http://www.leechesloom.com A fantasy novel, updated every Wednesday. Fri, 17 Apr 2026 18:00:15 +0000 en http://www.leechesloom.com/read/3-1 Wed, 26 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000 fantasy, novel, webnovel, webserial http://www.leechesloom.com/read/3-1
A day didn’t go by where Moswen didn’t think of his mother, but she had been holding increasingly more real estate in Moswen’s thoughts during the last few months. More often than not, those thoughts focused on the realization that his father was one of the Drae. Yet, it wasn’t a realization. It was acceptance. He already knew all of it deep down, but only recently had the truth finally come bubbling up to the surface.

It had begun a series of questions that continually cycled through his thoughts, none of which could be answered. At least not yet. Many likely never would be.

She would forever hold a warm place in his heart, even if she hadn’t always been the most attentive mother. Even from a young age, she often left him alone for long stretches of time. She also, however, instilled within him the attitude of a survivor and the skills to back it up. Food, water, shelter, fire: he would never be at a loss even in her absence. She made sure he was always able to provide for himself, never needing to rely on others for anything.

Anything, except maybe the company of his only parent.

He was a lonely child, self-reliant and anti-social. He liked to think he grew accustomed to it, or at least he used to. He realized now that he had merely dulled himself to his feelings of abandonment. He was capable and self sufficient, sure, but he also missed his mother. Now even moreso.

Moswen surrendered to his thoughts and placed the single arrowhead he had been carving back into his pack, the process calming but unable to distract him. The breathing exercises Anders had taught him helped, but it also reminded him of his late friend, his death, the Drae. It all looped right back to his mother once again. Anders had only been a part of Moswen’s life for a brief period of time, but the man had made an impact. Moswen missed him, too. To think he had been jealous of the man at one point...

Neera and Kyrill kicked up loose dirt, sparring with one another. Moswen leaned back against his tree and watched, hoping this new distraction might actually work. He knew it wouldn’t.

...

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]]> http://www.leechesloom.com/read/3-0 Wed, 12 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000 fantasy, novel, webnovel, webserial http://www.leechesloom.com/read/3-0
In both cases, measuring up to the past—or more aptly, a failure to do so—is the constant judge of one’s worth. The court of expectation is filled with a cruel jury.

That failure, however, can also become quite the motivator. Either to stand up to the seemingly impossible expectations or to blaze a trail of your own. And sometimes just the act of trying can result in unforeseen side effects that amount to something greater and more substantial than any shallow goal originally sought after.

Such was the story of Rotwater.

The goal had been nothing more than notoriety, but as fate would have it, Rotwater had become a safe haven for thousands of refugees throughout the empire.

Without the aid Rotwater had provided—aid neither The Howl nor Rah’qet were either willing or able to give—people from all across the empire would have surely perished. During a time of such chaos and desperation, the importance and influence of such an altruistic contribution hadn’t gone unnoticed. Rotwater had been able to provide in a time of need when neither of the empire’s remaining cities did, even if it was still not considered a legitimate city itself. But a tavern-owner’s son, the great-great-grandson of an intrepid fur trader, had plans to change that.

His legacy began when Rotwater was founded so many generations past. Now, that legacy was reduced to a tavern in the heart of an affluent barren rich with trade. The Hawk’s Roost was no simple run-of-the-mill tavern, of course, but with more and more entrepreneurs and savvy businessmen finding success within the muddy streets, the hold that the Hawk’s Roost once had was starting to loosen. Holding a seat of power and respect amongst such enterprising individuals was proving more and more difficult.

...

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]]> http://www.leechesloom.com/read/2-12 Wed, 28 Apr 2021 00:00:00 +0000 fantasy, novel, webnovel, webserial http://www.leechesloom.com/read/2-12
Not a day had gone by where she didn’t at least drop by her little urchin hideaway. It was her sanctum away from the sanctum. At the very least, she had to check on her rats, bring them food, spend some time with her fuzzy little friends. She knew she was more than welcome to bring them with her to the sanctum, but it never felt like the right time to do so. Perhaps she was waiting to receive her hide, to no longer be a New Blood. Or maybe she just felt they were safer without allowing easy access to them to people like Jatham. She knew not what her reasons truly were, but until then everything would still be temporary.

