justintg's blog

Now, don't get me wrong. I don't proclaim to be an American hero. The only American heroes right now are the brave men and women fighting and dying overseas for this country. They are the real heroes, and nobody can possibly, in any sense of sanity, deny that. Compared to them, I am but a sham.

However, in my own small, civilian way, I am an American hero. Why, you ask, have I given myself such an undeserved and ill-advised title? Because I voted today.

read more

Habeas Corpus, 1215-2006

On October 17, 2006, Habeas Corpus died in Washington, D.C. after a long, losing battle against George W. Bush. Habeas Corpus had fought off Bush since 2001, and recent pressure applied by Congress proved to be too much. Habeas Corpus was pronounced dead late in the morning.

Habeas Corpus was born in 1215 with the historic signing of the Magna Carta, a document that was prompted by a massive English uprising against the King. The King, being cornered by the angry peasants, was forced to sign in to law basic human freedoms that would be given to all citizens. Habeas Corpus was among those provisions.

read more

Part 18: The Fox Woman

Philip was stunned. For what seemed like an eternity, he was lost in the brilliant amber orbs that stared back at him, eyes surrounded by thick, long, dark lashes that only enhanced the intensity of the eyes. Between the glowing amber orbs ran a straight, slender nose, delicately dotted with freckles of various shapes and sizes that spread to the creature’s cheeks.

For a brief moment, Philip was in love. Such animalistic beauty, such strength, such wonder! This creature was beyond anything Philip had ever seen. Then, he remembered the claws pressing to his throat and snapped out of his momentary daydream. The creature spoke again, a little more impatiently this time.

read more

Part 17: Into the Karesh Forest

Philip tugged Hauseld’s reins in the direction of the forest, trying to get him to move. The horse had other ideas, stamping the earth nervously, shaking his head slowly. Philip kicked his sides, causing him to trot forward along the upward-winding road for several feet before he stopped once more, shaking his head still.

“Hauseld, it’s our best chance!� The horse simply snorted. “Look, we don’t have time to argue about this! The sooner we get up there, the sooner we’ll be through.� Hauseld again shook his head and stomped the ground. “I’m scared too, but we don’t have the time! We have to get to Idyll!� With that, Philip gave a firm kick to Hauseld’s sides, sending the horse bolting up the hillside.

read more

Part 16: Back in the Saddle

Philip watched in stunned silence for several seemingly unending moments, unable to move or to think beyond his own fear of the enormous army less than a mile from where he was standing. Suddenly, his mind snapped to action and he dove backwards quickly into the sunflowers, hoping the men on horseback hadn’t spotted him. Fortunately for him, their roving eyes never passed over him as he stood at the edge of the field in shock.

read more

Part 15: Sunflowers

When Philip finally awoke, he was lying on his back in the dirt. As he slowly opened his eyes, his blurred vision at first picked out two colors – blue, and yellow. He gradually recognized the blue he was facing was the sky. The yellow that rimmed it was soon revealed to be some of the tall sunflowers in the field North of Yellow Field.

Sitting up, Philip was extremely disoriented. All around him as far as he could see were the stalks of four, five, and even six-foot tall sunflowers. Atop the sturdy, slender green staffs were the large, broad heads of the flowers, the center populated by a multitude of brownish seeds, rimmed by innumerable long, thin golden petals. It was a sight that made Philip smile.

read more

Part 14: A Strange Encounter

Perhaps his sleep was too deep and relaxing. Philip barely moved throughout the night, and didn’t begin to stir until the sun had risen above the Eastern horizon and began shining directly in his face. He opened his eyes and groaned, then sat up quickly, looking around. Realizing that he had slept too long, he slapped his forehead.

“Oh, gods!� Philip forced himself to his feet with another groan, then began to look around. “Hauseld? Hauseld!� As if on cue, the horse appeared from behind a cluster of trees, trotting forward to greet Philip. Shaking his head, he stroked Hauseld’s mane and sighed. “Let’s get going, friend.�

read more

Part 13: Riding Into the Night

No time to lose. No time to lose. No time to lose.

It was a phrase Philip continually repeated to himself as he rode with Hauseld into the early evening. The riding was somewhat slow, but it was far faster than Philip could have ever hoped to move on foot. Above him the sky had darkened and a myriad of stars were visible from one end of the horizon to the other. Lore, the larger of two moons orbiting in the heavens, was half full, sitting a few degrees above the Vanryd Mountains. Vesk, the smallest of the pair, was barely beginning to emerge over the Eastern horizon.

read more

Part 12: Farewell, Uncle Nicholas

The trip back to Green Port was perceived differently by the two men in the small boat. To Philip, the three hours they’d already spent sailing couldn’t go fast enough. Even though they were sailing at speeds that could be dangerous if the bow dipped below the gentle waves, Philip inwardly urged the gods to propel them faster back to land.

Nicholas, on the other hand, wished the voyage would slow down a little bit. They would still be the first people to shore with news of what was going on as seen from the Lighthouse, and he wanted to spend some more time with his nephew. They didn’t talk terribly much on the way back, but Nicholas enjoyed it. He had missed Philip, and was glad to see him again, even under these dire circumstances. Two days simply wasn’t enough.

read more

Part 11: Warning Dulthran and Quick Sailing

The Tower Guard looked a little puzzled at the reactions of the two visiting men. He looked from Philip, who had slid into a seated position, staring straight ahead, eyes wide and cheeks pale, back to Nicholas, who was still looking through the telescope, his hands trembling, his knees wobbling slightly.

read more

Part 10: The View from the Top

The light was somewhat dim inside, but there were numerous windows along the course of an enormous, winding stairwell that led up to the top of the tower. Another guard stood at the base of the stairs, a long sword sheathed upon his right hip. As the two visitors passed him, he made no move, staring straight ahead.

read more

Part 9: The Lighthouse of Dulthran

They spent the night at a small inn at the center of the city on the edge of a lush, elegant park filled with tall trees centuries old. Philip was amazed by the entirety of the city. The construction of each building was amazing, with graceful columns and arches adorning each structure. Buildings that looked like they should be temples or seats of government were actually just inns or trade offices.

read more

Part 8: Sailing to Dulthran

Throughout the first hour or so as they sailed the open waters of the large bay between Green Port and the sea, Philip was stuck kneeling over, facing toward the water, groaning with discomfort. More than four years away from water had really taken its toll on his ability to stand sailing, and it was all coming up on this particular voyage. He began to wonder if his sea legs would ever return.

read more

Part 7: Out to Sea

The night was filled with terror for Philip. Nightmares haunted every corner of his sleeping mind, never allowing him to escape or awaken. He dreamed he saw the faces of the attackers – pale, featureless, always staring, surrounded by black cloaks that moved without sound. They darted in and out of each home and Philip stood helpless, watching the brutal slaughter of those he had grown so close to.

read more

Part 6: Uncle Nicholas

The man turned his head and his blue eyes lit up at the sight of his nephew. “Philip!� he proclaimed. “By the gods, it’s been four years since I’ve seen you! How are you, my boy?�

read more