All Snippets
Domesticating Dragons – Snippet 04
Domesticating Dragons - Snippet 04 CHAPTER FOUR Intercepted My jalopy was the first thing to let me down. I threw myself into the driver's seat with twenty-two minutes left in my promised hour and jammed the ignition button with my finger. The engine made a high-pitched whine but refused to turn over. "Aw, come on." I waited three seconds and tried it again. This time, the car didn't so much as whimper. "Shit!" I bailed out and ran to the bus stop. Nineteen minutes. In a sheer miracle, a bus from the red line pulled up a minute later. I...
Serpent Daughter – Snippet 43
Serpent Daughter - Snippet 43 Dolindas smiled slightly. "This is not for me to say. It is a decision for the goddess, who will act through Sarah, once Sarah is awake. But until then, I must ask you to step down from your position, tending to the throne." An icicle stabbed Cathy in her heart. "Why?" "Don't worry," Roland said, "we'll take good care of her." "Because for this rite to work, those associated with it must be in an advanced state of purity," Dolindas said. "Until the goddess absolves you, someone else must take your role." "I know...
The Macedonian Hazard – Snippet 05
The Macedonian Hazard - Snippet 05 "A contract made under duress is invalid. And anyone signing a contract while a slave is, by definition, under duress. But you do bring up an interesting point, Dag. There were contracts of indenture. They were outlawed by the 13th amendment to the Constitution of the United States, at least as the Supreme Court has interpreted it. And the UN also had rules against it. But there are still binding employment contracts. It could be done. A person could, as part of the deal to gain their freedom, sign an...
WarSpell Space Race – Snippet 01
WarSpell Space Race - Snippet 01 WarSpell: Space Race By Gorg Huff and Paula Goodlett Chapter 1--The Starting Gun The Merge decade was characterized by frenetic activity in a number of fields including space exploration, as the magic of the game worlds and technology were combined . . . Location: Apartment of Jerry Garman, Houston, Texas Time: December 30, As the Merge reaches Houston Jerry Garman set the coffee cup down and began to type. "By changing the aerodynamic loading we can the spell is left overstressed." What the hell? Freedric the...
Serpent Daughter – Snippet 42
Serpent Daughter - Snippet 42 Landon spat in the mud, a stream of phlegm and tears. "No." He sniffed. "Nor do I. Your choice of weapon, suh?" "Bill!" A new voice pierced Bill's consciousness, but it was far away. "Bill, please do not do this. Bill, I must tell you something!" It was Cathy. Bill tried to reassure her with a smile -- he might be old, but he was an experienced duelist, and could not lose, especially if Landon chose pistols. In his trembling rage and pain, he feared that his smile likely appeared more as a grimace. Oh, Charles....
1637 No Peace Beyond The Line – Snippet 44
1637 No Peace Beyond The Line - Snippet 44 Chapter 23 Oranjestad, St. Eustatia Leonora was grumpy. Yes, she had reason for disappointment, but it went beyond that. First, the seamstress who was to make necessary changes to the one gown she had brought from Denmark was overdue and her services were absolutely required. Leonora was still only fourteen and just six months' worth of bodily change -- much of which was quite welcome! -- absolutely required alterations or profound embarrassment might ensue. Secondly, after spending half an hour...
The Macedonian Hazard – Snippet 04
The Macedonian Hazard - Snippet 04 May 15, 320 BCE Ronald Kemper pulled the sheet up over Donald Carnegie's head. The allergic reaction to the insulin contributed to a chest infection, which in Donald's weakened state proved fatal. Other patients were doing fine, at least for now, on the fish-derived insulin that was only purified by centrifuge. But there were too damned many who died from allergy to the non-insulin element that the poor purification methods left in the juice, and even for those it did work for, there were often side effects....
Domesticating Dragons – Snippet 03
Domesticating Dragons - Snippet 03 CHAPTER THREE INVENTOR PROFILE Name: Simon Redwood Companies Founded: 13 Claim to Fame: The Dragon Genome Project Current Venture: Reptilian Corporation, a genetic engineering firm. Many successful businesses arise to address a real-world problem. In the case of Reptilian Corporation, that problem was hogs. Feral hogs are the descendants of domestic hogs that escaped (or were released intentionally) from captivity. Most forms of livestock depend on humans for food and protection, and don't last long in the...