The Cairn of Troubles--part two

In the midst of the burdens she was already had to bear, Branwen is confronted by an unexpected tragedy, threatening to tear apart even the fragile remains of her family. Will the reminder of life's sweetness she gained from the dragonet be enough to save them?

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The Cairn of Troubles--part one

Branwen feels drained apathetic, worn out from tending the farm and caring for her daughter, while her husband sees off cattle raids, a far cry from the wild hopefulness she felt when she eloped with him almost ten years ago. She assumes the dreary round of her life will continue virtually unchanged, until leads her to start to see things afresh.

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The Whore of Her Babylon--Epilogue

Epilogue--The aftermath of Alice's Sacrifice. Although this one is free because it's short and as a thanks for those who read the whole thing, if you skip ahead to it, know that here be spoilers.

The Whore of Her-Babylon---In the world of the distant future, after clawing itself back from the brink of oblivion due to a now mostly forgotten calamity, humanity has coalesced to live almost entirely within the bounds of a single mega-city. Although technology allows almost unlimited production of food and energy, at least on a basic level, artificial scarcity ensures material possessions remain important status symbols, highlighting the massive gap between the haves and the have nots. There is an extreme nostalgia for the past, an obsession with creating a facsimile of many of the aspects of life from before the collapse but this only enhances the social stratification because of commodities like plants being incredibly rare, affordable by only the most wealthy. Woman all live in and work out of brothels and both they and their male counterparts are expected to make work and productivity their highest goal while emotions are considered dangerously deviant, to be suppressed with powerful pills. In this controlling and cut-throat environment, one woman dares to defy the system.

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The Whore of Her Babylon--chapter 24

Chapter twenty-four--Everything has come down to this, the day of Alice's Sacrifice. Will Rachel win or lose her bet with Elissa? Will she win or loose her bid to regain Alice's friendship? What other surprises lie in store at this event she has invested so much time and effort in preparing?

The Whore of Her-Babylon---In the world of the distant future, after clawing itself back from the brink of oblivion due to a now mostly forgotten calamity, humanity has coalesced to live almost entirely within the bounds of a single mega-city. Although technology allows almost unlimited production of food and energy, at least on a basic level, artificial scarcity ensures material possessions remain important status symbols, highlighting the massive gap between the haves and the have nots. There is an extreme nostalgia for the past, an obsession with creating a facsimile of many of the aspects of life from before the collapse but this only enhances the social stratification because of commodities like plants being incredibly rare, affordable by only the most wealthy. Woman all live in and work out of brothels and both they and their male counterparts are expected to make work and productivity their highest goal while emotions are considered dangerously deviant, to be suppressed with powerful pills. In this controlling and cut-throat environment, one woman dares to defy the system.

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The Whore of Her Babylon--chapter 23

Chapter twenty-three--Preparations for Alice's Sacrifice continue to go forward as her popularity keeps growing and growing. Everything is going better than Rachel could have possibly imagined, everything that is except her friendship with Alice...and that's not even taking into account Elissa's latest act of malice.

The Whore of Her-Babylon---In the world of the distant future, after clawing itself back from the brink of oblivion due to a now mostly forgotten calamity, humanity has coalesced to live almost entirely within the bounds of a single mega-city. Although technology allows almost unlimited production of food and energy, at least on a basic level, artificial scarcity ensures material possessions remain important status symbols, highlighting the massive gap between the haves and the have nots. There is an extreme nostalgia for the past, an obsession with creating a facsimile of many of the aspects of life from before the collapse but this only enhances the social stratification because of commodities like plants being incredibly rare, affordable by only the most wealthy. Woman all live in and work out of brothels and both they and their male counterparts are expected to make work and productivity their highest goal while emotions are considered dangerously deviant, to be suppressed with powerful pills. In this controlling and cut-throat environment, one woman dares to defy the system.

This is a Chapter Sample

 Read the Sample here 

The Whore of Her Babylon--chapter 22

Chapter twenty-two--Preparations for Alice's Sacrifice continue to go forward as her popularity keeps growing and growing. Everything is going better than Rachel could have possibly imagined, everything that is except her friendship with Alice...and that's not even taking into account Elissa's latest act of malice.

