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Patrick Delevante

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Nov, 2025

Stories (22)

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17 Followers

43 Following

22 Stories

349 karma pts

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The Raven's Fortune

Patrick Delevante

Submitted to Contest #341

“Hold still, brother,” Gustav says, wringing out a cloth until dark water drips onto the floorboards. The room smelling of iron and burned flesh, sharp enough to sting the eyes. “Since when did you have such steady hands?” Darius groans as the needle presses into his flesh, the first of many stitches biting deep. Chomp whines softly from the side of the bed, his head down, eyes on Darius. The beast, though monstrous at times, has grown very close the family. “Hush, Chomp. Since I stopped drinking. Remember?” Gustav replies. He draws a slow ...

3 likes

The Weight He Chose

Patrick Delevante

Submitted to Contest #341

“My dear, why must you be so busy all the time? Surely the kingdom will go on without you for one day.” Sebastian sighs, falling back into his chair. The wood creaks as the plush lining supports him. “Mira, I don’t have time for this.” “Do you ever have time recently, hmm?” Mira steps silently to his side, brushing locks from her face, her nightgown whispering across the floor. “Come on, sweetie. You don’t want to play?” “Mira, ple—” “Shush.” She presses a finger to his lips. “You’ve been an important king all day. Now spend some time with y...

2 likes

The Long Dark Beneath the Mountain

Patrick Delevante

Submitted to Contest #340

The king demanded a railway line between Oakheart and Malguinem Port. The only way was through the mountains. A tunnel so deep it had never been attempted before. A straight line carved across the kingdom. When finished, it would carry goods that would make the king even richer. In the dark, and the cold, we dug. I didn’t take the job just for the money. Coin can take you far in the kingdom, but respect can take you further. The digging was long. The stone unyielding, even against the new Zayne-tech drills. We struggled. And then something h...

2 likes

The Raven’s Witness

Patrick Delevante

Submitted to Contest #340

“Chomp!” They always wake me. My sleep, interrupted. I sometimes wonder if the Ravens are good for me. But Miss Ella was kind to me, all those years ago. She gave me a home. No more sleeping underground in the cold. No more hunger gnawing so loudly it drowned out thought. “Yesh, Captain,” I reply. Oh. I remember this place. The basement of Miss Ella’s mansion. “Dinner time!” Uh oh. Uncle Darius sounds serious. Miss Ella is here. It’s been so long. I think. She left, and then I slept for a bit. I was very upset. Then Uncle Darius had the idea...

2 likes

A Familiar Warmth

Patrick Delevante

Submitted to Contest #339

“How is your promotion going? Malguinem Port is a big place,” Belle asks, taking a breath as she lowers herself into her chair. The chair is still upholstered in that old, frayed fabric. Greyed by years of use, patched over with similarly coloured cloth. Its timber frame is strong, dark wood, no doubt the most expensive part of it, whenever it was made. And the smell, soap, wool, smoke. So familiar. This place was my home for a long time. Belle was a good landlady. She got the house after her husband died in the war, but she never let it sho...

9 likes

The Raven’s Brew

Patrick Delevante

Submitted to Contest #339

“So, how’s the big city treating you, Gus?” Darius says, lifting his mug and breathing in the scent. “Not bad. Much smoother than on your ship,” Gustav replies with a chuckle. “Hm. You realise your repeated seasickness was mostly down to the quantity of cheap rum you drank. My cheap rum,” Darius says, amused. Gustav pauses, eyes drifting to the window as he bites at his left thumbnail. “Have you really not touched a drop?” Darius asks, taking a sip. “Ella’s letter sounded very positive.” “I—well, there were times.” A faint rattle escapes as ...

9 likes

The Artist & the Whisperer

Patrick Delevante

Submitted to Contest #338

Lorendale Academy, the only place that would take me. And that was after a sizable donation from my mother. The academy wasn’t bad, just grimy and old. The professors stank of salt and sweat, and the dorms weren’t much better. But still, I was worried. That place became my home. Four years in any place will do that. But there I was, sitting on a bench, waiting for my fate. “The headmaster will see you now. Adam, was it?” “Yes sir,” I replied, too quickly. All while the urge to remain perfectly still rushed through my head. I mustn’t shake. I...

12 likes

Was It Worth It?

