"We're in trouble," said Myrna. Her blonde hair had been bleached white by many days in the sun. Her sunburnt skin was peeling. Her lips were cracked. She trudged along the dirt road in men's boots that were too big for her and giving her blisters. In one hand she carried an empty bucket which had contained water. She and Elsteen had had nothing to drink sin...
Rain was pouring down over the small town of Swamp-Point. It was very dark, the moonlight was hidden by thick clouds. The few street lamps still in functioning states were not giving much light. A man was running down the deserted street. He wasn't running toward somewhere but away from something. He was clearly afraid of something and couldn't see where he...
June sunset on a green Montana hill, the sun inching behind the Rockies bit by bit. A man and a huge wolf sit watching it, their faces growing more lined as the light fades. His hand rests gently on the wolf's shoulder: they are not master and pet, but old friends with independent lives. At one with nature around them, they say nothing, comfortable in sharin...
Watching Scott struggle under the hood of the car, Kari sighs as the Louisiana sun heats up the vehicles interior. Of all places to break down, it would have to be in the middle of Cameron Parish. Nothing around for miles but marsh and mud. Opening the door and stepping out into the two lane highway, Kari didn't bother looking for traffic. There wasn't any....
Chapter 1: Don't Croc the Boat If Michael had known his future would have involved rowing a boat... he would have definitely worked more on his upper-body strength. Those crew jocks he remembered from high school all seemed to be practicing for something that would never be useful, like learning how to apply a mustard plaster or stealing cable. But here he...
For most tribes in The Blood Swamp, a name is not given at birth. Children and youth carry only the name of their tribe, and are differentiated from each other in conversation only by their parents and relative age. As such, you have only ever been called Child of Mudheel Sneaktrapper. Today, though, you lose even that identity. Two moons past marked your ei...
Prologue - Placing her back inches from a large tree, Brenda stooped down and teased open a brown canvas satchel. The occasional wind-rush of a car traveling on the road, several yards away, served as a reminder that civilization seemed always to be only one step away. Her son, dear Christopher, had dropped her off on that highway a bit over an hour ago. B...
The young faun had led Valentine and Bear to the other side of the circle of pillows, where they now sat. Vegetables and fruits had been set out in front of them, some set on a small brass brazier to grill. From their position they could hear the discussion between Rom's inner circle, but were not part of it. Val nibbled on a roasted carrot, straining to h...
He did not mind the swamp, not at all. The smells did not bother him and its outrageous residents amused him. He was welcomed as a dear friend by all even though he was a lawyer. In fact it was a business concern that brought him to the swamp that day. He had come to tell Princess Ella her divorce and settlement had become final. He also hoped to get up the...
"Historical accounts suggest there are more far more species of demons than have ever been named. The absence of categorization and thorough study of infernals remains the greatest threat such creatures pose to the civilizations of mankind." -- Preface to the Infernal Compilation of Lady Keya Oko, scribe and Magister-Aspirant, c. 3123 by the Ummran calendar....