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Coat of Scarlet: A Clockpunk Tale, Part 5

by Siri Paulson Read previous installments: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 Marius leaned on the railing of Niko’s airship, watching the dock workers as they clung to the spire below and untied the ropes that had tethered the ship. On the deck to either side of him, pirates hauled the ropes in and coiled them with impressive precision. The air sacs swelled, and the sails filled. The vessel slipped away gently into the night. Behind, the lights of the city gleamed like cloth-of-gold; ahead were the more scattered lights of the countryside, and beyond that a wide velvet-rich blackness that must be the sea. Nobody had paid him any mind, once he understood to keep out of the way. The pirates rushed to and fro, climbing and hauling and shouting. Niko stood on the raised deck at the…stern?…of the ship like a veritable island of calm, only making gestures now and then, or speaking to a crew member who rushed off to convey his orders. He looked like a man who could pull off a scarlet justacorps coat – not flamboyant, but self-assured as Marius himself could only dream of being. Just watching the man made his blood quicken. Marius watched, fascinated, until he realized he was trembling with cold. Now he understood the long coat and woolen tricorn hat, which had seemed above Niko’s station, for all that he wore them well. The crew seemed warm enough, moving about in shirtsleeves, but he…

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Curiosity Killed the Cat – Part 3

Curiosity Killed the Cat A free fantasy serial by KD Sarge Part 3: Many Doors (Read part 1 here. Part 2 is here.) Srivasi reached for the door and hesitated. He had the right answer now, but there was no guarantee that the correct door led to safety. He looked back, and it was still dark around the corner they’d come from. He could go check, but probably the door was still closed, still hidden by the skill of its builder. Maybe he could find it and force it open, find a way to get back to the surface—and maybe he couldn’t. He wasn’t particularly eager to have the boy see him fail. If— “Oh, fine.” The boy bounced forward and yanked the door open. Leaped back, leaving Srivasi standing before the doorway alone. Only darkness flowed out. Metaphorical flowing, not real, thankfully. “Are you going to make more light?” Dasid demanded. “Or should we just stand here a while first?” Oh. He’d let his wand go out, distracted by running for his life. Srivasi thought of shoving the child through the door and holding it closed, but the boy would make noise and bring anything that might be nearby to attack. Though on the other side of the door… No. If something attacked the child, Srivasi would have to help him. Better to avoid it if he could. Srivasi sighed and lit the tip of his wand. “Huh,” Dasid said. “It looks just like where we are,” Srivasi said. “Yeah,…

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Coat of Scarlet: A Clockpunk Tale, Part 4

by Siri Paulson Read previous installments: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 “Oh, no you don’t!” Marius shouted, pelting after the red justacorps coat as it vanished into the crowd. The thief moved faster, but it wasn’t hard to keep that bright a colour in sight. As he dodged piles of lumber and moving carts, his thoughts galloped along just as fast. What kind of misbegotten son of a poxy dog would steal a coat anyway? Did they want it for the valuable fabric, or because they recognized it as Niko’s, or because there was something valuable in it he hadn’t noticed? Some of the seams had felt a bit bulky, but he hadn’t particularly wanted to unpick them to check whether something was hidden inside, on account of Niko being an airship pirate and all. Now he wished he’d known what exactly he had been entrusted with… Just how furious would Niko be if Marius couldn’t bring it back in time? He thought of Niko angry, the way the pirate had shoved him up against the wall of his own shop without any effort at all. Then he pictured Niko’s eyes clouded with an expression of betrayal. His stomach sank. He leaped over a coil of rope, ducked under a descending basket, and dove between two sailors of the female persuasion. A scrap of scarlet fluttered just ahead. Marius threw himself forward and tackled the thief. Two breaths later, and Marius was on his back in the…

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Coat of Scarlet: A Clockpunk Tale, Part 3

by Siri Paulson Read previous installments: Part 1 | Part 2 Marius bowed to Master Poole yet again, praying his customer would leave. Yes, Marius had done fine work on Master Poole’s vest, up to the last instant; yes, he had risen to the occasion despite the short notice for the party, for which Master Poole apologized once more; yes, he would be called upon again in future, with more notice this time, no doubt, although one never knew when an event would arise unlooked-for, when a society hostess might decide that her longstanding monthly party must be a masquerade this time, or when the fashions might change at the drop of a hat, so difficult keeping one’s wardrobe up to date, thank goodness for a good tailor… Marius let his thoughts drift towards the tall, dashing airship pirate with the incredible cheekbones who was even now preparing to sail away on the evening air currents. They’d made an agreement, he and Niko. He was to come along to finish Niko’s coat, and in return Niko would introduce him to the weavers of spider silk. And maybe he could get to know Niko better. The glimpse he’d had of Niko’s smoothly muscled chest had made him hungry for more. Of course, Niko was a pirate captain—he wouldn’t be impressed by a lowly tailor. But the heat in Niko’s eyes the last time they’d met…maybe there was hope. Master Poole kept on talking. All the time, Marius watched the sun drop…

