back aboard Moreau’s ship and setting sail for Bristol. We shared laughter and tales of my adventure. Three weeks later we landed back in the port I originally departed from.
“Goodbye Moreau. Thank you for everything.”
“You as well Monsieur Noble. Say hello to Higgins for me. I wish him well. Perhaps c...
2023-07-31 02:32:17 +0000 UTC
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We rode quietly down into the city and were met with no resistance. Just the same, we took extra caution not to have any direct encounters with any soldiers. Anabel took us to a street near the center of town and had me wait by the horses while she crossed the street.
“That baker over there is a member of The Order. I’m going to speak with him. Wait here. I don’t want to compromise him if he’s accidentally seen with you.”
She ran over to the man as he moved large bags of...
2023-07-31 02:28:02 +0000 UTC
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It was smooth sailing for the next couple of days. I was really getting really good at riding a horse by this point. We did well to avoid other patrols and got around checkpoints rather easily. We were past the halfway point and managed to avoid Philadelphia entirely out of an abundance of caution. Also, we were back on our riding mostly at night, schedule.
Whenever we reached a large river or Anabel felt it was too risky to take a bridge with checkpoints, we used Horse Ferry’s. I gue...
2023-07-31 02:19:39 +0000 UTC
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Come chat with fans of the story!
2023-07-31 02:09:18 +0000 UTC
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The two soldiers approached the wagon and dismounted.
“Well well, hello dolly,” one of them said to Anabel, “what appears to be the problem.”
Anabel stood coyly next to the wagon with her hands behind her back and said, “Good day sir, my wagon wheel is broken. I’m from the city and I’m afraid I haven’t much experience with this sort of thing.”
“Let’s take a look shall we,” one soldier said as they both looked over the damaged wheel.
Anabel glanc...
2023-07-30 13:22:25 +0000 UTC
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Life at sea wasn’t so bad. Beautiful views, every day we ate fish and lemons…and Moreau taught me…everything.
“Monsieur Noble, if you are taking on a foe such as the American Imperial Army, it would be best for me to teach you the art of Swashbuckling. You have roughly twenty-four days on this ship before we arrive in New York. We should use about eight to ten hours of most days for training. You can rest one full day a week. But for now, en garde!”
He tossed me...
2023-07-30 13:18:50 +0000 UTC
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Suddenly, my body felt weightless. The glow of the stone disappeared at the bottom of the well and next thing I knew I was having to tread water rather than stand upright. It was incredibly dark then too since I couldn’t see the stone glow anymore and we were in a dark basement.
“Hey Reggie, you mind turning on some lights?” I shouted up to him but with no response.
I tried reaching up to grab the rim of the well, but I couldn’t find it. Feeling around, I found a wooden ro...
2023-07-30 13:11:26 +0000 UTC
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As we sat at the attorney’s desk, I pondered my next move. Would I quit my job and live in England? How soon would be too soon to ask Stephanie to come visit? I was awoken from my daydreaming by Mr. Ford’s shuffling of papers.
He said, “According to the will and Mr. Higgins testimony, you are to receive all possessions of Mr. Noble’s estate immediately. This includes his 9 acre property 40 kilometers northwest of London, His 2000 Rolls Royce Phantom, the employment contract of h...
2023-07-30 13:06:24 +0000 UTC
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My name is Eric Noble. Noble sounds like a prestigious name, right? But I suppose I am anything but. I’m about to turn 28 years old, a corporate accountant, single and not loving it. I don’t look it, but I’m into nerdy things like video games, comics, and fantasy stuff. Put it simply, eh…I can pass for a regular person, but I’m not. I haven’t made all the right decisions. I settled for less in college and ended up with this desk job. Hell, I’ve only ...
2023-07-30 13:03:56 +0000 UTC
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This was made by the amazing Magaly Abarca. Commission some work from her here: https://www.artmagalyabarca.com/
2023-07-30 13:00:19 +0000 UTC
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