Well, I’m back again! It’s Saturday, so it’s time for an SFF Saturday snippet! What’s SFF Saturday? It’s a blog ring of SF/F snippets and you can check out other SFF Saturday posts, as well.

This time, I’m sharing a snippet not from a WIP, but from my short story Missing Persons, which is included in the Trust and Treachery anthology. More info about that below the snippet. Missing Persons is a short story about an artist, his family, and the secrets they are all hiding. Without further ado, here’s a snippet:

Lemonade sloshed close to the edge of the glasses each step Alec took up to the attic. He slowed his pace and managed to make it the rest of the way without spilling either drink. He set down the glasses on the first flat surface he found—an old drawing board splattered with ink lying across a packing box near the door—then turned to address Laura.

The attic was empty.

No. Not again.

There was no way she had left unnoticed; the creaking of the old house would have announced her departure. Or he would have run into her on the stairs.

Prickly dread crept over him. A stack of paintings leaned against the far wall. He should have packed those into the van first. He knelt down before the outermost and studied the image.

Oh hell.

There she was—chestnut hair, her lush lips and beautiful face frozen in wonder, standing in a wizard’s laboratory. If she couldn’t find her way out, Brian would kill him this time. Another girlfriend, another painting.

And when Alec says that his Brian (his brother) will kill him…he actually means that. Yeah.

Anyway, if you like this story and want to read more, please check out Trust & Treachery: Tales of Power and Intrigue at Amazon. There’s also a Goodreads giveaway running until July 7th, if you’d like to enter for a chance to win.

The anthology contains 26 stories and 2 poems that explore the delicate dance between trust and treachery across a sweeping variety of genres, time periods, and universes.

Look at that! It’s Saturday! That means it’s time for another round of SFF Saturday posts! What’s SFF Saturday? It’s a blog ring of SF/F snippets and you can check out other SFF Saturday posts, as well.

Here’s another snippet from Old Wounds for you. This is the twenty-first part. You can find the other parts here.

When we last left Master Sorne and Ambrose, he told her if he didn’t do as Moroloch said, the criminal would send Ambrose his daughter’s head.

Sorne pushed the image of her own son’s severed head from her mind. “Why come to me?”

“As a child, I heard all the stories about the war with the Beshtas. The King, the Rivvis, Raventhe—and you, Captain Sorne. You know the Palace. I—“ he faltered. “I’ve never been to Estefe.”

She would have laughed at the ridiculousness of it all. If he hadn’t pointed a gun at Dilan’s head, if it were not Moroloch, if there wasn’t a three-year-old girl being held hostage. She hoped—beyond all hope—that the child was still alive.

Sorne has a history. Not all of it is happy.

It’s time for another installment of Science Fiction Saturday! It’s a blog ring of SF/F snippets and you can check out other SFF Saturday posts, as well.

Here’s another snippet from Old Wounds for you. This is the twentieth part. You can find the other parts here.

When we last left Master Sorne and Ambrose, she’d told him Moroloch wanted a very large sapphire.

Of course, the King’s stone. Moroloch was a right bastard. Still, she let Ambrose voice the plan.

“There’s only one other, in the King’s treasury.”

It was actually on a shelf in Oradon’s bedroom, but only those closest to the King would know that. She nodded. “And so they sent you to steal the one in the Palace. Or lose your daughter.”

His shrug was one of helplessness. “If I refused, he said he’d send me my daughter’s head.”

Moroloch is not on Sorne’s good guy list…

Well, hello again! I want to blog more this year, so I’m back posting for Science Fiction Saturday! It’s a blog ring of SF/F snippets and you can check out other SFF Saturday posts, as well.

Here’s another snippet from Old Wounds for you. This is the nineteenth part. You can find the other parts here.

The cue word for this week is Cascade. I’m going to cheat a bit, because I haven’t been around in a while. What we have here is a cascade of trouble for Ambrose.

When we last left Master Sorne, she’d declared Moroloch, the man who’d given Ambrose a job, to be no gentleman.

“I know that now,” Ambrose said. “When the shipment disappeared, they broke into my home in the dark of the night, bound both me and my wife and took our girl.” His hands shook and anger turned his face darker. “I couldn’t do a damned thing.”

“They wanted you impotent.”

He jerked his head up. “Well, they succeeded. By the time Moroloch came, well into the light of the next day, I was—not myself. He offered me a way to get my child back. He didn’t care about the garnets or the emeralds, just the sapphire.”

Wonder what’s up with the sapphire?

It’s Saturday! Which means more Science Fiction Saturday posts! It’s a blog ring of SF/F snippets and you can check out other SFF Saturday posts, as well.

Today, I’m sharing more from a short story called Old Wounds. This is the eighteenth part. You can find the other parts here.

When we left Master Sorne, Ambrose was about to explain what the cargo he “lost” was…

“Gems, mostly lower-grade garnets, but also some very large uncut emeralds, and one sapphire the size of an egg that was to go to the capital.”

To Estefe. A sapphire that large should only go to one person, but the way this was playing out… “It was not sent to the King.”

“No, nor to any jeweler I knew.” He held up a hand to forestall her comment. “I’ve sent shipments of jewels to the City before; I know the names of the best. No, this was to a gentleman named Moroloch.”

Sorne nearly reached for the hilt of her sword. “Moroloch is no gentleman.”

Huh! How about that.

Well, hello again! It’s Saturday, and I’m trying to get better about posting my Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday snippet. It’s been a while, but  here’s another snippet from Old Wounds for you. This is the seventeenth part. You can find the other parts here. And honestly, even I need to figure out where we were… ah, here we go!

When we left Master Sorne, Ambrose let on that he’s a trader. And he made a bad deal with the wrong person. What happen? Well…

He nodded. “I also move other items, including delicate or expensive cargo.”

Ah. “You lost someone’s shipment.”

“I don’t lose shipments,” Ambrose said, each word sharper than the last. “It was stolen, probably by the bastard who hired me. I should have said no. Had I been smart—” He ran a hand through his hair.

“The cargo?”

Oh, well, look at the time. I guess we’ll find that bit out next week!

(ps. You can check out other SFF Saturday posts, too.)