A light dusting of snow was beginning to fall as I stepped from the relative warmth of the border post into the bitter cold of the late evening. The newly arrived train hissed and sighed in the puddle of light it had brought with it, too large by far for the small mountain-pass station. I […]

The paper district crouches atop a small rise, tucked between the glass merchants to the west and the woodworkers to the south. The tumble of closely packed buildings, shot through by a maze of winding alleyways, seem piled atop one another in a great heap – a single edifice, set apart from the rest of […]

Most mornings, I set out as soon as the sky is light enough to pick my way through the trees. Close to the village the woods are sparse; my eyes are keen and I know the paths well, so by dawn I am well beyond the hedge, where the forest earns its name. The villagers […]

The city of Belath can only be found by those who do not seek it. Riding in through the northern gates, weary travellers can be heard to exclaim: “Ah, this cannot be the place. The streets are too cramped,” or “The squares are too busy,” or “The sunset is too dull.” And always “I will […]