French Roast Apocalypse: Chapter 17

Dylan's finally waking up to find out that even a Revenant can get badly hurt... ----   Chapter 17. New York City, 2010 When Dylan finally came to from the almost-endless dream, it took a while to understand where he was, what had happened. The only thing he knew for sure was that he'd been wrapped like a mummy – bandaged broken arm, skull fracture, chest wrapped for multiple broken ribs, and serious repair work to put his guts back where they belonged. He spent most of his time unconscious — if you could call that [ 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... ]

French Roast Apocalypse: Chapter 14

We had a different point of view at the beginning; it's time to start finding out what happened to him... -----   Chapter 14. Dublin, Ireland, 2010 Pitch darkness, tempered only with the whirl and thunder of sea against shore. Cool salty air kissed his cheeks. He wasn’t sure where he was as he came to himself, only that he was floating in dark, and arms held him tight as he was gently carried. His head ached when he moved it, and there was an emptiness inside of him he couldn’t explain. Fingers touched his head as the hold on him [ Continue reading... ]

Demons of the Past: Revelation, Chapter 22

There was another point of view or two in this book, wasn't there? -----   Chapter 22. Taelin: He wandered the halls of the Mel'Tasne estate, not quite sure where he was going. Treyuusei was off at the Dellitamas, since their vacation had been put on indefinite hold – the only thing I really hold against Sash, but it was hardly his fault – and now Varan himself was no longer available. Wonder what the hell they've been doing to him. He was so secretive, it was like they'd put a vacuum-seal on his mouth. That worried Taelin; it wasn't [ Continue reading... ]