Snippet Post 1

I picked fairly long snippets, since I'm not sure how much I'll be able to post for the rest of the week.

One from the first chapter of The Serpent Sea, which should be coming out from Night Shade Books early next year:


Moon stretched out, taking advantage of having the roof nearly to himself, basking in the sun before the clouds covered it. Stone was still sitting on the edge, looking out over the mist-wreathed forest, his expression preoccupied. "So what's this place like?" Moon asked him.

"A tree."

Moon swore under his breath. He had gotten that much from everybody else. They were all very enthusiastic about it, but nobody had been able to say how much work they were going to have to do to make it habitable. "Fine, don't tell me."

Stone snorted. "I just told you. A tree."

Moon rolled onto his stomach, pillowed his head on his arms, and pretended to go to sleep, one of the only effective ways of dealing with Stone when he was in this mood. He had been hoping for something not much different from the ruin where the court had lived before, except more defensible. He had lived in trees, and they weren't comfortable. And he had seen how fast the Arbora could build temporary shelters, but they would have no time to do that before the rain hit.

He heard the wood creak as Stone moved around, stretching out on the other half of the roof. Then Stone said, "It's a mountain tree, the place our court originally came from."

Moon opened his eyes a slit, to see Stone lying on his back with one arm flung over his eyes. A mountain tree. Moon turned the words over, searching for familiarity, hoping it stirred his memory. For all he knew, he had lived in one as a child, but he didn't remember it. "I don't know what that is."

Stone's voice was dry. "You will before nightfall."


And one for the people who wanted random bits from my other books: This is from The Death of the Necromancer, which came out from Avon Eos in 1998, before steampunk was popular, and was a Nebula-nominee.


The Death of the Necromancer


Octave merely asked, "You still own Doctor Viller's apparatus? Is any of it here?"

Nicholas felt another chill. He does know too much. "Again, you show too much curiosity for your own good, Doctor. I suggest you go, while you still can. If you have some complaint to make against me, or some suspicion of criminal activity on my part, you may take yourself to the Prefecture and bore them with it."

Octave smiled. "Then it is here."

Nicholas stood. "Doctor, you have gone too far--"

Crack, catching the change in tone, took a step forward. Octave reached for the walking stick still lying on the table, as if he meant to go. The gesture was entirely casual; if Nicholas hadn't already been on the alert he would never have seen the spark of blue spell light that flickered from Octave's hand as he touched the cane.

Nicholas was already gripping the edge of the heavy round table; with one swift effort he lifted and shoved it over. It crashed into Octave and sent the man staggering back.

Light flickered in the room, jagged blue light bouncing from wall to wall like ball lightning. Octave staggered to his feet, his stick swinging back to point toward Nicholas. He felt a wave of heat and saw spellfire crackle along the length of polished wood, preparing itself for another explosive burst. Crack was moving toward Octave, but Madeline shouted, "Get back!"

Nicholas ducked, as a shot exploded behind him. Octave fell backward on the carpet and the blue lightning flared once and vanished with a sharp crackle.

Nicholas looked at Madeline. She stepped forward, holding a small double-action revolver carefully and frowning down at the corpse. He said, "I wondered what you were waiting for."

"You were in my line of fire, dear," she said, preoccupied. "But look."