Blurb: Zach Harleigh was a baby when the aliens arrived. He doesn’t remember much about those months, except his parents fighting and his dad leaving. He father died, destroying the aliens, and his mother died when Zach graduated from medical school. He’s alone in the world and working hard to get his career going leaves no time for any kind of relationship.
One night, a beautiful man is brought into the ER. Raven Sanderson has been severely beaten and seems unsocialized. Raven and Zach hit it off when Zach takes over his care. Raven can’t speak but writes notes to Zach, letting him know the man is in the city looking for his sister.
Zach agrees to help Raven and discovers a world he never knew existed. A world full of alien creatures that can read minds and heal with a simple touch. He realizes there is more to the world around him, and the aliens he thought were destroyed weren’t. Their offspring walk among us.
REVIEW: I was hooked by this compelling story from the very first page. T.A. Chase has written a slightly sarcastic, thinly veiled ironic tale that brilliantly paints a picture of humanity at both its very worst and its very best. Just when I thought I knew who were the villains, and who were the heroes…BAM! Everything was turned upside down. The love between Raven and Zach was so strong that absolutely nothing could stand in its way. If you want an action packed story that will keep you guessing until the very end, then this book more than fits the bill.
Three hundred years ago, natural disaster reformed the face of North America, and the people who lived in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains would never be the same.
Now, the master/slave bond in New Colorado has become a sacred rite of service, protection, and, sometimes, for the lucky, love. Follow Nick and his beloved Master, Todd Ruger, a sentry of the territories, as they struggle to survive together amid the collision of old superstition, new beliefs, territorial war, and the ever-present danger of the natural and supernatural frontier.
Kimi’s thoughts:
First off, I’m going to come out and say it: This may be listed as BDSM, but it most definitely is NOT. It’s a literal master/slave relationship, with one human being purchased by another, with no choice in the matter. Other than some light bondage play (being tied to a bed post) and light playful spanking, there is nothing to suggest BDSM in the least. It is a well written alternative reality piece though that often reminded me of Supernatural, with hunters and ghosts, demons and what not, not to mention the snarky conversation, only this time, it’s mostly between the two lovers. It was an enjoyable romp that thankfully did not glamourise slavery (it dealt with a lot of the psychological effects of it, the demeaning attitudes, and so on and did so by weaving them into the story naturally).
Not that this was by any means a perfect read. The main niggle for me is that the final book ended on a note that left me expecting more, but apparently there isn’t. That doesn’t stop me from recommending this series though. Bought as a bundle, instead of spending nearly $35 on the individual titles, the cost is instead just under $10. Bargain! If you’re looking for a sweet romance with a meaty plot and mild angst, this may be just the set you’re looking for.
Skanian investigator Bengt fell in love with fellow policeman Alex Rukow in a week. But that was a year ago, and they’ve been apart ever since. Then Alex escapes the corrupt and destitute island nation of Santuario and comes to live with Bengt. Happy ever after . . .?
Alex’s lifelong dream of leaving Santuario has come true at last. But he finds himself adrift in a society he doesn’t understand. Worse, past nightmares come back to haunt him, and after so many years of suspicion and self-reliance, it’s harder than he imagined to trust someone else.
Bengt just wants Alex to share his comfortable life. But the more he tries to give, the more Alex pulls away. Their physical connection couldn’t be better, but Bengt can’t seem to get through to his difficult, taciturn lover outside the bedroom. Meanwhile, he has his own demons to confront—not to mention a serial killer on the loose.
Bengt and Alex must dig deep for the courage to face their pasts, but it may be too late to save their relationship or their lives.
Kimi’s thoughts:
It seemed like FOREVER before this came out. No, seriously, it did. You see, I’d been waiting ever since I finished the very last word on the very last of Santuario, so when this came out, I was ecstatic. The story picks up shortly after Alex has left Santuario and begun his new life with Bengt. It’s far from easy though, as culture shock sets in and he finds himself adrift. Add in his PTSD and Bengt’s own issues and you get a volatile mix.
The solutions to the serial killer case and their relationship woes, as well as Alex’s finding his feet, is far from simple. The separate issues become intertwined and the result is a tightly plotted suspense story with realistic romantic nuances. It’s a great read and I’m hoping Gordon continues with this as a series.
