43 Results in the "A Thread of Corruption" category
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Chapter
Chapter 42 – Unsettling
Valentina and Innogen turned onto Mill Gate Road, where the street vendors were packing up their stalls. "I'm starting to get a little scared of him," Innogen said quietly. Valentina shoved her hands into the pockets of her coat. "He's our friend." "Yes. And if he keeps this up, in two years he'll be an Illuminator who's one hundred percent convinced that any cruelty is an acceptable price for saving souls." Innogen looked at her, and there was a hardness in her eyes. "He doesn't know what we are…-
421.6 K • Ongoing
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Chapter
Chapter 41 – Man of Conviction
On Thursday, Valentina was back at Violet Delights. Today her client was Master Irlwin, a cloth and wool merchant from Southwatch who came to Bridgewater every two months to do business with the local guilds. He was a quiet man in his fifties, with a carefully groomed grey beard and the work-worn hands of someone who had learned the cloth-making trade from the ground up before he became rich enough to have others do the work. As always, he brought with him a lock of hair from the wife of his fiercest…-
421.6 K • Ongoing
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Chapter
Chapter 40 – Probing the Eye
The next evening, Valentina waited until the sounds of Pinfeather Lane had died down, then closed all her shutters and locked them carefully. She had already locked the front door an hour ago. Then she activated the Essence-dampening patterns in the walls of her study. The conventional ones first, then the more subtle configurations that Vyxara had taught her, the ones designed to ensure that, hopefully, no Essence Weaver passing by outside would perceive even the slightest hint of Essence…-
421.6 K • Ongoing
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Chapter
Chapter 39 – Hoager
The Burning Quill was, as always, well-attended, but not exactly crowded. Because it was drizzling outside, Hobkin stood by the fireplace today, where the innkeeper had cleared a space for him between the tables. He was telling a story to a handful of listeners with great relish. It was a story that apparently involved the Scorchbishop, a pretty innkeeper, a donkey, and a fateful misunderstanding. A group of men at one of the front tables were already holding their sides with laughter, even though he…-
421.6 K • Ongoing
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On Thursday evening, she became Lily again. In the dressing room at Violet Delights, Valentina put on her illusion artifact, the necklace with the violet stones, and placed a strand of golden-blonde hair, that Madame Dolorosa handed her into the designated compartment. Valentina activated the pattern in the largest of the violet stones, and the familiar warm tingling ran over her skin as the illusion enveloped her. In the mirror, she saw another woman, with golden, curly hair, full lips, and blue…
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421.6 K • Ongoing
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Von Agrippin had just answered Professor Emberfell's second critical question when his gaze swept over the raised hands in the hall and lingered on Valentina. It was only a moment, but she knew that kind of look from men. A quick, almost involuntary registration, followed by a more conscious double take, and then, most often, an attempt to hide it. Some men hid it better than others, and Von Agrippin hid it very well. "The young lady in the fifth row, please." Valentina stood up and cleared her…
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421.6 K • Ongoing
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"Let me," he said, "begin with a simple question." He made a brief, theatrical pause. "How many fundamental Essences are there?" He didn't get an answer for quite a while because everyone suspected a trick. The answer was far too obvious. Any child could have answered it. "Eight," someone called out from the back rows, and a soft chuckle rippled through the hall. "Eight," Von Agrippin confirmed cheerfully. "You learn that before you even set foot in the university, I'm sure. It's the answer…
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421.6 K • Ongoing
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The university was bustling again and returning students and newcomers jostled in the hallways, chests were dragged across the cobblestones, and people stood crowded three rows deep in front of the board to read announcements and room changes. Professor Veilford's Advanced Planar Geometry course came as a shock. Not necessarily in terms of content, as Valentina had a solid grasp of the fundamentals, but the mathematical precision and work load Veilford demanded in her master's year was on an entirely…
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421.6 K • Ongoing
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Chapter
Chapter 34 – The New Crispin
A day later, there was a knock at the front door, and Valentina set aside the quill she'd been using to copy a summary of advanced healing methods before hurrying down the stairs, already full of anticipation. When she opened the door, Innogen was standing on the threshold, holding a huge jug of wine. Her blue eyes were shining. "I've brought a housewarming gift," she said. "Come in!" Valentina stepped aside and closed the door behind her. Innogen set the wine down on the small table in the…-
421.6 K • Ongoing
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Chapter
Chapter 33 – The Sight
The key didn't fit properly into the lock on the first try. Valentina jiggled it, turned it, tried to overcome resistance of the heavy, rusty iron key in the lock, and then there was a solid click, and the door swung open inward. Pinfeather Lane was a rather narrow street, barely wide enough for a cart and lined with modest but decent half-timbered houses. To the right of Valentina's new home was a bookbinder's workshop, and to the left lived a very elderly former professor from Bridgewater…-
421.6 K • Ongoing
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