71 Results in the "A Weave of Ambition" category
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Faustus' cell was at the other end of the corridor. Valentina had to take out two more guards with her pattern before she reached the heavy iron door. The door swung open with a soft creak. Faustus crouched on a narrow cot, his expensive nightgown torn and bloodstained. His face was marked by blows, but nowhere near as badly battered as Gladder. The Illumination had held back on him, probably because they thought the spoiled nobleman would break faster. When he looked up and saw her, his eyes widened…-
459.3 K • Ongoing
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The next few days were a heyday for rumors and all the gossips in town were having the time of their lives. Valentina sat silently in the corner of the Burning Quill, sipping her ale as she amplified the hastily whispered conversations around her with her Essence Listening. "I swear by the flame of the Martyr," a market woman hissed to her neighbor, "my brother-in-law saw him. In Golden Fields! The young Boarfend galloped right past his cart, his hair wild in the wind." "It's so fascinating to watch…
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A soft knock on her door made Valentina look up from her notes. "Come in," she said quietly. Innogen slipped through the door, carrying a small linen-wrapped parcel in her hands. "I thought you might need this." She sat down on Valentina's narrow bed and handed her the package. "My father sent it to me, but I want you to have it." Valentina carefully unwrapped the linen cloth. It was a beautifully bound journal, the cover made of the finest leather, the pages of cream-colored paper. "That…
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459.3 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…-
459.3 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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459.3 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…-
459.3 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…-
459.3 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…-
459.3 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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459.3 K • Ongoing
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Chapter
Chapter 6 – Blossom
On one of the last afternoons she probably had left with her family, Valentina suggested a walk to her sister. "Let's go to the old pear tree," she said, "like we used to." Adeline was beaming. She had been waiting patiently all week to have her big sister to herself. She had patiently kept all her burning questions to herself. Valentina and Vyxara had noticed that. The two sisters set off past the familiar fields of their childhood. The narrow path meandered through tall grass that waved in the summer…-
459.3 K • Ongoing
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