“Rana... He’s toying with you...” In spite of the noise of the dead girl’s screams and the chaos of the fight, Greta’s raspy, sick-sounding voice rang clear in Rana’s ears. She couldn’t see very well, with her eyes teared up from the pain and shock of the blow to her face, but from her voice Rana was sure Greta was barely clinging to life.

“Don’t you recognize your best friend, Arron?” He stared at her again and she bared her teeth at him in what could, possibly, be taken for a smile by the truly unobservant.

So, as of last night the climax of the book is written. We still have to write the denouement, but that won't take long as it is already planned out. Once finished, we will run an editing pass or two, and then post the whole finale in one fairly large post. I had thought to post individual chapters, but we don't want to break the 3-post front page rule. I'm very excited about this, because it marks the first work of novel magnitude I have ever completed, with or without a collaborator, and for darkice as well.

Tears rolled unchecked down her cheeks. Looking him deep into his eyes, she whispered to Rall. “I’m so sorry I couldn’t save you.” Then she finally broke down into heartwrenching sobs, completely devoid of hope.

“Beria--dan--wen” she slowly spoke, the dagger almost seem to speak to her it name as her mind translated the elven runes. “Beriadanwen”

She felt her legs turning to lead and her side ache as if pierced by a sharp knife. She knew her limit had been reached but kept going anyway. Even so it surprised her when the ground jumped up and hit her in the face.

Slurping back the tea Rall stared at the sword. “We need to talk I think.”

Smiling at him she offered her elegant hand as if to pull him up from the water. “Come,” she said, “Dance with me on the waters and lie with me on the sand.”

“Please, don’t leave...” he heard a weak voice say before darkness claimed him.

“When the fae come out to play the mortals dance and swing and sway..."

Xabriar gripped the copper bowl full of dark water, his knuckles white around its edge, and forcibly restrained himself. The tools of his trade were becoming more valuable to him by the day, and this one let him see more of the distant goings on than most. He left it on the bench and stalked across the room, muttering to himself.

Cale’s waiting paid off an hour after dusk. The lights on the third floor flicker out in the adjacent inn. Soon the two girls would be fast asleep; a few drops of crushed night weed and the two would never awaken. A painless death, it was the least he could do.

“Unsheath the sword, would you lad? Can’t be too careful you see, and you have held the sword already.” Rall did as he was asked, laying the naked blade back down on the bench. Were his eyes deceiving him, or was it a bit more polished now?

To those who did not read the notes last week, due to real life complications darkice and I are delaying the next chapter of The Rusted Blade until next week. We found that if we don't keep a fair lead on the story, we *will* write ourselves into a corner, and then finding a way out of it without retconning what we've already released is tricky at best, and can interrupt the flow of writing.

A note to our readers at the end of the chapter, please bear with us!

“The road!” Greta whooped in glee as she jumped up and down excitedly. Rall joined her in excitement when he first saw the hard-packed wide road from Gaerbron to Lussax. He didn’t recognize where they were along the road because he hadn’t paid much attention the first time along it, and it hardly mattered anyway because they weren’t lost in the woods anymore!

Arron stared at her for a moment as he contemplated her suggestion. “So you wish to sneak by the Academy guard, break into your own lab and not be noticed?”

“So we’re lost?” Rall asked, hoping somehow it wouldn’t be true.

“I thought something was off about you.” Greta said quietly, and Rall nearly fainted.

“Might as well keep that one, it’s shoddy steel, not even worth melting down. And it can’t be enchanted, not even the poorest wizard would waste magic on that junk. I’ll not pay your master for that kind of thing.”

I posted chapter two as a child page to Singularity, but it didn't show it on the main page. Am I doing it right? I want people to be able to tell when I post a new chapter...

Thing seem to be going well for Alyssa in spite of her recent upheaval. She has friends, family support, and nifty new abilities, though she can't always control them the way she wants to. But an accidental (?) foray into a world she never knew existed will bring yet more change... Now, more adventures of- -----*****Alyssa in Wonderland*****----- Kudzu By Angie "kitn" Hughes

 
"This is fan fiction for the Whateley Academy series. It may or may not match the timeline, characters, and continuity, but since it's fan fiction, who cares? To see the canon Whateley Stories, check out Whateley Academy at ( http://www.crystalhall.org )"