Frugal Wizard | Chapter Three Yes, I owned it. I owned England. I owned this planet. I owned this entire universe. On paper, at least. I wasn’t sure about all the specifics—my memory was still performing at a decided zero-out-of-five-stars level. But I knew people could buy dimensions. Well, technically, you bought exclusive access—managed by an unbreakable quantum…
The Sunlit Man | Chapter Four When Nomad woke this time, he found himself manacled to a wall. No … it was the outside of a boxy ship, one of those forming the arena. He’d been chained right up against the side of the thing, pulled spread-eagle on a flat piece of metal ten feet by…
Yumi | Chapter Five The nightmares had originally come from the sky. Painter had heard the accounts. Everyone had. They weren’t quite histories, mind you. They were fragments of stories that were likely exaggerations. They were taught in school regardless. Like a man with diarrhea in a sandpaper factory, sometimes all available options are less than ideal.…
Tress | Chapter Five Tress sat upon her porch, leaning against her mother, and watched the horizon. She held the last cup Charlie had sent. The one with the suicidal butterfly. Her lukewarm tea tasted of tears. “It wasn’t very practical,” she whispered to her mother. “Love rarely is,” her mother replied. She was a…
FAQ: Have I Time Traveled? No, you have not. This might seem counterintuitive, as you’re probably living in your own castle at the moment, commanding legions of peasants while you engage in a Better than True Life Experience™, such as inventing electricity, writing Shakespeare’s plays, or attempting to speedrun the conquest of France. While your…
The Sunlit Man | Chapter Five Nomad cried out in frustration as Glowing Eyes turned toward the sound, then began shouting orders as he strode—tall and unflinching—back toward the podium. Weapon fire—blasts with a distinctly red-white heat—rained from the sky. Glowing Eyes shouted something else, and ember people—a good two hundred of them—came running out…
Frugal Wizard | Chapter Four When I woke up, the young woman and man were standing on the ceiling. Or . . . wait, I was upside down. Yeah, that made more sense. My head had a faint pulsing at the base of my skull— without my nanites, there would have been some serious throbbing from that plank-to-face…
The Sunlit Man | Chapter Six Nomad tapped on the driver’s shoulder and thumbed backward. She quickly glanced over her shoulder, said something he was quite certain was a curse, then bent lower over the controls. He reached for her rifle, but she put a protective hand on it and glared at him. Great. He…
Yumi | Chapter Six All right, let’s talk about me. Uncharacteristically, I don’t want to discuss the topic. This isn’t a bright point in my career, and I would rather the attention be on other less statuesque people for the duration of the narrative. That said, I know it’s going to distract some of you unless I…
Frugal Wizard | Chapter Five “You . . . do?” I said. “This is a good village,” she said, “with a strong and diligent thegn. Yet, they don’t have much. Why upon the lands would you pick here to run your scam?” Scam? “Oil with a stencil to create the burned-out figure,” she continued, “which I’ll admit is ingenious. Scattered…
