Stories in the series "The Black Idol"
# 11: Idol Hands Part 2
"What do you think they're doing out there?" Edmond heard Kal ask. Kal was referring to his lover, Simona, and the magus, Anarr. Anarr and Simona had gone off into the woods "to work on a spell," they had said. Edmond was only a hired guard for this trip, but he could tell that Anarr had more than a passing interest in Simona. He wasn't sure if she reciprocated. Certainly, this wouldn't be a very polite time to broach the ... [ Read More ]
# 12: Journey’s End Part 2
Simona woke with a start and leaped out of bed. "Anarr!" she thought, "I need to make sure I find the mage before he leaves this morning. He's the only one who can help me get rid of this curse." She dressed quickly and left the barmaid Dora's room to wake Kal, her travel companion, friend, and lover, whose bedroom was on the other side of the inn. She entered the common room in order to get across, but much ... [ Read More ]
# 13: The Darningfly Caper Part 2
Rancin Fer waited until the crew of the barge was just about to lift away the gangplank before crossing it. He knew that his quarry had to be on board and he didn't want to give them any time to slip away before the barge left the dock. He quickly examined each one of his fellow passengers as the crew went about getting the barge under way. As he looked at face after face, recognizing no one, his fears from the ... [ Read More ]
# 14: Eggs For Breakfast
"All welcome Lord Anarr, who eats eggs for breakfast!" Anarr watched the herald close the scroll and depart, then leaned over towards his mother on his right. "What am I doing here?" he whispered. She glanced up at him only briefly, then resumed picking through a bowl of jewelry. "This is the banquet in honor of your many accomplishments, dear," she responded, selecting an emerald ring. She considered it briefly, then popped it in her mouth and chewed. [ Read More ]
# 15: Echoes Off the Stone
Gilvelle Marser wished he could wave his arms in mystic circles, waggle his fingers in arcane gestures, and utter words of power that would all result in the barge beneath his feet moving faster. He looked up at the mid-morning sun for what he figured was the sixth or seventh time in the past ten menes. He knew he was an architect, not a mage, though; he had no control over the forces of nature. Already, the transit upriver had ... [ Read More ]
# 16: Out of the Rubble Part 1
"That's not fair!" "So what?" Oriel recognized the voices as those of Briam and Finn as she turned the corner of the house on Murson Street. Her excitement fled as she stopped and took in the scene. The boys stood less than two cubits apart glaring at each other, both shaking with anger. Briam, the shorter and stockier boy, had his fists clenched at his sides. His brown eyes shone with anger. A strand of his chestnut hair had fallen towards his nose, ... [ Read More ]
# 17: The Darningfly Caper 3
The noise was what drew Darrow outside. Not the peal of fifth bell, mid-day of the 12th of Sy, but the screams, then the resounding crash coupled with the splintering of wood, the rumble of falling stone, and then more screams sounding even more frightened and desperate than before. Darrow's home was near Dargon's causeway over the Coldwell river; the threadbare apartment next to the marsh beside the river was all he could afford. Ordinarily, the causeway and the Street of ... [ Read More ]
# 18: Idol Hands Part 3
The dark night felt warm with Isabelle's body pressed against him. He rolled in a plush feather bed, soft blankets pushed down to his feet, while the air dried the sweat from their bodies. She rolled onto him, kissing him, her lips sweet as Lederian wine. He could only feel her body: his eyes were stubbornly closed. He tried to open them, but could only catch glimpses of his lover: her neck, a smile in her eyes, her breast as ... [ Read More ]
# 19: Have You Ever Been to Northern Hope? Part 2
Parris Dargon sat at a table outside Grey Talka's and watched the barge docks. He had been spending a great deal of time watching the barge traffic on the Coldwell River for the past five days, and he had grown more nervous as each day passed. Behind him stood the immense wall of human flesh that was Rilk, his bodyguard and servant. Rilk didn't share his master's concern. As long as the coins in his master's purse held out, Rilk ... [ Read More ]
# 20: Out of the Rubble Part 2
Tom hurried towards the causeway that linked the two sides of the city of Dargon. He tried not to worry, but he could feel the tension in his muscles with every step he took. He looked up at the cloudless early evening sky as he turned onto the Street of Travellers from Merchant's Way. His eyes still up cast, he collided with another man going in the opposite direction. Tom stood stunned for a moment, blinking into the bright orange light ... [ Read More ]