The Whore of Her-Babylon---In the world of the distant future, after clawing itself back from the brink of oblivion due to a now mostly forgotten calamity, humanity has coalesced to live almost entirely within the bounds of a single mega-city. Although technology allows almost unlimited production of food and energy, at least on a basic level, artificial scarcity ensures material possessions remain important status symbols, highlighting the massive gap between the haves and the have nots. There is an extreme nostalgia for the past, an obsession with creating a facsimile of many of the aspects of life from before the collapse but this only enhances the social stratification because of commodities like plants being incredibly rare, affordable by only the most wealthy. Woman all live in and work out of brothels and both they and their male counterparts are expected to make work and productivity their highest goal while emotions are considered dangerously deviant, to be suppressed with powerful pills. In this controlling and cut-throat environment, one woman dares to defy the system.

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 Read the Sample here 

 

The Whore of Her Babylon--chapter 21

Chapter Twenty One--Desperate to win back Alice's friendship, Rachel is determined to make her debut a success. Unfortunately, is more than capable of bungling even the simplest task, especially when she is such a mess of nerves.

The Whore of Her-Babylon---In the world of the distant future, after clawing itself back from the brink of oblivion due to a now mostly forgotten calamity, humanity has coalesced to live almost entirely within the bounds of a single mega-city. Although technology allows almost unlimited production of food and energy, at least on a basic level, artificial scarcity ensures material possessions remain important status symbols, highlighting the massive gap between the haves and the have nots. There is an extreme nostalgia for the past, an obsession with creating a facsimile of many of the aspects of life from before the collapse but this only enhances the social stratification because of commodities like plants being incredibly rare, affordable by only the most wealthy. Woman all live in and work out of brothels and both they and their male counterparts are expected to make work and productivity their highest goal while emotions are considered dangerously deviant, to be suppressed with powerful pills. In this controlling and cut-throat environment, one woman dares to defy the system.

This is a Chapter Sample

 Read the Sample here 

 

The Whore of Her Babylon--chapter 20

 

Chapter Twenty--Dave attempts to pull off a risky gamble to rescue Rachel from her unwelcome client but the outcome has consequences that impact more than the two of them and Rachel finds her life changed forever.

The Whore of Her-Babylon---In the world of the distant future, after clawing itself back from the brink of oblivion due to a now mostly forgotten calamity, humanity has coalesced to live almost entirely within the bounds of a single mega-city. Although technology allows almost unlimited production of food and energy, at least on a basic level, artificial scarcity ensures material possessions remain important status symbols, highlighting the massive gap between the haves and the have nots. There is an extreme nostalgia for the past, an obsession with creating a facsimile of many of the aspects of life from before the collapse but this only enhances the social stratification because of commodities like plants being incredibly rare, affordable by only the most wealthy. Woman all live in and work out of brothels and both they and their male counterparts are expected to make work and productivity their highest goal while emotions are considered dangerously deviant, to be suppressed with powerful pills. In this controlling and cut-throat environment, one woman dares to defy the system.

This is a Chapter Sample

 Read the Sample here 

The Whore of Her Babylon--chapter 19

Chapter nineteen--Dave returns from his trip and hires Rachel to accompany him to the museum, unleashing a series of events both wonderful and terrible.

The Whore of Her-Babylon---In the world of the distant future, after clawing itself back from the brink of oblivion due to a now mostly forgotten calamity, humanity has coalesced to live almost entirely within the bounds of a single mega-city. Although technology allows almost unlimited production of food and energy, at least on a basic level, artificial scarcity ensures material possessions remain important status symbols, highlighting the massive gap between the haves and the have nots. There is an extreme nostalgia for the past, an obsession with creating a facsimile of many of the aspects of life from before the collapse but this only enhances the social stratification because of commodities like plants being incredibly rare, affordable by only the most wealthy. Woman all live in and work out of brothels and both they and their male counterparts are expected to make work and productivity their highest goal while emotions are considered dangerously deviant, to be suppressed with powerful pills. In this controlling and cut-throat environment, one woman dares to defy the system.

This is a Chapter Sample

 Read the Sample here 

 

The Whore of Her Babylon--chapter 17

 

Chapter Seventeen--Rachel executes a daring plan to secretly take Alice shopping for her Sacrifice dress. The exasperating battles with "experts" regarding her unconventional and, therefore, socially unacceptable requests she was prepared for but not for what happens after.

The Whore of Her-Babylon---In the world of the distant future, after clawing itself back from the brink of oblivion due to a now mostly forgotten calamity, humanity has coalesced to live almost entirely within the bounds of a single mega-city. Although technology allows almost unlimited production of food and energy, at least on a basic level, artificial scarcity ensures material possessions remain important status symbols, highlighting the massive gap between the haves and the have nots. There is an extreme nostalgia for the past, an obsession with creating a facsimile of many of the aspects of life from before the collapse but this only enhances the social stratification because of commodities like plants being incredibly rare, affordable by only the most wealthy. Woman all live in and work out of brothels and both they and their male counterparts are expected to make work and productivity their highest goal while emotions are considered dangerously deviant, to be suppressed with powerful pills. In this controlling and cut-throat environment, one woman dares to defy the system.

