Priestess of the Eggstone (41 page)

I picked at my food, fighting guilt for the way I’d treated him, for what I’d said. But I’d been the one betrayed, the one hurt.

“Don’t lose him, Dace,” Jasyn said, almost as if she’d read my thoughts.

I shook my head. I missed him, more than I wanted to admit even to myself.

“I’ve thought of a name for the ship.” She waited for me to quit picking apart my roll. “The Phoenix Rising.”

I dropped the crumbs of my roll onto my plate. “What’s a phoenix and why does it rise?”

“A mythical creature I heard about on Nevira. It’s a beautiful bird, no one could tell me what color, though. Red, gold, yellow, orange. It’s supposed to burn with its own light. And like a star, it explodes in flames when it dies. From the ashes rises a new phoenix, full of fire. It’s perfect.”

“Ugly duckling fits the ship better right now.”

“We could name it the Twinkle.” She managed to say it with a straight face.

I refused to even comment.

“Do you have a better suggestion?” She stirred through her food with her fork.

“No.” I’d been thinking about a name for the ship, but with my luck, it would be a jinx no matter what I chose. “You name it. Phoenix Rising is perfect.”

“It will work out, Dace,” she said, referring to Tayvis, not our recently purchased nonfunctional ship. “But only if you apologize. Or at least let him know you still care. Don’t let him go, Dace.”

“I don’t know how to keep him.” I stabbed a noodle, shoving it through the sauce. “And he should be apologizing. He lied to me.”

“Not about what matters.” Something behind me, at the entrance of the restaurant, caught her attention. Her eyes widened.

I twisted around to see.

Leon stood in the doorway, grinning and waving. His suit boasted eye-searing swirls of electric blue and purple shot through with orange and pink stripes. It sparkled as he crossed the room.

“That suit should be banned as a public service.” A smile played across Jasyn’s full lips.

“Hiya, ladies.” Leon straddled a chair at our table. “How’s it going? I hear you bought a ship, a real dud if you listen to the port office gossip. It doesn’t even fly.”

“It will.” I dropped my fork on my plate. “Why are you here, Leon?”

“I wanted to check on my favorite ladies. Are you going to eat that?” He took my fork and helped himself. “Tasty. A bit heavy on the garlic, though. You know filing ship registrations are expensive and time-consuming. All that paperwork, signatures, talking to officials, paying bribes to the right people.”

“I’ve done it before, Leon.” I leaned back, watching him eat my lunch.

“Are you offering to do it for us?” Jasyn rested her chin on her hand.

“Despite your once-fat bank account, you ladies are scraping the bottom on funds. I was sent with an offer for you. Lady Rina will pay the registration fees.”

“And we end up running her errands? No, thanks. I work for me or no one.” I wadded my napkin into a ball, squeezing it hard with my fist.

“I agree with her, Leon. Lady Rina is a very sweet woman, but she’s also a manipulator. I won’t let her drag us into Gypsy politics.”

Leon slurped a noodle. He chewed while we waited. “You can’t argue because she already did it. No strings attached. She said she owed a debt to your family, Jasyn. She said not to forget her, to visit sometime. We didn’t know what name you wanted listed for the ship, so I came to ask.” He aimed his fork at another noodle. “She paid my bill for the trial, too, then offered me a job I couldn’t refuse. I’m her legal counsel, and by extension, yours.”

“I don’t want legal counsel.” I threw the napkin onto the table.

“You got it anyway, sweetheart. Judging by your record so far, I’ll be seeing you before too long.” He grinned. “And speaking of the Patrol, I was asked to give you a message, Dace.”

My heart skipped a beat.

“A certain commander in the Patrol wants you to know that he’s still interested in offering you a job.”

Disappointment warred with anger. “Tell Lowell I’m not joining the Patrol now or ever. I am not going back to Tivor, no matter how much money he offers.” I shoved the chair backwards. “I’ve got an engine to rewire. You can tell Lady Rina to keep her money. I’m not working for her either.”

Leon’s grin widened. “I win that bet. One more message and I’m out of your hair. Does the Golden Pig on Proxima mean anything to you?”

I swallowed sudden hope, not wanting to be hurt yet again.

“Tayvis said you’d know what it meant.” Leon ate the last noodle off my plate.

“He was following orders, Dace.” Jasyn watched me across the table.

