71 Results in the "A Weave of Ambition" category
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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…-
374.8 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 thebeautiful sewing work she was doingand…-
374.8 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…-
374.8 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 was very different from the usual brothels in the city – there were no glaring lanterns, 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-craftedEssence patterns shimmered in the high windows, carefully woven defensive patterns that Valentina looked at with professional…-
374.8 K • Ongoing
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Chapter
Chapter 50 – Old Acquaintance
Valentina turned the precious vials in her hands. The Essence shimmered in them like liquid moonlight. Two vials – that might get her through the next two weeks if she used them sparingly. But then what? "A worryingly low supply," Vyxara remarked. "Especially given the fact that your usual sources have dried up." "I know," Valentina thought grimly. Barnaby was in the Illumination's dungeons, and even if he was still free – after their last encounter, she wouldn't have visited his store anyway.…-
374.8 K • Ongoing
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Chapter
Chapter 5 – Old Friends
Chapter 5 – Old Friends Netta made her way through the crowd, one hand placed protectively on her pregnant belly. In the morning light streaming through the narrow windows of the Flametower, Valentina could see the freckles on her former best friend's nose –just like when they used to run across the fields together and confide their most secret dreams to each other. "What a contrast," said Vyxara. "The poor peasant girl who stayed at home while you went out into the big wide world." "Val,"…-
374.8 K • Ongoing
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Chapter
Chapter 49 – Death’s Hand
The following days blurred into a repetitive cycle of care, short breaks and constant worry. Valentina and Innogen shared the tasks –while one rested, the other watched over Crispin. Valentina used all her knowledge from Dusktown. She had recreated the sterilizing effect of the modified Greystone Cascade on a smaller scale, a fine mesh of Essence patterns that purified the air and surfaces in the room. It cost her and Innogen much of their precious supply of Distilled Essence to keep it going, but it…-
374.8 K • Ongoing
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Chapter
Chapter 48 – Winter’s Grip
Icy sleet drove the students into the buildings, where they huddled around fireplaces and stoves, freezing. "Appropriate weather for these gloomy times," Vyxara murmured in Valentina's mind. Valentina pulled her coat tighter around her as she hurried through the cold corridors. Everywhere, students huddled in small groups, seeking warmth in the community. Their muffled conversations echoed off the stone walls. "Did you hear that?" a student whispered to her friend. "Twenty people died of the fever…-
374.8 K • Ongoing
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Chapter
Chapter 47 – A Pious Virgin
On the seventh day after Eastwald's arrival, Valentina found a parchment note on the outside of her door. With cool precision, the formal handwriting informed her that she was to report to the questioning room atnoon. No explanation, no polite phrases – just a direct instruction, sealed with the stylized flame symbol of the Illumination. "Ah, the time has finally come," Vyxara whispered. "It was bound to happen sooner or later." Valentina stared at the parchment, her heartbeat quickening. Despite…-
374.8 K • Ongoing
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Chapter
Chapter 46 – Loose Ends
News of the room searches quickly spread through the university like wildfire. Valentina heard the first rumors at lunch – students whispering about Emberwardens ransacking rooms, slashing mattresses, confiscating books and destroying personal belongings. "They took all of Oleanne's correspondence with her betrothed," a third-year student hissed, over her soup plate. "Private letters! Imagine what a scandal it could be if they read them." Valentina exchanged a worried glance with Innogen. "Are they…-
374.8 K • Ongoing
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