A.F. Stewart's Blog, page 55

The Number 13: Day 4 of #OctoberFrights

Welcome to Day 4 of the October Frights Blog Hop!

Today is the 13th of October. It is also #FolkloreThursday over on Twitter, so it seemed a perfect time for a post on the myth and folklore of the number thirteen.


We all know the superstition, the ominous unlucky number thirteen, scourge of digits and integers, and striking trepidation in many. And of course, should the dreaded date of the 13th fall (gasp!) on a Friday, well...
This belief in the unlucky quality of thirteen is quite pervasive from the aforementioned Friday the 13th to high rise buildings actually lacking a thirteenth floor. So what are the origins of this belief? How did thirteen come to symbolize bad luck? What heinous crime did it perpetrate to be labelled Bad Luck King of the number world?
Nobody’s quite certain.
One of the most popular theories as to its ill-fated origins is the Christian one regarding Judas Iscariot being the 13thmember to arrive at the Last Supper. While this idea may have spread the fateful notion of a bad luck thirteen, it was probably not its origin. However, the superstition of 13 being an unlucky number at a dinner party has some validity, and goes back to Norse mythology. In some versions of the story of the Death of Baldr, the trickster god Loki is the thirteenth (and uninvited) guest at a celebration feast. It is at this celebration Loki tricks the god Höðr into killing Baldr with mistletoe. So one could see how thirteen guests might now seem unlucky at a dinner party, and perhaps spill over into other areas.But this idea of “bad luck thirteen” doesn’t translate well past Western culture. Ancient Egyptians and Aztecs considered the number fortuitous, and in some Asian culture, the number four is the unlucky one. Perhaps it is simply a matter of poor thirteen being in the wrong place and the wrong time, and labelled bad for eternity.

Some Tidbits:In folklore tradition, thirteen turns make a traditional hangman's noose (In actual practice not so much)Some airplanes have no 13th row and some airports skip the 13th gateMany cities do not have a 13th Street or a 13th AvenueFriday the 13th can only occur in months starting with SundayThe actual fear of the number thirteen is called triskaidekaphobiaTriskaidekaphilia is the love of the number 13Thirteen at Dinner is a US title of an Agatha Christie mystery novel




Further reading:
http://www.bannergraphic.com/story/1501712.htmlhttp://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/02/0212_040212_friday13.htmlhttp://www.history.com/news/ask-history/whats-so-unlucky-about-the-number-13http://www.pitlanemagazine.com/cultures/mythology-and-folklore-of-friday-the-thirteenth.htmlhttp://paranormalstories.blogspot.ca/2012/01/13-facts-about-number-13.htmlhttp://mysticalnumbers.com/number-13/http://mentalfloss.com/article/23266/13-reasons-people-think-number-13-unlucky




And now for the Giveaways!

You can check out my Halloween Horror Haiku Giveaway! (live until October 31st) by clicking on the Giveaway Tab at the top of the blog or this link: Halloween Horror Haiku Giveaway!

And here's my October Frights Book Giveaway!
a Rafflecopter giveaway


And now you can continue on your journey, and check out the rest of the Blog Hop and the delights these wonderful people have in store.


An InLinkz Link-up

Drabble Wednesday: #OctoberFrights Edition

Welcome to Day 3 of the October Frights Blog Hop!

And to the very special October Frights Edition of Drabble Wednesday!
Prepare for a trio of macabre tales full of bloody chills and spooky thrills.
Plus, there are Giveaways!


Now on with the stories...




Be Very Quiet
The sound of rapid breathing is very loud in my ears.It’s mine.I steady myself. I have be quiet. No noise as I make my way through the house. I don’t want to call attention to myself. I just need to find the front door. I’m close, I can feel it. It won’t be long. I’m nearly there. I can do this. Step by silent step, until... Wait. I can see a faint sliver of light reflecting through the front hall window. And a crawling shadow. Yes. I’ve found her. My hand tightens on the knife and I smile.


