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Graham Kinross

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Mar, 2021

Stories (233)
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1181 Followers
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233 Stories

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Puppet of Fate

It looked ridiculous.             Also, terrifying. A hideous war mask with a prominent brow and a beak. It was an antique. In the shadowed eye slits her yellow eyes were hard and unblinking. Besides that, she wore the green Crann Kingdom tabard like other soldiers and knights of the realm. The banquet hall was a sea of green, sown with oak trees. A forest of men and women in armour drank and shared stories.             “...

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Red Blood, Cold Winds and Green Knights

Submitted to Contest #122

There were hundreds of refugees. Lines of shivering survivors stretched off into the swirling white snow. At the south gate of Leonor, they were crammed together while soldiers of Crann Kingdom tried to make sense of the influx.“They’ve burnt it to the ground,” said a desperate woman’s voice.            Danielle Longbow did her best to avoid being crushed by the caravan of men, women and children pushing to be closer to the gate.“The empire killed everyone. We’re all that’s left. Yo...

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The Museum of Magical Items

“Listen, The Museum of Modern Art, the MoMA, is cool. It’s nothing compared to MoMI, the Museum of Magical Items. We house the world’s largest collection of magical items and oddities, including myself.” The tour guide, who was an echoing suit of headless armour, bowed. The tour group gave muffled applause for two seconds and then turned to look at the idiot at the back who’d taken a picture of the guide with the flash on his camera. Footsteps clapped on the chessboard marble tiles. On the ceiling high above the painted gods appeared to be...

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Mark's Temptation

Port Carmen was a small village on the cool east coast. A dozen fishing boats and a handful of pleasure craft were docked in the bay. Mark stepped off the bus and thanked the driver. Gravel crunched beneath his feet as he walked up the steep hill past the wind-worn church and the gravestones that were as old as the village itself. The priest's house was back down the hill where the sea met a stream. Come in peace read the sign at the end of the road by the recycling bins. Mark exhaled deeply, feeling rude to disturb the man on his day of...

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Man V World

TW: Climate change, death. It began with strangled screams. Behind those agonised sounds was the rushing crackle of a tiger the size of a mountain roaring with a mouthful of crunchy cereal. The lawyer for the prosecution paused the recording. She gave the court a long, meaningful stare. Monstrous sincerity was underscored by the painful looking sunburn that covered all of the skin the jury could see. Her lips were cracked from dehydration, as were theirs. “That is the sound of a family burning to death ladies and gentlemen. That is the...

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The Caged Bird Sings

TW: violence.Watching a friend in agony would have been tough enough. To actively cause that agony was another wart growing on the shrivelled soul Danielle imagined she had. She pinched the nose of Catherine Harper and looked to the witch for a nod of approval. When the nod came, she poured more of the concoction down the woman’s throat.            “No. Please. It burns.” Catherine strained in manacles they all hoped would be strong enough to hold the woman when the change came.&nbs...

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A Trail of Blood

TW: volence, deathDanielle was following a blood trail in the snow. The footsteps of the handful of knights with her crunched in the white powder. Red dots trailed off, started again, and faded. Frozen leaves almost covered with snow had been blown across the trail of blood.            “What do you see Danielle?” Sir Fabian asked.            Ignoring her friend, she stooped and carefully picked away icy leaves one at a time...

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The Cold Taste of Defeat

The roar of the masses was deafening. Only the clang of steel on steel broke through the passion of the crowds. Danielle’s sword was knocked aside by Fabian’s. Sweat dripped down her forehead into her eyes. The sweat chilled her in the cold grey air, but she was moving too quickly for it to matter. Fabian swung his sword, aiming for the gap left by her deflected weapon. Danielle brought her shield in to take the blow and smacked it forwards, knocking the knight back. Fabian Castel slipped in the mud of the tournament ground. His beautiful ...

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Daughter of Crann

“I swear that I, Danielle Longbow, will serve the Kingdom of Crann from this day until my dying day. I will obey the instructions of my Queen and her commanders. I will wield my sword in defence of my people, against any that would do them harm. I will obey and uphold the laws of the realm.  This is my oath as a soldier of Crann.” She raised her eyes from the granite flagstones to look at Sir Dewar. He stood over her with a smile on his crooked face. His muscular frame cast deep shadows. As he smiled, she saw the gaps in teeth he’d p...

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Children with Dreams

Submitted to Contest #113

Warning: Sexual Content. Returning to the abandoned home where they’d first slept together, Danielle and Lupita kissed passionately the moment the door was closed. Danielle’s hunting bow made the experience as uncomfortable as it was wonderful. The grip of the bow around her chest pressed against the armour she always wore. The warrior was fine. Lupita winced from the bow pressing into her but couldn’t seem to tear herself off, despite the discomfort.             At last, they bro...

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Daughter of Peace

Submitted to Contest #113

Emerald green eyes did not blink as it looked at Danielle. Whatever it was, it didn’t seem to have eyelids. It had hair made of coniferous needles. As she watched the needles thinned, looking more and more like real hair but pine green.             “This is worse than my worst nightmares,” Danielle said to herself.             When it spoke, its voice was the crunch of heavy feet on dry leaves and the moan of the ...

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Child of Ruin

Danielle woke with a dizzying headache. The world spun as she tried to raise her head. She was shocked and embarrassed to find herself entirely naked. Not just that, but a head with bushy black hair rested on her chest. When she groaned the head turned and two beautiful brown eyes gazed into hers.            “Lupita?”            “What?” asked the blacksmith’s daughter with a yawn. Groaning and scratching her head, Lupita Sm...

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Daughter of Regret

Danielle stood with the crowd that constituted the surviving population of Leonor City. There were hundreds of them, but not the thousands there should have been.             On a platform meant for hanging criminals Queen Malin stood to address her people. She held up her hands to quell the muttering.             “People of Crann, we have survived. No other nation which faced Righteous Cane’s empire can say that. Thank you...

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Children of Revenge

Being one of those useless soldiers that couldn’t ride a horse, Danielle had to sit by the driver of the wagon. The cargo behind her stunk to high heaven. The enemy dead were two days from life. Breezes blowing south were a blessing to Danielle as they kept the stench from her nose most of the way.             From the south of Leonor City where their journey began the wagon rolled slowly through streets passed women and children picking up the pieces of their lives after the siege ...

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Daughter of Slaughter

Submitted to Contest #112

Grey clouds had been promising rain for hours. Leonor city needed the rain to wash away the blood of the siege. Its people were exhausted. The army had been slaughtered. Most men who had not fought in the battle at Worldworm’s Bridge had died defending the wall in the first attack of the empire.             Queen Malin had turned the tables with a curse, not a miracle. Danielle saw, as all the defenders on the wall saw, that the northern wall was now surrounded by a line of deadly t...

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