Excerpt:
Agent Jonas Hunt was a member of the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit based in Quantico, Virginia, and assigned to work “special cases.” At 6’1” and 159 pounds, Agent Hunt managed to look more like a model than an agent.
Jonas had been supervising the removal of the body of a murdered pregnant woman from the Potomac when he was called to North Carolina to collect a unique set of humanlike bones found in a trashcan on a small college campus.
Agent Hunt’s phone rang, and it was Harlem Gilliams, the medical examiner back at Quantico, assigned to work his case. Harlem was an ebon-hued pseudo-nerd with small, slanted dark eyes and a set of exceptionally full lips. Harlem and Jonas had become fast friends over a year ago when they were assigned to work on the case of a female serial killer in the Baltimore metropolitan area.
“Harlem, how are you?” Jonas said.
“I’m fine. This is a very strange corpse that you sent me.”
“What do you mean?”
“The anatomy looks human, but the medical examination reveals significant anomalies in the bone structure, musculature, and nervous system.”
“What are you saying?” Jonas asked.
“I am saying that I have never seen anything like it,” Harlem explained.
“Just take good notes and don’t tell anyone what you’ve found. I’ll be back from North Carolina in a few days,” Jonas said.
“Are we going to get a chance to spend time together?” Harlem lowered his voice.
“You know Juliette is going to be expecting me to come home as soon as I get back in the city,” Jonas explained.
“I know, but what about what I need?” Harlem whined. Jonas sighed.
“You know I can’t always make it over to see you. We’ve talked about this a thousand times.” Jonas lived in Alexandria with his wife, Juliette, a Georgetown law school graduate who had never gotten around to taking the bar exam. Juliette spent her days and nights looking for ways for Jonas to make her the center of his world. Harlem, on the other hand, lived alone in DC, where he had made Jonas the center of his world for the last few months.
“I know,” Harlem said, sounding defeated.
“Don’t sound that way,” Jonas pleaded.
“I just don’t think you know how much I want to see you,” Harlem continued.
“You know what, I’ll work this out for you, babe. I’ll tell Juliette that I have to stay out of town one more day and then I’ll come back and spend the evening with you.”
“Really?”
“For real.”
“I’ll do that thing you like when you get here.”
“I’m counting on it.”
Meet the author:
Shadrach Octavio Walker, a.k.a. Shad O. Walker, has always been an avid fan of all things science fiction and fantasy. It wasn’t until he realized that there were no significant fantasy or paranormal series featuring LGBT characters of color that he created his first groundbreaking series, One Warlock’s Love Story (OWLS).
Armed with multiple degrees, numerous life experiences, and several writing awards, Shad remains as elusive as the vampires in his series’ House of Aleph with writing as powerful as the shifters in its Alpha pack. Supported by a coven of loyal readers, Shad is sure to take the literary world by storm.
Inspired by the creativity of Octavia Butler, storytelling of James Baldwin, and passion of E. Lynn Harris, Shad is at the forefront of an entirely new expression of science fiction and fantasy. Excerpts from the series were originally posted on a social networking site that gained Shad a solid and loyal fan base. What started out as a desire to create and share a new kind of fantasy turned into a dream come true with the release of the first installment of One Warlock’s Love Story titled All Knight Long. Follow Shad and the One Warlock’s Love Story series at http://www.shadowalkermedia.com.
I love sci fi and when I saw the cover for what turned out to be book two of this trilogy, I knew I had to read the whole set. Book one is het, and yes, I do mean there are girlie bits and m/f sex going on. Having said that, it’s very well written and the heroine is no shrinking violet. I quite enjoyed reading all three books and books 1 and 3 were no exception as the strong female lead helped make my day.
Awaiting execution on a foreign planet, Anna Lee has nothing left to lose—until Commander Rehz Akran offers her a chance to escape her fate. Anything is better than death, but when her training for Akran’s mysterious mission begins, the brutality is hard to take . . . especially since Anna has no idea what the workouts, beatings, and endless sexual demands are preparing her for.
Rehz Akran doesn’t deal with failure. He’s determined that his last trainee will survive her immersion in an unimaginably alien world and return alive—even if it means she’ll hate him forever. He needs to stay detached, but his new recruit makes that impossible. Soon he’s willing to defy his own training for a chance to forge a true connection with Anna.
It’s Rehz’s job to teach Anna to survive as a Tribute. And if she does, it’s his task to help her overcome the trauma of the experience. But this time he isn’t doing it to save his planet. This time he’s doing it for love.
