Foreword: This story is actually part of a series of short-stories/novellas by myself and a friend. There are several "min-series" within the main series (Defenders of the Forest). This is an off-shoot of the core books; that is, characters from the core books are mentioned in this, and the main character of Absinthe is a minor character in the core books. If at any time you don't understand something, the reason is that this is not the first story in the series; ideally, one should read the core books first. Since the core books are currently undergoing a thorough editing, this will have to suffice. I've tried to make this as understandable as possible.

That said, enjoy!

Absinthe

Prologue

Chandra Jahazia Ignatius Preston, called Jahazia by those who knew her, stared at the blank page. She was using expensive paper for a rough draft, but the daughter of High Priestess Laleldær Silverfire and High Priest Camillus Preston was allowed any luxuries she wanted, even if she was a failure and no longer a Priestess of Cra. If only the words would flow from the tip of her feather quill and onto the expensive paper. But Jahazia had been staring at the blank page for nearly an hour now, and words were not forthcoming.

Sighing, Jahazia dug into a desk drawer and pulled out a bottle of a noxious-green liquid: absinthe.

Absinthe. Jahazia’s only companion. The highly-alcoholic beverage was the only thing that kept her alive.

She didn’t normally drink the bitter stuff straight, but… Uncorking the bottle of illegal alcohol, Jahazia began drinking herself into a stupor.

As she began to pass out, she thought to herself,

How did all this happen?