Satan Never Sleeps (Prologue)

Prologue Ending her shift at the Extended Stay on Bay View, Sylvia Sanchez took the same shortcut home as she did most nights. Though generally safe, Madison Park bordered the bay bridge, a known haven for transients and sometime hideaway for more unsavory types. In an effort to avoid attracting muggers she didn’t normally carry …

Tavern on the Edge of Twilight

His face was clean shaven, but framed by years of untrimmed locks. Though he seemed well-mannered and calm, his features resembled those of an untamed and rather predatory creature. Never the less Sara could not deny an instant, almost instinctual attraction to the man that caused him appear exotically handsome. Amidst her dance and twirling …

Vale of the Fallen Moon (intro)

Wearing a blouse of linen dyed blue, paired with black ox-hide trousers and riding boots, the stranger sat astride a tall stallion the color of an autumn sunset. His hair, a shade of pre-midnight, hung straight past his shoulders, framing sharp, pale features and eyes that mirrored the sky. Coming to a halt, his hands …

Leaving Shangri-La (Part 1)

Continuing the story of A Lady of Winter Moon and Gate of Demons “You are leaving.” There was no surprise in Tam’s voice, only an echoing quality as the words seemed to resonate in the air. Not often did the senior monk abandon his meditation to any interruption, but this was going to be an …

Gate of Demons (conclusion)

Part 5 “Why do you want Huang Kun sent through the Gate of Demons?” The query was an obvious response, but feeling unbalanced by the extraordinary encounter, Rowan needed a moment to collect himself. Stepping closer, the scent of her body came to surrounded him like a promise of Elysium. “He took something from me, …

Gate of Demons (part 4)

Part 4 Stopping directly in front of where Rowan stood watching, the strangely enchanting woman launched directly into the purpose of her visit. Her announcement, made in a swift string of sing-song syllables, was in a tone reminiscent of a nightingale, one being threatened by a snake. “I am Mei-Yue.” She began, without waiting for …

Gate of Demons (part. 3)

Part 3 Soldiers love to tell stories and always they embellish. While serving in the infantry of the North District, Wu Yang told Rowan a provocative tale of the women native to a group of mystical islands to the east. According to Yang, they were a sect of finely featured and slender bodied women who …

Gate of Demons (part 2)

Part 2 With a sudden and audible sigh, the leaves circling Rowan’s head continued their journey, sailing onward to the ground. Mystified as to what craft it was by which they behaved this way, he focused his attention on the impending confrontation. With a scowl practiced to perfection distorting her face, there was also something …

Gate of Demons

Part 1 Her feet were bare and soiled from walking, but the prideful aloofness in her posture projected the self-possessed demeanor of an empress. Oblivious to decorum and wearing a scowl of utter distaste: on a face that might be otherwise pretty if not so openly distraught Rowan thought, a girl of extraordinary appearance strode …

A Lady of Winter Moon (conclusion)

Part 10 Why the wolf should manifest now, taunting him with visions of the wild was a mystery of synchronicity and his reaction to its call was nothing short of instinctual. Whether real or imagined, the hail to wander stirred his blood with a restlessness that refused to be quelled. Neither could he dispel the …