While we waited for Mr. Eaves to figure out if we had a case or not, Warren and I worked out a plan, or at least the beginnings of a plan. We’d try and pick a region to the west that was close enough to drive to, but far enough that MAC would have limited contacts there to interfere with us. 2023-11-05 18:57:00 +0000 UTC View Post
Whitaker pulled out her phone while Taylor began to walk the room. He wasn’t doing an in-depth search yet, but getting a sense of anything that might be important or notable. While he didn’t normally expect anything incriminating or useful to be just sitting out in the open, considering the t...
2023-11-03 16:36:00 +0000 UTC View PostKat and I had our first official date on Sunday afternoon. It was weird since she had spent most of the previous day with me down in Asheville, for the second of the shows Willie had set up. She helped us set up, worked the merch table while we were on stage, and was basically with me for almost ...
2023-10-31 20:01:00 +0000 UTC View Post**It looks like there was an error on this post when it went up on Saturday, so I'm resetting it and resending it out now**
Since I was in Asheville, I decided to try to kill two birds with one stone. I didn’t know if Dr. Rothstein would be available, but his office wasn...
2023-10-28 15:41:01 +0000 UTC View PostI was standing in the middle of the stage, playing my heart out. Ten thousand people filled the arena in front of me, cheering and singing along. I was just finishing the solo, turning to Lyla to start singing the next verse, when she opened her mouth and let out a high-pitched squeal.
My e...
2023-10-25 13:19:00 +0000 UTC View PostBy Friday, we were halfway done with the trials, and Kat was killing it. She hadn’t posted any more records, but she’d qualified for the team in every event she was entered in so far. Today was mostly for events she wasn’t in, except a couple of prelims for the longer races, which wouldn’...
2023-10-23 01:00:44 +0000 UTC View PostMonday morning, I drove back up to Willie’s house. He’d had to go to Nashville for some kind of treatment on Thursday, and he didn’t get back until Sunday night, so I wanted a chance to spend some real time with him. Normally, I waited until the afternoon to visit, in case he was sleeping i...
2023-10-18 13:04:18 +0000 UTC View PostStarhaven, Kingdom of Sidor
“The king is dead,” a voice said behind Aldric Whitton, pulling him out of his thoughts. He’d been staring out over the balcony, off of their elder brother’s royal chambers, at the city sprawling beneath it and the sea beyond, so wrapped ...
2023-10-16 15:30:38 +0000 UTC View PostThe next morning, I was still thinking about my conversation with Mrs. Phillips. I actually felt a little relieved after talking about my dad and hearing her thoughts on my mixed feelings about the man.
Of course, that didn’t fix my anxiety about our lack of gigs. It was now halfway throu...
2023-10-13 16:33:48 +0000 UTC View PostThe house was quiet once Seth and Lyla went home, leaving me to go back inside and sit sullenly on my couch, worrying. Warren had left shortly after dropping the news, wanting to make it down to Asheville to talk to some people in person. He had seemed hopeful, but considering most of these peopl...
2023-10-10 13:13:07 +0000 UTC View PostBy Wednesday I was starting to get a little antsy. Warren still didn’t have any news for us about our next gig, although he said he was working on it. I was still holding out some hope for a summer tour, but if we needed to put time into smaller clubs locally before we could book a full tour an...
2023-10-07 16:17:01 +0000 UTC View PostSunday afternoon before practice I was back at the Blue Ridge for my usual training with Chef and our gig that night, although I had something else planned that Chef didn’t know about.
I made my way around back and sat down in one of the chairs to wait while Chef finished making sure ever...
2023-10-03 20:13:38 +0000 UTC View Post“Morning,” I said, sitting down at the dining table across from Kat.
She was an early riser and usually beat me downstairs in the morning. This had, more or less, been our pattern since school had gotten out and everything had settled down. I wasn’t all that busy, but Kat’s schedule...
2023-10-01 03:46:01 +0000 UTC View PostPort of Kalb
Valdar stepped out of the temporary housing he’d been given when the fleet arrived back at the port a handful of days before, stretching and taking in the crisp salty air. He still thought of the cabin of his ship as his home, since it’s where he spent the ...
2023-09-28 12:48:59 +0000 UTC View PostDaramouda
Ky stood, looking at the high walls of the besieged port and the smoke billowing up from inside its walls. The Carthaginians had picked their ground well, even if they hadn’t done it on purpose. Almost no high ground existed, at least not within range of the por...
