Well, I suppose it had to happen sooner or later.
I don't write short stories very often, mostly because the plots I seem to come up require either a novel or the kind of freedom and language that only a poem can give. However, more and more often I've been getting glimpses of very short scenes, or the urge to write a very short explanation of a particular moment in the history of my imagined worlds.
Very well, then.
(I'm much more of a novice to this craft than I am to writing novels or poetry. Judge as you will, but do keep that in mind).
I've split my short stories up into categories for convenience, but all of them are fantasy.
Arcadian Short Stories
Water From A Stranger- A 'filling-in-the-history-gaps' kind of story, though you don't have to know either of the main characters to get this one. I always knew what happened to them, finally, but I never had time to write it into a novel. Here it is, then- or at least the beginning of it.
Grimhaven- The sequel to 'Water From A Stranger,' above, kind of. You don't really have to have read it to get this one, though. It's about what happens when justice long delayed finally comes home.
Royal Beauty Bright- This is an extremely sociopathic little story; if you can't handle excessive gore and violence and hints of sexuality between male characters and disturbing psychology and weird people, you probably shouldn't read it. This is the story of Erith, whose lover wants to kill him. Erith doesn't want to be killed. He avoids this fate in (I think) a particularly clever manner.
Beauty Come Again- The sequel to "Royal Beauty Bright," above, and it's just as disturbing and horrible and weird. I like it, of course, but I would. Erith catches up with his lover and gives her what he thinks is fitting vengeance.
Firebringer- The sequel to "Beauty Come Again," above. Messy with violence and everything short of actual sex. Erith will do what he has to, and no one can stand in his way.
By All The Laws of Vengeance- A story about my character Dorren Goatleap, but set so many years after the novels he's in that everything has changed. Dorren's people are in the middle of a war with the humans, and the blood of Elwen children has been spilled. The laws of vengeance demand that human blood be spilled in return. But Dorren will not let his Lady, Eleriad, dirty her hands with it. That leaves him one thing to do.
The Parade of the Twisted- This story is unusual in concerning a corama rather than an Elwen. She's a character of mine who appears in a later book, but you don't need to know anything about that. The corame try to keep their children from straying with the Parade of the Twisted, but those who dream dark dreams dream them anyway.
A Distance From Infinity- Resal, the infinity Elwen hero of this story, can't understand why everyone doesn't see things as simply as he does. But he understands that sometimes those who see more clearly have a duty to step in and clear the muddled eyes of others.
Salt and Fire- Merls is a darkness Elwen. That's all that matters to some people.
The Last Test- This story also concerns a character of mine, Doran from Who Hunts The Eagle, but you don't need to know anything about him. Kaoslel is facing one last test after three long years of training, and it's not going to be the one he thinks it is.
In Her Image- Raurfaen doesn't look like anyone else in his family. The answers to his questions are both simpler and more painful than he thinks.
Aubade- This follows on "In Her Image," above. An aubade is a morning song, a dawn counterpart to the evening serenade. Raurfaen is about to begin his song, and with it, his life.
Oarless- A very, very strange story about a woman lost on the ocean.
Come to Me- Some Elwens have a first disappointment in love- and some have a first disappointment in friendship.
Emerie's Song- An attempt to tell a story from the point of view of Emerie, a young human woman living in a village under Elwen domination.
I Am Not Afraid of the Fire- In the Changed World, Lord Neros, an ambassador for the city-state of Fimbresia, struggles to overcome his fear of the wild magic, as embodied in Quilinaryl, the new Ascender of Cyllorl.
No Genius Without a Touch of Madness- (Acknowledgment, but no apologies, to Seneca). Oriel Shirrin finds himself in a most unusual battle. The tale of how the Goddess Suulta's worship began- and stopped- in Oak.
Crossing Faerie- This is a story set just after the Change, in the early days of my character Jyeron Silkshadow from my novel Zerasa Rhapsody. He has to cross Faerie with a sword he doesn't fully trust at his side and powers that he doesn't fully trust at work in his own body.
Brighteyes- Yaenatue Brighteyes didn't want to be out there waiting to kill a madwoman's child, but sometimes you had to do what you had to do to try and preserve the peace of Arcadia.
Fior and Aludra- Fior and Aludra are in love with each other, and planning to marry. Then they run smack into an unexpected division between them. This apparently changes one part of their relationship, but not the other. A kind of prologue to a (hoped-for) history of the Nemlae War.
A Gift of Light- Young alalori poets are supposed to use their gifts for the worship of the Dawn Lord, not to blaspheme Him. Andra Lightweaver, the Lord's Poet, sets out confidently to reclaim a young dawn Elwen poet named Ligal, not realizing just how difficult it will be.
Silvershade- This one is very dark; fair warning. Kalliana buys a curalli slave, Casjom Silvershade, whom she is sure desires a master. To a shadowed Elwen, however, slavery is anathema- and a curalli so enslaved will have no compunctions against horrible revenge.
Utterly Free- Another take on slavery. Jeyudarthei has no need to take revenge on his captors, since he is not captive and has always been free.
Astrimon- Kerenje Darklinden is currently acting as an astrimon, a special type of dreambreaker hired to snap the back of a rebellion through the wild magic. He is not impressed by either the rebels or the people who employ him. Probably the things that impress him would impress no one sane. (This story is weird, and somewhat disturbing; writing it, it was so easy to slip into a mindset where morality no longer mattered).
Unburned- Definitely the weirdest of my short stories. Kayendra has helped her lover, Lendir, kill the viaquia who murdered his family. They build a pyre for him, since his body's not burning as Elwen bodies should. And then things get weird. An affirmation of starlight as far as it's anything.
His Stranger Son- Destria, Lord of the Silverini, has finally conquered the continent of Arcadia and enslaved the Elwens, or most of them. He should be able to sit back and enjoy the fruits of his labor. His son Jierran, however, keeps on puzzling him.
All Love In a Day- Xelmar, a xanmara or nightmare Elwen, has just learned that his wife Shilaril intends to stay and fight the silver unicorns instead of fleeing with him. He has only a few hours to come to terms with what that means.
Bargaining With Death- Concerning a character named Amara, from the Rowansglory, in the middle of the Battle of Esshellen. Most definitely rated R for violence.
The Longest Day- An alfar tale. Tune Deerfriend fell in love with an alfar, and now attempts to tell their son, who must walk between two worlds, a story that will help such strange love and worldwalking make sense.
Sonor- Rated R for violence and sexual interaction (male/female and male/male). Sonor, though he is a curalli, finds land Elwens oddly fascinating, and seeks to bed them. Told in a very odd and deliberately mannered style.
Fantasy Set on Earth
Dia Daro- Written originally for a short story contest, July 10-11 2001. It didn't win, which isn't surprising, since it refused to turn out the way I wanted it to. The story of a woman, a writer, who begins to see into Faerie- maybe.
Beautiful Unreal Things- Set partially on Earth, as well. Probably disturbing. David looks through his teenage stepdaughter's notebooks, hoping to learn why she committed suicide. He learns the reason, all right.
Fantasy Set In Other Worlds
(Note that this doesn't include stories set in my other worlds; those are linked off their own worlds' pages).
More to come.
