Testament of the Stars by Alexandra Beaumont

Author:Alexandra Beaumont
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: lesbian, dark fantasy, high fantasy, fantasy world, queer fantasy, lesbian main character, fantasy cult, wlw
Publisher: GurtDogPress

Chapter Twenty-Five

No quarter, no mercy. We have starved, now we'll make them starve.

~ Luskena of Rask's words in a pamphlet

The streets through Rask were scattered with debris from the building of barricades. Tollska ran. On the looming promontories above the settlement, fragments and splinters scattered down and shouts could be heard. She shielded her eyes, the flakes of wood drifting down like snow from above, and hurried further into Rask. Squashing down her surprise at the number of barricades built in such a short space of time, she pushed herself onwards. The sharpening of metal grated as blades were dragged across whetstones and songs of bravery drifted out of taverns as she ran.

Reaching the cottage, she squeezed through the door without pausing. The little room vibrated with activity, leaving her unnoticed for the time it took to breathe in the atmosphere. The printing press stamped out page after page with a furious regularity, a man and woman loaded and re-loaded the tray and lowered the stamp with excited fervour. Luskena was stacking up a pile of swords in the corner. Where did they get those?

Her mother was deep in conversation by the fireplace, purple streaks of hair hanging loosely about her shoulders.

Tollska remembered dying those streaks of hair with crushed berries when she was little. She longed to hold her mother close despite the chaos around her.

"Oi, look who it is. Our beautiful Gemyndian gem." It was Luskena who saw her first, shouting across the room. The grinding gears of the printing press ceased, and all eyes turned on her.

"Luskena, she's still one of us." Her mother's words; sharp, quick and authoritative. "What is it, Tollska?"

Frantically she spoke. They had to know, and quickly. "The Constellan Guard, they're coming. There's an edict, the Testament of the Stars they're calling it. They made me sign it. I'm sorry, but I had to come and tell you. You need to hide…"

Oenska stood. "We wanted you to know their first move, so you could tell us. You have done well, Tols. We've been waiting for this moment since we built the barricades. We will not hide, we are ready."

"The Astrologer-Elect said some trade wagons had been burnt?"

"I did that." Luskena grinned, her eyes wide and bright in the dully-lit room. "The guards didn't smell nearly so fine as the sugar burning in the cart, but it was splendid all the same."

"We knew since they took Gunsk that this was coming, and now we know when. We will secure the last blocks in the road and take more trading caravans." Her mother was pacing in the tight space around the fireplace. "And this time, Luskena, we will keep the food and not burn it. I will not allow senseless killing. It makes us no better than them."

The room plummeted into a tense silence for a moment, Luskena's eyes narrowing and her teeth bared slightly. "I am not free of their taint, as you know, Oenska…"

"Quiet! You bring this up as a war wound every time, and I'm tired of it.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.