~*~





A Little Rhyme, A Little Blood


“Hickory dickory dead,Daddy did hit his head.I smashed and I bashed as Mother did gasp,and over the floor he bled.”
Amelia giggled as she finished her rhyme, while her trussed up mother whimpered in the corner. “Did you like my poem, Mother?” No answer. Amelia stepped over her father’s corpse, and walked through his brain matter to kneel beside her mother, a bloody crowbar in her hand. She repeated, “Did you like my poem, Mother?” This time a shaky voice answered, “Yes, Amelia. It was very clever.” “Good. I don’t want to have to kill you yet.”
~*~




By the Moon
Do you see me?I want to pretend I don’t hear the voice, or see the dark haired woman at the edge of the mist and moonlight. But it won’t matter. She’ll still be there... haunting me.Why won’t she go away?I felt sorry for her at first, always hovering around the gravestones after midnight, calling into the darkness. How could I not respond to her? I thought if I talked to her, she’d find peace.Instead she found obsession.Now I can’t be rid of her.What’s a ghost to do when the living won’t leave them alone?



© A. F. Stewart 2016 All Rights Reserved




And now for the Giveaways!
You can check out my Halloween Horror Haiku Giveaway! (live until October 31st) by clicking on the Giveaway Tab at the top of the blog or this link: Halloween Horror Haiku Giveaway!
And here's my October Frights Book Giveaway!
a Rafflecopter giveaway


And now you can continue on your journey, and check out the rest of the Blog Hop and the delights these wonderful people have in store.


An InLinkz Link-up

The Official Launch of Horror Haiku and Other Poems! #OctoberFrights Day 2

On this second day of the October Frights Blog Hop, I am officially launching my new book of horror poetry, Horror Haiku and Other Poems, so today I give a peek at this delightfully dark book. Plus, there's a small poetry excerpt from the book, the book trailer, a link to the Facebook launch party, and two giveaways for copies of the book and a poster of the creepy cover art.


Horror Haiku and Other Poems




Words linger... In the darkness of shadows, in the distant screams. They whisper past the drip, drip of blood. The strange beauty of words hide, waiting for you.

Embrace the horror.

Venture past safe reality, into the world of terror told in verse. Horror Haiku and Other Poems brings forth surreal dread and spins it in artistic countenance. From small chilling bites of poetry, to murky morsels of fright, come find where the words haunt you, where they live and die. 







Horror Haiku and Other Poems is available on:
Amazon US
Amazon Canada
Smashwords

iTunes

Kobo


And for the month of October you can get it for only .99 cents!


And now a bit of how the book came to be...
This compilation was born from the murky recesses of social media (otherwise known as Twitter) and the blood-dripping delights of #HorrorHaikuesday. As part of that weekly event I had written many creepy poems in the haiku style, so I took those bits of verse, mixed in a few more longer style poems, and pulled Horror Haiku and Other Poems out of my publishing hat. The book contains thirty-eight haiku style poems and eighteen longer form poems to form its black innards, along with some appropriately spooky accompanying photos.


An Excerpt:



Shadows over rustForsaken carnival funmask the gate to Hell
~*~



I can’t see well. Pain.My wife is holding something.My eyeball. I scream.
~*~


Book Trailer





I'm holding a poetry slam over on Facebook today if you'd like to drop by: 
The Horror Haiku Poetry Slam


And now for the Giveaways!
You can check out my Halloween Horror Haiku Giveaway! (live until October 31st) by clicking on the Giveaway Tab at the top of the blog or this link: Halloween Horror Haiku Giveaway!
And here's my October Frights Book Giveaway!
a Rafflecopter giveaway


And now you can continue on your journey, and check out the rest of the Blog Hop and the delights these wonderful people have in store.


An InLinkz Link-up

#OctoberFrights Begins! Blog Hop Day 1

Greetings my minions, and welcome to another October Frights Blog Hop!

And a Happy Thanksgiving to my fellow Canadians!



Salutations All and Beware the Monsters!

2016 OCTOBER FRIGHTS BLOG HOPA Frightful Blog Hop CelebratingAll Things That Go Bump in the Night

This event of spooky chills will run from October 10th until the 15th, where a rabid horde (don’t worry we don’t bite) of paranormal and horror writers are serving up dark delights to scare and thrill you.

Here’s what coming this week on Are You Afraid of the Dark?

October 10th: The introduction to the blog hop and the flash fiction story How To Prepare A Feast For Unusual GuestsOctober 11th: A book spotlight for my new release, the poetry book Horror Haiku and Other PoemsOctober 12th: An October Frights version of Drabble WednesdayOctober 13th: A folklore post on the number 13October 14th: A flash fiction story, The HorsemanOctober 15th: A peek at the Brain to Books Cyber Convention and Book Expo, with a focus on their horror event spectacular Blood Spring. Also, there will be a bit of short fiction called Salt Wind and Bones to see off the end of the hop.
Plus, I have not one but two Rafflecopter giveaways for copies of my new book and a poster of the book cover. Check them out at the bottom of the post, after the story.

