Warrior's Blood, Chapter 25: Enemies
"Wake up, Carnoc." Carnoc groaned reluctantly and tried to roll over, only to realize that he couldn't move. There was something soft beneath him, which he was pinned to by a number of tight but flexible restraints, and there was a...
Warrior's Blood, Chapter 5: Fallout
A sickly cough echoed through the cave, rousing Carnoc from sleep. He squinted for a moment and yawned, then opened his eyes and waited for his eyes to adjust to the darkness of the cave. It was nighttime again, and the rest of...
Warrior's Blood, Chapter 7: Chicago
Dave tapped the brake pedal, turned the steering wheel to the right and pulled into the parking space. He checked the side mirrors to make sure he had pulled in straight, then switched off the ignition. Beside him, Jim's mouth hung open...
Warrior's Blood, Chapter 28: The Proposition
Carnoc did his best to stay awake for the whole day, though he nodded off twice before Vical returned to the cave to nudge him awake again. But simply being awake during the day caused new problems: all day he could hear the humans outside as they...
Warrior's Blood, Chapter 21: Dulna's Clan
They flew on through the night, but shortly before dawn the fighter jets flying ahead of them came to a stop. "Set down here," a loudspeaker on one of the crafts blared. "Any farther and we'll be too close to the southernmost...
Warrior's Blood, Chapter 29: Correspondence
The night Simon had been sent away seemed wonderful despite all the terrible things that had happened at its beginning and the lingering effects of those events. Carnoc's muscles burned whenever he moved because of the shocks Simon had given him and...
Warrior's Blood, Chapter 6: Catch and Release
Dave picked up his backpack and pulled out a flashlight and two ponchos. He put one on and gave the other to Jim, then clicked on the flashlight, opened the door and walked out into the rain. As soon as he and Jim were outside,...
Warrior's Blood, Chapter 18: Time For Departure
"That was my parents," Chris said, putting away his phone. "They thought we were coming by air, and said we have to land somewhere else because the patio's in use." "We couldn't have flown home; the police have enough evidence as it is...
Warrior's Blood, Chapter 37: Back To The Light
Everything was dark, and everything hurt. He could hear snatches of screaming, roars, a crackling fire... Then it all faded into a far-off rumble. He thought he felt himself falling, but he couldn't be sure, and he couldn't feel any wind rushing past...
Warrior's Blood, Chapter 9: Mutation
Chris stood at the kitchen counter, tapping his foot and occasionally checking his watch. Not only were Karen and Tessa late being brought back from the daycare center, but a man Chris knew only as Mr. Nelson was also supposed to be there to...
Warrior's Blood, Chapter 16: Just In Time
Walter was back early the next morning. "Good morning, Vallen!" he said, wheeling a large machine on a cart into the cave. "What's that?" "Oh, something special that the San Diego handlers and I discussed last...
Dragon Dealings
Adhara admired her mother's restraint, calculated as it surely was. After her weekend visiting home, the only time she reached out to her for three months was to show her the results of the painting, which had indeed turned out beautifully in the...