Rise of the Aligerai by Kira R. Tregoning

Candelabras stood guard around the walls, and an elegant golden chandelier hung from the ceiling over a scarlet runner rug. His pupils shrank and he flinched, the light hurting his eyes. Robert emerged into the brightly lit entrance hall of a manse. A second of utter darkness studded with globes of starlight, and he was through the door. The sensation of passing through the door woke him up with a shock of cold air and momentary weightlessness.

He took one regretful glance at his comfortable old couch before stepping forward into the magical doorway. In front of him now stood the hazy outline of a tall upright rectangle, the air and space contained within warped just enough to look like a desert mirage. He raised them to just in front of his body and traced shapes in the air, the blue glow fading into nothing. Feeling secure, Rob breathed deep and slow.Ī blue halo gathered around both of Rob’s hands. A quick glance around the apartment showed that his door was indeed locked, and he was far enough from the window that he couldn’t be seen through it. Sighing, Robert climbed from his couch and shuffled into the middle of his small living room, losing sight of the sky. I really hate that scrying bowl of his, and his voice trick. “Robert!” The great voice lingered, and when it faded, Rob put a hand to his aching temple. Suddenly a voice from nowhere boomed throughout his apartment. Instead, Robert appreciated the view from his apartment’s window-with the city so dark, the stars in the sky shone brilliantly. For once he couldn’t be sucked into the Internet or computer games-no electricity meant no Internet, and no Internet meant no games. It felt nice, to wallow in the dark after a hard day. “I shouldn’t hurt this much already.” A single candle burned on his rickety table, throwing out a little bit of light. “I’m only in my twenties,” he said to no one. So much fetching and carrying, searching and spying… and the lack of electricity in an already steamy summer only made things worse for everyone. He had been rushing everywhere today, traveling around to meet with various people on the whims and orders of his employer.

As it was, it felt like nothing more could be tacked on to the end of a long and tiring day.

Pinpricks and pockets of light scattered across town shed some light, but the violence of yesterday’s storm left downed trees and power lines, debris everywhere, and standing water in low-lying streets that had yet to drain. See the copyright notice at the bottom of the site for full details.**ĭarkness engulfed the city. **Friendly reminder that all content is copyright protected.

Rise of the Aligerai by Kira R. Tregoning