So now on with the story...


How To Prepare A Feast For Unusual Guests
“No, no, no! I want iced monkey brains for dessert! Not monkey brain soufflé!” These chefs were idiots. “If I serve monkey brain soufflé I’ll be eaten alive.” Literally.“If you can’t get it right I’ll change the menu to iced chef’s brains!”I took satisfaction in watching the colour drain from his face and shocked fear pervade his eyes. He scurried back to the kitchen, hopefully to prepare the correct dish.I turned my attention back to the décor. The black candles awaited lighting, placed strategically along the table in gold candlesticks. Pure gold, no iron or silver allowed at this dinner party. Which made acquiring cutlery difficult, but luckily I found some gold sets in storage. Storage also produced an exquisite black and gold set of china dishware. It looked sumptuous against the crimson table cloth with matching placemats and napkins.Thankfully, my predecessor was a pack rat.I walked the long table, eyeing the centerpieces, checking their proper positioning. The florist did a magnificent job of arranging the dead roses and dried leaves. They looked as if they had been moldering on a grave for weeks, and smelled as bad.The guests will adore them. At least I hope they will. They are so mercurial.Next I checked the curtains, making certain the heavy red velvet drapes were drawn tight, and then turned each sconce down to the lowest light setting. I stepped back and surveyed that the room for the ideal ambience.Perfect. Dim, but not too dark, with enough shadows to set the mood. Now for the last menu check.I scanned my copy.
Appetizers
Sautéed Eyeballs on Sliced MozzarellaRice Cakes in Garlic Bile Salsa
Salad
Radicchio and Arugula with Goat Cheese, Toasted Fingernails and AlmondsTopped with Berry Balsamic Dressing
Entrée
Seared Lung with Roasted Garlic Braised Heart with Wild MushroomsRoasted PotatoesGreen Beans Almandine
Dessert
Iced Monkey Brains with Blood Sauce

Everything looked suitable.And the meat would be fresh killed. They always appreciated that touch. Last night’s delivery of those unfortunate ladies topped off our larder. Thank heaven for seedy bars. People are so much easier to kidnap when they’re drunk. Not to mention alcohol creates a nice marinade to tenderize the meat.As I mused, satisfied everything was perfect, the hotel’s internal bell chimed.Ah, the first of the guests have awakened. Wonderful. You can always count on the monsters to be prompt…
~*~
And now for the Giveaways!
You can check out my Halloween Horror Haiku Giveaway! (live until October 31st) by clicking on the Giveaway Tab at the top of the blog or this link: Halloween Horror Haiku Giveaway!
And here's my October Frights Book Giveaway!
a Rafflecopter giveaway


And now you can continue on your journey, and check out the rest of the Blog Hop and the delights these wonderful people have in store.


An InLinkz Link-up

Drabble Wednesday: Changing Seasons

In honour of the first Drabble Wednesday for October, come join the telling of a few tales of the seasons...



Winter Chill
The first nip of true cold in the air, a shiver that slowly burrows under the skin and buries itself. That’s when you know. Winter will arrive soon. If you haven’t prepared by then, it’s too late. By that beginning taste of winter, your stores should have been gathered and stocked.And your final arrangements reviewed and amended if necessary.Because you never know who’ll die.Maybe no one, if the winter’s mild. The food will last, and the snow won’t smother. That’s what you hope for. That’s why you pray to the gods.But sometimes, they want a sacrifice.
~*~



Spring Thaw
The birds are chirping outside the kitchen window these mornings, a sure sign spring is coming. And I saw a crocus poking out its green shoots by the doorstep, so I expect the last of the snow will be melting soon, though it’ll be a while farther up the mountainside.Does my heart glad to see the change in season. It’s been a hard winter with my husband gone, even if I’m happy he ain’t around no more.I just hope I buried the body deep enough. Wouldn’t do to have it popping out of the ground in the thaw.
~*~



Summer’s End
A sultry wind blows through the cherry trees, rustling the green leaves, and the ripened fruit. Soon it will be time for last harvest, and the leaves will turn to vibrant warm colour. But, for now, the final bit of summer lingers.These are beautiful moments, this suspended measure between seasons, between the thriving and the waning of nature. You can feel them mesh and merge, separate and struggle, the everlasting war twixt life and death.Like me.No wonder I feel a natural kinship.I died in this cherry grove. Now, as a wandering ghost, I live here eternally.
~*~




© A. F. Stewart 2016 All Rights Reserved



That’s it for this week, but be sure to pop back next week for a special October Frights horror version of Drabble Wednesday, as part of the week long October Frights Blog Hop.

