Revival

Chapter 92 Boars and Steel

Chapter 92 Boars and Steel

The air was still blue with dawn when Pit and Tib rose from their bedrolls. The Hollow was half awake — smoke curling from a few low cookfires, a child’s laugh somewhere near the kiln, the dull crack of wood being split. The mist still hung thick in the hollowed valley, soft as wool and carrying the scent of the hollow mixed with clay, smoke, and wet earth.

Pit stretched, his shoulders tight from the day before, and scanned the camp....

Chapter 87 Farm and Trade

Chapter 87 Farm and Trade

The fire outside Caelen’s cave barely clung on, casting just enough light to flicker over weary, determined faces. The Hollow wouldn’t quiet, either—the mist kept drifting in, winding around the dark ridges as if it had its own will. The freed folk and villagers had little, only what they’d been able to gather or dry, and now they sat close in a ring. Their breath drifted up pale and thin in the darkness, everyone waiting, no one truly ...

Chapter 91 City’s Blight, the Hollow’s Bloom

Chapter 91 City’s Blight, the Hollow’s Bloom

The city gnawed uneasily that late summer, with every wind-swept street corner carrying murmurs of violence. Marcus Luceron, heir of Litus Solis, knew the reality before the merchants even swarmed the hall with complaints: the docks were slipping beyond control.

He walked the length of the great hall with his father’s warhammer displayed on the dais above him, a reminder of Lord Luceron’s presence, though the lo...

Chapter 90 Path Widens

Chapter 90 Path Widens

The fire was stamped out, leaving only embers to mark its former presence. The night opened wide around them, filled with the hiss of insects and the far-off whisper of river water sliding against stone.

“North,” Caelen said, pointing. His voice carried like iron, unbending.

The cart creaked first, pulled by Tib at the front, rope across his shoulder. Behind came the people—forty souls worn down by hunger, sickness, and years of cruelty. Their st...

Chapter 89 The Road North

Chapter 89 The Road North

The cart wheels groaned as they pressed north along the river road, iron-bound rims grinding stone and soil alike. The air was heavy with the scent of salt and silt where the sea had tainted the river, and under it all lay the faint sourness Caelen had come to know too well—the leaching breath of Gloamhollow, winding down from its overflow. The men strained against road conditions, but Tib’s steady hand and back kept it moving, his eyes sca...

Chapter 87 Farm and Trade

Chapter 87 Farm and Trade

The fire outside Caelen’s cave barely clung on, casting just enough light to flicker over weary, determined faces. The Hollow wouldn’t quiet, either—the mist kept drifting in, winding around the dark ridges as if it had its own will. The freed folk and villagers had little, only what they’d been able to gather or dry, and now they sat close in a ring. Their breath drifted up pale and thin in the darkness, everyone waiting, no one truly ...

Chapter 88 Supplies and Future

Chapter 88 Supplies and Future

The road sloped down to the sea, broadening where stone gave way to hard-packed earth, wheel ruts gouged deep into the ground. Tib kept pace with Caelen, shoulders set, voice lowered so only the boy could hear.

“Don’t reveal who you are,” he said under his breath. “Not here. Not now. We’re guards. Hired muscle. Whatever story fits. Let me handle the talking.”

Caelen gave a sharp nod, jaw clenched. “Guards. Work. N...

Chapter 86 The Rising Storm

Chapter 86 The Rising Storm

Incense and candle wax thickened the air in the Imperial Crown Prince of Haldrith’s chamber, almost heavy enough to taste. Torches sputtered and danced along the carved stone walls, chasing away the shadows. In the center, a long oak table reflected the firelight, its silver inlays flashing. Scrolls and maps were scattered across the polished surface, with a few half-finished silver goblets of wine left amidst the disarray.

At its hea...

Chapter 85 Veil in the Hollow

Chapter 85 Veil in the Hollow

Brother Renn had lived in many places—dusty cloisters, wind-battered chapels, the caravans where silver bought passage more than faith—but never in all his years had he seen a place transformed so quickly.

Three days. That was all it had been since the villagers and freed folk had stumbled into this mist-laden valley with packs half-empty and spirits near to breaking. And yet now, when he leaned against the lip of stone that framed the camp, he co...

Chapter 84 The Hollow Laid Bare

Chapter 84 The Hollow Laid Bare

The party that descended the southern ridge was larger this time. Caelen strode at the fore, Pit and Tib flanking him as always, followed by Mirelle with her braid pulled tight against the humid wind. Tamsen trailed with her sharp tongue ready, Bran silent and massive behind her, and Petyr already fidgeting with a half-made contraption hanging from his belt. Three of the freed dwarves marched with them as well—hard-eyed, steady-footed men who carried to...