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Sun Touched

Part 4 A free serial set in the Fey Touched universe Get caught up:  Part 1| Part 2 |Part 3 Part 5 DAY 2 — CONTINUED Ry had become a ball of agony, moaning and screaming and swearing. I continued to feel the pull of my healer self, but resisted. I couldn’t take his illness into myself. And he was the enemy…except…he didn’t feel like the enemy anymore. Maybe it was because I’d impersonated his lover, Ava, to give him comfort. Or maybe it was because I felt closer to figuring out a solution. So I was totally unprepared when there was commotion near my cell again. “Ivy!” a familiar voice called. “Where are you?” Several people in leather headed toward me. Hunters wore leather— “Sweet Artemis, it’s you!” I moved up to the bars of my cell and got a good look at who was there. Three people: Jane, my sparring partner; Tanya, our falcon-caller; and Josh, Tanya’s mate. My kin. My tribe. I couldn’t contain my happiness; it was too big for mere flesh. My wings exploded out of my back and Jane laughed. That happened to me sometimes. Okay, fine. It happened more often than not, when I was happy. I made them disappear. “Ivy?” Ry murmured roughly. “What’s—” “It’s my tribe,” I said, glancing his way. “They’ve come to rescue me.” “No! You can’t leave!” “Um, yes—” “He’s right.” The woman who’d been with Ry that first day stepped out of the shadows. Jane palmed her…

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Curiosity Killed the Cat – Part 2

Curiosity Killed the Cat A free fantasy serial by KD Sarge Part 2: Before a Closed Door (Read part 1 here) Jhi Bo heard a muffled shout and just knew it wasn’t the child she sought. It was Srivasi. He’d found trouble again. Somehow. Heaven’s truth, she thought, she should just leave him to the consequences, but she was already running as she thought it. The farm girl saw Jhi Bo running and shouted something, her face joyful, as she ran to intersect her path. Jhi Bo ran past her. The girl’s feet thudded behind her; the goats with their bells trotted after. In the middle of two stone-marked circles—multiple warnings, right there, that this place was important and should be left alone—in a dome of marble and glass surrounded by circles, Jhi Bo found nothing of Srivasi but the fading scent of his fear. The dome was glorious; the floor was smooth dirt, patterned and braided as if a river had run over it. In the center of the room stood a twisted pillar of marble with writing chasing over every surface. To Jhi Bo, it was another warning—probably go away, written in a number of scripts—but she knew it was just the thing to attract foolish Srivasi and his all-devouring curiosity. But then why wasn’t he still poring over it? The girl, Gerda, came into the dome, her eyes on the soaring pillar. The goats, wiser than their human, stayed outside. Gerda said something in a questioning tone. She might…

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Coat of Scarlet: A Clockpunk Tale, Part 2

by Siri Paulson Read Part 1 first! Two days after the visit from the airship pirate, Marius was engrossed in the tiny stitches of a buttonhole when the shop door darkened. There was Niko again, frowning at the vest Marius was holding as if it had personally offended him. Today he wore a blue damask justacorps coat, snug enough through the torso to hint at his muscular shape, then flaring over the hips to end at the knee and show his finely turned legs in their white breeches to best effect. The fabric and cut of the coat were high-quality, Marcus saw, but the gold trim and other finishing details were not nearly as fine as on the coat he had left for mending. “What is that?” the pirate demanded, gesturing elegantly towards the vest. Marius realized he’d been staring. He set his needle hand moving again. “It’s a commission. Something for a party, I understand.” He’d been lucky to get such a complex job. Maybe, just maybe it would lead to more, extravagant outfits with details like cuffs and pleats and lots of fiddly little braids, or even a mantua for a lady, where he could really shine… “And what of my coat?” Marius looked up, blinking as his concentration fell away. Niko looked as imposing as he had the first time they had met, and he moved with an ease that implied that Marius’s stitches on his injury were doing their work well. But something about the way…

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Curiosity Killed the Cat – Part 1

Curiosity Killed the Cat A free fantasy serial by KD Sarge Part 1: Through a Hidden Door A child’s city, Srivasi thought when the horses crested a small rise and below them the forest held back from the edges of oddly short buildings of white stone with golden streaks. Graceful arcs that should have soared, domes that should have stood tall— “His scarf!” Gerda shouted, making Srivasi’s head ring. She wriggled, twisting and shoving and nearly knocking him out of the saddle before she slid off the back of his horse to land on her feet. “I see his scarf!” At the sound of her voice, goats came running to cavort about her. “My darlings, here you are!” She ran to meet them. “But where is Dasid?” she asked the goats. “Small ruins,” Jhi Bo growled in Fwenye as she swung down from her horse. “They are still ruins. Why is it always ruins?” The black warhorse shook his head as if to echo her disgust, bridle-bells jingling. “I warned you,” Jhi Bo muttered as Srivasi scrambled down. “Did I not? Just because a woman weeps…” “She’s a child,” Srivasi argued despite his still-ringing ears and the fact that Gerda was a solidly-built girl not two fingers shorter than he was, who wrestled farm animals and younger siblings every day of her life. “An orphan child, looking for her little brother. How can we not help?” “Easily,” Jhi Bo grumbled, but she dropped one rein to the ground in signal for…

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