Drabble Wednesday: Broken Bits

Today on Drabble Wednesday, join me on an exploration of things broken, shattered, and abandoned...




Forgotten, But Not Gone
There is a room, at the top of an abandoned castle, the former pinnacle of the stronghold’s eastern tower. Years ago, it was a retreat, a sanctuary, a place of perfect magic. Now the room’s interior is dusty, cold, and empty, with cobwebs clinging in the corners. The frame of a mirror hangs crooked on the far wall, shards of shattered glass still suspended on the casing. The mirror affirms an ending... to a story not told, but written in blood. Blood that echoes still. For if you listen closely, a shadowed voice yet whispers, “Mirror, mirror on the wall...”
~*~




Glitch
“I do not understand the directive. Please repeat the directive.” The mechanical voice broke the silence of the room, followed by the faint whir of motorized parts as the android straightened to her full height. She touched her broken face plate. She looked down. Pieces of polymer porcelain littered the floor. She stared at her hands. They were scratched and stained. “I do not understand the directive. Please repeat the directive.” Her body twitched. Her hands squeezed at open air. “I do not understand the directive. Please repeat the directive.” But the dead human in the chair didn’t answer her.
~*~



Veracity
In the land of Ayrli, its people tell an ancient story of the Red Wasteland, of how its desert sands are littered with the bones of the Winged Gods. Of how these deities descended from the skies to annihilate the Kingdom of Ayrli, but only reaped destruction from the armies of the realm. It is strange how time warps the truth. Ayrli has forgotten they started the war, they’ve forgotten their betrayals, their broken promises. And worst of all, they’ve forgotten the survivors. But we have not forgotten. The dead will be avenged. Shattered wings will mend and rise again.




© A. F. Stewart 2016 All Rights Reserved

October Frights Blog Hop Preview

Come join me and a host of other horror and paranormal authors in... 
The October Frights Blog Hop!
This wonderfully ghoulish event happens from October 10-15th and is open to paranormal and horror authors. Participants will be posting stories, excerpts, promoting current, upcoming and new releases, and offering prizes and giveaways!  You can find all the details, rules and sign-up here:
2016 October Frights Blog Hop

Here's a quick preview of what you can expect on Are You Afraid of the Dark?
A Flash Fiction story or twoA look at my upcoming poetry book, Horror Haiku and Other PoemsAn October Frights version of Drabble WednesdayA post on the number 13 in folklore (not as boring as it sounds)A peek at the Brain to Books Cyber Convention and their horror events, tentatively called the Blood SpringPlus, I'll have some giveaways for my new book and a poster of the book cover







An InLinkz Link-up

Brain to Books Blog Tour: The Jacq of Spades

Today the blog plays host to a Brain to Books Blog Tour, for the Red Dog Conspiracy series by Patricia Loofbourrow. I have a peek at both novels in the series and a delightful interview. Enjoy!


The Jacq of Spades: Part 1 of the Red Dog Conspiracy by Patricia Loofbourrow

Kidnapping. Murder. Betrayal.

Would you put your life at risk for a child you barely know?

In a far future US, the once-beautiful domed neo-Victorian city of Bridges is now split between four crime families in an uneasy cease-fire. Social disparity increasing and its steam-driven infrastructure failing, a new faction is on the rise: the Red Dogs.

22 year old Jacqueline Spadros was kidnapped from her mother's brothel and sold to the Spadros syndicate ten years ago. The murder of her best friend Air as he tried to save her from them haunts her nightmares. Now unwillingly married to one of the city's biggest drug lords, she finds moments of freedom in a small-time private eye business, which she hides in fear of her sadistic father-in-law.

Air's little brother disappears off his back porch and the Red Dogs are framed for it. With the help of a mysterious gentleman investigator hired by the Red Dogs to learn the truth, Jacqui pushes her abilities to their limits in hope of rescuing the child before the kidnapper disposes of him.

Dark, gritty, multi-layered Victorian-inspired detective neo-noir that keeps the reader guessing to the very end.


