Chapter 3

Going back into the house, I helped with the dinner, and we sat to enjoy the meal. Mum had found a bottle of white wine which had been in the fridge, and we had a glass, each. It wasn’t bad. I had baked a cake, during the week, so we each had a slice, covered in custard out of a carton.

Sara and Margret

Margret was standing next to the window with Sara when they felt the explosion. Sara tackled Margret to the floor away from the windows. The shock wave broke the windows. Shattering all the glass into the apartment. Sara screamed as she collapsed onto the ground. They both fell silent as they hit the floor. Luckily, the shield blocked the radiation, but it could not block the pressure waves that followed the explosion.

Shadowsblade a Whateley Tale: Written by Shadowsblade

Created for war and forged in pain, dealing with demons within and without.

Chapter 37

As we moved through the year, we played our concerts, did a couple of spots at the vet shows and looked closely at the music list we had been given. It was the first year that I had not been involved directly in a single album.

Chapter 36

Sharron had a years-worth of vacation owing and she didn’t need much talking to Carol before she was back to me to get the different contact details. Being known sometimes has its advantages and, within a week, she had been to our doctor, seen a specialist, and was given a date for the operation. Jordan was happy to let her take the time off and then stay in the clinic for a few weeks to recuperate.

Chapter One – Day One

Transgender detective Julie Sanderson is teamed with detective Tommy Lomax to solve the murder of young trans prostitute Stephanie Carter and the investigation becomes complicated when the victim is identified as the daughter of a US senator. The case is a political time bomb full of intrigue, deception, lies and deceit but the clock is ticking to get it solved before the media gets hold of the story.

Chapter 4

I was another few days in that ward, moving better and finding my new balance. I ate well and began to feel good about myself. I felt a lot better after a visit by a ward hairdresser. I was now issued with a whole new outfit, plus a bag with two complete spares. The dress wasn’t just one altered from a jump suit. No, it was from the women’s prison and shaped to fit a woman with my attributes.

Chapter 3

I forced myself to be aloof, to block out the sight of casual murder, and to make sure it wasn’t going to happen to me. Back in our part of the prison, Dirk gave Cloe a hug and a kiss, and then turned to me, to hold me close and deliver a kiss as gentle, but more urgent, than the one that Spike had given me last night.

Bull, who had stayed in the cells to keep guard of our little section, then spoke.

Chapter 2

She picked up a small hessian bag and I followed her to the next cell, aware of Bull gazing at my butt as we went in. The cell was the same size as Cloes’ but with two bunk sets, with one having a guy curled up in it. Bluto and Pluto was sitting at the table, playing cards.

“Hi, there, boys. We’re ready for our walk of shame to the library.”

They looked at us, then more closely at me.

“By my ancestors dicks,” breathed Pluto, “Just a few hours and Delia is going to slay them in the aisles.”

And now for something completely different!

Chapter 1

I suppose that was inevitable that I would end up in prison. I had hoped that I could get away to somewhere safe before the brown stuff hit the fan. No, my greed held me back for too long and here I was, in court, with the judge about to read out my sentence.

I reveled in the luxurious bath, surrounded by the soothing scent of oils and the gentle ministrations of the servant women. The bath was large enough to have several people in the tub at the same time. The tile was placed in a mosaic of the Caravelle crest at the bottom of the tube. It was a rare moment of relaxation, a respite from the challenges and mysteries that had unfolded since my arrival at the Caravelle Empire. As I lay in the tub, I couldn't help but think about the enigmatic Grand Cleric and the society I now found myself a part of.

The table was covered in finger foods. Pointing at one that looked like it was peaches in a steaming purple sauce, the dish floated up and came over to me, putting a single piece of fruit on my plate. Using my fork I cut off a small piece, and gave it a taste. As it melted in my mouth, it had an odd flavour of a sweet peach, and a slightly sour taste that worked really well together, keeping both flavours from being too strong.

...

"Thanks for all the stuff," he interrupted gruffly. "I guess that's everything — and this is goodbye."

"Goodbye?" I exclaimed. "Why does it have to be goodbye?"

He gestured helplessly. "I don't know! What else could it be?"

Chapter 32

We had a serious discussion with the result being that we, as individuals, would show up at any “For Those Who Serve” concerts as we could when we got off the tour in November. I was still up for piano concerts during the year if anyone wanted to hear me. Abigail said that once she had her baby, she would be able to do solo shows if I was her pianist. Joyce was going to be available if Allan could get her, or the pair of us, guitar concerts.

The anticipation in the air was palpable as the Royal Transport approached the Queen's Spire. I stood in my armor, ready to fulfill my role in delivering the long-lost royal jewels to their rightful place. The helmet concealed my face, but I felt a mix of excitement and nervousness coursing through me.

RXAI-199 had informed me that my presence might draw a crowd as it had been millennia since the ship had crashed and lost communication with the Caravelle Empire. I couldn't help but wonder how the empire had evolved during that time and who might now be in charge.

Chapter 4

Sally opened up the thin file which outlined the basic facets of the case. It was close to what they were dealing with now. The dead man was well-off, and there was a substantial life policy. He had been found hanging from a balustrade in his big house. There was a typed suicide note, with the signature also typed. The rope was over-the-counter plastic woven, in a jazzy colour pattern. The body had a large amount of alcohol in the system that matched the bottle on his desk, next to the note.