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Excerpt from Project Burning Bush

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For #LineByLineTime : Dialogue

“Oh, oh, stop, you’re killing me! An STD! Oh my god, I can’t breathe! And you ask like you’re hoping I do!” Nita folded over, holding her stomach.

“What is her problem?” Minji pursed her lips, her disapproval clear.

 “I asked her if she had a sexually transmitted disease, because one of the guys said she was bad for my health. She seemed to think it was pretty funny.” Harper shrugged.

 “You can’t just go around asking people questions like that!” Luthor waved his arms as he shouted.

Harper scratched his head. “Why not? How else am I supposed to find out what I want to know?”

Luthor groaned and spoke to the sky. “Let me try to explain the concept of privacy to a kid raised by a dad who thinks it’s okay to spy on everyone’s private lives.”

Excerpt from WIP “Voice of the Dragons”

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for #LineByLineTime : “Euphoria”

“Hurry! Hurry!” Hannah threw Gerald’s winter furs and boots at him over her shoulder as she dug furiously through his storage chest.

“Why? What?” Gerald stammered as he automatically pulled the furs on and stomped his feet into his boots. His eyes ran over the furs she already wore, her hood up and snugged. Bestia flapped her wings as the girl bounded out the door. The dragonette’s claws clutched the carrier straps on Hannah’s back and her tail wrapped tightly around her waist. She cawed shrilly as she twisted her head back to stare at Gerald as if urging him to follow.

Gerald dashed after Hannah, looking around frantically for someone, anyone! to explain what was happening. The courtyard outside the stables was empty. Everyone else was out flying or at the meal.

“What are we doing?” he yelled as he chased her around the building. He stumbled to a stop as he almost ran into the giant black dragon crouched just beyond the corner. “Th-that’s the Hordemaster!” he stuttered.

Hannah whirled around and beamed a smile at him. “Yes! Bestia’s father is going to show us how to fly today! Isn’t it great?”

Gerald’s jaw dropped. “But, but, Bestia can’t fly! Her wings…and neither of us has ever been on a dragon! Much less the Hordemaster! Only the Dragonlord is allowed to fly him!”

Hannah waved her hand. “We’re not flying him. We’re just riding him. He’s going to show Bestia and me how to exercise her wings and get stronger! He said you could come along. Are you coming or are you going to pass up this chance to touch the sky?”

“But, but how do we even mount him? He’s enormous!”

The Hordemaster rested his chin on the cobblestones. His fangs gleamed as his mouth stretched as if he smiled. Hannah giggled and ran over to drop a kiss on his scaled nose before scrambling up and over his head, slinging her leg between the spines on his shoulders. Straps looped through holes in the spines behind went over and around her and she quickly tightened them.

“Coming or staying? He won’t wait forever!” she yelled.

Gerald whimpered with indecision, but couldn’t bear to look a coward in front of a little girl. He stepped slowly up to the massive head and climbed carefully onto its nose. Before he could try to climb up to Hannah’s perch, he found himself sailing through the air as the dragon swung his head around to the spines behind the child. Gerald tried to remember to breathe again as he almost fell into the space open between the big pointed bones.

“Hurry! Get your straps tied! He’s ready to take off!”

Gerald almost screamed with terror as he felt muscles bunch beneath him. He snatched at the straps and gasped for air as he struggled to make himself safe before the beast exploded into the air with a roar. Huge wings snapped open and caught the wind. Gerald felt the Hordemaster’s lungs expand and his wings beat furiously.

“Woo-hoo!” Hannah screamed. “Higher! Higher!” Bestia squawked her best attempt at a dragon’s roar.

Gerald looked down cautiously and almost fainted. The castle and town were already shrinking into toy size. He dragged his eyes back up and realized he could see for miles, further than he had ever gazed even from his father’s tallest tower. He stared in wonder, his desperate breaths slowing as he took in the sight. The Hordemaster leveled his flight and began to glide in huge circles, riding the air currents. A low rumble shook Gerald’s bones.

“Bestia! Grab my wrists!” Hannah yelled. “It’s time!” She stretched her thin arms out and the dragonette grabbed her wrists over the fur sleeves. Both females leaned forward and the wind snapped the dragon’s wings into full expansion.

Gerald grabbed their straps as they began to rise from their perch, gliding just like the Hordemaster. “Look out!”

Hannah laughed. “We’re flying! We’re flying, Gerald! Bestia is flying! It’s wonderful!” Bestia tried to roar again, her joy obvious. The crippled dragonette was finally able to feel the wind carry her body.

