Shadow of Life and Death

 
Blessings
The corridor outside the transition chamber is small, and dark.
In regular light, the queen’s glow is barely visible, but here, in the dim light, strong rays of colored light shine from the queen’s head and tentacles.

Keesha, Makish, the captain, and two senior officers meet us in the corridor.
They are here to bring the queen to an area large enough for all the crew.”

The moment that Keesha sees the queen, she bows her head to the ground, and the others follow her lead.
They will not move until the queen asks them to … Read more

Forest – Hunting Strength

 
Five Days
Light wind to tame the heat, and a clear sky.
A good day.

This is the most important hunt of my life.
It comes to all boys at the age of fourteen suns.

Five of us go to the low country, to hunt Vigla.
We must bring home five spears or knives with Vigla blood.
Five boys, five days, five strikes of blood.

Vigla are strong and wild.
They run on four legs, and walk on two.
When they stand, they are twice the height of a man.

Vigla do not fear us, and have a … Read more

Healing Room

 
Music
I awake and remember the dangerous shadows that clouded the full moon.
The crystal, the blood, and the light.

My eyes are slow to open, and I wonder what world I’ll see.

In a moment I adjust to the light, and find myself still surrounded with the new world and its dream.
Slowly, I sit up.

I’m in a red, egg-shaped room, with windows that rise from floor to ceiling.
A beautiful dark wood surrounds the windows on four sides, forming a frame a few inches wide.
Curved windows face the deck, and the small shadows tell me … Read more