Passion in the Desert
In an age when flight was still a dream of men, Ajani's forefathers had served Pharoh by searching the stars for the future. Ajani gazed out of the small oval window in an unconscious mimicry of his ancestors. He could see nothing but blackness at...
Man of the House
I'm glad the water's cold. He's leaning on the side of the pool with the light playing in ribbons off of his chest. I've been watching him for ten minutes. We don't get many rhinos in Wisconsin, so he stands out from the yipping and splashing of...
The Ninth
The snow swirled thick as feathers. From the window with its German style grid of diamond panes fixed into a deep mahogany sash, Cupid watched it glitter beneath the perpetual northern lights. Three days before the Night. Dunder had told him of...
King of the Orcs Part 2
No firelight greeted Stedon when he found the orc's cave. Stedon feared the worst until he got close enough to hear the piggish snorting of Grothor's snores. That brought a smile to Stedon's face. He'd never imagined orcs snoring. Grothor would...
Crete: Part Three
Paulo did not see Asterion again for days. He and the pack no longer roamed the corridors. Theseus had found an empty square room and declared that night the end of their flight. "We will not longer run," Theseus said. "Here we make our stand. And...
Crete: Part Two
Paulo had been about to start on more of the oat cakes. Asterion took another slow sip of wine and simply waited for Paulo to obey. Paulo's fingers trembled as they undid his loincloth. The white loincloth of his slavery. Warm chamber air touched...
Crete: Part One
The birds wheeled overhead, a great flock of them, filling the air with a high piping. Paulo watched them from the deck of the ship. All were silent now. No more tears for home or wails in the night, clutching each other's shackled arms. Now was...
Dancing With Mesteño
Tripping on my way through the door was not a good start. I managed to catch most of the impact on my palms, leaving me numb to the wrist with dull shooting pain to my elbows, but at least I saved my knees. "Are you all right?" My breath...
Fairy Tail
The heavy clouds made the night darker than usual, which was exactly how the wolf liked it. He caressed the polished leather steering wheel of his long, black Cadillac convertible one last time before planting a pedicured footpaw on the cobblestone...
The Stranger
I wake nervous. The television still flickers, the sound low. I shift my position on the couch and my empty TV dinner tray falls to the carpet. My whiskers quiver. A roof beam cracks as it settles. A soft, extended sigh wafts up from the baseboards as...
I've Got a Secret
"Unngh! How the hell do I kill you?" Ken glared at the dark, hooded figure of the demon lord who stood booming laughter over the corpse of his character. For the fifth time. Ken lowered his head into his paws. He rubbed red-rimmed eyes behind his...
The Black Stable
The night is so hot you can feel the sheets sticking to your skin. The window is open, but there isn't a hint of a breeze. Cicaedas throb so loud you have to put the pillow over your head to drown them out. 'So much for a great family...