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Oshana--part three

Part three—Having fought her way back out of the herring ball, Oshana now faces the even more daunting prospect of helping her companions defend against the horror she found within.

Oshana is a young mermaid who lives in a community sheltered by a living coral reef and spends her time hunting, scavenging ruins for valuables, and dreaming of bonding with her beloved Wendaro. Unfortunately, his parents, put off by her family's relative lack of wealth, feel she needs to do something exceptional to prove herself first but Oshana is at loss regarding how to do this in this undersea coming of age tale.

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The Whore of Her Babylon--chapter 16

Chapter Eight--In an effort to distract herself from the looming crisis with Alice, Rachel attempts to grapple with the difficulty of reading the book Dave gave to her and suddenly has an epiphany.

The Whore of Her-Babylon---In the world of the distant future, after clawing itself back from the brink of oblivion due to a now mostly forgotten calamity, humanity has coalesced to live almost entirely within the bounds of a single mega-city. Although technology allows almost unlimited production of food and energy, at least on a basic level, artificial scarcity ensures material possessions remain important status symbols, highlighting the massive gap between the haves and the have nots. There is an extreme nostalgia for the past, an obsession with creating a facsimile of many of the aspects of life from before the collapse but this only enhances the social stratification because of commodities like plants being incredibly rare, affordable by only the most wealthy. Woman all live in and work out of brothels and both they and their male counterparts are expected to make work and productivity their highest goal while emotions are considered dangerously deviant, to be suppressed with powerful pills. In this controlling and cut-throat environment, one woman dares to defy the system.

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Oshana--part two

Part two—Still smarting from her future bond mother's insult, Oshana heads out on a hunt with her friends but the omens are bad from start and things just get worse when Wendaro's younger sister insists on coming along and Oshana has to put herself in harms way to protect the girl. 

Oshana is a young mermaid who lives in a community sheltered by a living coral reef and spends her time hunting, scavenging ruins for valuables, and dreaming of bonding with her beloved Wendaro. Unfortunately, his parents, put off by her family's relative lack of wealth, feel she needs to do something exceptional to prove herself first but Oshana is at loss regarding how to do this in this undersea coming of age tale.

 Read the Story here 

The Whore of Her Babylon--chapter 15

 

Chapter fifteen--Rachel's worst fears about Alice are realized and she has to resort to making a reckless bet with Elissa to keep her safe, a bet which only Dave can help her to make good on.

The Whore of Her-Babylon---In the world of the distant future, after clawing itself back from the brink of oblivion due to a now mostly forgotten calamity, humanity has coalesced to live almost entirely within the bounds of a single mega-city. Although technology allows almost unlimited production of food and energy, at least on a basic level, artificial scarcity ensures material possessions remain important status symbols, highlighting the massive gap between the haves and the have nots. There is an extreme nostalgia for the past, an obsession with creating a facsimile of many of the aspects of life from before the collapse but this only enhances the social stratification because of commodities like plants being incredibly rare, affordable by only the most wealthy. Woman all live in and work out of brothels and both they and their male counterparts are expected to make work and productivity their highest goal while emotions are considered dangerously deviant, to be suppressed with powerful pills. In this controlling and cut-throat environment, one woman dares to defy the system.

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Oshana--part one

 Part one—Oshana's foray to scavenge from the nearby ruins goes poorly and, as predicted Wendaro's parents are not impressed and only add insult to injury, in front of witnesses no less.

Oshana is a young mermaid who lives in a community sheltered by a living coral reef and spends her time hunting, scavenging ruins for valuables, and dreaming of bonding with her beloved Wendaro. Unfortunately, his parents, put off by her family's relative lack of wealth, feel she needs to do something exceptional to prove herself first but Oshana is at loss regarding how to do this in this undersea coming of age tale.

 Read the Story here 

The Whore of Her Babylon--chapter 14

 

Chapter Fourteen--Rachel visits the library, attends Luther's attempt at a financing meeting, and takes Alice to the MRVL Gallery, each experience somehow worse than the last.

