November 2022

“Revin,” Farrel called as he came out of the forest’s edge. She turned toward him and smiled. Revin had already Sensed him, while still in the forest. She never tired of seeing his leisurely, but confident stride. It seemed as if he had barely aged in twenty-five years. The same brilliant blue eyes, like the depths of a lake, and just the hint of gray in his beard. No, he hadn’t changed. A familiar tingling […]

Maeveen and the Oma stood and helped Revin to her feet. She knew she should be exhausted, but instead felt energized. In contrast, the jewel of her staff had dulled. Her body tingled as she realized her senses were enhanced, her sight clearer, the smell of the burnt ground stronger. But there was something else—another sense—one she couldn’t name. She could feel something about the women to either side of her. It was like a

A loud roar, one that made the rumbling of the ground sound like a whisper, announced the arrival of the Gold. The Sentinel flew in over the forest across from Revin, and she watched as it swooped down over the villagers, gliding not ten feet off the ground toward the circle of women. A flying dragon! Revin was momentarily jolted because she, along with everyone else she knew, believed that winged dragons, if they ever

They stood in a meadow, what Maeveen called the Gathering Field. The muddy ground squished under Revin’s boots. Splotches of snow still could be seen under the trees of the surrounding forest. Revin, Maeveen, and the other dozen white-robed women stood in a circle, along with the women in the plaid skirts, Keely among them. Revin quickly figured out that the women in white robes had separated into four groups, three to four women each

“What is this Gathering? Some sort of ritual?” Revin asked, after they had been walking for a while, her voice softening. Keely had only treated Revin kindly, Or was it all a ploy? Revin wondered, but she was a good judge of character and found it hard to imagine Keely involved in anything devious. “Can you tell me about this golden dragon? I think Maeveen called it the Sentinel.” Keely glanced over her shoulder as

Revin woke with a start. Her head whirled as she sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed. It was then that she realized she wore nothing but her underclothing. She scanned the room. Her dress was not there, nor were the leather pants and vests she had on when she had arrived. The only clothing in the room was a white dress that hung on a hook near the door