“I know, but I still can’t trust him. Not until he’s out of the Patrol.” I stared at my fists, wanting to hear the words from Tayvis, not Leon.

“I got you a better picture.” Leon slipped a photo across the table. “Now, if you ladies will excuse me, I have a stack of paperwork to file. I’ll be by later for your signatures.” He winked.

“You’re too good to us, Leon.” Jasyn patted his hand.

He blushed, even his scalp turning red through his thinning hair. “The pleasure is all mine.”

I fingered the snapshot. Dark hair, dark eyes, and a chin cut from stone; his face haunted my dreams. “Thanks, Leon.”

“You’re welcome, Dace.”

“It will work out,” Jasyn said. “Shall we go fix our ship?”

“Oh, I almost forgot. What’s the name, Captain?” Leon watched me.

“Captain’s rights, Dace. What is it going to be?”

“Phoenix Rising.” I smiled. I had a ship again. I had freedom. And I had friends. I slipped the photo of Tayvis in my pocket, over my heart.

Tied for 1
st
Place in the 2012 JS Horror Writing Contest.

Billy Moon would have given his life for rock 'n' roll stardom, but the Devil doesn’t come that cheap.

Goth rock idol Billy Moon has it all: money, fame, and a different girl in every city. But he also has a secret, one that goes all the way back to the night he almost took his own life. The night Trevor Rail, a shadowy record producer with a flair for the dark and esoteric, agreed to make him a star... for a price.

Now Billy has come to Echo Lake Studios to create the record that will make him a legend. A dark masterpiece like only Trevor Rail can fashion. But the woods of Echo Lake have a dark past, a past that might explain the mysterious happenings in the haunted church that serves as Rail’s main studio. As the pressure mounts on Billy to fulfill Rail's vision, it becomes clear that not everyone will survive the project.

It's time the Devil of Echo Lake had his due, and someone will have to pay.

“VERDICT This unique and unnerving read is a sure bet for horror and sf fans.”

—Rebecca M. Marrall, Western Washington Univ. Libs., Bellingha -
Library Journal

In the deepest reaches of space, on a ship that no longer exists, six travelers stare into the abyss...

 Man has finally mastered the art of space travel and in a few hours passengers can travel light years across the galaxy. But, there's a catch—the traveler must be asleep for the journey, and with sleep come
the dreams
. Only the sleeper can know what his dream entails, for each is tailored to his own mind, built from his fears, his secrets, his past... and sometimes his future.

That the dreams occasionally drive men mad is but the price of technological advance. But when a transport on a routine mission comes upon an abandoned ship, missing for more than a decade, six travelers—each with something to hide—discover that perhaps the dreams are more than just figments of their imagination. Indeed, they may be a window to a reality beyond their own where shadow has substance and the darkness is a thing unto itself, truly worthy of fear.

“The work is as tidy as the town and as pat as a familiar horror film."

—
Publishers Weekly

Diagnosed with a brain tumor, Geoffrey returns to his hometown for a reunion of the Jokers Club (his childhood gang) with the hopes of unearthing the imagination he held in his youth.

Unfortunately Geoffrey’s tumor quickly worsens, bringing on blackouts and hallucinations where he encounters the spectral figure of a court jester who had been his muse as a child. The jester inspires Geoffrey’s work on his manuscript, fueling his writing at a ferocious pace. The dead and the living co-exist in the pages of Geoffrey’s story, in a town where time seems to be frozen in a past that still haunts the present.

Will the pounding growth in Geoffrey’s head be held at bay long enough for him to discover who is targeting his friends, or will the pages in his unfinished novel rewrite history?

“This is a novel full of visceral, intense moments. It will keep you holding on until the brilliant end.”

—Richard Godwin, author of
Mr. Glamour
and
Apostle Rising

An evil force is at work at the Hospital where Nathan is recovering from injuries he received at the hands of his Mom’s abusive ex-boyfriend. Demonic looking men with pale faces and glowing eyes lurk in the shadows. Someone is harvesting skin and organs from living donors against their will.

In his dreams, Nathan can see these demons in their true form – evil creatures who feed on the fear and hatred they create in their victims. Nathan’s only ally is the Doctor who cares for him. Bound together by their common legacy, they alone seem to share the ability to see the demons for what they truly are.

Together they must find a way to stop these creatures before they, and their loved ones, become the next victims.