59 Results in the "A Thread of Corruption" category
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Chapter
Chapter 48 – Direct Action
Von Agrippin's rooms were located in the western part of the university, on the second floor of the building reserved for professors and other scholars. She found the right door, a plain oak door with a small slate plaque bearing his name, and knocked. Shortly thereafter, he opened the door for her. The expensive, continental-style burgundy doublet he was wearing was the same one he wore for lectures, but his hair was tied back a little looser than usual, so that a dark strand fell across his face,…-
459.3 K • Ongoing
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Once a week and never more. That was what Vyxara and she had agreed upon, and she had adhered to it with iron discipline so far, even though her fingers had been itching to finally try out the Eye with corrupted Essence. And today was finally the day. She knelt down next to her desk and felt around for the right panel, deactivated the protective patterns, slid the panel aside, and pulled out the iron box. The lid swung open, and there lay the Eye of Deceit. In the candlelight, the surface shimmered…
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459.3 K • Ongoing
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On Thursday, she found herself back in the large lecture hall for von Agrippin's lecture, which this week covered the mathematical formalization of the transformation rules between Essence types. Valentina sat next to Innogen in the fourth row and took notes. Von Agrippin stood in front of the slate board, half of which he had covered with an equation describing the symmetry operations by which the Leb-resonant configuration could be transformed into the Viur-resonant one. "One important insight," he…
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459.3 K • Ongoing
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Chapter
Chapter 45 – The Project
The Tower of Healing was one of the oldest buildings on the university campus, older even than the Great Library and almost as old as the Burning Tower itself. People had been healing here before they had been teaching here, and Valentina could tell just by looking at the building. The walls were made of dark, roughly hewn sandstone that must have once been red but had taken on a dark patina over the centuries, and the narrow windows sat so deep within the walls that the light streaming in had to literally…-
459.3 K • Ongoing
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Chapter
Chapter 44 – Leads and Traces
Rose was the first to arrive. She stepped through the door of the back salon, the lush red curls of her illusion falling over her shoulders, and stopped abruptly when she saw Madame Dolorosa lying on the couch, looking shaken and exhausted. "What happened?" Rose was immediately at Madame Dolorosa's side. "There was a break-in last night," said Madame Dolorosa. "Lily has already taken care of me. I'm fine." "You don't look like you're fine." "Please don't worry about me, Rose, I-" Then Violet…-
459.3 K • Ongoing
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Chapter
Chapter 43 – Assault
That Thursday, Valentina arrived a good hour earlier than usual at Violet Delights. The little bell above the door to Gretta's tailor shop jingled softly as she entered. Outside, dusk had already fallen, and inside the workshop, all the Essence lamps were already lit and their warm light fell on the carefully draped fabrics. Gretta looked up from her work and smiled. "So early today?" "Madame asked me to come in before the others. We have to finish the quarterly accounts." "Oh, you poor thing."…-
459.3 K • Ongoing
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Chapter
Chapter 12 – Good Reception
The Greystone townhouse shone like a jewel in the summer twilight. Essence lamps cast warm, light through every corner of the estate, and the courtyard had been transformed into a beautiful landscape of flowers. Silver-grey and gold banners in the colors of the Greystones and Ashbournes fluttered gently in the balmy evening air. Long tables groaned under the weight of exquisite dishes. There were glazed pheasants, artfully arranged pies, candied fruits, and towers of sweet pastries. And of course lots…-
459.3 K • Ongoing
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Chapter
Chapter 11 – The Announcement
A fanfare cut through the babble of voices like a sharp sword through silk. The herald in his colorful tabard stepped forward, his staff banging three times on the wooden platform. "Noble lords and ladies!" His voice echoed across the field. "His Majesty has a joyful announcement to make!" The crowd fell silent instantly. Thousands of faces turned toward the royal box, where King Edmund rose from his throne. Although he was not nearly as festively dressed as he had been at the opening of Parliament,…-
459.3 K • Ongoing
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Chapter
Chapter 10 – Chains of Gold
The next day, the Greystones' carriage rumbled through the narrow streets back to the townhouse, and Valentina could still hear the roar of the debate in Parliament ringing in her ears. It still was exciting to watch Cosimo at work. His carefully placed arguments outside of sessions about the pirate threat and his subtle hints at riches to come had left visible cracks in the opposition. "The Marquess of Timberpine was particularly persuasive today," Lady Beatrice remarked as she fanned herself. "The way…-
459.3 K • Ongoing
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Chapter
Chapter 9 – Rising Blood
Both froze. The air between them seemed to crackle, and a breeze loosened a honey-colored curl from her elaborate hairstyle. "Val." Innogen's voice was little more than a whisper. "Innogen." They spoke at the same time. "How are you-" "I've been looking for-" They both fell silent, an embarrassed smile flitting across Innogen's lips. "Please, speak first," said Valentina. "No, I... it's just..." Innogen visibly struggled for words. "How have you settled in? In your new…-
459.3 K • Ongoing
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