Tenderness of Clay

Last week Derek and I released the latest short story in the Elementalist, Tenderness of Clay. This one is centered around Raina, one of the disciples of the original Warden. It was such a fun story to write. Raina intrigued me from the get-go as I was writing An Absent Gale. I knew I had to write more of her. She deserved to have her story told. This is just the first for her.

Here is a little snippet:

Everyone knew that even if the first touch did not push a person over the edge, a second one would definitely. Even if someone did not fear the spirits, the risk would make them wary of any encounter.

“I’m going in,” Raina said.

Her uncle gulped. “Are you sure? What if a spirit is here and it touches you?”

“I will be fine. Most spirits avoid people who can’t handle contact. At least, for the most part, they do. Of course, even they can make mistakes.”

Inside, the floor was covered with sand. Christof followed Raina into the chamber. It was dark, with only the light from the midday sun poking through a few holes in the roof.

They found themselves in a single large, open room, with a carved dais immediately inside and a casket lying in the center of the raised area. It drew Raina. She couldn’t help but walk up to the small box. At that moment, it appealed to her more than anything in the world.

“I wouldn’t touch that,” her uncle cautioned from behind her shoulder.

It didn’t look or feel dangerous to Raina. Nothing in the room did. To the young woman, the whole chamber was filled with a peaceful serenity that made her feel rested and safe. She ignored her uncle and grabbed the box. There must have been a sharp edge on the casket because she felt her skin part and knew that she had been cut. Before she could pull her hand back, the blood dripped, hot and fresh, onto the dusty surface.

“I told you not to touch it,” Christof said.

“Gaia’s sake,” Riana cursed. She sucked on her finger taking the salty blood in.

“Praise Lord,” Christof said and stepped back.

Get it on Amazon for only .99 or read for free with Kindle Unlimited.