73 Results in the "A Blossom of Flames" category
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The Burning Quill was well attended that evening. Students were celebrating the end of exams, saying goodbye to friends or drowning their disappointment in ale and fire tongues. The smell of roasting meat and spicy sauce drifted from the kitchen into the bar. Valentina, Innogen and Crispin had managed to get a quiet table in a corner. Wilbur, the innkeeper, had served them his best lamb chops and even brought a bottle of wine from his private cellar. Innogen's name and money made it possible. "Here's to…-
421.6 K • Ongoing
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Valentina woke up long before sunrise. The pale light of dawn was only just creeping through her small window, but sleep was no longer an option. Her heart hammered against her ribs as she eagerly awaited the inevitable announcement of the exam results. "Awake already?" Vyxara's amused voice echoed through her head. "You're almost as excited as before the Greystone Competition." "But it's a very different kind of excitement," Valentina murmured as she got out of bed. The wooden floor felt cool under her…
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421.6 K • Ongoing
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Chapter
Chapter 68 – Healing Hands
In her small attic room, Valentina sat at her table and stared into a medicine book, reading the same paragraph for what must have been the third time. She let go of the book and began to rub her eyes hard. The exhaustion of the day lay heavy on her limbs, and for the first time in hours she allowed herself to think of the doubts she had been pushing back all day. "You're brooding," Vyxara noted. "That's never a good sign." "Tomorrow is the last exam," Valentina murmured. "Essence-Enhanced Medicine with…-
421.6 K • Ongoing
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Chapter
Chapter 67 – Independent Mind
When Valentina woke up on the first morning of the exam week, still half asleep, her first instinct was to feel in her mind for Vyxara's familiar presence, for the demonic force that had so often paved the way for her in recent months. "Ah, you're awake, little Weaver," Vyxara purred in her head. "Ready for the first test?" "Yes," Valentina said quietly, sitting up in her narrow bed and getting ready to discuss what she was about to tell Vyxara. "But I've decided to try it on my own. Without your…-
421.6 K • Ongoing
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Professor Horne's message was short and formal, written in his characteristically shaky handwriting: "I expect you in my office this evening at the eighth hour. The matter cannot be delayed." "He'll want to... adjust his demands," Vyxara said thoughtfully. "Your new status changes the rules of the game." "Maybe he just wants to congratulate me," Valentina mumbled without conviction. "Oh, sweet naivety," purred the demon. "You know exactly what he wants." The corridors of the university were almost…
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421.6 K • Ongoing
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Chapter
Chapter 65 – Echoes of Glory
When Valentina woke up the next morning, she blinked in the bright light and tried to block out the throbbing aftermath of yesterday's banquet. "Good morning, little Weaver," Vyxara purred in her head. "How does the triumph feel today?" "As if I've drunk too much of Duke Cosimo's expensive wine," Valentina mumbled and sat up carefully. Her head was pounding. Perhaps she really had drunk a little too much of the wine, despite Innogen's warnings. The red velvet dress Innogen had lent her hung carefully…-
421.6 K • Ongoing
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Chapter
Chapter 64 – Weaving Fates
The next pattern hovered between them, more labyrinthine still than the previous ones. Valentina noticed Faustus' hand twitch to a bulging, misshapen pouch on his belt, probably where he had hidden the Eye of Deceit. "Here it comes," warned Vyxara. "Let's see how he likes our little surprise." Faustus' eyes narrowed in concentration. His fingers moved in precise patterns, obviously activating the artifact. But instead of the expected distortion... nothing. "What...?" he mumbled in confusion and tried…-
421.6 K • Ongoing
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Chapter
Chapter 63 – Loom of Destiny
The morning of the competition, a beautiful spring morning, crept through Valentina's small window. She was already awake, staring at the ceiling and trying to get her pounding heartbeat under control. "You're nervous, little Weaver," Vyxara's voice in her head sounded half sympathetic half amused. "Scared to death would be more appropriate," Valentina mumbled. She sat up and rubbed her tired eyes. The night had been short, with too many thoughts, too many worries, too many last repetitions of complex…-
421.6 K • Ongoing
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Chapter
Chapter 62 – The Essence Thief
"...strange," she heard a voice through the wall. "The door to the main corridor felt different." "What do you mean by that, Professor Veilford?" Valentina's heart skipped a beat. Why hadn't her alarm pattern warned her? What was Professor Veilford doing here now, at this time of night? Veilford was a master of Essence manipulation. If he noticed her changes to the protection patterns... "I'm not sure." Footsteps approached the door to the storeroom. "Let's go and have a look." "Behind the shelves!"…-
421.6 K • Ongoing
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Chapter
Chapter 61 – The Vault Below
"Four vials for basic stabilization," Valentina muttered, scribbling the number on her already overstuffed parchment. "Plus at least five for the more complex patterns..." "Don't forget the emergency reserve," Vyxara admonished in her head. "You know how Faustus likes to play dirty tricks." Valentina sighed and added more numbers to her list. The soft glow of the Essence lamps in the library made the ink shimmer pleasantly. "Twelve vials," she finally said tonelessly. "Minimum." "And how many do you…-
421.6 K • Ongoing
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