Lackey Snippets

Avalanche – Snippet 59

This book should be available now so this is the last snippet. Avalanche - Snippet 59 They were going to come after him with everything they had, and he would let them.  He would play the part, he would wring his hands and plead and in dark, public moments he would show flashes of something sinister that bubbled beneath the surface.  He would give them their villain, and let them reach closure when they ended him.  They needed it, and he needed her memory to live on - pristine, heroic, because that's who she truly was. So he moped, he...

Avalanche – Snippet 58

Avalanche - Snippet 58 I have learned that it is very difficult to watch one's friends suffer when there is little to nothing one can (or is allowed to) do to help them.  And of course, I was handicapped by the fact that I could not reach into the world to affect anything.  All I could do was watch and gather information through the limited channels I had. I have gathered much, much more since, as I am sure you have seen in these narratives, oh putative Reader.  But at that time, there was oh so very little I could do. Lost Cause Mercedes...

Avalanche – Snippet 57

Avalanche - Snippet 57 Perhaps some people had forgotten Verdigris.  But I had not.  After all, I could not forget.  And he had most certainly not forgotten about us.  A good thing that Khanjar was our ally, then, and that I was always, always watching.  And I can watch everything, everywhere, and I do not need to sleep. Pop Goes the Weasel Mercedes Lackey and Dennis Lee "Distraction?" Khanjar followed her employer -- or target, depending upon the conversation -- across the room. Dominic Verdigris was in the throes of a fit of genius...

Avalanche – Snippet 56

Avalanche - Snippet 56 It slammed into him, between his shoulders, and drove him skidding face-first along the turf for a good ten yards.  He came to a full stop, his face dug right into the soft earth, a disgusting grey-brown ooze coating his back.  It was an impressively funny sight and Mel might have laughed, if not for the fact that the Djinni wasn't moving.  He lay there, his right arm bent at a horribly wrong angle, and for a moment Mel wondered if he was even breathing. Delia gasped and stared in horror at what she had done.  With...

Avalanche – Snippet 55

Avalanche - Snippet 55 He milked that for all it was worth, of course.  For now, Red was playing with them.  When one did brace himself to attack, the others would circle about, hoping to spot an opening, waiting for a chance to dart in unexpectedly.  This was the Djinni though.  Trying to take him by surprise was a futile effort.  He still wore his scarf, wrapped so tightly around his head that it was hard to imagine how he managed to breathe, let alone perform extended feats of Parkour or combat training.  These days, he favored the...

Avalanche – Snippet 54

Avalanche - Snippet 54 I looked at my watch.  It was almost go-time.  And I scrubbed at my eyes with the back of my hand as tears filled them, and my throat closed, because of what was coming.  This...I couldn't face this.  Not again. "I can't do this anymore, Eight," I choked.  "It's up to you now.  Finish it for me." I barely heard Eight's gentle "I will, Vickie," as I closed by keyboard and went to join the others. Hurt Dennis Lee Is it wrong to be ruled by your desires? I've always thought so.  Doesn't stop a lot of people from...

Avalanche – Snippet 53

Avalanche - Snippet 53 He stayed that way, his old skydiving and combat parachute training coming back to him. He kept his body arched, with hands and arms splayed out to the sides to stabilize himself. His back was to the ground; he wanted to see this part. A second later, the Death Sphere exploded brilliantly; it reminded him of the Death Star explosion, the original one before they'd mucked everything up with digital effects. Satisfied--and knowing he was getting uncomfortably close to becoming a wet stain on the concrete below--he kicked...

Avalanche – Snippet 52

Avalanche - Snippet 52 He felt things coming to a head; he and Sera weren't working separately, but together. They started to herd the two groups together; it wasn't hard. Any time some of the troopers tried to cut and run or break away, they were cut down--literally, in some cases. When there were openings, a rocket or grenade from the soldiers would impact the bunched-together Thulians; more often than not it would hit a shield, but occasionally it connected, weakening several suits of armor and setting them alight.  ECHO ordinance,...