The first story in the Book of Richard, “Fleeting Dreams,” started the whole thing. The original idea came to me decades ago, probably in the mid-1970s when I was doing a lot of RPG stuff (playing and writing), but it took half a century to get it down on paper. I can’t post that part […]
Chapter 1 The shantak circled lazily around the fort, wings barely moving as it drifted downward. There was a crash as the scorpion a few meters away let loose, sending a bolt into the air. Jake watched it rise ever so slowly to impact neatly on the shantak’s chest. It would have been a kill […]
Chapter 1 “Jake!” Nadeen dropped to her knees next to him and clasped his head in her hands, staring into his face. His eyes were closed, a grimace of pain frozen on his face as blood dripped down his chin. “Mintran!” Mintran ran over and squatted down next to her, one hand prying open Jake’s […]
Chapter 1 The cloud of birds erupted into the sky again at the sound of the explosion, and even the horses in the corral, who should have been used to it by now, whinnied their displeasure. Jake waved his hand to disperse the smoke. “Well, it’s got plenty of umph, but it’s still too damn […]
Chapter 1 Jake pulled out the hard case and slipped on his sunglasses, relieved to see the harsh sunlight of the dunes reduced to a cooler shade. He carefully put the hard case back into the leather pouch on his belt. He didn’t wear his shades much these days because they attracted so much attention—they […]
Jake was a side character in the Book of Richard, and I had always intended to use him somehow. I had a lot of ideas about tying in various Australian (and maybe other) agencies and groups interested in the Dreamlands for one reason or another. As it turned out he totally ignored my wishes and […]
He finished the piece and waited for the last traces of the echo to fade away before lowering the flute and opening his eyes. It was one of his favorites, something he’d written himself a few years earlier and continued to refine. He referred to it as his Ode to Ifdawn Marest. He looked out […]
“Tomorrow we’re going to ride down to Cappadarnia, now that the temple to Agdistis is done. Karadi and Atisha are coming with us. Would you like to come, too?” “Cappadarnia, Mama!? Yeah, let’s go!” nodded Arun enthusiastically. The nine-year old boy loved the sea and leapt at the chance to escape his tutors and ride […]
Sixteen-year-old Kostubh jerked the rod again, making the float bounce and (he hoped) wiggling the worm enticingly. Gitanshu, three years his elder, stoically watched his own float as if willing it to move. Nothing moved but the waves, the buzzing insects, and the distant bustle of the harbor. The two boys had snuck out in […]
Dhruv stared at the distant coastline blankly, seeing but not really noticing the tiny villages and fields as they swept past. He was still trying to figure out just how his life had changed. He understood all the reasons why his twin sister Atisha married Prixadius, the brand new Lord of Adelma. Adelma had been […]