Kimi’s thoughts:
Okay, so I wasn’t surprised at the BDSM type elements of the story. I thought I knew where this was going, but boy was I ever wrong. I’m not going to spoil it, but I will say that the beings Anna is being trained as a Tribute for are definitely what you’d probably expect. So much so that I had to pause, blink, take a moment to ask myself, “WTF?!”, shake my head, get up, go make myself a coffee, and then dive right back in.
Having said that, I quit liked the character development and dystopian type atmosphere prevalent in the novel. It’s made quite clear that the training centre is nothing like the rest of the planet, and in fact, the rest of the planet really knows nothing much at all. The government has made some terrible decisions, that much is obvious, but just how wrong those were only come to light when Anna is offered as Tribute and returns when her time is up.
Rating:
Cheated out of his exit from the Tribute program, Kai Mexr is forced to return as a trainer for one more year. His trainee, Aled Price, is an idealistic Mitan patriot who Kai struggles not to loathe on sight, and who seems up for any challenge Kai sets him. As Aled learns to give up control and endure the program’s worst, Kai is drawn into an intense sexual game that leaves him wanting more.
But then Aled must fulfill his duty as Tribute. He must endure the Ungrich—or die.
When Aled returns, it takes Kai’s ruthless presence to pull his trainee back from the brink of madness. Surviving the Ungrich makes Aled doubt his blind allegiance to his planet—and to everything else he’d never thought to question. But with Kai at his side, Aled finds a new cause to believe in. And with the help of master trainer Akran and his partner Anna Lee, Aled and Kai forge unbreakable allegiances of blood, sex, and love that could save the entire planet from the Ungrich for good.
Kimi: Man, this story goes from bad to worse for these guys. Kai not only survived being a Tribute TWICE but the guy in charge of the program, Palk, cheats him out of exiting the program after doing his stint as a trainer. He’s told he has to train one more if he wants to get out. Aled is a young military recruit with stars in his eyes. He is tricked into volunteering as a Tribute and when he realises that it’s not a military mission, he’s seriously disillusioned. Kai has to train him, but along the way, the two bond and boy is it hot in here just thinking about that…
Anna’s previous stint as Tribute uncovered some hidden truths, but the reason for Aled’s being tricked become all too clear as well, leaving a lot of questions that must be answered. A reckoning is due, let me tell you!
Rating:
Rehz Akran has had enough of the Tribute program and its sadistic overseer, Palk. When Palk captures Rehz’s mate, Anna Lee, and offers her and Aled Price to the Ungrich for further research, Rehz is ready for rebellion. But first, with the help of Kai Mexr—who wants Aled back just as much as Rehz wants Anna—he must break into the Ungrich world, rescue Anna, and discover why they want her so badly.
The chilling answer to that question lies in Anna’s forgotten origins—origins that Aled shares. To save their lovers, Rehz and Kai must take on Palk and a government that is more than willing to sacrifice Anna and Aled to keep the peace.
The two couples join forces—in more ways than one—and together they discover that they may be capable of defeating two civilizations and changing the course of Mitan history forever.
Kimi: Palk’s been a real douchebag all through books one and two, but in book three he really goes all out. His reasons are partly clear, but it’s only when Anna and Aled are taken and re-offered to the park illegally, that his motives become fully clear. To say they take on the government isn’t completely true- Palk and his cronies have not been completely honest wit the government, and so what our heroes (and heroine) uncover rocks not only them but the government to the core. My only quibble is that ending feels little bit rushed and we’re left kinda hanging. I’d really like to see what happens after.
ABOUT: According to legend, when humankind is at its most desperate, the goddess Sirius will send three of the most powerful werewolf shifters ever created to save mankind. However, because they are so powerful, they will need a fourth to complete them, to calm them and help them reach their full potential.
Aden, a young were, has been his pack’s omega ever since, at the age of fifteen, he didn’t shift like everyone else. Caught, reviled, and tortured because of his empathic abilities, he knew on the night he was told to run as sport for the pack hunters that it would end in his death. What he didn’t know, however, was that on the same night he’d also meet the love of his life and a pathway to answers, because Aden is far more than just a pack omega.
What begins as a hunt soon becomes a new adventure as Aden discovers that he has not only one, but three destined mates, and his role as lover is far more than trivial. The fate of all humankind rests upon it.