The Whore of Her-Babylon---In the world of the distant future, after clawing itself back from the brink of oblivion due to a now mostly forgotten calamity, humanity has coalesced to live almost entirely within the bounds of a single mega-city. Although technology allows almost unlimited production of food and energy, at least on a basic level, artificial scarcity ensures material possessions remain important status symbols, highlighting the massive gap between the haves and the have nots. There is an extreme nostalgia for the past, an obsession with creating a facsimile of many of the aspects of life from before the collapse but this only enhances the social stratification because of commodities like plants being incredibly rare, affordable by only the most wealthy. Woman all live in and work out of brothels and both they and their male counterparts are expected to make work and productivity their highest goal while emotions are considered dangerously deviant, to be suppressed with powerful pills. In this controlling and cut-throat environment, one woman dares to defy the system.

This is a Chapter Sample

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Vita Nuova Part Three

 

 Part Two—KazaKu is able to pull off her desperate plan to remain with Karak/Beatrus with remarkably little difficulty, only to discover that winner the battle sometimes means losing the war or, worse, that the war was doomed to be lost before it was even begun.

KazaKu is a boarder at the local sanctum for the arcanely gifted, possessing the battle gift which endows her with more than human strength and dexterity and a powerful resistance to fatigue and injury. Unfortunately, even if the side effect of this type of gift was an extremely violent temper, her options would be limited. Those with the battle gift make fine warriors but are good for little else and, since in her society women can not be warriors, she is left in a decidedly uncomfortable position. But she has not chaffed overmuch regarding lack of social prospects, present and future, unable to imagine an alternative, until a chain of events takes her life in a radically different direction.

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The Whore of Her Babylon--chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen--Dave takes Rachel to his house where she learns much more about his private life, including how and why he became a libertus, leaving her overwhelmed with bitter-sweet uncertainty.

The Whore of Her-Babylon---In the world of the distant future, after clawing itself back from the brink of oblivion due to a now mostly forgotten calamity, humanity has coalesced to live almost entirely within the bounds of a single mega-city. Although technology allows almost unlimited production of food and energy, at least on a basic level, artificial scarcity ensures material possessions remain important status symbols, highlighting the massive gap between the haves and the have nots. There is an extreme nostalgia for the past, an obsession with creating a facsimile of many of the aspects of life from before the collapse but this only enhances the social stratification because of commodities like plants being incredibly rare, affordable by only the most wealthy. Woman all live in and work out of brothels and both they and their male counterparts are expected to make work and productivity their highest goal while emotions are considered dangerously deviant, to be suppressed with powerful pills. In this controlling and cut-throat environment, one woman dares to defy the system.

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Vita Nuova Part Two

 Part Two—Kaza Ku is grows closer to Beatrus/Karak and more at ease with his friends and their pastimes. Yes Felix is annoying and Heinrich's intentions highly suspect but they are a small price to pay to be near the object of her adoration. But then she receives terrible news that will destroy all she treasures unless she acts fast and then, with time running out, she realizes the even more horrifying solution.

KazaKu is a boarder at the local sanctum for the arcanely gifted, possessing the battle gift which endows her with more than human strength and dexterity and a powerful resistance to fatigue and injury. Unfortunately, even if the side effect of this type of gift was an extremely violent temper, her options would be limited. Those with the battle gift make fine warriors but are good for little else and, since in her society women can not be warriors, she is left in a decidedly uncomfortable position. But she has not chaffed overmuch regarding lack of social prospects, present and future, unable to imagine an alternative, until a chain of events takes her life in a radically different direction.

This is a Short Story Sample  

 Read the Sample here 

 

The Whore of Her Babylon--chapter 12

 

Chapter Twelve--Rachel makes another visit to the library where her reading selection prompts an extremely disturbing dream but she is allowed no time to process this as Alice drags her off to Her-Babylon's iconic location, the Hanging Gardens, where she encounters yet more yet more profound emotional revelations.

The Whore of Her-Babylon---In the world of the distant future, after clawing itself back from the brink of oblivion due to a now mostly forgotten calamity, humanity has coalesced to live almost entirely within the bounds of a single mega-city. Although technology allows almost unlimited production of food and energy, at least on a basic level, artificial scarcity ensures material possessions remain important status symbols, highlighting the massive gap between the haves and the have nots. There is an extreme nostalgia for the past, an obsession with creating a facsimile of many of the aspects of life from before the collapse but this only enhances the social stratification because of commodities like plants being incredibly rare, affordable by only the most wealthy. Woman all live in and work out of brothels and both they and their male counterparts are expected to make work and productivity their highest goal while emotions are considered dangerously deviant, to be suppressed with powerful pills. In this controlling and cut-throat environment, one woman dares to defy the system.

This is a Chapter Sample

 Read the Sample here