Series
Unreliable Witness (a serialized mystery novel - Part 2)
LOW WATER 1. When confirmation arrived in Judith Glenn’s inbox at the Marine Accident Investigation Branch, based in Southampton, she restrained herself from punching the air and whooping out loud. Investigating marine accidents, her team leader pointed out during an early performance appraisal, particularly fatal ones, is not something to celebrate, so she settled for a po-faced stare at the computer screen while her heart rate doubled.
By Elaine Ruth White4 years ago in Fiction
Beasts of Spirit - Book 1: Delcorgia
1 The Wolf and the Mountain’s Peak In Delcorgia, west of the capital city of Delcorum, there was a mountain so tall and so colossal that its shadow would loom over the city, consuming the capital in its entirety with its dark reflection as the sun vanished behind it. It was named Mt. Crescence, because it looked as though a large chunk had been ripped from the side of the mountain, causing it to take the appearance of a crescent moon. On clear days, the sun would peek through the crescent-shaped hole in the afternoon, shining a bright yellow spotlight over the city and slowly scanning it from one side to the other as it descended until it was obscured once again behind the mountain.
By Alex Costantino4 years ago in Fiction
Beasts of Spirit: Book 1 - Delcorgia
2 The Sloth in the Shade of the Evergreen A considerable distance south from Mt. Crescence, there lay a valley surrounded on all sides by tall mountains and trees where a large river flowed. If one were to follow it far enough south, they would eventually find, in a large clearing bordered by towering evergreens, a small settlement, isolated from the rest of Delcorgia. This village was still relatively new; its inhabitants had only settled there within the last twenty years. At first, the settlement had struggled greatly. After the people had settled, they discovered that they had situated themselves in the hunting grounds of dangerous predators - animals and bandits alike. They prowled the outskirts of the village, lurking just beyond the treeline and waiting for any opportunity to snatch their prey. As such, any effort to connect to the capital for trade or flee back to civilisation was rendered impossible. The villagers, who had dubbed their home the village of Greenwell, had to become self-sufficient if they were to survive in this hostile environment. Twenty years later, the colony was now flourishing. The villagers in Greenwell had managed to survive - prosper, even - despite relentless attacks, raids and disappearances. The large, fresh-water river that flowed through the village was abundant with fish, and the water itself was clean enough to drink (though if an outsider were to taste it, they would find that it is somewhat saltier than the water they are used to, with a noticeable metallic aftertaste). The surrounding woods were ripe with game, and in recent years Greenwell had yielded plenty with each harvest; the soil they settled upon was arable and very healthy. As well as this, animal attacks and disappearances had dropped sharply; villagers now felt confident to go beyond the confines of the village to hunt and gather resources. Now, a small girl skipped towards the once treacherous forest, humming a tune to herself.
By Alex Costantino4 years ago in Fiction
CHAPTER 21
BOOK TWO UNDER THE WITCH’S MOON PART FOUR CHAPTER 21 i Nigel was always one to enjoy a sunrise. He often found himself drawn to the brilliant colours with all their converging shades and hues, and sometimes felt as if Nature’s palette were commanding him to paint her—just drop what you’re doing and paint me—draped as she was in a veil of mist. He enjoyed looking at the clouds as much as any child looking for dragons, or horses might, seeing shapes and columns in the towering billows endlessly rolling and strolling across the sky. He liked to sit, enjoying the morning with a warm cup of tea and buttery toast, habitually dunking the toast into his tea and sucking on it until it dissolved in his mouth, all the while watching the birds as they soared—The Lark Ascending, he thought—enjoying the irony of the title.
By ben woestenburg4 years ago in Fiction
Beasts of Spirit - Book 1: Delcorgia
3 Ganden the Rat/The Battle at Mt. Crescence Arena “Well well, look at that, Bould! The rat’s finally here.” Cursing to himself under his breath, Ganden approached the pair of bandits standing against the arch. Leif was grinning at him, chuckling, whilst Bould stood straight with his arms crossed, expressionless.
By Alex Costantino4 years ago in Fiction
Brick and Bone
The world was not ending with a bang, or a whisper, but rather one scream at a time. Crumbling bricks, stones and ash crunched under the truck tires as the vehicle rolled to a stop. He cut the engine of the F250 and the rumble echoed through the narrow buildings. The forest green machine rolled forward and stood out against the tan and gray ruble that littered the city. The sloshing of fuel in the extra cans in the bed were the only noises that could be heard over the crunching of the rubber on the ground. Torin opened the door and moved quietly to the edge of the disintegrating bridge once the vehicle came to a stop. Peering over the side, he could see the colonies of people far below and how they were growing more aggressive; desperate. Their skin began to harden and shimmer like fire opal and glass as the bacteria began to take over their organic flesh.
By Myiah L Bengston4 years ago in Fiction
Weird Vibrations
The Pennsylvania 14th was twelve hundred members strong, encamped around the huge church from which the town took its name. For the assault on the tri-borough, the militia would need not nearly all of their ranks. In fact, Major Buxton had chosen only two hundred for a two-pronged attack. John had “identified” several pockets of possible resistance on the way to the East Greenville Borough Hall, so his detachment, under the command of First Sergeant Jones, was to thrust into Colonial Village. There was a police kiosk that needed to be either subdued, or verified abandoned, in the small community.
By Anthony Stauffer4 years ago in Fiction
Boomerang of Happiness - 17
The job prospect for Anna was by no means a happy coincidence. Colonel Grushevsky, even being on a solid border guard career path, was a tech nerd. He was interested in all new technologies, including computers and robotics. When he’d found out about Alex and his new project, Grushevsky made every effort to learn about it as much as possible. He arranged for Alex and Anna to get the apartment in the Border Guard housing and made sure everything was ready for them.
By Lana V Lynx4 years ago in Fiction
The Bleeding Daylight
Chapter One: All Hallow’s Eve They surely don't make vampires like they used to. This one, for instance, standing in front of Bianca St. Claire at the door of his kitchen, did not have terrifying surface-scratching nails. He was not moon-white pale with veins showing under his skin. His lips were the opposite of thin and devoid of color, and his deep-blue, almost purple eyes nursed no dark circles.
By C.C. Villa4 years ago in Fiction
The Concealed Culture Deep Within (part nine.)
The little girl had been lying in the hospital bed where she had been transferred up from the emergency department, for just about a little over an hour now. Her mum had been sat fast to the typically uncomfortable hospital chair, next to Josie's assigned bed all that time, willing for her daughter to show some sign that she was coming round. But so far, nothing. No flickering coming from the girl's eyelids, which for all the years up until recently, had been so bright and cheery, normally wide with bright green pupils the color of sparkling emeralds, interlaced only by tiny gentle flecks of light blue in their centers, which had almost always glistened when Josie had been excited or happy about some part of her life.
By Jonathan Townend4 years ago in Fiction