You can find The Jacq of Spades at Amazon: http://getBook.at/jacqofspades


The Queen of Diamonds: Part 2 of the Red Dog Conspiracy by Patricia Loofbourrow

A job gone wrong. A blackmailed friend. A city in turmoil. An obsession leading down a sinister path.

NO ONE IS AS THEY SEEM ...

The Queen of Diamonds brings you the second action-packed chapter of the Red Dog Conspiracy.

While the villain Frank Pagliacci is defeated, all is not well in Bridges. Tensions rise between the Families, who accuse each other of spying, while Red Dog attacks escalate. Aristocratic jewel merchant Anastasia Dame Louis, styling herself "The Queen of Diamonds," hires private eye Jacqueline Spadros to collect from her debtors so she can leave the city.

But Jacqui can't leave David Bryce's kidnapping and the murders of her teenage informants unpunished. Convinced the madman "Black Jack" Diamond was behind the crimes, she pursues ways to prove it. The scoundrel and his crew, however, seem to be one step ahead: the terrifying man in white is seen lurking outside David's home, forged letters appear across the city, and merchants in the Spadros quadrant report threats from a man who fits his description.

Jack's sister Gardena Diamond then asks Jacqui for help: someone is attempting to blackmail her. It is then that Jacqui learns Rachel Diamond's curious secret - and the truth behind her terrible condition.

When witnesses who can identify the kidnappers begin dying and evidence emerges that Jacqui's mother is next on the list, Jacqui is forced to make a dreadful choice.

Someone will surely die. Will it be Jacqui, or her mother?



You can find The Queen of Diamonds at Amazon: http://getBook.at/QueenOfDiamonds


You can also check the Red Dog Conspiracy's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/TheJacqOfSpades
~*~
Interview with Patricia Loofbourrow

Why don’t you begin by sharing a little about yourself.
I'm married with three grown children. I grew up in southern California and have lived in central Oklahoma for the past eleven years. I'm really interested in culture and how it shapes people's thoughts and lives.



Could you tell us a bit about your latest book?

The Queen of Diamonds is the second in a 13-part novel, Red Dog Conspiracy. The Red Dog Conspiracy follows a female private eye named Jacqueline Spadros who lives in a far future domed neo-Victorian city which has been split between four crime families. In the first book, The Jacq of Spades, Jacqui gets her first major case when the younger brother of her murdered best friend is kidnapped. The Queen of Diamonds begins one week after the events in the first book.

How long have you been writing, and how many books have you published to date?
I didn't begin writing novels until 2005, when I stumbled across NaNoWriMo. I had always wanted to write a novel so I tried it and got hooked. The Jacq of Spades was my first published novel, but I had written eight before that.

You write in several genres. Do you have a favourite? And if so, why?
I love science fiction. You can do and say so much in and about the future! The future can be anything you want it to be. The question, "what if?" is really what drives my love for this genre.Plus you can say all sorts of things about today when writing science fiction and get away with it because, hey, it's just a story. Star Trek did that to great effect.


Why did you write this book? What was your inspiration?

I was trying to figure out what to write for NaNoWriMo 2013 and this sentence came to me: "The last time I had a chocolate martini, I was with the most beautiful man in the world. Wouldn't you know it, the next time I had one the bastard shows up again."And I thought, "wow, that sounds very noir!" But it sounded like a woman. And I thought, "wouldn't it be great to have a gender-flipped noir, where the detective is a woman?" That was where I began with the story. I wondered what happened between these two people, why she hated him. And I began to play with all this. Since I like steampunk (and I write science fiction), why not put it in a neo-Victorian future? I sort of went on from there. Somewhere in outlining it I realized I was starting too soon in the story. I needed to explain where this woman came from, how she ended up here. So The Jacq of Spades was born, which is very much a prequel to the story I originally was going to write (which is now book 6 in the series).

What did you find most challenging about writing your book?Although this is a first person story, I have multiple characters and factions who all have their own agendas. Keeping them all straight, figuring out what they're all doing, and making sure they're all kept up to date in each book has been the most challenging part of all this.

Did anything surprise you about the process of writing your book?When I began, I knew nothing about film noir, so I took an online course in the summer of 2015 where we watched films and studied them. I was surprised by how much I liked them, and how the themes of film noir resonated with me. I set about to create a novelized neo-noir, set in a far future steampunk dystopia. I got a lot of the concepts I put in my story - the bleak random fate religion based on cards given to you by a impersonal machine-like being, for example - from the ideas and themes set forth in 40's film noir.


