by
"This was a good time for silent reflection, to ask myself how—in all the rumored worlds—I’d arrived here."
All she wanted was a secure home, but Maddie’s problems just got bigger.
GIANTS’ GATE is a standalone MAGE ERA prequel to the WOODSPELL SERIES and one of the TALES OF ARDONNA.
Content Advisory: Contains adult themes and situations and spoilers for River’s Roar
Publisher: Kapeo Press
Editors:
Cover Artists:
Genres:
Tropes: Enemy to Ally, Fellowship, Humanity is Dangerous, Humanity is Good, Immortality, Modern Human in Fantasy World, Past People/Future Tech, Quest
Setting: The improbable planet of Ardonna
Languages Available: English
Series Type: Same Universe / Various Characters
Tropes: Enemy to Ally, Fellowship, Humanity is Dangerous, Humanity is Good, Immortality, Modern Human in Fantasy World, Past People/Future Tech, Quest
Setting: The improbable planet of Ardonna
Languages Available: English
Series Type: Same Universe / Various Characters
Elli and I followed Mama to the family room. Branches tapped the walls, as if probing for weak spots. The heavy door shook, momentarily bowing, but the bolt held. My father set the hearth crackling. Elli put the kettle on, then set up baking racks. I helped Mama knead cakes. We laid out an extravagant meal, using the bulk of the perishables.
The rest of the family gathered at Elli’s call. Papa led us in praise to water, without which we would have no food. He bid us eat thankfully and attend to flavors.
Mages revere these elements which maintain life: water, land, air—even fire, cautiously. Unlike humans, we understand. The uroborus reminds us of our place. I enjoyed what could be my last meal amid the forest’s relentless knocking. Cali would have done the same.
READ MOREI’d never fully appreciated her burden until I’d assumed it. It fell to me now, as current eldest, to perform the role of heir and set an example. I’d not believed it possible for me to replace her—to find poise and circumspection beneath frivolity. But here I was, staying my sisters’ moans with a stern look.
These last miserable years had forced a change, a fiercer purpose. I savored tangy-sweet preserves and buttery cakes while the walls shook. A painting fell from its spot above the table, smashing roasted yams.
“We have been fortunate,” Papa said, “to have always eaten well.”
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