Gerald found himself smiling. Their joy was so clear. He looked around, taking a deep breath. His fear blew away. He felt safe for the first time since he had come to the dragon-hold, which was strange since he was so high he could barely see the ground, he was freezing in the wind, and only thin leather straps kept him from a fatal fall. But he discovered he trusted the Hordemaster to keep him as safe as his daughter and Hannah. He let go of them and flung his arms up too. “We’re flying!”

Excerpt from Project Burning Bush

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For #LineByLineTime : “Kindness”

“You are not in hell,” the Voice said, for the first time sounding as if emotion was allowed through. It almost sounded kind. “You have spent your time there. You are free now and are here because these people need you. Tell your friends your real story.  They need to know and understand. Then they will tell theirs. Speak now.”

(SKIP)

“So you and Tweety are two different people or, uh, entities?” Harper asked.

“She was desperate for relief from her memories after the attack,” the Great Spirit began. “She prayed, and I offered to block them anytime I needed the use of her mouth to speak so her tribe, and now you, can hear me. She rests while I use her body.”

“Why do you not block her memories permanently? Would not that be kinder?” Minji’s voice was sharp with anger.

“I could erase them, just like I could Luthor’s, or any of the rest of you. But those memories, bad as they are, would make you, and her, different today. Do you want that for yourselves?”

“Hey, leave Tweety alone! I like her just the way she is!” Harper’s voice was still mostly flat, but a little emotion flared in it.

(SKIP)

A sigh gusted out of her and she knelt beside Luthor. She tugged on his shoulder, trying to make him straighten up.  “Come on, get up. Get up, blow your nose again, and let’s go rescue those prisoners. Come on, we haven’t got all day.”

“Don’t let your sympathy make you do anything out of character,” Luthor growled, sniffling, then blowing his nose again.

Harper thumped his back.  “You know you’d be suspicious if she was nice to you, big guy.”  He stood back as Luthor rose to his feet on shaking legs.

Excerpt from “The Warlord’s Heart”

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For #LineByLineTime : “The Room”

Edward blinked as he took in the bedroom, filled with servants dashing about. One was lighting the fire in the fireplace. Several were hauling pails of steaming water through the room to a door on the side. Lamps were being lit beside the bed and in the attached room. He assumed it was a bathing room, judging by the steaming water. He hoped so. A hot bath and a shave sounded very good to him right now.

“This seems like a rather fine room for a mere courier,” he said with raised eyebrows. He glanced down at the dusty, cobwebbed hair of the maid who had led him to this room.

She surprised him with a nudge of her elbows. “It’s yours, don’t worry. Mrs. Grimsby is the head of housekeeping and assigns the rooms. She has a soft spot for the cavalry, since her husband and all her sons are cavalrymen. She always makes sure any who arrive get the best rooms. Try the bed!”

She tried to tug him towards it, but he fended her off. “Not in these dirty clothes! I need a bath first.”

He wasn’t about to leave marks on the fine furs covering the massive bed. It was magnificent, matching the luxurious room. Richly polished bedposts stretched toward the carved ceiling tiles, with heavily embroidered linen curtains held back with tasseled ropes. He could tell the bed would be a cozy haven when they were closed. The pillows were large and covered in silk, if his eyes didn’t deceive him.

He looked closer at the rest of the room now that the lamps had brightened the area. Finely carved furniture shining with wax polish, big comfortable chairs and side tables. There was a bar against the wall with a tray set with various glasses, a bottle of whiskey and another of wine, a bowl of fruit, a wooden cutting board with various cheeses and breads, and a set of dishes and cutlery. A maid was swinging a pothook over the crackling fire after setting a steaming pot on it. She hung a ladle on a hook beside the fire.

His eyes traveled on. Silk fabric in a rich green and blue striped pattern covered the walls. Beautiful landscapes gave the room a peaceful air. The floor was covered with thick patterned rugs over polished wood.

“Surely even the Warlord’s quarters are not so fine. This is a room fit for a king!” he whispered.

Betsy shrugged. “No. The royal quarters are far larger, and not nearly as comfortable.”

Excerpt from Project Burning Bush

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For #LineByLineTime : “Disgust”

“Firestarter stick,” Luthor replied.  “Magnesium and flint.”  The gadget went back into one of his pockets.  He carefully arranged some small logs on the growing fire before he stood up and dusted off his hands.  “Now to prepare that rattlesnake. The wood should burn down to coals soon.”

“I’m still not eating any nasty snake meat,” Nita declared.  The other three turned but could not see her. Her voice came from above them.  They backed up until they could see her as she swept the horizon with Luthor’s binoculars while laying flat on her stomach on the flat top of the rock they had stopped at.

“More for us,” Luthor said with a shrug, as he had before.  “I just think we need to stretch our supplies as long as we can.”  He looked at Harper and Minji, frowning.  “Just occurred to me, though.  Do any of you have food with you, like sandwiches or such, that might spoil?  We might need to eat it with the rattlesnake, so it doesn’t go bad.”

