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#1

“One night, we workers formed a circle around the tallow candle as it burned, allowing each
other to bond by holding hands. It felt strange to connect with fellow people from Mira again. We have all become estranged from each other as we slave away for the woman leader.

In our circle, we closed our eyes and prayed. I pictured the streets of Mira, adorned with the rugged rawness of our original footprints. We once stepped together or
passed each other by, busy but comfortable with our work in various trades. Now we are anonymous, our identities stripped away from us.”
― Susan L. Marshall, Adira and the Dark Horse

tags: desire-for-freedom, estrangement, forced-labour, literary, mystery, prayer

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#2

“I stared silently at the flame, allowing it to soothe my pounding heart. It was light, it was life and it was connected to my mother.”
― Susan L. Marshall, Adira and the Dark Horse

tags: beach, childhood-memory, life, light, literary, mother-daughter-bond, mother-daughter-relationship, mystery

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#3

“It is darker than usual in my chamber tonight, not having you here to light the tallow candles as you usually do. I used to find comfort in your warm smile as you would spark light throughout my melancholy space.”
― Susan L. Marshall, Adira and the Dark Horse

tags: comfort, empress, epistolary, friendship, letter, literary, loneliness, mystery, spark-of-light

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#4

“Girl’s two green eyes peer out from behind a dark blue blanket. They do not stare directly at me.

Here hides Girl, existing as a cover name, like me.”
― Susan L. Marshall, Adira and the Dark Horse

tags: first-meeting, in-hiding, literary, mystery, seeking-refuge, suspense

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#5

“Stepping forward, Girl stares out the doorway, into the sun. “I used to tread the world freely in Mira,” she smiles gently. “My feet would feel the bare earth sifting its way between my toes. I’d push a cart full of wares, hearing it roll along the bumpy terrain, catching stones and flicking them up into the air.”
― Susan L. Marshall, Adira and the Dark Horse

tags: desire-for-freedom, literary, memories, mystery, nature-connection, seeking-refuge, silk-merchant

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#6

“What a mess,” Girl says, staring at the floor. Bending down, she retrieves the special papers. “Our existence is full of dates, times and places now,” she points at the papers. Shuffling them into a neat pile, she places them back into the folder and hands it to me.”
― Susan L. Marshall, Adira and the Dark Horse

tags: case-building, documentation, existence, literary, mystery

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#7

“As the sun continued to rise, the tune became more intoxicating, lulling me into a completely relaxed state. I allowed my mind to drift, imagining I was walking
through a pretty meadow full of roses. In my mind’s eye, I held a rose flower in my hands and sniffed at it, my eyes shining with pure happiness.

In my dreamy state, the air smelled of roses, warming my spirit and coaxing me to stop and rest. Lying back in the grass, I stretched my arms up to the sky, inviting
the sun to join me. Warm tingles rippled across my skin and eased the pressure in my head. I was light, drifting through the breeze and letting the wind take me
somewhere untouched and soothing.”
― Susan L. Marshall, Adira and the Dark Horse

tags: beauty-of-nature, childhood-memory, day-dreaming, flute, happiness, literary, music, mystery, roses, safe

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#8

“The wax of my single tallow candle has melted considerably and only a tiny spark of life remains in its fire. As I sit at this desk, its flailing light bewitches me. My hands are clutched tightly together, trying to summon my energy to regain my composure.
Inside my heart, a deep sadness resides, creeping its way through my body.

Lowering my hands to my womb, I feel a great sense of hollow emptiness. Once there sat a precious life, wrestling its way inside my being and sparking my heart with love and hope.”
― Susan L. Marshall, Adira and the Dark Horse

tags: empress, epistolary, fading-light, female-sadness, grief, letter, literary, loneliness, love-and-hope, mystery

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#9

“Clutch the cloth close to your heart,
let its creation speak its art.
Share its journeys across the land,
away from the dark horse’s hand.”
― Susan L. Marshall, Adira and the Dark Horse

tags: dark-horse, epistolary, heritage-trade, literary, love-for-art, mystery, silk-merchant, silk-trade, song

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#10

“Mitch pulls me into his embrace, holding me tightly. “I love you,” his voice cracks. I can hear his heart pounding in his chest. “I don’t know how to be without you.”
― Susan L. Marshall, Adira and the Dark Horse

tags: literary, love, mystery, romance, trouble-in-love

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#11

“Standing under the shelter of a cedar tree, I stared at the fire crackling as it burned through the fallen logs and twigs that I had gathered earlier with my father. The flames licked at the air, unaffected by the light rain. I was mesmerised by their vibrant red-orange colour, which burned steadily.”
― Susan L. Marshall, Adira and the Dark Horse

tags: childhood-memory, family, fire, flame, literary, metaphor, mystery, nature-connection, steadfast

