Red Fang Chapter 18

“She’s performed the same ritual on me since I was a child,” Avani said from her makeshift bed under the birch trees, her words matched by a chorus of little chirping birds. The baby was fast asleep in her arms, his face placid and his cheeks plump. It was warm and peaceful in the grove and delicate moths flitted in the air.

“They shouldn’t be doing it on one so young. How old were you when you underwent the ritual?” Elise asked, handing Avani a cup of water fresh from the spring. The colour was back in the princess’s cheeks, but Elise was still concerned by her frailty. She wished she had the wisdom of her sisters and brothers at the abbey, but there was no way to reach them.
“Eight maybe? I don’t remember it before then.”
“Does it hurt at all?” Elise asked as the baby stirred in its sleep. In just a few days, the child had gained weight and grown faster than Elise could have imagined possible.
“It’s just a bit of iron. I remember Mother would hold it over my head and Father Aldwin would strike it and it would make a hollow ringing sound. I had to tell them how it made me feel.” Avani laughed at the memory. “It was all strange.”

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The Thousand Lakes

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Nestled in the shadow of the Intraana mountain range is a vast land of marsh and forest. Rivers pour in from both the north and south flooding the region until it's more lake than land and yet it is home to more life than any outsider could imagine. Hidden among the reed beds are villages and farms, not all sited on dry land, some float. The villages of the marsh elves drift with the seasons, following the migrations of birds and fish, ignored by the humans as long as they don't get too close. A human king claims dominion and is ready to shed blood to prove it, not his but those of his men, marching them into the swamp to kill and needlessly die. But there are still places where people can hide from tyrants and create homes and communities of their own.

Parent Plot

The Red Fang

Related Characters

• Avani Commaln
• Cosi
• Elise

Related Locations

• Arshen
• The Thousand Lakes