It’s morning, a nice one from the look of it, still cool from a bit of overnight rain but blue sky is greeting me from the windows. I putter through my usual morning routines, wash, breakfast, tidy. It’s best to tidy as you go, otherwise things pile up, then multiply when you’re not looking and …
It was getting close to dusk, and Mara had been able to bathe, change and enjoy a very belated lunch while waiting for her failed stalker to turn up. That the only place to bathe was the pool in the centre of the clearing mattered not at all. In her true form, clothing was an …
Ahead, people in blend-into-the-background suits were directing the guests towards seats. One of them materialised in front of them. “Level and department, please.” Clio looped her arm through Calypso’s and said. “Reception.” The other two smiled, the usher looked confused. “There’s no reception department on my list.” Calliope leaned in. “Reception reports to HR, maybe …
The house stood on a slope, the wide stone balcony commanding a wide view of the surrounding lands, now shadowed and silvered under the full moon. Near the house, the white gravel paths of the formal gardens glowed in the moonlight, surrounding dark flowerbeds, forming strange patterns. Runes perhaps, surrounding the house in a protective …
If only the strangest thing I had to deal with today was an argument between the cauldron of plenty and my singing tea kettle. The kettle was an earlier gift (I use the term loosely) from the double rainbow and has settled in surprisingly well. It sings as it boils its water and the melodies …
Once the dressmaker left, and Lyra had changed into a less ornate tunic and trousers, she spent the day puzzling over the stained and smudged pages of the desert healing book. The front pages were age-marked and spotted with mysterious stains but still perfectly legible. The further she read, the larger and darker the stains, …
My father opts for a ‘quiet family dinner’ to mark my last night. ‘Family’ includes half the High Council, with wives and offspring but excludes my maternal relations. Such a pity. The guards at the entrance to my rooms report several visitors across the evening, none of whom are admitted. As I dress and breakfast …
Echo chivvied them all forward, waving her clipboard when they didn’t move fast enough. The driver of the car she’d been assigned opened the door for her and helped her in. She smiled. “Thank you, this feels like a terrible fuss for no distance.” The driver grinned and shrugged. “I don’t have to deal with …
Scheherazade straightened her spine and moved down the corridor pretending confidence. It was the only weapon she had and she would hold onto it for as long as possible. At the end, she paused, took a breath, then pushed the curtain aside and entered the room. She curtseyed. “My Lord.” The figure at the window, …
Further details filtered back to the bath house and Kore’s dining table in the following days. The riders had chased down one of the Western chain trade caravans and held them at the northern oasis long enough for a patrol, a much larger than usual patrol, to join them from The Citadel. Lyra knew she …
The DNA of Stories 