Serpent Daughter – Snippet 38

Serpent Daughter – Snippet 38 Was he prepared to make his leap? “Mr. Franklin,” he called. Temple Franklin groaned as he levered himself down from the top of a prison wagon. He gripped iron-bar handles set into the sides of the vehicle, and hissed at...

Serpent Daughter – Snippet 36

Serpent Daughter – Snippet 36 “Whole thing’s jest gone to stupid.” Chapter Eight Two men joined Sarah in the sanctum. One had long dark hair and mustache and wore a stylish German hat; the other was darker skinned, maybe an Indian, and wore a...

Serpent Daughter – Snippet 35

Serpent Daughter – Snippet 35 “What else did the song say?” Cathy asked. “Just about nothing. Alzbieta only knew one verse, and my father sang it in his delirium, so it might have been nonsense, anyway. Now that I think of it, it had another...

Serpent Daughter – Snippet 33

Serpent Daughter – Snippet 33 He paid three Texians to help him build it and to help him fire it. They were fascinated, averring at first that it couldn’t possibly work, and then hooting and slapping their broad-brimmed hats against their knees when it...

Serpent Daughter – Snippet 32

Serpent Daughter – Snippet 32 “Was Hannah reckless, or was she bold?” Chapter Seven Calvin Calhoun was packed to leave in three minutes. It was easy enough — rifle, powder, shot and accouterments; a second set of clothing, rolled up in a...

Serpent Daughter – Snippet 31

Serpent Daughter – Snippet 31 They sent tokens. If it came to another battle, the queen would be assailed on two sides, and defended by an army of tokens. The thought that one of Cahokia’s enemies was Simon Sword, the legendary bugbear of the Mississippi,...

Serpent Daughter – Snippet 30

Serpent Daughter – Snippet 30 # Temple Franklin rode west atop the foremost of the thirteen wagons that left the Walnut Street Prison. Thirteen wagons, one for each of his grandfather’s virtues, though Temple could remember what the virtues were only with...

Serpent Daughter – Snippet 29

Serpent Daughter – Snippet 29 # In a grove of trees on the outskirts of Philadelphia, Nathaniel settled into a cross-legged sitting position and pulled his drum into his lap. Margaret gripped a low-hanging dead limb of one of the elm trees and yanked it off....

Serpent Daughter – Snippet 28

Serpent Daughter – Snippet 28 “Will his taste ever turn to the flesh of men?” Chapter Six “Tell me who you are,” Maltres Korinn said to the second Zoman. He sat in his office, facing Gazelem Zomas across his desk. At Gazelem’s side...

Serpent Daughter – Snippet 27

Serpent Daughter – Snippet 27 “I want roots again,” Bill said. “I want them to be with you. And Sarah gave me . . . gave us this house. I shall have to build, but for you I will build, even if it means building a mound. For you, I will build a...

Serpent Daughter – Snippet 26

Serpent Daughter – Snippet 26 “Did I plant this Ashtar?” Nothing. “Did this Ashtar grow here because of some deed of mine? Was this Ashtar caused to grow by some object I once owned? Did a spell of mine cause this Ashtar to grow?”...

Serpent Daughter – Snippet 25

Serpent Daughter – Snippet 25 The strange child-man body that carried the Lord Protector within it looked frail and short, but the voice that came out was an aural attack. Thou shalt not require thy sword, my son. I have a wedding gift for thee. Thomas nodded,...