Something had gone wrong with Sasham... ------ Chapter 29. Shagrath: Restraint. Restraint. Patience. Are these not the lessons I have learned over the years of my penance? Do not let them be lost. Shagrath repeated this to himself several times until he was sure he could maintain control. Such things were so contrary to his people's nature. Yet there was no choice. So much had been lost before due to impulsive actions. That was why he was still here, with these creatures, following their actions and mimicking their behaviors. He [ Continue reading... ]
French Roast Apocalypse: Chapter 18
Another trip back in time, and we see some other characters when they were younger... and learn just how nasty Mr. Blackwell was.... ----- Chapter 18. New York City, 1980 Anna's Muffin Shop was a small shop, with a large display case filled with many different kinds of muffins ranging from corn to chocolate as well as cupcakes and cookies. The walls were painted pink as a background for black silhouette figures that danced across the wall, figures with finger-wave hair and zoot suits. Apparently the shop had started [ Continue reading... ]
Demons of the Past: Revelation, Chapter 28
So Shagrath had said there was a test for Varan... ------ Chapter 28. Varan: I focused on the room beyond and muttered a tired curse. Like many of them the closer I got to the center, this area had a psi-damper. I'd found I could still function in rooms with a standard damper before, in my earlier training, but it was like fighting underwater, or in extra-heavy gravity; you just had a lot less to devote to the cause. Worse, the screens were more than sufficient to scramble even my best attempts to remote-view or listen. As [ Continue reading... ]
Demons of the Past:Revelation, Chapter 27
And after that last chapter, it's not so surprising that Varan's starting to sound a little... OFF now... ----- Chapter 27. Varan: Dr. Sooovickalassa gave a hiss combined with a chiming rattle as that fantastic golden crest rippled; this was, I'd come to learn, an R'Thann's equivalent of an exclamation of awe. "Stable your abilities two weeks have been," he said. You appear to have reached your peak – and an impressive peak it is. On a sideband which he probably didn't mean me to see, I could also hear Possibly as strong as one of [ Continue reading... ]
Demons of the Past: Chapter 26
It's time for us to hear from our fine upstanding Prime Monitor... ----- Chapter 26. Shagrath: Varan dodged out of the way of his kick with startling speed. Even though he'd been expecting it, the swiftness of the Navy Commander's reactions caught him momentarily off-guard, and gave Varan an opening to deliver a cannonlike kick to his back. I actually FELT that, Shagrath mused, as he somersaulted across the floor, regaining control before hitting the wall. The Commander's enhancement abilities appear to be fully the equal [ Continue reading... ]
French Roast Apocalypse: Chapter 16
Dylan was flashing back... ----- Chapter 16.New York City, 1980 The first week was uneventful. Both Anna and Douglas mercilessly drowned him in academics. During the evening he helped at the Muffin House, and they were also in the process of integrating the other members of his therapy group into Anna's halfway house. Between socializing with friends, work, and studies, he barely had time to think about hunting down Keith. His life, despite the odd circumstances, had become strangely mundane. Save for the fact he, at eighteen, [ Continue reading... ]
Demons of the Past: Revelation, Chapter 25
Let's look in on Taelin... ----- Chapter 25. Taelin: "Wh… What?" Taelin couldn't help but laugh at the stunned amazement on his friend's face. "You complete child, Sash! And I mean that in the best possible way, but by the Fall you're innocent! There was never any doubt that the petition would pass, not now, not after everything you've done!" Sasham's storm-gray eyes actually shimmered for a moment in a way that made Taelin suspect tears were trying to emerge. Fortunately for the Navy officer's dignity, Treyuusei [ Continue reading... ]
French Roast Apocalypse: Chapter 15
Dylan had gotten REALLY hurt... ----- Chapter 15. New York City, 2010/1980 Dylan wasn’t sure how long he fed; he wasn’t even sure when he came back to himself. The only thing Dylan was sure of was Liam’s mind, guiding his feeding. The Celtic vampire was different than others he had fed from. Liam’s blood had a distinct flavor, but Dylan couldn't quite figure out how to describe it. It was… finer than the others he consumed. Jason’s was similar, but diluted, and both Douglas and Daniel smelled like Jason, so Dylan suspected [ Continue reading... ]
Demons of the Past: Revelation, Chapter 24
Varan had allowed Vick to do... something... to allow him to fool Shagrath... and apparently he wasn't even to know WHAT... ----- Chapter 24. Varan: I focused my attention on the test bar. Of one piece with this test chamber's wall, the bar had embedded strain sensors to return data about how much force was exerted on it. As the chamber itself was completely sealed, only a window allowing a view inside, any force it registered would have to be delivered by psionic means. "How hard to you want me to pull?" Not hard at first. [ Continue reading... ]
Demons of the Past: Revelation, Chapter 23
Sasham Varan had a really big problem... (this chapter is crucial for understanding what happens to Varan over the next few chapters) ----- Chapter 23. Varan: "Evaluation you ready for are," Dr. Sooovickalassa said. That was, in a way, a relief. The past few days had been filled with hidden tension – tension mostly on my part, but I sensed there was some for the R'Thann exile as well. Given the conversation I'd partly overheard, I wasn't surprised. Failure to produce the desired results and an inclination to arguing was [ Continue reading... ]
What You’re Saying