fantasy

Planet of the Sorcerer: Chapter Fifteen

Their escape through the furnace level was more fraught than anticipated. “There they are!” Luna heard the woman who had guided them to the Library level yell. She must have had some idea of revenge in her heart all along. Luna wondered if it made a difference that Vich-Clac wasn’t actually there with them.
It didn’t matter now, of course, that the gold-uniformed Magistrates were on their tail. Before they turned and ran, Luna noticed that the pursuers were brandishing pistols in their left hands. They looked like early-model revolvers. She had seen one in a museum once, that she’d been robbing. Killed by a museum piece… didn’t bear thinking about…

Chapter Fifteen

Planet of the Sorcerer: Chapter Fourteen

The cloth that covered Luna’s mouth and nose did little to alleviate the stench of death and excrement. Above her head, water dripped from ancient stalactites that clung to the vaulted roof of the tunnel. The light from her torch seemed afraid to go too far through the thick, steaming atmosphere.
Behind her, Vil-Odek’s sandals splashed on the brick floor. She tried not to think about what they splashed in.

Chapter Fourteen

Planet of the Sorcerer: Chapter Thirteen

The ground as they approached the tree crunched dry underfoot, dead leaves and branches from trees that had tried to live on the meagre offerings of sunlight and nutrients not absorbed by the Refuge itself. More than once, Luna thought she saw a flash of white bones under the cover of the leaves. But Toridd always urged her forward before she could look again.

Chapter Thirteen

Planet of the Sorcerer: Chapter Nine

“Pek-Tchat, on the council?” said Vo-Vakis as if the thought itself was amusing. “He’d rather die. He’s no friend of the council. Says they’re too…” he struggled for a word Luna would understand. “Too nice, I suppose. Too… forgiving of the underclass. If he had his way, I think he’d stamp them out.” Vo-Vakis related this as if it was as normal as talking about the weather.
“And you work for him?” said Luna. “That doesn’t sound very nice.”
Vo-Vakis shrugged. “Got to work for someone,” he said.

Chapter Nine

An Announcement

to my many loyal fans: thank you for reading my silly little stories

Don’t worry: I’m still writing, and the plan is still to put the same number of words down by the end of the year – all this is is to say that starting today, I’m trying something a bit different. Rushing to a finish after ~6000 words is fun and all, but after 16 (count ’em) I’ve started to ache for a bit more space to play around in.

To that end: I’m writing an eight-weeker – a sixteen-chapter epic that I’m going to be writing as I go and uploading on my regular schedule, bit by bit. It’s a tale of love, revenge and interplanetary colonialism inspired by half-remembered scraps of Rice-Burroughs, “Doc” Smith and C.L. Moore. What’s it called? Well…

Prepare your mind for contact…

PLANET OF THE SORCERER

Chapter one coming later today.