The Fronds in Tond (and other stories)

Things get serious as the "Tond" saga continues. Tond, Book One: The Sons of Tlaen Ras-Erkéltis Chapter 4 The Grosk Grask, kachlaksh, tayas Gaejtark-Bad’hanani sh’pfooksh, ash ta’ach tkau grechtaemyawopwa ‘ahhinor! “Grosks, I call you forth: yours is the power of Gaejtark Bad’hani, and you will help to (beneficially) destroy the ahíinor vermin!” Karjannic, From the Legends of the Magja Tsajuk during the most warlike phase of the Imperium   In the seven years following the initiation, the brothers Ras-Erkéltis grew in stature and knowledge. Keldar taught them in the ways of the ahíinor. They learned about the lands of Tond. They learned the fighting and fencing skills that might be necessary should they encounter an enemy on the road, since all loremasters were expected to wander to collect tales from farther parts of Tond. They learned the comical conjurer’s tricks and how to set up and use the illusion mechanas of ii-yam, the first and easiest type of lore-power, an...

Excerpts from a (subtly) dystopian story in my collection of short fiction called "Fronds". The Blue Sun and Iris Ralph: Regulated Relaxation Exercise No. 12: digitally recording my thoughts during down time, Day 4 Time to take a little break and rest my eyes. There’s the Hayward Building down there, and 32nd street by the coffee shop and the burger place. You can see the park from up here on the seventeenth floor, if you crane your neck and look out over there between those two buildings. I’ve spent lunchtimes down there. Brought a sandwich with me. Used to go there sometimes when I was a kid, with Ronny and Randy, and we’d play R-Ball. (We called it R-Ball because all of our names started with R. I know we used a basketball, but I don’t remember the rules; we made them up anyway. That was before all the places outside the city were burned out.) I can see the stream too; goes right through the left part of the park there. There’s a woman sitting on a bench by the stream. L...