《Not Quite What You Meant (Short Story Collection)》The Relentless Arrival of Springtime
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Sunlight sliced through the clouds, leaving them frayed and tattered in its wake.
Jessica sat by the kitchen window, slumped with one arm across her stomach and the other hanging limp on the cushioned arm of her chair. She watched the sunrise through a delicate tracery of frost clinging to the window in a fragile embrace. The light didn't satisfy itself with destroying the clouds, but turned its harsh heat on her window.
The frost melted to droplets and then the droplets evaporated to mist. For a lingering breathless moment her eyes followed its transient form, then the mist too frayed apart and dissolved. Nothing remained of it. Nothing but a memory, lingering only in her mind. Ephemeral. Once she forgot it, it would be gone. Gone as though it had never existed in the first place.
Instincts nagged at the back of her mind, a litany of the activities that once drove her. She ignored them, any feeling of urgency dulled by time and absence. The sun should have heralded a full day of activity. She should be starting breakfast.
Should be...
Instead she stared across the yard, now laid bare, the absence of frost forcing her to acknowledge the changing of the season. For a moment Jessica's eyes met the sun's bright challenge. Only a moment. She blinked first, turned away. Defeated.
Under other circumstances the sunlight should have been comforting. Instead she shivered. She felt its heat against her face, stealing something from her even as it stole the definition from the snow and then took away the snow itself, something she couldn't name and couldn't reclaim. The last traces of winter were disappearing; the snowman dissolving into an uneven lump, small footprints turned to gaping empty holes that ate away at the surrounding snow.
Spring had overtaken winter, erasing all of it but memory.
She couldn't turn back time. Couldn't call back the cold. Couldn't undo the days lost.
Some things could never be replaced.
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I Don’t Want To Defy The Heavens
Seven years ago, she freely and easily abandoned ¥100 and ran away, carrying her unborn son with her. Seven years later, she returned with the lady killer’s genius son, never expecting that her darling son would sell her out to MBS International. Unexpectedly, her immediate superior was the Mr. ¥100 from seven years ago! “……Terrible girl, seven years ago, you dared to humiliate me so much! This time, I’ll definitely let you pay the price! For ¥1,000,000,000,000, I’ll buy you for the rest of your life!” Isn’t that too much for a buy one get one free bargain? The most two-faced couple, along with their two-faced son, staking their lives on the outcome…
8 294Saints and Sinews: Wrynn Legacy Book One
Adalsindis is unstable and rebellion is brewing. The monarchy is destabilized and grasping for scraps of their crown, their only weapon against the almost unending tide of unholy creatures is Saint Florence. Cloistered and chained in the pits below Ciaran Abbey, young Sister Florence longs for her freedom. Days and weeks string together in an endless blur of blood and ash as she is used to bolster a dying religious regime. Milo Andilet, mercenary tracker, monster in his own right, races against time and foes to find his target before the Exemplars. His position at his fathers side at stake, but does he want it? ------------------------------------------------- This is going to be an at least three book series, I will be posting static updates on Thursdays with occasional Monday bonus updates if I had a good weekend. Once this book is finished I will be releasing it to retailers however the original will stay up here on Royal Road. Down the road I will expand the world of Etiofath with more stories and books, however they will not center around the characters from The Wrynn Legacy.
8 192A Wizard's Soul
There are those who dislike the way things are within their world and work to change it. They are often called the Simpler Souls. Yet there are also those that will do all they can to change the world itself. Most of them are called mad. Some of them have another title though. Wizard. An Epic Level 3.5 Wizard is sent to Remnant. (RWBY/D&D 3.5 Crossover) (Crossposted onto A03, RRL, and Sufficient Velocity.)
8 137DREAM DEVOURER
Life is so beautiful and everlasting. So unfathomable and filled with mysteries. Yet so fragile and heart-wrenching. Filled with darkness and suffering with the universal law of survival of the fittest.Sky is given another chance at life, but is this really an opportunity from Heaven? Or is it an abyss from Hell waiting to devour him? Will he walk down the same path as his previous monotone life, hidden and cast away? Or will he take the helm of power and walk the path of immortality?Read along to view Sky's adventure in his new life!!!
8 112Wolf's Oath Book 1: Oath Sworn
In Aralt ‘Wolf” syr Tremayne’s world, skyships sail above tidal extremes, crystal swords are Tuned, and the soul-touched inspire both awe and fear. The latter doesn’t phase him, he carries a Tuned blade, and as for the ships…Aralt prefers to keep his feet on solid ground. Having finally laid to rest the ghosts of his past, he is unprepared when the grave gives one of them back. To his shame, it isn’t the one he wants. Lian Kynsei’s arrival upends Aralt’s life, but there is nothing he can do about it. Oath-bound to Lian, the last of a priestly clan, he is now defender of the scion of a faith he no longer shares. But the boy Aralt once knew is gone. In his place is a reckless, traumatized teen who can light the sky on fire. The more they get reacquainted, the less Aralt likes him—and the feeling is mutual. As revenge against a common enemy boils in his blood, Aralt struggles to do his oath-sworn duty and secure sanctuary for the heir-apparent to a mystical dynasty. But instead of safety, every step brings them closer to danger: sky pirates, cannibals, and a relentless soulless scourge unleashed by their enemy are all intent on killing Lian—or worse. Death, Aralt realizes, might be the greater mercy. ---------------------------------------------------------- What to Expect: Character-driven Plot Novel Pacing (which I accept isn't typical for serials) Elaborate Worldbuilding (you gotta pay attention) Soul-bonded Swords Sentient Wolves Longish Chapters What Not to Expect: Litrpg (sorry!) Harem (not sorry!) Magic System Short Chapters Dancing Bears (at least so far) Seriously, this is a second-world low fantasy/science-fantasy featuring a strong, but flawed male protagonist, a cheeky teenage boy that’s driving him crazy, a wee bit o’ Scots flavor, and a whole lot of culture clashing. I’m preparing to relaunch this story on Kindle once the second and third books are ready and I’d love some feedback as I move through those revisions. I'm serious about the feedback. All comments are welcome. I'll name a characters after you. And kill them, if you want. :) Oh, did I mention soulless assassins and cannibals? Yeah, Aralt’s day is not getting any better. cover image by brosedesignz
8 119Trùng Sinh Chi Mị Sủng - Trăn Thiện
Thể loại : ngôn tình, trọng sinh, hiện đại, dị năng, hoàn.Sơ Lược :Ân nhân cứu mạng vừa tang lúc, Cố Mi Cảnh mười bốn tuổi, nhạy cảm, tự ti, nhát gan, giao tế bất lực.Cũng may trùng sinh mang theo bàn tay vàng, làm cho nàng có thể từ từ thay đổi chính mình.- - trên tay dài gốc cây mở ra ngũ sắc hoa nhỏ, tràn đầy đều là chính năng lượng "Dược thảo" .Khả trừ độc dưỡng nhan, mỹ dung gầy thân, cải thiện thể chất, trị tận gốc nội ngoại thương, tăng cao trí nhớ...Chỉ là, nói tốt tràn đầy đều là chính năng lượng đâu?Vì sao bên trong có đóa hoa biến dị thành màu đen!Nói tốt càng ngày càng mỹ đâu?Như thế nào càng ngày càng quyến rũ!
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