What is your greatest challenge as a writer? I'm still learning how to revise my novels to make the story stronger.


Are you working on another book?
Well, yes, book 3 in the series. I've outlined it and have begun to do research. I write all my first drafts during NaNoWriMo, so I need to get ready for that.
I'm also working on another book in the same universe which takes place 30 years after the end of the series with two of the people who survive all this. I'm doing it under a pen name though, so as not to spoil the series. Plus it's a very different genre.



Author Bio:
Patricia Loofbourrow, MD is an SFF and non-fiction writer, PC gamer, ornamental food gardener, fiber artist, and wildcrafter who loves power tools, dancing, genetics and anything to do with outer space. She was born in southern California and has lived in Chicago and Tokyo. She currently lives in Oklahoma with her husband and three grown children.


For more on Patricia Loofbourrow and her books check out her Website, Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr

Drabble Wednesday: Empty Streets

Today on Drabble Wednesday, the darkness closes in and the wind sweeps down desolate paths...




Come Due
Midnight whispers names down the deserted lanes, and softly knocks at the barred doors and shuttered windows. It conspires with the night wind and the moon to shiver along cracks and the sheen of surfaces, to squirm its way past barriers.While those of flesh and bone huddle in fear behind thin walls and glass.They mutter useless prayers into the darkness, a vain attempt to ward the poor wretched souls on Midnight’s tongue. They know by morning dawn, Midnight will claim those it names.For bargains made in the witching hour must be honoured and tribute must be paid.
~*~




Echo on the Cobblestones
Black velvet sky, a celestial awning of space and stars, yawns above the quiet streets of a small, sleepy town. An ordinary town, nine to five, good citizens abed in these darkened hours. Yet, there are no stragglers, no ill-intent prowlers, no night owls haunting the alleys or roadways. All is still as a dead man’s breath, and cold as a frozen tomb.Save for an echoing sound most peculiar.Every evening it can be heard, a curious tap, tap, tapping. Like the beat of footsteps on long forgotten cobblestones, of someone strolling down an avenue lost to the ages...
~*~




The Road Taken
There’s a winding road I know, very near, but far away. The old folk tell you don’t travel down Tarkington Road, bad things happen in the wisps of fog and the twilight rain. That you won’t come home again if you meet the Man in Black.It’s a bit ramshackle, this thoroughfare. Once a mining road, or maybe a logging trail; no one’s sure anymore. The air feels heavy, the light plays tricks on your eyes. Things shift in the mist, and noises—not quite screams—echo from down the way.And of course, there’s me.The Man in Black.




© A. F. Stewart 2016 All Rights Reserved

Drabble Wednesday: Underneath the Surface

Today on Drabble Wednesday, come explore the darkness beneath the skin...




Warrior
They fear me.My enemies. The quake at the fearsome sight of me and my blood-covered axe. They run from me on the battlefield. They tremble at the sound of my name, Gunnar the Bloody. I have slaughtered in the name of my tribe, I have slain thousands and stood on their corpses.They fear me.As do my fellow tribesmen. Because they know. They know I love killing. That I cannot quench my yearning for spilled blood.They know one day I will turn on them.That one day they will die at my hand.They should fear me.
~*~


Secret Spot
“I have a secret place I go, a quiet spot on the ocean, past the island reef. Would you like to see it?”I smile when he nods an enthusiastic yes. He caresses my arm, but I slink away, beckoning him to follow. We climb onto the boat and sail out into the beauty of serene waters and blue sky.“Not much to see,” he scoffs.I reply, “Close your eyes.”He complies and I give a whistle.A tentacle darts out and snatches him off the boat, dragging him under the sea.I smile. I love feeding my pet.
~*~



Empire
I stare out the bedchamber window at my city, and beyond it my empire. One I was not born into, but inherited by marriage.I remember my wedding day well. A lavish affair to Emperor Alphonse IV, Supreme Ruler of the Seven Kingdoms. Not a happy union. Both he and his lackeys think me weak, compliant. An Empress without teeth.Fools.I’ve been scheming for years, playing the simpering wife, while building allies. Now I will play my final piece for victory. My husband will be dead by nightfall and I will be the sole ruler of the Seven Kingdoms.




 © A. F. Stewart 2016 All Rights Reserved