Matthew Cairns's Blog (2)

SOMEONE FAMILIAR As the full moon reached its zenith, the circle was at last complete. Filings of silver, interspersed with the juice of a manafruit and traces of her own blood surrounded Naiilo. She was ready to begin the ritual. "Earth below, Air above..." she began with trepidation. Never before had she attempted such a dangerous feat. Magic flowed in her blood, a gift from the mother she never knew, but this was not simple sorcery. One word mispronounced, a false gesture or even a lapse in… Continue

HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS Columns of black smoke rose in the north, staining the sunset. The young sorceress turned away from the remnants of the Protectorate with a shiver, despite the intense heat of the savanna. It was unlikely she would ever see Rex again. Her father had made many enemies through his swindles and cons, so it seemed ironic that he should meet his end in a problem not of his own making. The Paladins were dead, of course. Or in full retreat, abandoning their charges to blood… Continue