Patrick Delevante

Submitted to Contest #338

You know, hanging here. Suspended a foot off the ground in a kinetic field. I keep thinking to myself: Was it worth it? … Two days ago … “Dammit, Mark! By Spiff, what happened to your eye?” “Oh, uh… I fell.” “You fell, huh?” That’s Val. My dormmate. Very astute. Or maybe my excuses are just bad. Especially when reused them over and over. “Fell into someone’s fist?” “I, uh—” “Get over here, you idiot.” She demanded. I had learned not to go against that iron will. Plus, she could afford the good medicine. Not the bargain-bin salves I grew up w...

12 likes

The Raven’s Mark

Patrick Delevante

Submitted to Contest #338

Ella slams the book closed, the first sound in the room since her brother’s obnoxious snoring briefly interrupted the deal. She takes a breath, passing the book to her right. Raj, the giant of a man, stands ever vigilant at her side. For a hired muscle, Ella has used him for much more. A childhood spent travelling gave him knowledge of many criminal underbellies that Ella lacked experience in. He can spot false currency at a glance and usually knows its source. But most of all, he dealt with anyone who dared scam the Raven family. Ella takes...

6 likes

Until I See You Again

Patrick Delevante

Submitted to Contest #337

My Dearest Oriana, They have posted me to a city called Lorsan, far south of home. I tried to get a letter penned at the end of day one, but the writer was too busy. He is an interesting lad, a wood elf too, though city-born. He speaks like most of the central elves. He says he can teach me to read and write. Hopefully, I’ll be able to write these to you myself one day. How are Alia and Sage? I worried about them much on the journey over. There are rumours that the draconic wars have made their way to the southern stretch of jungle. They say...

9 likes

Salt and Stories

Patrick Delevante

Submitted to Contest #337

“I came this far south looking for him. He left when I was so young. The army took him, like so many others. It became normal where I grew up. Every other family had a member conscripted. Guess we were just lucky he went south into the salt wars rather than… than…” “The wars in the archipelago weren’t any less brutal than down here. They were just reported on more.” “Still though, you’re the farmer. Everyone in the small settlements around here knows you. Told me to find you. Said you were an ex-soldier.” “Ha! What else did they tell you abo...

9 likes

Safe Passage

Patrick Delevante

This war, this war has changed everything. Families and friendships broken, gone forever. Widows and orphans are commonplace now. It’s as though the world itself has stopped, society locked in the same stalemate I am forced to hold. Seven years since this deadlock began. The western front. A line of ships patrolling a stretch of sea, fifteen hundred miles long. The last line of defence between Imperia Reach and Bedlem Key. Most of what remains of the Imperial Navy, halting the advance of the Kingdom of Malguinem. Ever since the bloody fall o...

6 likes

The Raven’s Parting

Patrick Delevante

Submitted to Contest #336

Damned my head. That wine is far too good. I hate this ship. Wait. Are we out to sea again? Did we… did we leave last night? “Gustav?” Oh shit. It’s him. “Penn, how are. Burp! Oh, my stomach. How are you?” “I’m fine,” he says, rubbing at his arm, the movement stiff. “Just a little scratched up and…” “Burp!” “Hmmm.” Why does he always look at me like that. Like I’m a problem he’s been assigned. “Yes, good, good.” I wave a hand, the world tilting unpleasantly beneath my feet. “Have you seen my brother?” He’s probably already in full pirate-cap...

10 likes

We Are Not the Same

Patrick Delevante

Submitted to Contest #336

“Idiot!” “Why are you always so mean to me?” “Because you are so pathetic!” “I, I…” “You don’t even have a name! Ha! Oak! You chose the first thing you saw when you woke up!” “It was… it was all I remembered. It was safe.” “Safe? Ha! You have never been safe! They hate you. They hate us.” “You’re wrong, Neoleth! They like me! We’re friends!” “No, they don’t! They fear you! Everyone in Trencore fears you. Fears us, what both of us can do! That’s why that damned witch…” “No, not her, she… she…” “Oh? What, you’re still afraid of her?” “I…” “Why...

10 likes

The Raven’s Return

Patrick Delevante

Submitted to Contest #335

This city has changed so much. Only four years, and yet the once-infallible council has faded into obscurity. The city, the whole island, now dances on a puppet’s strings. Lynn Stoneheart. Ha! All her power comes from the under-hand pay she takes from King Malguinem. This island might as well already belong to him. Ravensport, at least they kept the name, but for how long. “Cap’in?” There’s a hitch in Penn’s voice. Just enough to make me look over my shoulder. “Yes, Penn?” He swallows, eyes flicking toward the docks. “They’re not gonna let ...

13 likes