Anthology of Blades: First Pages - The Reptiles' Blade

The Reptiles' Blade has been incorporated into An Anthology of Blades. It is a space opera short science fiction story about a skeletal assassin.

The Reptiles’ Blade is a science fiction novella about a retired military member, a lizardine warrior-come-“diplomat” and some high-level negotiation that very nearly goes astray before it even gets started.

When Felicity Shannara Jones is ordered by her command to infiltrate a criminal organization using humanitarian aid as a front, she isn’t sure she’s the right girl for the job, but then she finds Mika, second planetary adviser to humanity’s current foe, and she knows things just got serious. When Mika escapes custody, things go from serious to dire in one jet-propelled moment and Felicity, with her history in the lizardine war, finds herself in the firing line once more.

The Reptiles’ Blade is available from Smashwords, Kindle, Kobo, Nook, Omnilit, DriveThruFiction and iTunes.

First Page: The Reptiles' Blade

Felicity Shannara Jones, Captain Jones to most who knew her, Felix to her friends, Jay to Manx Carlisle who followed her up the steps from the car.

“You could drop the uniform, you know,” he said. “After all, you don’t wear one anymore.”

“Can it, Carlisle.”

“And I know you’re pissed when you go formal on me.”

“You have no idea.”

Carlisle placed a hand on her forearm. It was just a touch, firm, a warning. Felix stopped half way up the stairs, let him partially block her path and catch her eye.

“Take a breath, Jay. They are the dumbest damned civilians we’ve yet come across, but they are holding all the cards.”

It took an effort, but Felix managed to halt the epithet before it crossed her tongue. This was what they paid him for. This was why she had kept him around, long after she had given most of her other PAs the can. Carlisle knew the playing field, and knew her well enough to warn her when she was letting too much of her inner self show—and, tonight, she had to present a cool, collected façade. The institute they were visiting was holding someone she dearly wanted to meet. If they caught a whiff of who she really was and what she was doing here, she’d be out on her ear before she could see him.

She laid a hand over the top of Carlisle’s fingers, acknowledging his assistance. Turning her head so she could meet his eyes, she took two deep breaths, careful to stay aware of her surroundings even as she lost herself in the color of his eyes. Blue and green swirled together to remind her of the oceans of Aquapearl.

Aquapearl. Not all of her memories of that distant world were so peaceful. In fact, most of them were highly disturbing. She had been a killer then, worn a uniform, led a squad against one of the most cunning and adept enemies humanity had ever had the misfortune of irritating. Attempting to claim someone else’s planet tended to have that effect on the inhabitants. The oceans, though.

She had been given time to heal beside one, and had learned to associate the uniquely colored water with security—and then they had whisked her out of the war zone and slotted her with an advisory position. It was too dangerous to send her back to fight; she’d draw too much attention to any unit to which she was attached.

Felix had learned a lot about the politics behind the conflict, since then, was active in trying to find a way to peace that would let both sides retire with grace. Or, at least, with their economies intact. The lizardine warrior being held was probably the emissary they had been waiting for, and that was going to put a big hole in their hopes for an equitable ending.

END FIRST PAGE

If you would like to read more, The Reptiles’ Blade is available from Smashwords, Kindle, Kobo, Nook, Omnilit, DriveThruFiction and iTunes.

An Anthology of Blades: First Pages - Stiletto's Luck

Stiletto’s Luck has been incorporated into An Anthology of Blades.

 Stiletto’s Luck is about an assassin dealing with the consequences of taking part in a battle for reasons of his own, while trying to remain uncompromised by either side.

They could have called him Scimitar, Blade or Dagger, but, no, his parents had to call him Stiletto. Stiletto did the only thing he could. He learned to be the best at what he did, and he learned to walk tall - without the heels. When he finds himself in the center of a plot to assassinate the most powerful men in the city, Stiletto has only one question: How on earth is he going to walk out of this one?

Stiletto’s Luck will be included in An Anthology of Blades, but is currently available as a stand-alone title from Smashwords, Amazon-Kindle and CreateSpace and will be distributed from Nook, Kobo, Barnes and Noble and iTunes.

First Page

 Stiletto's Luck

Sheathed in a suit that shifted with the colors of a city night, Stiletto crouched in the shadows, looking very much like the other gargoyles on the roof line, but one set far too close to the casement. Those he’d arranged to meet in the room beyond had been on time. They’d come, as arranged, bringing no nasty surprises and no extras, but he wanted to learn something more about them before going inside.

