The road was bumpy, the carriage wheels jolted and hopped over stones and ruts as it made its way through the darkening wood. The professor and his mistress sat comfortably in the plush interior, warm with the glow of a tiny stove as snowflakes drifted past outside. The finely wrought springs in the undercarriage turned the hard jolts of the road into a gliding and swooping movement that Ilsa found exciting. In the warmth...

A deep melodious bell rang low throughout the caverns. Vana and Lala looked at each other and slowly rose out of the bath. "Come, Master Gar. The feast in your honor will commence soon." The women helped him into a long soft robe and then donned sweaters of white fleece that barely reached their bottoms. They led him up a long spiral staircase to a lavish chamber hung with tapestries and lit by warm glowing lanterns where...

A blast of warm steam scented with exotic fragrances enveloped Gar's senses as Luna led him by the hand through a great wooden door to the baths. In the dim light, Luna bid Gar to remove his boots while she bent over to undo the straps on her clogs. They placed their shoes in an alcove before she led him down a rock-hewn hallway into billowing steam. They arrived at a small chamber which was lit by large, roughly shaped c...

It was not uncommon to see the carriages of the Spire traveling the dusty road that led from the mountain citadel to the riverside village. Drawn by massive horses of pure white, they were elegant vehicles of polished metal and wood with wide curved windows, opaque to the outside. Imposing metal soldiers strode stiffly ahead and behind. Those who had seen the carriage guardians up close claimed they were empty suits of ar...

Julie went to a party in a mansion on the hill with her friends, a group of twenty-something aspiring models. She wandered away from the group to look out over the sea from the balcony; a waitress brought her a glass of exquisite champagne. She sipped it while watching the sunset. Without warning, she caught the blinding flash of a nearby photo drone which nearly made her lose her balance and left her discombobulated. Jus...

[Synopsis: The Veil of Amethyst is a space opera starring a swashbuckling captain in the Galactic Space Force who has risen to fame for being the best combat pilot of manned ships and remote controlled drones. His craft employ a cutting-edge dual operation mode, with a subpilot (or "sub") who responds to physical cues from the pilot and brings the senses of another human body to respond to events and effect complicated ma...