71 Results in the "A Weave of Ambition" category
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When Valentina came into the Red Room, she immediately saw that Faustus was in terrible shape. He was crouched on the edge of the bed, tapping his foot, his expensive doublet rumpled, his hair in disarray, as if he had been running his fingers through it nervously over and over again. "Lily," he gasped and jumped up. His movements were erratic, uncoordinated. Was he drunk? "At last. I've been waiting for ages." "He looks like a hunted animal," Vyxara remarked. "What happened?" Valentina asked gently as…-
424.1 K • Ongoing
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When Valentina arrived at the dining room the next morning, students stood in small groups, their heads together, nervously whispering. "Val!" Crispin rushed towards her, his face pale with excitement. "They've found it!" "What do you mean?" Valentina forced herself to calm down as her heart skipped a beat. What had happened now? "Do you remember the break-in in the Essence storage last year, when we all thought nothing was stolen?" His voice almost cracked. "Well, something was stolen! When the…
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424.1 K • Ongoing
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Chapter
Chapter 58 – Fading Illusions
She sat astride him, his manhood deep inside her, her hands braced on his chest, and when she looked down into his face, she still caught herself thinking about how her life had actually come to this point. "Say it," Faustus gasped beneath her. His hands gripped her hips, pulling her deeper onto him. "Say you're sorry." Valentina bit her lip and tried to concentrate on her role. The scent ofviolets mingled with the smell of sex and sweat as she moved up and down on him. "I'm... I'm sorry," she said, her…-
424.1 K • Ongoing
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Chapter
Chapter 57 – Obsession
Valentina watched uncertainly as Faustus tried to regain his composure. His hands were still shaking slightly as he wiped the tears from his face. "I'm sorry," he mumbled. "I don't know what... that was just... very intense." "Oh, that's delicious," Vyxara purred. "He's apologizing to you because he got emotional, not because he just took you brutally." Valentina ignored the demon and handed Faustus a cloth from the small table next to the bed. "Was it the first time you... lived out such a…-
424.1 K • Ongoing
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Chapter
Chapter 56 – The Client
"I didn't think that illusion stuff would work so well. You look exactly like her," Faustus said. At first, Valentina thought she had misheard him. Faustus was still grinning in the doorway of the Red Room, his broad face beaming with triumph, but his words made no sense. "Oh!" Vyxara's cackling laughter sounded through Valentina's head. "Now I understand! He gave Madame Dolorosa a strand of YOUR hair! He wanted a courtesan who looks like you! The stupid boy has no idea that he's standing opposite the…-
424.1 K • Ongoing
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The news spread like wildfire through the university one evening, that the Illuminator had searched Professor Horne's private library again and found a hidden collection of erotic literature. Worse still were his handwritten fantasies about female students, which he had scribbled in the margins of the books. "They found several notebooks," Crispin told Valentina scandalized. "Full of... details. About his female students." Fear gripped Valentina. She knew exactly what and about whom Horne had written in…
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424.1 K • Ongoing
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Chapter
Chapter 54 – Masks and Faces
Over the next few weeks, Valentina was constantly amazed at how quickly one got used to new circumstances. A deeply human trait, as Vyxara assured her. Her days had settled into a new routine despite the oppression of normal university life by the Illuminator and his people. In the mornings she attended her lectures, in the afternoons she assisted Professor Whitehall with her healings and tried to learn what she could from her. On Monday and Thursday evenings she slipped through the back entrance of the…-
424.1 K • Ongoing
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Chapter
Chapter 53 – A Good Daughter
The sewing shop was in a quiet side street, a dignified store with carefully arranged fabrics in the window. As Valentina entered, a small brass bell rang above the door. A friendly-looking woman with blonde hair tied into a convenient knot behind her head looked up from her work. "Ah, you must be Valentina." She smiled warmly. "I am Gretta. Madame Dolorosa told me you were coming." Valentina nodded nervously. "Yes, I..." "Don't worry," Gretta rose from the beautiful sewing work she was doing and…-
424.1 K • Ongoing
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Chapter
Chapter 52 – Decisions
When Valentina entered the library the next morning, she immediately sensed that something had happened again. The already very subdued atmosphere was now full of nervous tension. Students whispered in the corners, but fell silent abruptly when someone walked past. "Did you hear that?" A first-year student leaned across the table to his friends. "They arrested another two last night. Essence Weavers from the city." "If he keeps this up, all the Essence Weavers will leave the city," another muttered…-
424.1 K • Ongoing
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Chapter
Chapter 51 – Possibilities
Valentina stood outside an elegant townhouse in one of Bridgewater's better neighborhoods. The Violet Delights seemed to be very different from the usual brothels in the city. There were no glaring lanterns, for one and no drunken men standing around outside the door or lurking in the shadows. Instead, the three-story building made of solid brick exuded a refined, discreet elegance. Well-crafted Essence patterns shimmered in the high windows, carefully woven defensive patterns that Valentina looked at with…-
424.1 K • Ongoing
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