Marcus returned to his quarters after an irritating meeting with the royal council, fending off demands, suppositions and inquisitions around his mysterious guest. He and Sariya had decided it was easier for her to stay reasonably secluded for now, and give her a chance to absorb some of the ways and knowledge of his world, …
The dragons accompanied Sariya into the next room, most going high and, to her amusement, remaining completely unnoticed. Mav, on the other hand, moved to drape themselves across Sariya's shoulders and hissed at any of the maids who came too close. Watching the hive of room preparation activity she had apparently generated, Sariya had trouble …
In a large city beyond the Greylinn mountains, a number of years ago, there lived a young man, and yes, that young man was Solvek. He had caught the eye of the city archivist a few years before and had been successfully apprenticed in the library and scriptorium. He had progressed steadily through the ranks …
Lydia patted Lorsan on the back, probably the only one to have any understanding of how uncomfortable this comfortably forgotten god was with this sudden attention and expectation. While he was still goggling at her casual comfort, she opened the back door and stepped outside. Lorsan hurried to catch up so he could perform the …
Solvek held up a hand, halting the entire group before any member set foot between the stones. In that moment they all felt the presence. Something ancient and unfriendly, silently circling to prevent invasion of the sacred space. They stepped back from the stones, straining all senses to understand more. Figures appeared in the spaces, …
Door 1 - Beach Conference They took seats at a table in the beach bar and ordered - cool refreshing drinks and simple food to nibble as the world went by and plans were made. The stories of how they'd each found themselves roving the corridor, finding and leaving places, were set aside for another …
Sariya looked up from the study of Mt St Helens on her laptop as the bookcase opened to a frazzled and fuming Marcus. "Oh dear, what now?" "A royal ball if you please. Attendance compulsory for all dragon-tied, the night after we were supposed to leave for Drakkenspire." "We could still leave as planned, or …
"If you want to make things clear, why not write out a list of the things this person needs to be, or have, and get a couple of other people to check it, so you know you haven't missed anything important?" Lorsan nodded at Lydia's suggestion and fetched pen and paper, relieved he had someone …
This started out as a challenge to see if I could do the opposite of the first instalment of Secrets and write entirely without dialogue. It's running away with me as well. In the Year of the Jackal, under the third moon, a strange convoy left the desert city of Ibram to chase a legend. …
Writing exercise - three doors, fifteen minutes per door. Door 1 It was a nondescript, wooden door, greyed with age but not cracked. It opened into a fog. Walking through she found herself in a dimly lit forest. The trees half veiled by the mist that settled across everything, weaving translucent ribbons over branches and …
The DNA of Stories 