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#12

“Beginning to slow down, my mother walked at a steady pace, cutting through the village and heading down to the sandy shore. The strength in her was admirable as she continued to carry me, even as she struggled to trek through the deep sand.”
― Susan L. Marshall, Adira and the Dark Horse

tags: danger, escape, literary, mother-daughter-bond, mystery-suspense, perseverance, protection, seeking-refuge

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#13

“The Emperor likes to keep an eye on all mail sent from the palace and so he does
not approve of the use of envelopes. So I have learned how to employ the ancient art of letter locking: delicately folding and slitting sections of the letter and gluing them down with adhesive where necessary. I feel a lightness of life to know that my words in this letter are sealed away and will only be revealed to you.”
― Susan L. Marshall, Adira and the Dark Horse

tags: ancient-letter-art, empress, epistolary, letter, letter-locking, literary, loneliness, mystery, secrets

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#14

“Staring ahead, I felt my body clutched and clawed at. Strong words of desperation were cried
into my ears. I felt a deep responsibility for the people and the situations that they found
themselves in. I also felt helpless to prevent the Emperor from causing any more harm.”
― Susan L. Marshall, Adira and the Dark Horse

tags: civilians, empress, epistolary, fight-for-life, leadership, letter, literary, mystery, woman-in-leadership

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#15

“Old, yet beloved to my family,
the cart is marked with the prints
and sweat of our ancestors,
who began our journeys in trade.

I carry our world in this cart,
wares we have taken ages to create.
Foraging through earth and trees
to source our natural ingredients.

Wares I push with deep pride,
along the sloping, uneven terrain.
I can travel further with the cart
and expand my avenues for trade.”
― Susan L. Marshall, Adira and the Dark Horse

tags: ancestors, carrying-our-world, epistolary, heritage-cart, heritage-trade, literary, mystery, natural-ingredients, poem, wares

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#16

“Pressing my nails firmly into the bark of the tree, I watch as a silhouette reveals itself in the moonlight. Tall and built, the human frame enters the clearing that
I stand in. My eyes are immediately drawn to the breathtaking sight of his face. I am familiar with those deep brown eyes, which draw me gently towards him.
I let him pull me into his warm embrace.

“Kirano!” I breathe, pressing my head against his regal blue jacket. I can hear his heart beating rapidly with excitement.

“Aisha,” Kirano’s voice is as soothing as I remember. Looking up, I see his warm, adoring smile. “I see that you tied your favourite silk scarf to the tree.”
― Susan L. Marshall, Adira and the Dark Horse

tags: attraction, epistolary, forest, journal-entry, literary, mystery, night, romance, romantic-rendezvous

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#17

“As the man continues to stare at his mobile phone, his yellow safety vest loosens itself up and flaps wildly in the breeze, hitting him in the face. I watch him swat away at the vest, taming it under control aggressively. Pulling down the vest, he presses the Velcro back together and flattens it against his zip up brown jumper.”
― Susan L. Marshall, Adira and the Dark Horse

tags: aggression, case-building, control, literary, mystery, private-detective, stakeout

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#18

“Are you alright?” Mitch reaches out to assist me.

“I can look after myself,” I stumble through my words, asserting my independence.

“Oh, I know that,” Mitch says, his eyes boring into me as my feet hit the grass.”
― Susan L. Marshall, Adira and the Dark Horse

tags: assertion, independence, literary, mystery, quarrel, trouble-in-romance

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#19

“I stop in my tracks, turning to face Girl. She is limping across the grass.

I can do this!

Reaching out, I lift her in both my arms. She straddles her legs around my waist and leans her head against my left shoulder.

Girl is heavy but I seem to manage. Finding my inner strength, I support her weight in my arms. My feet continue to pelt across the grass and onto the cement
of the car park.”
― Susan L. Marshall, Adira and the Dark Horse

tags: danger, dramatic-action, escape, literary, mystery, on-the-run, private-detective, protection

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#20

“Father reaches out to touch my scarf. “Your mother’s scarf,” he says softly. “She loved this so very much, you know. I remember her creative streak, how she refused
to use the strong dye colours that we usually use for silk design. Instead, she preferred a shade of white, which would not sell as successfully in trade. She loved
this scarf, the way it sat humbly around her neck and gave her senses of comfort and peace as she held you tight. You would often beg to wear it, Aisha.”

I stroke the scarf subconsciously. A memory flashes in my mind of my mother’s shaking hands as she shaped spun silk into this beautiful scarf. My gentle mother,
who coughed violently and shook, plagued she was with an illness that had deteriorated her immensely. I spent every moment I could with her, my heart
knowing that each might be my last.

