Still Waters Run Deep: Part 2
A fantasy serial by Siri Paulson
This is Part 2 of a longer story, but it's written so that you can start here and go back to read Part 1 afterwards if you prefer. Enjoy!
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The shallow waters of the stream, thick with reeds, stretched as far ahead as Payut could see. He sank his paddle into the muddy bottom and pulled. His little boat slid forward along the bottom a few hard-earned handspans and stopped again.
Payut glanced up at the sun, already twinkling in and out of the thick jungle trees as it began to sink, and sighed. He'd lied to himself, thinking he could take his usual back route to the monastery through the waterways at this time of year. The monsoon wasn't due for days.
And if he hadn't lied to himself about his supply of earth charms in the first place, he wouldn't be in this predicament.
Reluctantly he nosed the boat around, back the way he'd come. He would have to take the river, the mighty Tao Phree. A ripple ran through the still waters in his mind, and he smoothed it down. There was nothing to fear, not this time. Not after so many years. The ripple vanished and his mind was clear again.
Little by little the stream grew deeper, until he could paddle again instead of poling his way down the channel. He reached the spot where he'd turned into it, a confluence of three waterways. This was as close as he ever came to the river...until now. To the left lay the maze of backwater routes he knew so well – a string of villages, each with docks for even the smallest hut, a little temple tended by a few gold-robed monks, and a market wharf where travelling pedlars like himself could tie up. The waterways he had called home for thirty years.
He turned right.
Foolish Chances (Dream'verse)
In Knight Errant and other Dream'verse books, Captain Eve Marcori, former Marine, expects a lot from her young charges. She doesn't tell them about when she was fourteen. A Dream'verse timeline exists here.
Foolish Chances
by
KD Sarge
In a tiny hideaway down by sickbay on the freighter Centurion's Pride, Cassie finished her apple with pretended nonchalance.
“I’ll tell,” she said.
Farther in where the ceiling was higher, Eve straightened. “Better not, Cass, or I’ll kick the—”
”You will not hurt me.” Cassie put the apple core in the garbage box. “And you know it. I’ll do as I please, and I will go, Eve.”
“Hell you will.” Eve shook her head. “Specklehead, think. One more scrape and you won’t make it to thirteen. Your mom’s still not over that crash on Mantixa.”
“You’re lucky you made it to fourteen,” Cassie answered. “Mom knows who crashed that skimmer. The captain knows also. And they both know I never got in trouble before Captain Marcori took you into the family.”
“If you’d stay the hell where you belong, you still wouldn’t!”
“Did that. Hated it.” Cassie tossed her head. “I’m going. I want to see a Calanian naming.”
“Ssh!” Eve darted a look around as if anyone could possibly be there. “You want to get busted? Treaty protects it; no human’s ever seen the ritual! If anyone catches a whisper, your mom will lock us both up till we're safe in hyperspace.”
Cassie beamed up at her friend. “I go,” she said, “or I’ll tell.”
Eve swore, a long steady stream. Cassie combed her fingers through red curls, waiting.
“Fine,” Eve said at last. “But you make one peep at the wrong time, and I swear I’ll find something to feed you to, Cassandra Marie Kaindotter.”
“It’s a deal.” Cassie offered her hand and only winced slightly as Eve spat in hers before shaking. “You have a plan?”
Eve snorted. “Of course. Think we’d just wander off after last time?” She looked around again, leaned closer to Cassie. “Here’s what we’ll do...”
Still Waters Run Deep: Part 1
A fantasy serial by Siri Paulson
Another town, another floating market. Payut settled his conical straw hat more firmly on his head and paddled closer, already planning what he would say. The market thronged with narrow boats, hawking fruit and rice, fans and sarongs to the townspeople on the docks. Every town market smelled almost the same, with small variations if one went far enough up the waterways – a different spice mixture here, a different oil there. This one smelled of incense and fresh fish and deep-fried bean curd. His stomach gurgled.
As he brought his boat in to an empty spot on the docks, children were already crowding close. “It's the charms man!” they shouted, overlapping each other in their excitement. “What did you bring us?”
Payut smiled. “Dolls and toy soldiers, fans and tops. I even have an emperors-and-footmen board for sale.”
A little girl called down, “Don't you have any charms?”
Payut kept his smile in place. “Of course. Love charms, schoolwork charms, charms to make you faster at martial arts or steady your hand at weaving sarongs.”
An older girl, who looked very like the first, frowned at him. “What about health charms?”
Here it came. “You don't need any health charms, Little Sister. You're the very model of the five harmonious elements.”
The little one shook her head vigorously. “It's not for her. Mama is sick.”
Introducing Captain's Boy
Would you believe I wrestled for days with what to write for my blog post? Then I remembered that the reason I was stressed and unprepared was that I have a novel coming out...
This is the first chapter of Captain's Boy, coming April 1st (Monday, aaah!) from Turtleduck Press. As stated in this handy-dandy timeline, it occurs about two years before the events of Knight Errant.
Warning for some explicit language.
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Donte looked at the sagging awning above him, at the straggly hedge separating the restaurant patio from the graffitied wall next to it, and thought about space and how he'd like to be there. Out there he and Jordan would both be safe, and Jordan might actually learn math.
"Yes, Alex is a bully," he said, interrupting Jordan's story. "But I'm not fighting him." Donte shoved his hair back and tapped the notebook. "This answer is wrong," he said. "Can you see why?"
Jordan didn't even look at the paper, staring instead at Donte in challenge. "Why not?" he demanded. "You could take him! Alex is big, but he's just a coward. And it's not just me that he picks on. He stole Cadie's bundle last week. You know she thinks it's her baby what died. She was on her knees begging him to be careful and he held it over his head and laughed."
"Math." Donte tapped the paper again. When he started tutoring Jordan, Donte had bent the mentoring rules to give the boy a digital workpad and stylus. Jordan's aunt had sold the tech to buy a bottle, so now Jordan and Donte worked on paper that fluttered in the intermittent breeze. "Find your mistake."