REVIEW: I like shifter books, they’re among my favorites of the genre and I enjoyed this author’s other books so I decided to give this series a try. The book starts off a bit violent and I don’t care much for that all but in this case, it fits in with the situation; it sets the stage for the remainder of the story.
This also book also feature another couple of my favorite elements in M/M: Mpreg and multiple partners. I’ve only read multiple partner stories where three men were mentioned so I was curious as to how the dynamics of four men would work out.
There’s Aden, an omega wolf who is
The outcast of his pack for being unable to shift. His life was made a living hell by a psychotic alpha and the pack’s Gammas. Chased through the woods, Aden is convinced he’s going to die when he’s rescued by his mates, the powerful alpha Blaze, Connor and Darric. Together they work to heal Aden emotionally and physically while teaching him about the Sirius wolves, his empathic abilities and his part in their lives.
The rest of the story sorts of putter along until Aden is kidnapped again. Then there’s more violence until he’s rescued. There’s a storyline in there regarding wolves joining the military, a corrupt politician and finally the end.
I didn’t like this shifter book as much as I liked her other books, I just couldn’t connect with the characters and the violence, although not overly gratuitous still kind of turned me off. Although this was the case it was still written well.
Blurb: How can an assassin be Prince Belden’s safest choice? When Prince Belden of Nilan’dane picked his husband at the traditional gathering of men, known as The Choosing, he thought he had made a safe decision.
Sent by a mage who plotted the downfall of the royal family of Nilan’dane, Barli was supposed to get close to Bel’s family and then kill them all. However, when Barli looks into the eyes of the vulnerable Prince Belden for the first time, something changes, and he knows he will never be able to do anything that would hurt this man. But how is he ever to confess the truth of why he was at The Choosing when Bel now carries his child?
Barli has to teach Bel that, though he is a prince, submitting to Barli is what he really needs, and what Barli needs, is to believe in Bel’s love.
Review: This is the second book in the Hari series and in it, VCJ tells us Bel’s story. We got a glimpse of the two in the first book but now the story is being told from Barli and Bel’s perspective.
An assassin by trade, Barli is hired to kill the Princes. He infiltrates the Choosing ceremony and ends up falling for and being chosen by one of the Princes. They’re married, have a child and travel to a neighboring kingdom to sign a peace treaty. The characters and events in this book tend to drag just a tiny bit in this book but it was so short that it didn’t at all deflect from my overall enjoyment of the story.
Barli’s character kind of surprised me. Here you have this man who dresses and acts a bit feminine but you realize he does it for survival. Underneath all of those fine frilly women’s clothes is a cold and calculating assassin.
I’m enjoying the series so far and this is surprising since this is so not my category; this medieval fantasy type category. But as I’ve stated in my review of the first in the series, I was pleasantly surprised. The only time flaw is the misunderstanding between Barli and Bel dragged out a little too long but other than that, this story will hold your attention. I really like how everything wasn’t given away in the stories; you’re left wondering what’s going to happen next. As always, her characters are fully formed, the plot is really quite good and her writing style is neat and organized.
I am really looking forward to read Glare’s story.
Brett is a government scientist on the run because the people he works for want to use his research about realms and other worlds for their own gain. He escapes with the help of his uncle, only to find a man falling from the sky in a ball of flame and feathers after being shot down by the very people he himself is running from.
Iron is a warrior guardian to the rightful king of Angelum, but was forced to flee his home realm with his king after a coup for the throne. There is a bounty on his head and the last thing he needs is to be almost captured by the human military that want to cage and experiment on him.
Iron cannot resist the tempting human that saves him and, when they give in to the heat between them, they accidentally trigger the irrevocable mate bond. Both of them are running from something, but they may just discover that each of them is exactly what the other needs.
Review
Brett finds himself rescuing a “birdman” from the government he is also running from.
When Iron awakes, tied up, he initially panics – thinking he’s been caught by the government, but when he realizes Brett only tied him up to help him heal, he realizes there is more to Brett than good Samaritan.
Iron is a warrior guardian of the king of the Angelum, protecting the next ruler by having sex with humans on earth in the hopes of shielding the power held by the ruler in hiding. (It makes more sense when you read about it – trust me – it’s a bit of a stretch- but it works- and makes for some very, very hot smexy times!)
