Shattered Stone (Part 1)
As the last bits of sunlight faded, Vanya drew back the hood of the cloak she wore, letting long black hair fall over her shoulders, and glanced around the marketplace. She'd awoken at dusk, as usual; tonight was her first night in Groveport in...
Christmas at Joe's
The bell on the diner's door jangled, stilled, jangled again spasmodically as a blast of cool air came in from the mostly-empty city street outside. "Hi, Frank," Jean said. She hadn't looked up from the counter, cleaning rag still in hand; she just...
Going Concerns (Chapter 7)
"So you're saying _you're_ our original informant." They guided him inside, Annie only letting go of his arm once he'd been guided to the couch and forcibly sat down between them. The Rilima nodded, readjusting his shirt collar and glaring at Annie....
Shattered Stone (Part 2)
She woke up to the sound of a soft tapping at her door. She blinked sleep out of her eyes, and looked at the clock; the hour suggested it should be twilight. Sitting up in bed, she arranged the sheet around herself and unlatched the door from across...
Trade All the Stars
At this exact moment, everything aligned to make daylight in New Coyoacan the brightest it could be. In another twelve minutes, the Ring would face Ceres' dark side and the ambient light would dim, if only by a few dozen lumens thanks to mirrors and...
Going Concerns (Chapter 9)
Sinvy had reached the hotel room before they did; as they walked down the hallway toward him, he had his own pocketwatch out. "There you are!" he exclaimed. "You're five minutes late!" "That's it?" Gibson sounded surprised. "We made better time than I...
Carrier
Joan sat on the front steps of her condo, watching the sun start to crest the western hills, sipping coffee brewed from carefully-hoarded beans and listening to bird song, loud and bright from a dozen trees. One of the few ironic graces these days: you...
A Day With No Tide (excerpt)
In Asharia, thousands of years pass with the same leaves on the same trees, the same blossoms opening at sunrise and wilting by dusk. To mortal eyes no seasons pass. But the day the universe became aware of its own existence was the first day of...