Rowena stood on the castle wall, on the little tower section where the west wall met the left side of the gate-wall and waited. He had to wave. If he didn’t turn, didn’t see her, didn’t acknowledge her silent farewell with one of his own, then it was over. He didn’t care, and she would …
The following afternoon, she presented herself at Maggie’s front door, and was handed the spindle. “Best get this out of the way before the horde arrive. You can do your carding while you’re weaving tales.” She’d lost the knack in the short time she’d been away. It took several false starts before she managed to …
It wasn’t so much a book as a tome. Sitting smugly on a carved wooden stand that, even with a pedestal thicker around than Gregor’s thigh, seemed to stagger under the weight of the paper, ink, and ornamented leather surmounting it. Jin looked it over, arms crossed, attitude unimpressed. “That’s what he sent us to …
Crown Prince Tobin watched his siblings file into the audience room from his not-quite-a-throne, next to his father’s actual throne. They looked variously scared (Sandar), angry (Melenique), cynically amused (Jaspar), and bored (Ysabel). Julianna was already in tears, not a good example to set as the eldest, but she’d never had much steel in her. …
"This way. Remember, you have to be really quiet." Luke nodded and pinched his lips tight together. It wasn't often his cousin Doren even spoke to him, let alone showed him a secret way out of the family wing of the palace. Doren was thirteen to Luke's ten, and had other, older, friends and interests. …
Eleanor placed a tentative hand on the cover of the book. “Are these your recipes?” Sarah nodded. “I don’t let on to many that I can read and write. Some in this village made life hard enough that I came from Away, let alone had education. Well, you know a little about that. ‘Twas worse …
“Well, since I’ve been so … inconvenienced … I think I should be entitled to a little … compensation.” The customer’s oily smirk made Jessia want to heave. She gave him her most patently fake, pinch-lipped smile. “Certainly, sir, would you prefer a sample pack of our top-selling perfume, or a five-dollar gift certificate?” He …
Elsie continued to squawk, and Betula, seeing the maid caged, began wailing. The noise was ridiculous in such a small space and managed to overturn even Captain Kergan's determined calm. "QUIET." Charlotte’s two tedious companions turned shocked gazes on the captain but at least they were silent, for the moment. Of course he took that …
"So I've decided to promote Rupert instead of Johanna." Aaron wound up with a plastic smile. Lee didn't smile back. They sat, stone-faced, as the silence stretched and Aaron began to squirm. Then they said. "You decided. Perhaps you'd like to begin with explaining how that is your decision to make." Aaron spluttered, but Lee …
They knocked and found Samuel did indeed have time to spare, and more, was delighted to meet the village’s new storyteller. “The younglings were full to bursting with your stories of the last couple of days. And my Tilly, o’course, she’s been parading about the place with her new town braids like the fanciest little …
The DNA of Stories 