71 Results in the "A Weave of Ambition" category
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Dear Readers, And so the second book about Valentina and Vyxara comes to an end. In a sense, it was more challenging to write because two new settings (and, above all, social spheres) were added with Palewood and Dusktown, but that's also exactly what made it so much fun. It gave me the opportunity to incorporate even more of the things I have in mind for the Valentinaverse. The book was characterized by Valentina venturing further and further into morally grey territory and – of course, always…
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Chapter
Chapter 69 – Summer is Coming
The mood was excited among the second-year students as they gathered for the grading ceremony. The main hall of Bridgewater University filled up quickly. Valentina stood between Innogen and Crispin, their hands clasped tightly together. "I think I wasn't this nervous even before the Greystone competition," thought Valentina. "Oh, you have a very short memory," Vyxara mocked in her head. "You were a bundle of nerves." The Decan Valemont stepped up to the podium, followed by a number of…-
374.8 K • Ongoing
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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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374.8 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 bythe 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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Chapter
Chapter 2 – Father, Mother…
Chapter 2 – Father, Mother… After breakfast, Valentina stepped out into the crisp morning with her father. The sun was still low and the dew glistened on the grass. A light haze hung over the fields, giving the landscape an almost surreal atmosphere. "It's good to have you back," Aldwin said quietly as they walked side by side along the well-trodden dirt path. "We've missed you." Valentina felt a lump in her throat. "I missed you too," she replied. The familiar smells of damp earth and freshly…-
374.8 K • Ongoing
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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…
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374.8 K • Ongoing
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When it got dark, Valentina wrapped her darkest cloak around her and pulled the hood low over her face. She had bought the cloak at the market a few months ago to get incognito to Violet Delights – a simple but well-made piece without any conspicuous features. Perfect for not standing out at night. "A few extra precautions can't hurt," Vyxara muttered in her head. "The Emberwardens may think they've caught their evildoers, but never underestimate the vigilance of fanatics." Valentina nodded…
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374.8 K • Ongoing
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A black… thing… shot out of the shadows, so fast that it was barely more than a dark streak in the air. Valentina felt the back of her neck tense – she knew thiscat, but not like this. Not in this form. It was still a normal-sized cat, but any natural movement had given way to an abnormal smoothness. Its eyes glowed with an inner, hellish fire, and as it snarled with a hair-raising howl, it revealed several rows of needle-sharp teeth dripping with a corrosive venom. The first Emberwarden didn't…
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374.8 K • Ongoing
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Chapter
Chapter 63 – The Old Gardener…
It wasn't that she was ignoring the noise outside, it was more that she was distracted. Because suddenly she remembered. Remembered the ritual gone wrong that had bound her and Vyxara together. The crucial words of the ritual echoed through her head, crystal clear, as if she had just spoken them yesterday: "You must not communicate with hell." The commotion outside grew louder – excited voices, hurried footsteps on the cobblestones – but Valentina stood frozen in the middle of her room as the…-
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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