Isha had been on her own for such a long time, but still remembered the disappointment and pain of losing her father, being taken in by Ewan, then subsequently losing him as well. Nothing lasts forever, she knew that, but depending upon others didn’t exactly have a proven track record. And while the Whispers had been surprisingly welcoming—or at least most of them—Isha was still hesitant to rely on anyone but herself.

“Almost there,” she said with an excited whisper.

She and Sev hadn’t spoken much during their nighttime walk, but when they had they gave no care to the volume of their voices. As they approached the hideaway, however, Isha was sure not to let their presence be known. She was always careful to not announce her arrival, but never needed to concern herself with the volume of her voice before. This was another first for her: bringing someone else with her.

The moon cast a pale light across the face on the inn, Isha’s secret well hidden among the shadows. As the two made their way around to the back, however, the moon did little to illuminate the narrow alleyway. It didn’t bother Isha; she could find her way up even if she were blindfolded. And they might as well have been.

...

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]]> http://www.leechesloom.com/read/2-11 Wed, 14 Apr 2021 00:00:00 +0000 fantasy, novel, webnovel, webserial http://www.leechesloom.com/read/2-11 her. She remembered being embarrassed, looking down at someone yelling at her for leaving without permission. She knew the person had been her mother, but she couldn’t remember what she looked like, what she sounded like, what she was wearing or saying. Only that she had been there to reprimand her.

After her mother passed, her father did a respectable job raising his daughter on his own. Cooking, however, was never quite his forte. She remembered in detail much more vivid than the memory of her mother how much she hated eating certain vegetables. She could crunch down on fresh carrots and snap peas all day, eating them raw, but she absolutely hated brussel sprouts. And of course it had been one of her father’s favorite dishes.

Years down the line, even before her father fell ill, she slowly learned to appreciate them. “Your palette is maturing,” he’d say. Whatever that meant, Isha grew fond of her father’s brussel sprouts. He doused them in olive oil, covered them with salt and spice, then baked them until the leaves turned crisp. They slowly became one of her favorites as well.

In much the same way, Isha was starting to enjoy the process of being tattooed. In the beginning, the sensation was akin to an unfamiliar method of torture. And while it was still painful, she was learning to appreciate the experience. It was almost a good sort of pain. Exciting. And for a good cause, even if Sev’s goal was slightly cringeworthy.

“So you’re set on Spider, huh?” Isha asked.

“Yeah. You don’t think it’s lame do you?”

...

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]]> http://www.leechesloom.com/read/2-10 Wed, 31 Mar 2021 00:00:00 +0000 fantasy, novel, webnovel, webserial http://www.leechesloom.com/read/2-10
“Course, little mouse,” he replied with his best impression of the man. “Everybody knows Freamon’s name.”

They shared a laugh. Sev didn’t quite have the scratchy voice down, but he nailed the inflection. It shouldn’t have come as a surprise. Of course Sev knew Freamon. What street kid didn’t?

“Say what you will about the guy,” Sev continued, “but the man can source pretty much anything. To be perfectly honest, I didn’t even know what witch hazel was, but he found some.”

Sev pulled out a small bag and shook it around, softly rattling its contents.

“He’s always been my go to supplier—wait, what do you mean ‘say what you will’ about him?” Isha found herself suddenly defensive of the man. To her, Freamon was more than just a source of advice or goods. He was her friend.

“You know the guy. He likes to think of himself as a mentor to all the street kids, the wise elder offering a guiding hand. But if he were so wise, why was he still living on the street? Is he really as wise as he likes to think of himself, or is he just wise when compared to the people he surrounds himself with: uneducated children?”

“You mean uneducated children like you and me once were? Ones he taught how to fend for themselves? Clever bastard probably single-handedly gave half the street kids in the city the means to survive just from his offhanded tidbits of advice alone.”

“True, I’ll give him that. He did help a lot of us find our footings, showed us the basics of getting by. He has this innate trickiness about him that works for life on the street. But of all his advice, most of it needed to be taken with a grain of salt. He’s clever enough to comfortably get by on the street, but none of his schemes ever elevated him beyond that. He may have a fancy cart and the respect of a veritable army of homeless kids, but after all these years, he’s still on the street.”