Chapter 83 - After the Storm

Chapter 83 - After the Storm

The storm had passed in the night, leaving the Hollow raw and unveiled beneath the gray light of dawn. The air was sharp, the scent of stone and rain heavy in every breath. For the first time since they had entered this valley, the shroud of mist was gone.

The northern ridge rose jagged and stark, its faces cut sharper than any memory of the day before. Dark seams of rock glistened with rain, catching the thin sunlight as though the very bones of the e...

Chapter 82 Lisette at the Citadel

Chapter 82 Lisette at the Citadel

The first thing Lisette noticed when she woke was that someone was already in her room. The curtains had been pulled back to let in the early sun, and one of the maids was fussing with her dresses, laying them out as though Lisette couldn’t decide for herself.

Lisette groaned and rolled over, pulling the coverlet over her head. “I am not awake,” she declared, voice muffled. “Therefore, none of you should be either.”

A soft laugh ca...

Chapter 81 — Seawatch Manor

Chapter 81 — Seawatch Manor

The shutters rattled in the salt wind, though the fire in the hearth burned high. Seawatch Manor stood upon the bluffs of the Blue Coast, a place of weathered stone and long shadows.  Once a noble lord's home, it was now ruled by pirates and worse.  It became a place where secrets could be whispered beneath the roar of the sea.

Four figures sat about a long wooden and tile table, its surface scored with years of use and the marks of restless...

Chapter 80 The Close Council of Avalon

This chapter forced me to try a new style to present the internal thoughts of the key actors.  I am happy with it, and I hope you enjoy it.

Chapter 80 The Close Council of Avalon

The chamber doors boomed shut, sealing the council inside. Torches flickered along stone walls; their smoke clung in thin blue threads which seemed unwilling to rise. At the table's center, Magus Calvred set a blueflame ward; only after it was active did the members start to s...

Map up to Chapter 100

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Chapter 79 – The Return to the Hollow

Chapter 79 – The Return to the Hollow

The craft went swiftly downstream, the longboat heavy with crates, sacks, and the weary weight, almost too much, with so many souls crammed into one vessel. The water hissed and lapped along the sides, the mild current pressing them onward until at last Tib lifted his hand, pointing to the eastern bank.

“Here,” he said.

The boat scraped onto the gravel, and one by one they climbed out, passing supplies hand-to-ha...

Chapter 78 Meetings on the River

Chapter 78 Meetings on the River

The night passed fitfully aboard the longboat, each soul wrapped in a thin patchwork of cloaks and weary silence. Sleep came in uneasy snatches, broken by the creak of wood and the slow, sullen wash of the river against the hull. The sound filled the darkness like a heartbeat too loud to ignore—measured, hollow, and unending. 

No one risked starting a fire, so they endured the cold, breath misting in the night air, each man and woman alone w...

Chapter 77 Rescue

Chapter 77 Rescue

From the trees, they crept along the riverbank, tracking the longboat. It was no arduous task; the men aboard made little effort at silence, their voices carrying easily over the water. Oars dipped and rose in slow rhythm, the splash of each stroke broken by laughter and coarse talk. Twice Pit stumbled, dry leaves crackling beneath his boots, and twice Caelen’s hand shot back, steady and sure, stilling him as a hunter stills a hound on scent.

At last, the boat ...

Chapter 76 - River Surprise

Chapter 76 - River Surprise

The night fire burned low, crackling softly in the stone-lined pit. Outside, the mist pooled heavily in the Hollow, hung like pale smoke against the trees. Pit hunched close to the fire, gnawing on a strip of boar meat, while Caelen sat across from him, eyes fixed on nothing, as though listening to sounds neither man nor beast made.

At last, Pit sighed. “Supplies are running low,” he muttered. “We’ve meat for weeks, sure, but no...

Chapter 75 Questions

Chapter 75 Questions

The sun had risen high enough to burn streaks of gold through the Hollow’s mist, but the valley still felt like a bowl of smoke. Caelen and Pit walked the curve of the mound at the Hollow’s mouth, their boots crunching against loose shale.

Pit was grumbling again. “Straight lines, he says. Measure it, he says. Like I’m meant to see through fog and trees. Dam it if you want straight lines, you’ll need a string longer than this valley.”

Caelen ...

