Andromeda's Mountain

This is the name of another novel that's in progress. Hope to publish it before the end of the summer. Unlike my two published novels which are pure Space Opera, this one is not science fiction. It's fantasy, with a solidly evil sorceress, demons, and other things that go bump in the night. Lots of fun. Here's an excerpt.

Something grabbed my arms and I screamed.

“Andy! For Pete’s sake, it’s just a bad dream. Pull yourself together.” Cory saw that I was awake and let go of my arms. “All that thrashing around and yelling. Rats! I’ll never get back to sleep now.”

“I saw it.” I held my teeth tight to keep them from chattering.

“Saw what?”

“Hadrea’s fortress. The Temple of Makhist.”

Cory sat back. "You saw a dream. It was a nightmare. Must have been a doozy, I'll grant you, but it sure wasn't real." He got up on his feet and rubbed at his shoulders. "I'm getting too old for sleeping on cold stone. Ouch! I don't suppose I could persuade you to give me a back rub. " He winced at the look on my face. "Didn't think so."

"I was there," I said. "I could feel it. I could smell it. He wants me to go there. He's forcing me to go there."

"Who are you talking about?"

"Amathaon!"

"Him again? The almighty telepath? Whatever happened to reasonable, orderly Andy? Every little box lined up neat, every piece of equipment with its assigned spot, wiped clean of every speck, not even a fingerprint. What did you do to her? Where is she? The scientist I once knew would not believe in anything she couldn't measure in a beaker. And this," he picked up a small rock from the floor and threw it at the far wall, "can be measured and counted and broken down into its molecular components."

"It's chaos, Cory! It can't be real. The rock is an illusion."

"You've got to be joking! Your dream is a real place, but this hut is not? Are you telling me that my back doesn't really ache like the blue blazes from sleeping on damp stone? I've had enough of this. I'm through here. I'm not going to hike those mountains with a nut in tow. I'm going back to the farm." He picked up his backpack.

"No! Please, Cory, don't leave. I need your help." He shook his head and started for the door. “Don't leave me alone. That beast you heard around your farm in the middle of the night is hunting me. If I'm alone, if I fall asleep..."

He paused at the door, his back to me. After a minute I could see him lift his shoulders in a sigh. "One condition, Andy."

"Anything!" And I meant it. I was desperate.

He turned around with half a smile, "If only you'd said that before I met Meara. But never mind. Just shut up about Amathaon. In fact, just be quiet altogether. Obviously, you've had a hard time of it, and I’m sorry about that, but it means your conversation leaves a great deal to be desired and I'd rather not chat. Know what I mean? Have we got a deal?"

I nodded.

Cory winked and said, "Good start."