Demons of the Past: RETRIBUTION, Chapter 19

Taelin needs more friends... -----     Chapter 19 Taelin: "Taelin? Taelin Mel'Tasne, what in the Emperor's Name are you doing here, you pictureboy?" Taelin turned around, already feeling the grin starting. "And that has to be Remin Canta, the Imperial warning symbol for 'think once, act twice!'" Canta – only slightly taller than Taelin but outweighing him more than two-to-one with his heavyworlder build – caught up Taelin in an exuberant hug that sent Taelin's breath whooshing from his body. "This can't be an [ Continue reading... ]

LEGEND: Chapter 9

You can't just visit your therapist once... -----     Chapter 9. "How it started?" he repeated. Dr. Hsui nodded her head. "Um . . . You think that's important?" She tilted her head questioningly. "I would think so. That's what led to your current problem, isn't it? In the end analysis?" "Well . . . sort of, I guess." Her eyes weren't exactly brown, they seemed sometimes almost gray, sometimes even touched with green. And I'm distracting myself from the task at hand again. He gave a snort of laughter. "And I'd guess [ Continue reading... ]

Demons of the Past: RETRIBUTION, Chapter 18

Varan and his friends are finally together on their own ship again... -----   Chapter 18 Varan: Yes. You have become immensely more powerful since last we were together. Vick leaned back and studied me closely. Proportionately even more so than I would have expected. "Really?" At his crest-rattle I held up my hand. "I'm not really doubting you, but I can't feel it, you know. I haven't had much to compare myself to, after all." You – and I, following my own treatment – were improving along a strong, but well-defined, [ Continue reading... ]

LEGEND: Chapter 8

Jennifer was meeting with someone my readers have met before... -----     Chapter 8. "Thank you so much for agreeing to see me on such short notice, Mr. Wood," Jennifer said. "No problem," Jason Wood said, waving her inside his office. "Call me Jason, as long as I can call you Jennifer." He gave the trademark slightly-lopsided grin that was familiar to just about everyone on Earth by this point and ran his fingers absently through streaky-blond hair. "I don't think I've ever had a psychologist . . . sorry, psychiatrist . [ Continue reading... ]

Demons of the Past: RETRIBUTION, Chapter 17

Well, if our Heroes have made progress, it's probably going to annoy our villain... -----   Chapter 17 Shagrath: I have passed beyond rage and reached uttermost calm, Shagrath noted with a faint surprise. Varan has eluded me again. There should have been no trouble in this mission. He knew Varan was being held by the Zchorada. He had remained there, a prisoner, for months. Admittedly, there was that annoying and not entirely explicable blurring around him, but there was no doubt that it was, in fact, Varan; though the [ Continue reading... ]

LEGEND: Chapter 7

Where there are heroes, there must be Villains... -----     Chapter 7. "Am I . . . alive?" "You are, Lord." Lord? He thought about that. Everything was vague . . . but he remembered anger. A face, a young, determined face filled with certainty and fury. Something about that face made him clench his fists. But he didn't quite remember. . . . "I am your . . . Lord?"      A smile, gentle and cold as falling snow. "Now, yes. You have fought long and hard to be here, Lord." Yes. Yes, I remember fighting. The words [ Continue reading... ]

Demons of the Past: RETRIBUTION, Chapter 16

They had dealt with the immediate problem... -----   Section Two: Hosts Assembled and Foreseen     Chapter 16 The Eönwyl: For once, she didn't care the slightest bit about being controlled or measured; she ran, ran ahead of the others and caught up Sasham, kissing him even as she lifted him off the ground and spun, hugging him so tight she heard him grunt in surprise. She laughed, kissed him again, hugged and spun once more, and then stopped, but didn't let go. "I missed you," she said finally. He laughed [ Continue reading... ]

LEGEND: Chapter 6

Dr. Hsui is involved in something she never expected. So what do you do? RESEARCH! -----     Chapter 6. And now I spend half my Saturday working. There wasn't any avoiding the fact that if she was going to be trying to counsel a . . . superhero, she needed more information. Fortunately, Yuki's friend Melanie Davidson was more than happy to have Yuki over for a play date, and Melanie's mother Dawn was even willing to do the pick-up and drop-off. "Thank you so much, Dawn," she said, giving Yuki a kiss on the cheek before [ Continue reading... ]

Demons of the Past: RETRIBUTION, Chapter 15

They'd convinced the Vmee that they'd been telling the truth... but the Empire had come calling... -----     Chapter 15 Varan: The door slid open without warning and the Grasper lunged in. "Captain! Captain Varan, come swiftly!" Even under ordinary circumstances I wouldn't question an order from a jailor, but the grim panic in the Grasper's voice lent it vastly more urgency. I rose from my chair; the Grasper was already turning away and I followed, feeling a rising sense of nervousness. Well, she didn't come with [ Continue reading... ]

LEGEND, Chapter 5

Let's look in on a certain little girl... -----     Chapter 5. "Hello there, Virgina." She was already turning, smiling. Somehow I already knew he was there. She ran to the tall, flamboyantly-dressed figure and threw her arms around him, as high up as she could jump. "America!" He chuckled and hugged her back. "And who else? How have you been, Virginia Dare?" "That's Virginia Dare Jefferson!" she corrected proudly. He smiled broadly. "And that's just exactly right, Miss Jefferson. But still Virginia Dare to me, [ Continue reading... ]