Hesketh Tolson

RS 27: Journey In The Dark

Chapter 27Journey in the DarkThe conspirators dispersed. Fred and co said goodbye to Nob and Jessamy on the doorstep of The Watery Tart. Peaseblossum glared at Fred before wheeling Cob away, into the shadows.“Will you be okay?” said Hugo to Jessamy as he handed her carefully to the baker.“Yeff,” she said, cheerily, “I am made of Braff.”“Sorry?” said Fred.“Brass,” said Hugo. “She’s made of brass.”“Look out for my ravens...

Dawn Watch: Chapter 4

4The Loryow King"If they want to talk," yelled back Captain Marlow from the Bright Terror, "tell them to untie you."Ansel wondered what would happen when the chain of command, that thin veneer of discipline that held them back from absolute chaos, snapped. He blinked. A bead of sweat threatened to trickle into his eye. He resisted the urge to wipe his face and concentrated his line of sight of the savages atop the dune. The glare ...

Dawn Watch: Chapter 3

3Strangers in a Strange LandAnsel joined the rest of the crew on the deck. The men were silent, clustered against the starboard railings and gazing out across the waves at the new land. Peeking between them Ansel could just make out lines of angry breakers. He pushed forwards. The waves dashed themselves foaming onto the dark line of the sandy beach. Behind the beach – more sand – great piles of sand, rippled by the wind into enormous heaps. ...

RS Chapter 26: The Watery Tart

Chapter 26The Watery Tart"So how exactly do we organize a fairy peasant revolution?" asked Joan, the next day, "and how do we come out of it with oodles of XP and loot?"The party was gathered at a tavern across the way named The Watery Tart. It had a nice view of a koi pond which was currently frozen solid. In the summer it was probably a pleasant view but currently, it was rather bleak. Snow was falling softly, and the clouds wer...

Dawn Watch: Chapter 2

Hard Tack2"Make a pass for survivors!" came the cry from the forecastle. Captain Marlow’s bellow brought life back into everyone’s limbs. High in the crow’s nest, Ansel eased his fingers off the railing. He moved them, carefully, as if they would snap like twigs. They felt as stiff as twigs. The captain’s ruddy face peeked out of the wooden structure that contained the ship’s wheel and glared up at Ansel. His face looked like a ...

Dawn Watch: Chapter 1

Part ISix Years EarlierLOCHLANACH1The Sea is Always the SameThe Lochlanach fleet flew south, cleaving passage through the humid, cloud filled skies. The spray from the waves splattered the wooden hulls as they passed above the swells. Every inch of every ship crackled with runefire. Spurts of silver flame licked from bow to stern and back again in the never-ending cycle that kept the vessels airborne. Each ship's sails were fully extended, sp...

Dawn Watch: Prologue

A hush fell over the rolling foothills and plains that led to the sea. The sky was dark. High clouds covered the stars but the air was still. Heavy. If anyone had been present to taste that air, they might have noted that it tasted like iron. Expectant. Electric. As if a storm was on its way. But there was no storm. There was no one to notice the strangeness.The battle-scarred mountain slopes of Havi were beginning to heal. Green shoots had burst...

Chapter 25: I Was Reincarnated As A Magical Door Knocker

Chapter 25I Was Reincarnated As A Magical Door KnockerMy first life was fine, if a bit mundane. Pleasant. A little dull. There was nothing particularly interesting or wonderful about it. I didn't accomplish anything remarkable. I didn't do any great feats of good, although I certainly didn't do anything particularly evil. There was small everyday thoughtlessness, of course. But show me a soul who has lived a perfect, selfless life and...

Chapter 24: Knobs and Knockers

Chapter 24Knobs and KnockersFred pulled Joan through the mass of fighting elves and fairies. The rest of the party hurried along in their wake, ducking and twisting to avoid the flying fists and weapons. Fortunately, the combatants were so intent on cutting each other to ribbons that no one paid heed to the escaping humans. Fred rushed down a side alley, leaping walls and hedges with careless abandon. A mad dash later the party stopped for breath...

