Samanda was trembling and backing away slowly.   “He will kill you when he sees it.   He will kill you and drink your blood.”     Mikota took a step forward.   “The King?”     Samanda shook her head.   “No, no, the other one.   The Shifter.”     Mikota shivered.   There were rumors in the castle shifters often visited the king, attempting an alliance.   But sh...

Chapter 7 Replenished, Cade’s stride ate up the desert sand. Two days and little Rotta would pay for her treachery. He would retrieve the clan emerald and his prized pelt. His mind wandered as he ran. He was little more than a boy really the first time he saw a phant. It was not something he would ever forget. It stumbled into his clan house and knocked the entire stone structure from its foundation. It was an average size phant standing perhaps 40 hands high, all three of its ...

Chapter 5 Cade was off and trotting east before the suns set the sky burning. He hoped to come across a caravan, or an oasis, or possibly a town before night fall. Thirst beat at him. He ignored it and pushed himself forward. It was near the hottest part of the day when Cade spotted something in the distance. He squinted and tried to focus but the waves of heat distorted his vision. Was it a caravan or wishful thinking? He could not be sure, but decided anything that wasn’t compl...

Chapter 9 Cade arrived in Amstel early the next morning. While the urge to charge into the hasma was palpable, Cade bided his time. He slept the day away in the hayloft of an old barn just inside the city. There was reconnaissance to be done before the confrontation with Rotta. He needed to know who she worked with, and if she still had his emerald and pelt. He also needed to find out how she captured Razar. There were many questions he would have from her before he delivered justice. ...

Chapter 28   Mikael found Gainrel in what was fast becoming his habitual place, behind Baran Wardex who at the moment was sitting at the head of the Alai.   Mikael gave a quick nod of recognition to Thaddeus, the Legna assigned Baran, then to each of the other Legna standing behind their Wardex.   Golden breast plates gleamed from an internal light and each wore a stoic expression upon his face.   A silver sword was strapped to every hip.   “Cade l...

“The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and all science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead: his eyes are closed." - Albert Einstein                                      ...

JUDE   Chapter 1   “ She never mentions the word addiction, in certain company ,” ejaculated the overloud alarm clock.   Jake moaned.   6am already?   Where the hell did the weekend go?   And why did it feel like a tom cat shit in his mouth?   Without cracking an eye, he reached a heavy hand over and hit snooze.   Ten more minutes would do him, and his employer, a world of good.   “You up?” &...

Chapter 5   Jake pushed open the door to Kelly’s shortly after noon.   The place was packed.   Ranch hands in dirty jeans with sweat stained Stetsons in their laps, sat among shop owners and clerks in various attire.   The general din was barely below a roar.    Jake saw a hand go up in the back, made eye contact with Myrr, and nodded.   Steven Myrr was almost six feet tall, around 160 pounds.   Sharp angeled cheek bones protruded f...

Chapter 7   The faded white clap board house looked exactly like it did six years ago.   The outhouse still stood outback, though leaning precariously to one side.   Several dirty children played in the dirt which Jake supposed was once a lawn.     The creaky screen door burst open and a large bear of a man stepped out on the porch.   He wore stained jeans, cowboy boots, and no shirt.   His dirty brown hair was slicked back.   He bra...

Location   I based Jude’s locale loosely on a map of southeastern Arizona.   If you go straight west of Drake, and straight North from Bagdad, where the line intersects, that’s Jude.   Carr County and Drake County are fictitious.   As far as I know there are no counties by those names in Arizona.   I created highway 30 to run from highway 89 to Jude.   All the other highways mentioned are real, though I don&rsquo...

Chapter 3   “I’m sorry Sheriff,” the barely five foot tall Hispanic receptionist at the Carr County Courthouse said.   “Sheriff Myrr isn’t in his office.”   “How convenient,” Deputy Adams muttered.   Jake wasn’t having any luck today, getting to work late and missing Ike Miller, then his truck not being ready, and now a new receptionist when he was on fairly good terms with the old one.   &ld...

Sarah shoved the small brown paper bag into an over sized black purse.   She wasn’t hiding anything, she told herself.   It was just easier to carry in the purse.   She looked in the rear view mirror.   Tired.   She looked so tired!   And the makeup she applied to hide the dark rings under her eyes, made them look worse.   She sighed and looked longingly at the black purse.   No.  Not now, you have too much to do today.   Focus...

Link   Chapter 34   Verin’s four stubby leather wings echoed dryly in the dark chamber as he circled round and round the tower’s perimeter.   The dust, disturbed after decades of slumber, fell on invisible waves and landed atop the rotting bed canopy.   A lone figure lay unmoving beneath the heavy blankets.   Dark black hair spilled a shadow on the yellowed pillow, violet eyes stared unseeing at the canopy above.   Verin stop...

Tabbitha looked up from the laptop into the dark blue eyes of a man she could only describe as, yuuuuummy.  The sounds of the coffee house seemed to recede when she tuned her whole attention to the man before her. Tall, yes he was definitely tall, at least six feet two inches.  Her neck hurt to stare up at him. Levis.  Very few men looked bad in a pair of tight Levis, but some looked so scrumptious they rivaled the sticky doughy treats in the pastry case not five feet f...

Went to a baby shower a few weeks ago. Don't worry this isn't about that. We played a game, and I thought it would be a great JUWC challenge, but I am mixing it up a bit. Below is a list of words.  There is one word for every letter of the alphabet.  Read through the DEFINITIONS first and see if a storyline jumps out at you.....then write a short story, scene, act, whateva...while using every single word.  (Sometimes when I am having writer's bloc...