100 Words a Day 1166

Sandra stood on the balcony and sighed, watching the street below. Her father sat and watched the sunset, taking lazy pulls on a long cigar. Her mother sat beside him, fanning herself and watching Sandra.

The heat of the day lingered, slowly released from where it had accumulated in the stone and metal parts of the city. Sandra couldn’t see it from where she stood, but sweat bled through the ratty shirts worn by the laborers returning home after their day’s work. The only thing the bled through her finely-tailored dress was boredom.

“Sandra, let’s go inside,” her mother said.

100 Words a Day 1165

Okuro grimaced. Even with his cane bearing most of the weight meant for his leg, he felt a stab of pain each time he put his right foot down. Everyone walking the same direction passed him as he hobbled down the street. The few block walk took him many times what it would’ve taken him when he had lived on the street as a young man.

Despite the pain, Okuro continued. He slipped his free hand into his jacket, reassured by the presence of his old knife.  He looked over his shoulder at the pair of young men following him.

100 Words a Day 1164

Eljena closed her eyes and pictured a whippoorwill. She imagined its small beak and large eyes. And the earthy colors of its feathers. The familiar sensation of transformation emanated out from her center and flowed down her limbs into the tips of her digits and the top of her head.

When she opened her eyes, her vision had changed. And she was much closer to the ground, standing among tall stands of green grass. She launched herself into the air and alighted on a branch.

The guards chasing her charged around the corner. Their anticipatory grins turned to open-mouthed confusion.

100 Words a Day 163

Glorian focused his will and sent lightning streaking from his fingertips. It struck two of the bandits in their chests, hurtling them backwards. They slammed into the hard ground while the sound of the thunder still roared through the air. The other brigands hesitated. They had never seen an elf before, and had thought a lone traveler an easy mark. The unmoving bodies of their companions caused them to reassess the situation.

Glorian sent a jet of flame towards another bandit. It enveloped the poor man, sending him screaming into the woods. That was too much for the remaining men.

100 Words a Day 1162

Illian returned to his wagon and stripped off his costume. He dipped it in the small bucket and hung it up to dry. As he did so, he noticed the spot on his hand. The makeup had rubbed off. He covered the midnight blotch with his other hand and looked hurriedly around. He was alone in his wagon.

There was a knock on the door.

“Just a second!” He rushed over to his chest and threw the lid back. He snatched the small jar of paste and slathered it all over the spot. He grew frantic when the knock repeated.

100 Words a Day 1161

The heads of the merchant families met in the temple. It was also the largest facility for forging the steel goods they relied on for trade. They had to shout to be heard over the choir of hammer blows and the organ-bellows that stoked the divine fires. The dvergr skilled enough to have earned anvils in the great hall trailed dark ash wherever they went. The smithy tasks normally performed by goblins were handled by young dvergr, specially selected for their religious devotion and their potential as steel artisans. The greatest among them were selected to be the steel priests.

100 Words a Day 1160

The priestess wore a robe that was covered in dirt and full of holes. It smelled of rot and had been passed from one priestess to the next for as long as anyone could remember. It was the robe of the priestess of Death.

The congregation was isolated and few survived to adulthood. They hoped that their prayers would appease Death and that he wouldn’t let the shadow of his hand fall across their young. Failing that, they hoped he would pass that same shadow over their deceased, that they might rise up again and help till the rocky fields.