“I’ve got a couple of sandwiches, so I still don’t need snake!” Nita hissed quietly from her perch.

Excerpt from “Project Burning Bush”

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For #LineByLineTime “Guilty”

Minji rubbed her face with both hands. When she sat up on the log, her hands dropping to her lap, her expression was haunted. “I’m a murderer,” she whispered. “I told the seamen who rescued me everyone else had died in a storm, but I killed them.”

Nita raised her eyebrows. “You? The Dragonlady? Miss Prim and Proper? A killer? No way. You passed out after you whacked that soldier. No way you could kill your family.”

Minji’s smile was twisted. “It brought back very bad memories. Memories I worked hard to erase.”

“What, you hit your family members over the head, too?” Harper asked.

“Impossible,” Luthor stated.

“I did not attack them. I poisoned them.”

Nita paced on the other side of the fire. “Was the whole ‘boat refugee’ bit a lie, then?”

Minji shook her head. “No. We escaped my country in a boat and were carried by the current out into the ocean. My father and uncles poisoned everyone but me. But I found the poison. I was so angry. I put it in their food. They liked highly spiced food, so they did not taste it. They died horrible, painful deaths. It took them a while. When they could no longer hurt me, I dragged them to the side of the boat and threw them to the sharks. Some of them were still screaming when the sharks ate them.”

“Sounds like a good ending for them,” Harper commented. “You should be looking satisfied, not guilty.”

“Satisfied? I am a murderer, just like them! I have never wanted to kill anyone in my life! I was a child! I killed my father!”

Nita stopped in front of Minji and held the other girl’s face with tight fingers and stared into her eyes, nose to nose. “You survived. They were killers. Not you. You were a survivor. You did what you had to, and avenged the other family members they killed. You remember that. You. Are. Not. A. Murderer!”

Excerpt from “The Warlord’s Heart”

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For #LineByLineTime : Jealousy

Betsy watched, her eyes wide, as Marissa paced back and forth across their bedroom.

“You don’t know how lucky you are,” Marissa proclaimed, waving her arms as she stomped. “Edward’s attention was fixed the moment he saw you. You’ll never have to watch him talk to other women and know he’s more interested in them. You’ll never wonder if you’ve become suddenly invisible. You’ll never have to hide your emotions lest others laugh at you.”

“Um, you have feelings for Edward?”

Marissa stopped and stared. “Edward? Are you mad? Of course I’m not interested in Edward! Of all people…” She shook her head and began to pace again. “I never had a chance, of course. He prefers blondes, wealthy, from a powerful family. It makes me ill to watch him fawning over her. Just like all the others, blast them.”

She whirled on Betsy, her fists clenched before her, her jaw set, her eyes intense. “You have to teach me how to use my sword like you can! I can’t let her humiliate me in every way! I have to best her in something!”

“Wait, are you talking about Benedict and Clarisse? Are you jealous of Benedict’s attentions toward Clarisse?”

Marissa flung herself across her bed and stared at the ceiling, blinking hard. “He is so handsome, so noble. I’ve known him all my life. I’ve had feelings for him since we were children. But he grew up into a fool!” She rolled to her stomach and pounded the mattress. “‘Clarisse is so beautiful!’ He had the nerve to say that to me! To me! All he can see is that pretty face and figure and her fine clothes! He’s totally blind to her ugly nature! He’s a fool! All she wants is to control him! Why can’t he see me? What’s wrong with me?”

Betsy winced and moved to sit beside her. “There’s not a thing wrong with you.” She patted Marissa’s back as her roommate sobbed. “I will teach you as much as I can, and we will teach those foolish men to recognize a REAL woman! Especially Benedict!”

Excerpt from The Warlord’s Heart

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For #LineByLineTime : Injury

“Edward! What happened? Who attacked you?” Betsy’s screech made Edward and the Royal Guards flinch.

“Everything’s fine, Betsy…” Edward’s calm response was lost under her frantic cries as she rushed to him, shoving the Guardsmen out of the way.

“What did they do to you? Was it the assassins? Were they killed? How did they get in? I didn’t hear an alarm raised!” She waved her hands, looking for a place to touch him, trying to avoid the blood, not knowing where his cuts were.

He and the other men looked at each other, wondering how to calm her. Edward finally shrugged and caught her face between his hands and kissed her hard. When she stopped struggling and stood still, he raised his head. “Betsy! Listen to me! Nobody attacked me! Hush!” he commanded when she opened her mouth again. “Let me explain! Now, are you listening?” He stared at her, eyebrows raised, until she took a deep breath and relaxed.