2023-09-27 16:27:00 +0000 UTC View PostDevnum
Lucilla arrived for a second time at the large open field outside of Devnum. Though the early fall morning air held a chill that warned of the upcoming winter, a large crowd had already gathered in anticipation of this day’s event, again they were held back by seve...
2023-09-26 18:03:01 +0000 UTC View PostGaul, North of the Pyrenees
“This is unacceptable!” General Tabnit said, slamming his fist against the wooden gate of the empty Roman fort. “How could you let them slip through your hands again?”
“My apologies, sir, the terrain was difficult and …” Atar,...
2023-09-25 20:22:01 +0000 UTC View PostPort of Kalb, Mouth of the Middle Sea
Valdar stepped carefully from the boarding plank down into the cutter, moving aft to take his place in the stern seat as the small boat began moving for the shore. Despite months of pounding the fortress from the sea and blockading it f...
2023-09-25 01:38:00 +0000 UTC View PostLucilla made her way into the palace from the courtyard, preferring to take the back way in to avoid the throngs of petitioners and citizens coming and going on business, official or otherwise.
She couldn’t wait until the telegraph was finally installed, after hearing Ky describe what it ...
2023-09-23 16:19:00 +0000 UTC View PostSouthern Germania
Ky halted his army, scanning the valley below through the drone flying high above the heavily wooded area. Using the naked eye, looking down the slope, the scene was serene and peaceful, with the early morning fog, not yet burned off by the morning sun, st...
2023-09-22 14:59:02 +0000 UTC View PostGaul, North of the Pyrenees
An argument was in full swing as Bomilcar ducked through the entrance to the command tent, which came to an abrupt halt just as the general made his sudden appearance. Aelius, Gordianus, and several of their tribunes were gathered around a rough ...
2023-09-21 13:14:01 +0000 UTC View PostHispania, North of the Pyrenees
The Carthaginian encampment blanketed the hill’s base, tents and men sprawling as far as the eye could see. At the center of this makeshift city sat the abandoned Roman fort, looming over the Carthaginians from atop the small rise.
Th...
2023-09-20 19:07:01 +0000 UTC View PostSouth of Devnum
Claudius led his squad of Praetorians through the dense woods, trudging along the damp trail. Normally, he hated the way the ground turned soggy from the endless early summer rains, but now, it worked to his benefit. The ground had been muddy when the prison...
2023-09-20 00:33:01 +0000 UTC View PostDevnum
Lucilla sat on her father’s throne, her throne now, and tried to radiate calm despite the rage churning inside of her. Everything she’d feared when they’d decided to start the new prisoner work gangs had come to pass, and she needed answers. However, she recall...
2023-09-18 17:11:01 +0000 UTC View PostPort Invictus
Velius stood atop the walls of Port Invictus, surveying the sprawling Carthaginian siege works encircling the city, taking in the trenches and barriers dug by the enemy to protect themselves from the Britannian artillery. Despite this artillery, the Carthagini...
2023-09-17 16:15:00 +0000 UTC View PostGaul, North of the Pyrenees
Velius gazed out the flap of the command tent, watching as the last crimson rays of dusk disappeared below the horizon. Around him, his commanders shuffled into the large tent, still wearing their armor from that day’s ride. 2023-09-15 14:10:01 +0000 UTC View Post
Devnum
Faenius walked purposefully into the temple, past the marble columns, intricate mosaics, and frescoes depicting religious tales, flanked by a squad of his best Praetorians, including the recently promoted centurion, Claudius, whom Faenius had been watching closely, a...
2023-09-13 17:22:43 +0000 UTC View PostOutside Factorium
Lucilla sat in the carriage, watching the familiar countryside roll past in a blur of green and gold. She’d taken this trip so many times that she was almost comfortable with the bouncing and jostling, although they were turning for a detour, heading to ...
2023-09-10 17:32:32 +0000 UTC View PostTaylor and Whitaker’s black SUV pulled to a gravelly stop on the shoulder of the state road, dust billowing around it in a choking cloud as they both stepped out to look over the area.
They’d gotten an early morning start after a few hours of sleep, which made it midday when they reache...
2023-09-08 14:14:00 +0000 UTC View PostNorth of the Pyrenees, Sixth Fort Construction Site
Velius walked slowly across the muddy ground, surveying the scene before him with a grim expression. Bodies of Carthaginian soldiers were being hauled away by the grave detail teams, stacked in careless heaps before being ...
2023-09-05 16:04:01 +0000 UTC View Post