Brett and Iron find their attraction surpasses that of the norm, and inadvertently bind themselves together. This serves a greater purpose though, because when they have sex the energy created far surpasses that of anyone else’s mating, and it will help the king and his brother. (I do this a disservice in explaining – again – it makes sense in context.)
The next stumbling block is Brett’s uncle and Iron’s King – but they soon see how deeply attached the two are and what a good union it is.
**
I really loved the world building in this story and look forward to the next installment. The unique take on mating and other planes of existence as well as the way cool power of the wings and their role in the smexy times was awesome!
I enjoyed this thoroughly and highly recommend it to fans of paranormal romance. No – it’s not about angels, but more akin to a shifter romance than anything.
Dear Author,
He stood, head bowed, body tense, waiting. No matter what happened next, his life would never be the same…
Photo Description:
A naked man stands with his back to the viewer, a plain white floor beneath his feet. Ahead of him, a pair of large black doors are ajar, revealing a glimpse of bright light. The man’s shoulders are slightly hunched and his head is bowed; he appears hesitant to face whatever fate awaits him through the doors.
This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group’s “Love is an Open Road” event. Group members were asked to write a story prompt inspired by a photo of their choice. Authors of the group selected a photo and prompt that spoke to them and wrote a short story.
This story may contain sexually explicit content and is intended for adult readers. It may contain content that is disagreeable or distressing to some readers. The M/M Romance Group strongly recommends that each reader review the General Information section before each story for story tags as well as for content warnings.
Review
This is another short story from the GoodReads Love is an Open Road event.
Entian is condemned for killing his father – which he didn’t do – but feels the judge was right when she decreed him “unredeemable” because he’s been selfish, lazy and not a good contributor to his family’s wealth.
Rig is a … okay – well he’s the guy who saves Entian and it’s part of the story so I won’t tell you much about him – only that he’s a healer and amazing!
This is an earth-like place? I’m not sure how you qualify this – but it feels earth like but not the earth we know.
Entian and Rig must navigate through both their insecurities and Entian’s desire for revenge before finding their very, very HEA.
It’s a dark story – similar in flavor and feel to Brute, also by Kim Fielding, but so rewarding! Neither character is perfect, in fact you might classify Entian as an anti-hero for most of the book – but his redemption is complete and perfect by the end.
ANAN EASED into bow range. He’d been hunting for a fingercount of days and stalking this daggerhorn since the early gray of predawn. He waited until the animal turned away before rising to a crouch. The lethally armed grazer would feed him and his mate for days. He brought his bow up slowly and drew the bowstring to his cheek.
His body convulsed with pain that felt as if he’d been stabbed with a red-hot iron blade, and his arrow shot several lengths above his quarry, which disappeared into the deep grass.
In the next instant, Anan knew. His mating-bond with Silbre had snapped. Agony filled him, sending him to his knees as the bow slipped from his numb hands. Gasping for air, he dropped forward onto his hands as waves of loss and pain overwhelmed him.
I have to find Silbre. What happened? Our mating-bond can’t be broken. Unwilling to believe the horrible truth, Anan had to find his mate.
He staggered to his feet, looping the bow over his shoulder as he took the first stumbling steps toward home. The surety of his pace came back to him, and he gained speed until he was sprinting toward the clan’s encampment. Time became irrelevant. He walked when his legs refused to run and ate when his body demanded it.
Dusk came on him stealthily, but he refused to stop. Silbre can’t be gone. We’ve been together since our adult velvet. Anan’s chest tightened at the thought of losing his mate. His mind swirled with fear, horror, and anger. If their teachers hadn’t sent him on yet another hunting trip, maybe he could have saved Silbre. No, he refused to believe he’d lost Silbre. There must be another explanation. He pushed down the rush of emotions and focused on the run as night deepened. With the rise of the moons, he picked up speed, desperate to reach home.
Anan neared the last of his endurance when he saw the familiar featherleaf trees that lined the river bend where the Kuri clan spent its summers. He topped the river embankment and dropped to his knees at the sight before him. Complete devastation. The warm morning breeze carried the scent of death. The raucous voices of carrion birds as they fought over bits of his clan reinforced his horror.
He struggled down the steep embankment to splash through the shallow river that circled most of what had been the Kuri’s summer encampment. As he waded to shore, he found the eyeless face of a childhood friend. Anan stumbled to one side and emptied his stomach. He retched again and again as he surpassed the limit of his emotional endurance until each twist of his stomach yielded nothing.