...

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]]> http://www.leechesloom.com/read/2-9 Wed, 17 Mar 2021 00:00:00 +0000 fantasy, novel, webnovel, webserial http://www.leechesloom.com/read/2-9
She used the streets themselves to distract her from her own nervous thoughts, hopping up steps and over short dividing walls, balancing along the thin brick dividers, making the city into her own personal obstacle course. This became less and less realistic the closer she got to the Strip.

The vendors that populated the Strip during the day had all long shut down, well before the sun went down. Now, most of the restaurants and nightlife entertainment had opened up. Food carts zigzagged through streets growing busier by the moment. The scent of spiced meats being grilled wafted out of nearby buildings to mix with plumes of fruity-smelling smoke. Tables spilled out into the street, bringing with them the sounds of clashing dinnerware and conversations being practically screamed across tables.

To some, the cacophonous amalgamation of sounds could be jarring, but Isha had grown to enjoy it. The city felt alive. Not just the people in it but the city itself, the lively dissonance the sound of the city breathing life through it’s packed-dirt-and-cobblestone lungs.

The smell, on the other hand, could use some improvement.

Isha was getting close to her destination. If she hadn’t already realized it herself, the feeling in her chest was sure to remind her. Just around the bend, the old, sand-weathered awning would be coming into view.

Isha knew exactly where the shop was. In fact, she was already quite familiar with the place. She didn’t have the heart to tell Sev; he’d seemed so excited about it. As she would be if she were introducing the place to someone for the first time. She couldn’t take that away from him. Besides, it was one of her favorite places. She wasn’t about to give Sev any excuse to choose another place. She wouldn’t dare jeopardize the opportunity to enjoy some of the absolute best damn shawarma in the entire city.

...

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]]> http://www.leechesloom.com/read/2-8 Wed, 3 Mar 2021 00:00:00 +0000 fantasy, novel, webnovel, webserial http://www.leechesloom.com/read/2-8
There was a strange, unspoken camaraderie between all the street kids, but none of them were to be trusted. They’d cut you for nothing more than a loaf of fresh bread if they were desperate. Even having joined the Whispers, it was still something she needed to get used to. Not everyone seemed the most trustworthy of folk, but there were a number she knew she could rely on. One in particular stood out above all the others.

“Thanks for running interference back there.”

“My pleasure,” Sev replied with a smile.

She hadn’t been able to speak to Sev until they were both long gone from the pawn shop, both keeping a safe distance away from one another until several blocks later. She had wanted to run across the street and throw her arms around the boy, but that would have been much too obvious. For Cheem and Sev. Keeping certain things secret was important for both matters of espionage and matters of the heart.

A little mystery goes a long way.

“Oh, your pleasure indeed,” Isha said with an accusatory tone. “I could tell how much you were enjoying yourself, just hanging back with a smile on your face while I practically shit myself when he demanded to search me.”

“Hey, don’t let that ever actually happen or you’ll earn yourself a nickname you’ll never live down,” he teased. “Besides, it wasn’t like I could tell you. Wasn’t about to wave a sign about and shout at you from across the street. Even if you might not have known it at the time, I had your back.”

“Yeah, I guess you did.” A coy smile surfaced on her lips as her gaze dipped away from his. “Either way, you really saved my ass back there. I owe you.”

“I feel like you’re the kinda person who doesn’t like having debts looming over her, am I right?”

“That you would be.”

“Then I know just how you can make it up to me.”

...

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]]> http://www.leechesloom.com/read/2-7 Wed, 24 Feb 2021 00:00:00 +0000 fantasy, novel, webnovel, webserial http://www.leechesloom.com/read/2-7
It took Isha receiving her first official assignment for the club for her to realize just what it was that Faerris and Lyria saw in her, what her specialty truly was: infiltration.

One of the difficult aspects of what the Whispers were working to accomplish was the mere fact that they needed to work undetected. The more aware the public was to their presence, the harder their jobs became. Exponentially so. So while they were more than equipped to smash a few windows or brute force their way past obstacles, subtlety and subterfuge were infinitely more important skills.