Chapter 74 Renata Spes! Hope Reborn

Chapter 74 Renata Spes! Hope Reborn

Pit ducked into the low, stone-cradled camp with a waterskin slung over his shoulder and his eyes darting like a wary hound’s. He tossed the skin onto the ground with a grunt. “This valley gives me the creeps. I swear something’s moving in that mist out there.”

Caelen was crouched by the fire, stirring a pot of thin stew that mainly smelled of onions and boar fat. He looked up, expression unreadable, then tapped the rim ...

Chapter 73 – Stew and Stones

Chapter 73 – Stew and Stones

A stew bubbled in the small iron pot, steam carrying the mingled scents of boar meat, herbs, and smoke. It was as good a meal as they’d had in days, yet Pit scowled into his bowl as though it had mocked him.

“When are we leaving this reeking place?” he asked, spoon scraping the side. “What’s next? This place stinks worse than a tanner’s yard. Water’s foul, air’s foul, and the fog makes my skin itch. Say the word, Ca...

Chapter 72 – Gloamhollow

Chapter 72 – Gloamhollow

They broke camp at first light, smoke from their fire curling into the pale morning sky. The road twisted south, and the wagon bounded and swayed along, its wheels crunching over stone. The three companions walked alongside, sometimes scouting ahead, sometimes circling back to drive away the boldest of the boars that still prowled the forest’s edge. The beasts kept their distance after the night’s slaughter, but their squeals often carried...

Chapter 71 – The Road South

Note, this is a correct and clean up of this chapter. I apologize for the multiple versions published before.

Chapter 71 – The Road South

It was before dawn that they left the headwaters of the Blackwater River at dawn, pivoting westward as the ridges rose sharply against the sky. Morning haze clung to the trees, and their boots sank into the damp earth as they climbed. The southern way appeared and beckoned-narrow paths through the mountains that, if followed far enough, ben...

Chapter 70 – The Road to Avalon

Chapter 70 – The Road to Avalon

Dawn had not even broken over the heartland with delicate light, and already the manor of Avalon stirred like an overturned hive. Horses were saddled, trunks strapped shut, and servants prepared to leave the manor. By Lord Eldric’s command, there would be no lingering. The City lay but half a day’s ride beyond the ridge, yet the urgency of the summons pressed them forward as though it were a campaign.

The household moved swift...

Chapter 69 The Shadow in the Ledger

Chapter 69 The Shadow in the Ledger

The great hall was quiet when Aldric returned, his boots still dusty from the road. Lord Eldric sat tall in the high-backed chair. His hand resting on the arm was still strong as it tapped the wood. The years of rule had hardened him, but his eyes softened when his son approached.

“Father,” Aldric said, his tone steady but carrying an edge that demanded notice. “I was able to find Caelen in the wild. Well, he foun...

Chapter 70 – The Road to Avalon

Chapter 70 – The Road to Avalon

Dawn had not even broken over the heartland with delicate light, and already the manor of Avalon stirred like an overturned hive. Horses were saddled, trunks strapped shut, and servants prepared to leave the manor. By Lord Eldric’s command, there would be no lingering. The City lay but half a day’s ride beyond the ridge, yet the urgency of the summons pressed them forward as though it were a campaign.

The household moved swift...

Chapter 68 The Miscounted

Chapter 68 The Miscounted

The three boys reached the headwaters of the Blackwater River just as dusk began to fall, the swollen waters hurrying down from the high ridges like a restless beast. The air here was colder, sharper, and carried the scent of pine and wet stone.

It was Pit who spoke first, his broad hands brushing the damp moss from his leggings as he looked back at the hollow they now called their own.
“Six hours,” he muttered, shaking his head in...

Chapter 67  From A Seed, A Forest

Chapter 67  From A Seed, A Forest

The morning broke with a pale gold light, lifting mist from the widening ravine of the Blackwater. Dew clung to the hedges, and the air smelled of wet earth and willow. Caelen was the first to climb out of the ditch where they had slept, brushing clay from his hands, stretching his shoulders, and blinking up toward the ridges.

“South now?” Pit asked, scratching at his hair.

Caelen pointed up the slope instead, where...

Chapter 66 – The Uninvited Tea

Chapter 66 – The Uninvited Tea

Lord Eldric stood, watching out the tall windows of his office, his gaze set upon the eastern road, where dust curled like a warning in the late sun. His gift stirred—a pressure, subtle but insistent, like the weight of a hand upon the back of his neck. A presence was coming, one that did not belong to Avalon.

A pounding fist upon the door announced the scout before his voice carried through.

“My lord!” the rider barked...