Chapter 23: Pocket Kingdom

Chapter 23Pocket KingdomThe party assembled in the morning light."Fuck," said Alice, looking around. "Fred didn't turn up?""No," said Joan."Do you think he died?" said Epic, her face pale."No," said Joan, "No.No, I don't. He would just respawn and meet us here. He must be ...stuck doing something.""You don't think he left us..." said Epic."No!" chorused the rest of the pa...

Part II: Chapter 22: Into the Woods

Into the Woods"Alright," said Joan. "If we are going to crush the Knights of Cake, if we are going to level this dungeon, we need money! Money, skill points, XP!" She turned to them all, her eyes blazing. "We need to grind. We need to grind hard."Fred fanned himself a little. Joan turned her glare on him. "Stop it, Fred.""Sorry, my love.""Most of all," said Joan, pacing backwards and forwards across...

The final cover art for Twilight Kingdom

By the very talented Jeremy Adams. Now I just need to finish editing...

RS 21 (Interlude)

[Interlude]War and Peace: The Untold Lemontree Storyby TK MarfetherI was born like everyone else. Only my womb was something you'd find on the kitchen table: a lemon. That lemon later became a nice sauce on a bit of salmon, and half my seedling brothers and sisters didn't make it and were destined for the landfill, but by some miracle or godly intervention, I was eaten by the dog and shat out on a walk.There, laying in fertilize and conte...

RS Chapter 20

Romeo and Juliet, Opus 64The disco ball swung precariously from the high vaulted ceiling. Sparkles of light glistened and bounced off the piles of bones and the exhausted party."Well," said Alice, leaning on Hugo and wiping her brow. "That was fun.""I could drink eleven cups of tea," said Fred. He turned to Epic who was standing, almost hip deep in bones looking a little shell-shocked. He offered her a hand and hauled her ...

RS 19

Bone Voyage"One card each," said the Ferryman. Everyone leaned in to look. The cards were black, of course, and bigger than usual with little stars worked in silver. The Ferryman was holding them in his skeletal fingers, facedown."Hang on," said Fred. "We know he cheats at cards!""Do I?" asked the Ferryman, mildly."What if," said Hugo, "he knows that we know he cheats at cards?""What if he if he...

RS Chapter 18

A Marrow EscapeThe party awoke refreshed and in good spirits. Even Epic seemed happy – chuffed because she'd received an unexpected skill point in cooking from reading A Tale of Two Chickens. Fred had not received a skill point from his literary adventures but felt quite pleased with himself nonetheless. He was still stiff though, so he took some time to run through his ballet warm-up in a convenient bit of the inn. Hugo and Alice watched h...

RS Chapter 17

In Which Sir Rigby Dickens Learns the Value of Five a Day"Well," said Fred, looking around at everyone's rather shell-shocked and sugar smeared faces. "That was wild. Hang on," he looked around. "Where's Epic?"A few minutes frantic search unearthed Epic, covered, like the rest of them in crumbs and sticky icing, crouched in a corner and sobbing into her knees."What happened?" asked Hugo."Are you hurt?&#...

RS Chapter 16

The Midnight Witch"Okay," said Fred, as they entered Merry Plebbingtons. "Was it just me or did the Knights of Cake give off a really creepy vibe?""What do you mean?" said Alice. "They were hot.""Dreamy," said Hugo, dreamily."Galahad was a Reaver, level 9," said Fred."That's...high...eeek." Joan twisted her face into a guilty grimace."You didn't even use Identify on him, did you?...

RS Chapter 15

The Knights of CakeThe next morning the whole party awoke late. The sun was high over the horizon as they started to stir. Fred yawned. He had slept well, despite the hardness of the ground. The chat was more subdued than the previous night but the remains of the bacon and eggs seemed to perk everyone up, except Epic who seemed to have reverted to her log-like status in the night. She lay on her side, eyes staring sightlessly at the clouds high a...

Jotham of the Black Dawn