The guardsman next to him made a valiant effort to control his snicker and went back to washing the blood off Edward’s arms and chest. “He’s naught but scratched, lass. He’ll not even need stitches. A little washing, some ointment, and a bit of bandaging is all that’s needed. No doubt he’ll be sore in the morning, but I wager he’s had worse. Eh, lad?”

“Much worse,” Edward agreed with a wry smile. “And the healers on the front line are not nearly so gentle as you men.”

“But…”

Edward laid a finger on her lips. “There was no attack. We were practicing, that’s all. They were showing me how the assassins used their swords, and it took me a bit to get used to the new style. I hope to have fewer scratches next time.”

Betsy drew herself up and huffed her outrage. “You were practicing a new sword style with REAL swords?” She glared at the guardsmen around her. Edward was fascinated to see them cringe before the young woman almost half their size.

“I just got scratched, Betsy. It was my idea, so don’t blame them. I’m fine. Like he said, I’ll be sore tomorrow, that’s all. All I have to do is watch for infection, but the healing ointment we soldiers use works very well to prevent it. Now let them finish so I can dress and we can get to bed.” He narrowed his eyes and gave the guardsmen who snickered a hard stare. They quickly straightened their faces and looked away.

Betsy didn’t notice the byplay. Her eyes were anxiously fixed on the guardsman working on Edward’s bare chest. She blinked and took a quick breath. His. Bare. Chest… Her hands started to reach out, then suddenly wrapped themselves together and slammed back against her stomach.

Excerpt from Project Burning Bush

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For #LineByLineTime “The Carrot”

Mrs. Williams turned to the enormous young man still standing behind the blond boy. “Sit down, Luthor. The only person allowed to threaten anybody on this bus is me.  The rest of you, keep your mouths shut. None of you are allowed to make a sound except to whisper to your seatmate for the rest of this ride.”

 “How you going to make us shut up?” Jackson snapped.

Her smile was sweet but her eyes were dead. “Why, I’m going to change places with your pal here and sit beside you, and talk to you the whole rest of the day and not let you get a word in edgewise. Think that will work? Because if it doesn’t…” Her face and her voice hardened. “I’ll cancel this trip, turn this bus around and you can spend the rest of the school year catching hell from the rest of the class about how you ruined their trip.”

She didn’t have to say more. The other students raised their voices in protests and anger at Jackson. His seat partner poked him with an elbow. He hunched over his lap, muttering to himself.

2nd Excerpt, same story:

“Oh, yeah? Well, what if we don’t feel like being your happy little slaves? What happens then?” Nita shoved her knife back in her pocket sheath.

“THEN YOU WILL DIE.”

 “So you dragged us all the way here just to kill us if we didn’t agree to do what you say?”

“Nita! Can’t you shut up for once?”

“I don’t have to kill you,” the Voice responded.  “Your ignorance will lead to your death.  You presently have supplies and a little knowledge, but neither will be enough.  The tribe will obey and move on, but if you stay behind you will lack their knowledge of this area and who and what you need to defend yourself from. Obey me, and I will supply all your needs. Defy me and die alone.”

Excerpt from Project Burning Bush

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For #LineByLineTime : By Moonlight

“Whatever,” Nita shrugged and jerked her head toward the Spaniards’ camp. “Let’s get to work. I want to hear what’s up.”

They slipped with careful footsteps up to the camp perimeter. Harper nudged Nita, pointing with a grin at a sleeping guard. Nita rolled her eyes and eased past some cactus. They found a spot just beyond the firelight behind some trees and stretched out on the ground. Harper lay with his head pointed away from the camp, watching their rear.

Long moments passed as Nita listened to the soldiers talk, drink, and often make rude noises with various belches and other bodily noises. Sometimes they broke out into song. Suddenly she tensed and Harper looked warily behind himself, but nobody had noticed them.

Finally, she rose to a crouch and jerked her head at him, moving slowly away from the camp. The perimeter guard was still sleeping. They moved faster to the trail they had come down and when they reached it, she started running. Harper’s mouth dropped open, but he took off after her. Both still made no noise as they ran. They only slowed to ease through tight spots of brush.

At last, they reached the Apache camp. Harper grabbed Nita’s arm and held up a finger as she jerked to a stop and whirled on him, fury on her face. He shook his head and held up his finger again. Putting his hands to his mouth, he trilled a soft birdsong. “Don’t want to get attacked rushing in there,” he whispered. “Minji has a mean swing with that staff.”

Nita smiled but it looked strained. She hurried on to the opening of the clearing. Everybody came to their feet as they entered.

“What did you hear?” Minji demanded.

“I heard enough to know we need to kill all of them and get to that settlement as fast as possible!” Nita panted.