Silbre! Where’s Silbre? Anan renewed his headlong flight to find his twining mate.
He ran through the devastation, sending flocks of birds into the air. With each heartbeat his desperation grew as he ran to their tent. He has to be alive. I can’t survive without him. He rounded a pile of debris and found the familiar woven pattern of their summer lodge. His world died. Entangled in the remains, Silbre’s body bristled with a fingercount of crossbow quarrels. Varas slavers. Those are their bolts. The iron heads and spiral fletching left no doubt. But they had never come this far into Talac territory.
Anan dropped to his knees and pulled Silbre tight against him. Anan’s breath rasped between clenched teeth, his chest tight with grief as he rocked with his mate in his arms. A freshet of tears rolled over the plush hair covering his face. The dull drone from hordes of green burrowing flies and the cries of carrion birds surrounded him. But grief paralyzed Anan.
His sorrow merged with anger, and he screamed toward the implacable sky. “Why have you let this happen? Why did you cut his threads so short?”
Anan dropped his chin against his chest and sobbed. He rocked his mate slowly, tracing the tips of his fingers along the swirls of a spellweaver created in the short tan and brown hair covering Silbre’s face while he fought to ignore the fatal wounds. Anan’s throat tightened as more tears rolled down his cheeks. He lowered Silbre gently, as if he were sleeping.
The aftermath of the attack must be dealt with. He had no choice. He steeled himself to the carnage around him and struggled to understand. How did the Varas unravel the protective web that surrounded the village? Especially those of the Kuri clan, who have some of the most skilled spellweavers of the Talac people. Even if they had broken the spell, a warning would have been felt, and people would have boiled out like stingers from their nest. Something in the web of Anan’s reality shifted as he wondered how the Varas were able to decimate a Talac village.
Anan called on his spell vision and tried to trace any threads, but they were gone. If there were survivors, they were no longer connected to the village weaving. He began moving in a haze of disbelief.
All the people he’d grown up with were gone. Saritua who taught him his first weavings, Trebea who knew the perfect day to harvest wood for bows that wouldn’t wrack in the fall rains—gone. He’d never hear Poza talking with her imaginary friends as she toddled from one rug to another pretending at grownup, or her wonder when the spring gliders migrated across the savanna.
He’d seen the carrion birds pecking the flesh from their lifeless bodies. The horrors no longer registered, as his surroundings became part of an unending cascade of atrocities. At some point he would break and mourn. But not now; he was too numb, too overwhelmed. The bits of his being that weren’t focused on what he had to accomplish in this moment hid in the corner of his mind, gibbering in near madness. Silbre couldn’t come to the rescue this time. The task fell on his shoulders. There was no one else.
Screaming birds took off and revealed the burned arms of a spellspinner. With this final revelation, the last warp threads of Anan’s reality snapped. All the Kuri spinners would be dead. When spellspinners in battle ripped the matama from the attackers, they condemned themselves to death. Akhir gave their attackers a painful end, but the backlash left the spellspinners burned and dead. He moved closer and saw the velvetless skin that marked them from birth as spellspinners. But the curse, or gift, of akhir created the final separation between the Talac spinners and weavers.
Anan’s questionable skill at spellweaving didn’t matter any longer. Without a spinner, there was no one to take the deathspinner eggs and harvest silk for the matama threads he needed for his weavings. Only the spinners knew how to combine matama with silk harvested from the most feared animals of the savanna. Without spun threads, Anan’s years of training didn’t matter.
Lucid thought came to an end with yet another gruesome discovery. His mind rebelled, and the final threads of his former life broke one by one. He locked away his emotions to sort through them when he could take the luxury.
Anan recognized the end of his second day when the sun’s deep red orb rested on the treetops, covering his world in the color of fresh blood. Darkness would come soon and with it the possibility of larger predators. With the clan spell webbing gone, nothing would keep them out.
He knew his duty. He must gather the dead and perform the most sacred of weavings. He would create the final unraveling ceremony for most of the village.
Anan struggled to his feet and began his task. Taking Silbre first, he carried his mate’s body to the center of the camp. He ran the back of his fingers over his twining’s face, the cold ache of loss constricting around his chest until his breath came in gasps and tears rolled down his cheeks again.
