by J. S. Fields
Arik opened his mouth in an effort to call over the Eld but was shocked when all that came out was a gurgle. He tried again, forcing more air out through what had once been his larynx. Again, only gibberish.
He grew hot, a red flush surfacing not just on his cheeks but across his entire body. Arik watched in stunned horror as the purple veins that had always been just slightly visible under his skin—the veins that had already started to fade after his time with the Eld—darkened to black.
Once more, Arik looked to the Eld, desperate for guidance. They’d moved closer. The gatoi reached a bony hand out to Arik, zir expression unreadable.
Help? Arik sent frantically on a telepathic thread. It was unacceptable to speak to Eld in such a manner, but he was in trouble. They had to know!
None of the eld responded to Arik’s mental query. The hand remained out and open, all the eld staring at Arik expectantly. Not knowing what else to do, Arik reached out. His whole right arm was covered now in arcing black veins that grouped into geometric patterns just under his skin.
I’m dying, Arik thought to himself. The smell of the andal is actually going to kill me. He let his fingers touch the tips of the gatoi eld’s hand, and his mind cleared. The contact sparked through Arik, and he snapped his head up, eyes wide. The gatoi eld stared back, unblinking, as pieces of emotion began to filter into Arik’s mind. Discomfort, unease, disappointment. That didn’t seem right. He hadn’t done anything wrong—something had just misfired, that was all. He was still Arik, still of Science. A healer could fix his larynx, he was sure of it. He wasn’t quite sure why all of this was happening, but surely the Eld knew. Surely others had had this same problem.
The intensity of the connection became uncomfortable, but when Arik tried to pull his hand away, he could not. The gatoi eld had a tight grip on Arik’s wrist. The male eld moved behind Arik in two fluid steps and placed his hands on his shoulders, pushing down to keep Arik in place. The female grabbed his other hand around the wrist, her longer fingernails digging into his skin.
Time seemed to be slowing. Arik felt his heart rate depress, the blood in his veins decrease in flow rate. His mind became muddled again. Something was wrong, and he needed to speak to the Eld about it. Why couldn’t he speak? Why wouldn’t the words come out?
Dark spots began to swim before Arik’s vision. His heart didn’t seem to be beating anymore, and Arik thought that was wrong somehow. The blackness increased. Arik slumped. The male eld backed away quickly, and Arik’s body hit the wood floor with a thump, his head bouncing once after the initial impact. Words leaked across the darkness: defective, unsuitable, terminate.
Terminate?
Arik opened his mouth to make a sound to indicate his distress, when his brain, starved of oxygen, finally shut down.
PeopleFish by Medella Kingston
Her Cree grandmother called it the gift of seeing, but for Petra “Pete” Orvatch, knowing things in ways that defy explanation has made reality and fantasy blur in a world where the clocks literally go backward. Her fascinating and clairvoyant mind is a riddle that many doctors have tried to solve with medication. Love comes her way unexpectedly when she meets Fiona Angeli, a stunningly beautiful single mother. A risk-taker by nature, Fiona is not scared off by her new lover’s psychic abilities and eccentricities.
The two of them share passion and secrets on a magical and surprising journey, and their torrid love affair takes them to thrilling new places until betrayal divides them. Both these women fight battles within themselves; Fiona must gain control of her dangerous compulsions, and Pete’s onerous gift ultimately puts her at risk of losing herself in the gap between delusions and the real world.
PeopleFish, available now from NineStar Press
Light Work on Dark Days by S. McDonald Powell
A malignant, predatory energy is gathering force in the world. Its chosen host, the global Elite, are its willing servants. A centuries-old war has raged between this evil and those brave enough to oppose it, but now the Elite are bringing the conflict to America. Old money brings old sins, introducing the wealthy of New York City to their aberrant tastes. Worst of all, it’s only a matter of time before they plan to unify their power and wealth to establish a One World government with which they will hold sway over the lives of all. And yet, they are not the only ones stalking the streets of New York…
Dr Eryn Wilde is no ordinary pathologist. As high priestess of the Morrígan, Eryn works to thwart the Elite with the aid of the magical order, Aes Sídhe—a light in the darkness and the antithesis to the Temple, the Elite’s cohort of dark magicians.
In the bleak of December, Eryn is called to the scene of a fatal car incident, only to find a trunk full of severed limbs. Much to Eryn’s chagrin, the beautiful and intelligent Homicide Detective Rebekah Luzzatto is tasked with working on the case. As events unfold that take them deeper into the world of politics, corporate greed, blackmail, and murder, it becomes increasingly difficult for Eryn to stay away from Rebekah, despite being afraid that she will meet the same end as her last lover.
Between the two of them, will they find a way to make their relationship work? Hopefully while preventing the Elite from opening the gates of hell and ushering in World War III?
Light Work on Dark Days, available now from NineStar Press