Her mark was a man named Cheem, a trade and barter magnate. “Import/export” was the term he liked to use, which was just a fancy way of saying he owned a pawn shop. Secretly, though, it was much more than that.

The Broker, as he liked to be called, dealt with all manner of goods. His real business primarily focused on fleecing stolen items. His specialty, however, was in the procurement of rare or hard-to-obtain and oftentimes illegal items. A middleman, and a well-paid one at that. He probably didn’t know the true importance of half of them, but none of that mattered to him. They were important to others. And that gave them value.

Given his secret trade, the man was untrusting and careful. Getting into his back room would be nearly impossible under normal circumstances. Isha, however, was an unassuming child. She didn’t even need to slip past the man. She was invited.

...

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]]> http://www.leechesloom.com/read/2-6 Wed, 17 Feb 2021 00:00:00 +0000 fantasy, novel, webnovel, webserial http://www.leechesloom.com/read/2-6
She wasn’t worried. She was numb. At this point, Isha couldn’t give two shits about whatever this supposed initiation was. She was more concerned with why the girl, a complete stranger to her, was being such an intolerable asshole.

She was quite a bit taller than Isha, likely close to a full head’s worth, but it was difficult to tell with her lounging against the wall. She was playing it cool, nonchalantly twirling her dark hair between her fingers. Her calm casualness was just another tool she was using to try and get under Isha’s skin. She was looking for a reaction, so Isha completely ignored her.

“Don’t mind Jessa,” one of the boys said as he stepped closer to her. “She’s just trying to wind you up. I’m Sev, by the way. The shy one is Erryk.”

“Isha,” she said, shaking his outstretched hand.

Like Jessa, Sev looked to be only a couple years older than Isha, 17 if she had to guess. Waves of his dark dirty blonde hair reached down to just above his eyes. Those eyes. A brilliant, deep green. The two exchanged warm smiles.

“What? I can’t test the fresh meat?” Jessa asked, still prodding.

“We’ve all been tested enough as is,” Sev explained, turning to Jessa. “We wouldn’t be here if that weren’t the case.”

“Actually,” Erryk spoke up, his voice soft but certain, “I’m not so sure all of us have been tested as thoroughly as the next.”

“The fuck is that supposed to mean, Tubs?” Jessa cracked at him like a whip.

Erryk was a quiet, pudgy kid with an awful bowl haircut. It seemed like he was used to being the butt of the joke, disregarded and tossed aside. When he spoke, though, Isha felt the weight behind his words. It wasn’t just an aimless comment, but a conclusion born from reason and logic. He wouldn’t risk the attention if he wasn’t sure.

...

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]]> http://www.leechesloom.com/read/2-5 Wed, 10 Feb 2021 00:00:00 +0000 fantasy, novel, webnovel, webserial http://www.leechesloom.com/read/2-5
She paced back and forth, hands clasped behind her back, head hung low, deep in thought.

“And why me? I’m no mercenary. I’m not a hunter. I’m a kid. Isn’t that what MCs usually are? Bunch of retired mercs and their hunter friends looking after the new blood? At least the legit ones are. The others aren’t much more than gangs of thieves and bandits, just with a logo.”

It dawned on her that there was a very real possibility that they were one of the bad ones. What if she hadn’t heard about them because they weren’t legitimate? What if her recruiters were just a couple of murderers?

She raised her head and took a deep breath.

“What do you guys think?” she asked her rats.

They scurried around their cage, occasionally looking up in her general direction, though that was more due to the fact she was slowly dropping more food scraps through the side hatch. Still, they made a good sounding board.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right. You’re obviously biased, but I am pretty great.” She gave herself a little laugh. “And Faerris was complimenting me a lot. ‘Oh, Isha, you’re so punctual. What admirable work ethic you have.’ He even said I had a good heart. And then his test, of course. He said sneaking a few of you guys in showed my resourcefulness. And ensuring you survived the potential scam safe and sound showed my loyalty. Not like I could ever sacrifice any of you for a little coin. He even commented on having my hidden knife at the ready, saying that apparently showed my preparedness, though I think that was more me shitting my pants, but I’ll take it, I guess. He called me clever.”

...

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