Heirot

Havi struggled to get his senses online. At first he thought the physician had gone for the Toothsbane, but it had been several minutes and no one had returned. Had his sister ordered them not to? Cera had always insisted on his using the pearls in the past. It seemed to please her that he was ...

Havi was blindly conscious of the armor prying loose from his skin and of a hand tapping his face, but the words floated in and out. Something about the shouting and the stench of blood combined with his exhaustion and the familiarity of it all twisted his thoughts. He was no longer on Heirot. He ...

Havi shook his head, and the world spun. *Oberin said... go until the armor takes me under. If I tap out-* His argument cut off as the minotaur grabbed him by the neck and hoisted him up in the air. Havi grabbed the beast's wrist with both hands and twisted, causing something beneath the skin to ...

Havi bent into a fighting stance and assessed his opponent. This was the first time he'd met a creature on this world that was taller than him. He wondered if this being possessed intelligence. It appeared to be a beast, so it might fight like one. There was no point in theorizing. He decided to ...

Havi rolled his eyes to Laurius. "If he doesn't, just go back to the hotel," he said to the man, glancing at his sword meaningfully.

Havi nodded, as if this was all some routine exercise. "Fine. Make sure they call off the fight once I collapse," he sighed.

Havi twitched. He hadn't felt the needles. Why hadn't he noticed? He twisted to examine the plate on his upper arm. A thin smear of dark blood oozed slightly around its edges, surprising him. He lifted the edge slightly. The skin beneath made a sticky sound as the tiny points shlicked free. He ...

Havi raised a brow. "How does it activate? And do you intend for me to win, or just fight until the armor does?"

"Two to three times," he noted flatly. Havi observed his opponent, then looked back at Oberin without a trace of concern in his expression. "How long do you want the fight to last, then?" He didn't want to take this guy down in one hit and then get some nonsense about the fight being too short to ...

Havi approached the gear slowly. His head had been cautiously blank ever since he'd followed Laurius out of the apartment, but the familiar atmosphere of the stone arena put him on edge. If he closed his eyes, he was back in Cera's pits. It felt like Tenara didn't even exist... like none of it had ...

Havi nodded to him. "Appreciated. Wake me when it's time." He took himself to the other room, stripped, and lay on the bed, which was still too short for his long frame. It was too hot to bother with the covers, so he just draped his feet over the footboard. He used his acquired skill of sleeping ...

Havi watched the child's behavior grimly. He supposed he had his answer about the venom. He could provide more, but the more frequently he used it, the weaker its potency would become. He took the meat pie from the counter and set the papered-wrapped meal in front of her on the floor, without a word ...

Havi set his jaw. He did not want to be here for a few weeks. He wanted to turn this place upside down, take what they came for, and burn everything behind them, yesterday if possible. When his attention returned to the moment, Laurius was showing him "his" child lying on the floor. Havi looked her ...

Havi stayed close on the man's heels. He wasn't sure why his stomach was in knots. He couldn't shake this odd, protective concern for Laurius Marr. It had nagged at him ever since he'd seen Laurius's reaction to this place and the people here. Or had it begun with guilt, when he'd torn the man to ...

Havitharon shot up from his chair, uncertain of Laurius's behavior. He shot a calculating look at Oberin, then took off after his counterpart. He found Laurius outside. The light from the street lamps cast obscuring shadows across the man's face, and it worried Havi that he couldn't make out his ...