Such as why four of the pairs hadn’t left as soon as they’d seen each other. And why their bodyguards had failed to check the window and make sure it was locked. Were they careless, or did they know he waited just outside? And why did they stray so far from their principles, each guard moving to the outer perimeter of the room, leaving their masters close enough to do each other harm before they could intervene.

Three had hired him to protect them from one of the others. Two had hired him to investigate separate matters that now appeared linked. And he had approached one of the men acting as a guard, with a proposition.

Stiletto waited. The figures in the room grew restless. Finally, one of the three turned to another.

“A precision weapon, you said he was. I would have thought he’d have been on time.”

“Perhaps he scries,” another—Anderman—said and his guard gave a sigh. The man breathed in, sweeping his arms wide and drawing them in as he exhaled. His principle watched as his protector settled into stillness. The others waited.

“No,” the guard said, after six heartbeats of concentration. He did not say what else he might have noticed with his heightened sensitivity, but he moved closer to Anderman’s side. “No one scries here.”

The men in the room did not seem to realize the significance of the guard’s movement. They relaxed.

“Then why did he invite us together, if he wasn’t going to meet with us?”

Huh, now they thought of it.

Stiletto watched as the bodyguards moved closer to their principles before shifting onto the narrow ledge alongside the casement and opened the window. Three crossbow bolts and two shards of magic parted the space he might have filled.

END FIRST PAGE

If you would like to read more, Stiletto’s Luck will be included in An Anthology of Blades, but is currently available as a stand-alone title from Smashwords, Amazon-Kindle and CreateSpace and will be distributed from Nook, Kobo, Barnes and Noble and iTunes.

An Anthology of Blades: First Pages - The Soul in the Sword

The Soul in the Sword has been incorporated into An Anthologyof Blades.

When an Arach raiding party attacks a wagon train and moves on to take on the next town, Dannon is part of the out-riders who must clean up in their wake. The dead girl on the wagon is just one of many reasons he doesn’t like spiders, or the elves that ride them.

The Soul in the Sword is a short tale of fantasy battle, which will be incorporated into An Anthology of Blades.

It is available as a stand-alone story from Smashwords, and will soon be available from Kobo, Kindle, iTunes, and Nook.

First Page: The Soul in the Sword

The spider reared, raking down with its forelegs. Allun threw himself sideways, dodging the blade-like spines of one leg and blocking the other leg’s cutting edge with his sword.

The spider lunged after him, wicked fangs flashing, their points gleaming dully in the dawn-light. Allun rolled from beneath them, turning to face the beast and its rider again.

The spider’s rider raised his lance and sliced at the man below him. Allun tried to parry the deadly thrust. His sword flashed up, splintering the lance’s wooden shaft.

His success was short-lived. The lance’s leaf-shaped blade had already smashed its way into his chest, ripping its way through his heart and lungs and making his arms numb with shock. His sword dropped into the grass as his arms fell to his sides.

The spider’s rider looked down at his body, and Allun saw the creature’s lips curl with scorn as his sight faded. With a careless shrug, the rider threw the broken shaft of the lance onto Allun’s still body and turned his beast away.

Allun had been one of the last to fall. The livestock were scattered and some of the wagons had already been put to the torch.

The rider surveyed the damage and drew another lance from across his back. Only raiders moved amidst the carnage. He led them from it, shouting a war cry as he went.

A ray of sunlight lit the burning wagons behind them but they did not look back. Rising smoke carried news of their deed to the sky and they did not care.

The raiders sped on, blood and war paint mingling. Dawn was fading and they had far to go.

*   *   *

Amidst the wreckage, Kurjasta wept. She was dead and it had not been her time to die. The heat of a burning wagon blackened her fingers and she fell away from her body with a sudden clatter. The abrupt parting from her flesh, the shock and pain of death and the jarring as she hit the ground drove her into darkness and forced her to sleep.

*   *   *

It took the outriders most of the day to answer the alarm call of the smoke. When they reached the devastated wagon train the carrion crows had already begun their work.

END OF FIRST PAGE

If you would like to read more, The Soul in the Sword is available from  Smashwords, and will soon be available from Kobo, Kindle, iTunes, and Nook.