Hesitant at first, Anan carried the remains of each member of his clan and laid them side by side. Lastly he moved to the spellspinners’ tents. He understood their importance in the clan, but their aloof manner and vanity over their birthmark velvetless skin had been reason enough for him to avoid them in the past. But his duty was to the village, and his personal disdain had no place. Following the sense of duty hammered into him by his parents, he afforded the spellspinners the same reverence as the other lost.
As he moved toward the final dwelling, and its content, he couldn’t help but note the remains of Varas attackers littering the encampment. Some resembled colorless grubs, the sign of a spellspinner calling akhir. The pale Varas bodies also meant there would be a burned spellspinner close by. Akhir extracted a horrible toll. Only in the legends of First Spinner and First Weaver did anyone survive calling akhir.
He grabbed the wrists of a spinner and found the touch of bare skin against his palms… odd. Anan had never touched a spinner before. There had never been a reason to do so. They didn’t encourage contact. After steeling himself, he squatted to gather the last of the bodies, when he heard a moan.
Anan spun, knife in hand. When he realized the sound didn’t come from attacking Varas, he sheathed his knife and waited, listening for signs of life. A few heartbeats later another barely audible sound leaked from the wreckage. Anan dug through a pile of tent cloth and found a storage cache. Another groan drifted from inside the partially exposed opening, followed by rustling as if a mouse ran across a stretched kuri-skin drum.
Anan eased himself forward, peering into the opening. At first he could see nothing but darkness, but then two brilliant blue eyes peered up at him.
He waited, recognizing the color of a spellspinner’s eyes. How did this spinner survive? Why did he hide? Compassion returned to Anan. Regardless of how this spinner survived, he is also Talac.
“You hurt?” Even to Anan’s own ears, his words sounded brittle and desolate of emotion. He waited for a response, but when none came, he reached inside.
“Here. Let me help.”
Smooth skin slid under Anan’s palms, the first time he’d touched a living spinner. Surprise raced through his system when he found the contact… pleasant. As he helped the slender figure, he recognized this spinner, but not for a reason he might have hoped. The spinner standing before him was the most reclusive. He always avoided contact with any of the Talac who were normal. Who were velveted.
He studied Anan with the suspicion of a young night-hunter, complete with the twitch of his nose. He took the offered hand and scrambled up the side of the cache.
The tension between them grew as their gazes locked. This isn’t about my feelings for the spinners. I must perform the unraveling. He waited a moment, took in a breath, and calmed himself.
“Can you walk?”
The spinner wiped a grimy arm over his forehead, leaving streaks of filth as he tucked his dark hair behind his ears. An instant later he nodded silently.
“I’m Anan.”
This time the young man trembled. “Terja. I am a spinner.”
Anan’s brow lifted. “Yes. I see you.” He considered asking the questions swirling through his mind, but waited.
Terja shuddered again and turned his head slowly. He seemed lost, but Anan granted him time to adjust and waited until the spinner’s focus returned. “Where is everyone?”
“Dead. Or taken as Varas slaves. I found only a few bodies from Kuri our age.”
Terja’s eye’s widened. “Slavers? The screams. I heard… it was….” He stared at Anan.
Anan wondered if this spinner still functioned or if the trauma had overwhelmed Terja. Regardless, he continued. “Varas slavers attacked the village. Everyone is either dead or captured. I don’t know why the web didn’t sound an alert. The herds are scattered. All the Talac clans are in jeopardy.”
“Our kuri and herdweavers? Gone?” Terja’s voice broke at the news.
Anan stared at him. The herds were the least of his concerns. The herdweavers had either died fighting or were captured. But he knew they hadn’t deserted the kuri. They took their role as guardians seriously. But he needed to finish his task, and Terja acted too overwhelmed to help.
Though he moved toward the nearest body, Anan couldn’t stop staring at Terja. The irrelevant question wiped out the last of his restraint. “Why were you hiding? The Varas attacked. Why’d you do nothing?”
Tears flooded from Terja’s eyes. With his breath coming in gasps, he tried to explain. “I tried. Had my staff. People dying. Father put me—” Terja broke into inconsolable sobbing. Anan knew he would get no more information from the spinner.
“At nightfall we’re doing an unraveling for the dead. You’re helping.”
Terja looked shaken, as if it had never occurred to him a spellweaver would address him in that manner. He began to speak, but when Anan glared at him, Terja pressed his lips tightly together.
