36. New reports came in throughout the day, each bleaker than the last. Imperial fleets appearing in the skies over dozens of worlds, troops landing on the ground and quickly overwhelming the local forces, cities falling and death tolls rising rapidly. In their circle, the Executive Council listened to message after message from across the … Continue reading Spiritum – Chapter Thirty-six
Spiritum – Chapter Thirty-five
35. Domition rose much earlier than usual and wasted no time getting himself ready for the day ahead. It was still dark outside; by the time he’d finished his shower, the artificial sun was just beginning to peek from behind the horizon. Hera was sound asleep beneath the covers. Most mornings, they'd wake at about … Continue reading Spiritum – Chapter Thirty-five
Spiritum – Chapter Thirty-four
34. Marsa couldn’t be sure how far they’d walked. As long as they were aboard that ship, she couldn’t be sure of anything. Here, an inch could be to a mile what a mile was to an inch. Everything seemed off, as if reality was being distorted and made to appear different to how it … Continue reading Spiritum – Chapter Thirty-four
Spiritum – Chapter Thirty-three
33. It was difficult navigating the forest by night, even with a planet-sized spotlight beaming down from above. Iona discovered that not long after she passed the wall of trees at the bottom of the hill. The canopy blocked out the majority of Valarayan’s light, only a few whispers penetrating its upper shell. It wasn’t … Continue reading Spiritum – Chapter Thirty-three
Spiritum – Chapter Thirty-two
32. They’d driven for two days straight, practically non-stop, and had barely seen anything different. Nothing but craggy walls and darkness for miles and miles and miles. Beyond the odd out of place boulder and low-hanging beam, they came across nothing out of the ordinary, as was usual when patrolling the tunnels. Each member of … Continue reading Spiritum – Chapter Thirty-two
Spiritum – Chapter Thirty-One
31. Domition was already awake when the first blast rocked the city. He’d been staring at the bedroom ceiling for hours, terrified of where he might end up if he let himself slip away. Hera lay sound asleep beside him, not even stirring as he sat up and stared out the window. She’d always been … Continue reading Spiritum – Chapter Thirty-One
Spiritum – Chapter Thirty
30. “That didn’t even happen. I know what happened. I was there. You can’t trick me. You always thought you were smarter than me. No, you’re not. No, you are not. You are not smarter than me. You are not smarter than me. I don’t have to listen to these lies. You’re nothing but a … Continue reading Spiritum – Chapter Thirty
Spiritum – Chapter Twenty-nine
29. For hours, Iona thought, planned, prepared, and reconsidered, but now the time had come to decide. Either she would go through with the scheme she’d spent all day putting together, or she would lie down in her bed and forget all about it. Whatever her choice, she didn’t have long to make it. Time … Continue reading Spiritum – Chapter Twenty-nine
Spiritum – Chapter Twenty-eight
28. She’d lain there for hours: tired, bored, aching, and stinking. There’d been no more visitors, no more psychotic aliens wanting to murder her because she didn’t believe the same bullshit they bought into. She was left to lie in silence and darkness with nothing better to do than contemplate the fate awaiting her and … Continue reading Spiritum – Chapter Twenty-eight
Spiritum – Chapter Twenty-seven
27. Through the ceiling of the transporter pod, the Treen Chancellor stared at the swirling waves of fiery orange, blood red, and sapphire blue mixing into one another and washing away the stresses of the day. It had been yet another spent in her floating seat at the head of the Traverta’s main sanctum, debating, … Continue reading Spiritum – Chapter Twenty-seven
Christopher Johnson 