“Beautiful Aisha, wear this scarf with your love,” said my mother one morning as she tied it around my neck.

I stared at her, my lips wobbling as tears rolled down my cheeks. “I’ll wear it, always loving you, Mother,” I replied. My mother nodded, her eyes also filling with tears as she realised that I understood how little time we had left together.”
― Susan L. Marshall, Adira and the Dark Horse

tags: epistolary, family, heritage-silk-scarf, literary, love, mother-daughter-bond, mystery, silk, silk-trade

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#21

“Gritting my teeth with determination, I floor the accelerator again, trying to gain as
much distance as I can away from Redfin. Third gear it is! The wind is even stronger now and I feel like my hair is going to fly off my head. A strong whipping sound bursts into my ears as I floor the accelerator one more, engaging fourth gear. Nouveau Road is
wide and long enough to take the truck and its speed for a little while.”
― Susan L. Marshall, Adira and the Dark Horse

tags: determination, escape, flooring-accelerator, literary, mystery, speed, truck-driving

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#22

“My heart is beating furiously but I harness my strength. Grabbing the Chief’s hands
from around my back, I twist around and free myself. “Don’t move,” I say, grasping
him firmly around the neck in a tight headlock. “Or I will strengthen my grip.”
― Susan L. Marshall, Adira and the Dark Horse

tags: defense, facing-the-enemy, inner-strength, literary, mystery, private-detective

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#23

“Girl grabs Dari’s hand. “Don’t forget what it’s like to run, Dari. Do you remember the feeling of the breeze flying through your hair when we used to run through the forest? We were young and freer then, with thoughts of how we’d like our futures to be.”
― Susan L. Marshall, Adira and the Dark Horse

tags: desired-future, existence, forest, freedom, literary, memory, mystery, seeking-refuge

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#24

“A wicked smirk crosses Dari’s lips and he steps closer until his face is level with Girl’s. “Break your soul we will,” he spits, his eyes sparking and sinister. “You and
your empire have no place in this world and will be wiped from living memory.”
― Susan L. Marshall, Adira and the Dark Horse

tags: fear, literary, mystery, persecution, threat

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#25

“Unfurl my body, wind,
lift me up into the branches
of a majestic beauty that guides
a people through life.

I would sway with you, branches,
taking that journey across the ages.
Tossing my own mane of leaves
through the quiet, awaiting air.

Silently, I choose to engage
with your wisdom.”
― Susan L. Marshall, Adira and the Dark Horse

tags: forest-conservation, literary, majestic-trees, metaphor, mystery, nature-connection, silk-trade-route, song, spiritual-connection, wisdom

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#26

“Love is hard,” I say. “Sometimes, deep inside, you hope that everything will get better, that it will be alright.” I choke on the last words, feeling a deep ache in my heart. I know what it’s like to hope.”
― Susan L. Marshall, Adira and the Dark Horse

tags: heart-ache, hope, literary, love, love-is-hard, mystery, trouble-in-romance

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#27

“When he leaves, I sit up and hug my legs tightly to my chest. My ripped clothing brings a chill to my bones and I shiver. I feel used and discarded at once, my light
shrinking and wavering in the turbulent sea of wifehood.”
― Susan L. Marshall, Adira and the Dark Horse

tags: abandonment, female-deprivation, female-sadness, light-shrinking, literary, mystery, wifehood

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#28

“I always wonder what hope I will find across the terrain. It changes
all the time. Right now, the wind plays with it, tossing its dirt in the air, challenging the terrain to ground itself. I remind myself that in fierceness, there is also a delicate beauty. You just have to look in the right place to find it.”
― Susan L. Marshall, Adira and the Dark Horse

tags: change, hope, life-challenges, literary, mystery, positivity, private-detective, spiritual-growth

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#29

“The Redbank forest is crying silently this morning.
The red, green and golden leaves of late autumn are separating from their branches like youngsters leaving
their nests. Carried by the wind, the leaves toss and turn, trying to gain control over their pathways through the vast, wide terrain of the world.”
― Susan L. Marshall, Adira and the Dark Horse

tags: autumn-setting, life-direction, life-journey, literary, metaphor, mystery, personal-growth

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#30

“Standing still, I watched the world heave and swirl around me in the air. The sandy earth of the beach was making itself visible to my young heart, reminding me that it still lived and breathed. I grounded myself in the granules and refused to let the wind take me away.

I could barely see through the thick yellow sand that smeared the air. It held me entranced within its existence.”
― Susan L. Marshall, Adira and the Dark Horse

tags: beach, childhood-memory, earth-energy, literary, mystery, nature-connection, sand-storm, spiritual-growth

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