Anan motioned to the body of one of the older spinners, and Terja moved to stand at its feet. He clamped his eyes shut as he groped for the ankles, shuddering when the tips of his fingers made contact, and hesitated. Anan allowed him what time he could, but before he had to jar him into motion, Terja clenched his teeth and grabbed the dead man’s ankles.
He opened his eyes and glared at Anan, but Anan was far past being affected by anything so minor as the anger of a young spellspinner. With Terja’s help, the last bodies were gathered. Exhausted mentally and physically, he still refused to allow Terja to perform any of the ceremony.
“We need to make a final check. It’s close to nightfall. I don’t want to leave—” Anan stopped and swallowed hard to regain his control. “I want to be certain we’ve taken care of everyone. We can go opposite directions and meet back here. Hopefully, there’s nothing to find.”
Anan waited for Terja’s nod, then started through the encampment. Hesitant at first, he covered the area with speed and resolve. I don’t know how many more victims I can deal with before my mind snaps like a weak warp thread. As he worked through the smoldering remains, he began to think they’d recovered all the bodies.
He returned to the center of the encampment and found Terja hadn’t arrived. Anan moved to locate the spinner. Close to the spinner’s lodges, Anan found him, crumpled into the dust, holding the body of a small child.
His heart cracked when Terja’s eyes met his, tears running down his red cheeks. He held the broken body like a precious jewel, cradling the kit who was long past the issues of this world. The spinner ran his fingers over the deep brown velvet covering the kit’s face as if he were sleeping. He reached down to touch Terja’s shoulder.
“He’s gone, Terja. Add him to the ceremony so his strands can rejoin the others in the Great Weaving.”
Past reason now, Terja’s sobs echoed across the scene of desolation. The darkness flowed over the pair, its edges seeming to ripple in response to Terja’s grief. “You don’t understand!” he yelled, his face contorted with anger. “Akra and I were friends. His father died when a longtooth pack attacked him. We broke fast together each morning. Why would they kill a kit?”
Anan hardened. “You know why. Akra was nothing more than an animal to them. They don’t follow the teachings of First Twining, and we are nothing more than mating slaves to feed their addiction.”
“Akra was a sweet kit. Just a toddler.”
Anan squeezed his shoulder. “Come. It’s time.”
He forced Terja into motion. They came to the central area, and Terja turned to Anan. “Clean him. Please. I know it will take some of the spinnings you have, but please. I cannot stand to think he’s going to the Great Weaving like this. He worried so much about how he looked.”
“Terja….”
“Please. I’ll replace the spinning. The spell panels on your kilt are close to full. You have enough matama to do this.” Terja turned ashen. “Please. This will be the last thing I ask of you.”
Anan sighed and ran his hand over the complex matama patterns stored on his kilt. Although his state of exhaustion diminished his focus to the point where he had to touch the threads. He deftly created the weaving in the air from the matama stored in his kilt panels. Soon he had the simple weave completed. Once he did, Anan struggled through the ritual steps drummed into him to release the spell and clean the lifeless body. The small weaving dissipated, and Anan let his vision slip away.
The kit before them now could have been sleeping. Anan normally would have refused to use a spellweaving on someone beyond its reach, but he admitted, if only to himself, this final visage of the kit was much preferable to the blood- and gore-splattered toddler that had lain before him a short time earlier. He stared at the kit, then at Terja.
“It’s time to do the unraveling.”
About the author:
Jon Keys’s earliest memories revolve around books. Either read to him or making up stories based on the illustrations, these were places his active mind occupied. As he got older the selection expanded beyond Mother Goose and Dr. Suess to the world of westerns, science fiction and fantasy. His world filled with dragon riders, mind speaking horses and comic book heroes in hot uniforms.
A voracious reader for half a century, Jon recently began creating his own creations of fiction. The first writing was his attempt at showing rural characters in a more sympathetic light. Now he has moved into some of the writing he lost himself in for so many years…fantasy. Jon has worked as a ranch hand, teacher, computer tech, roughneck, designer, retail clerk, welder, artist, and, yes, pool boy; with interests ranging from kayaking and hunting to drawing and cooking, he uses this range of life experiences to create written works that draw the reader in and wrap them in a good story.
Where to find the author:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jon.keys.773
Twitter: @Jon4Keys
Website: http://jonkeys.com/
Goodreads Link:
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Cover Artist: Paul Richmond
Rafflecopter Prize: E-copy of ‘Home Grown’ by Jon Keys
