Katya smiled as she exited the inn. She’d explained the situation to the Grass Hand the night before, and as she’d suspected he had been angrier with Gunther than he was at her or Tumbler or even the thugs. She’d been more than happy to promise him vengeance against the spy. Her own code prevented her from killing anyone she’d taken on as a client.
The Grass Hand didn’t abide by such rules.
Humming softly to herself, Katya stepped out in the street. The sun was up fully now, and was chasing a few lazy clouds across the sky.
It was going to be a beautiful day.
About the Authors
Steven Mohan, Jr. lives in Colorado where he works as a senior quality engineer and helps his wife keep track of their three teenagers. His biggest claim to fame: he may be the only writer in North America who doesn't actually own a cat. Steve's short fiction has appeared in many places, including Interzone, Polyphony, Paradox, On Spec, and several original DAW anthologies. His stories have often won honorable mention in both The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror and The Year's Best Science Fiction. His original fiction can be found in the Kindle store at Amazon.com.
Phaedra Weldon is the author of the Zoë Martinique Investigation series, the Grimoire Chronicles series, and the upcoming YA series, The Evanescent, as well as several books in shared universes such as Star Trek, Eureka (under Cris Ramsay), Battletech and Shadowrun. She has had numerous short stories published in DAW anthologies, many of which are available individually.
Born in Pensacola, Florida, Phaedra is the eldest of four children. She began writing in notebooks with her best friend in middle school, rewriting their favorite television shows into what they believed were better endings. Or at least better plots.
Phaedra lives in Atlanta, Georgia with her husband, daughter, dog, and cats. When not writing, she and her daughter spend their time playing Wii, PS3, DSi, Photoshoping, letterboxing, or watching anime.
Richard Lee Byers is the author of over thirty fantasy and horror novels, including many set in the Forgotten Realms universe. His recent titles include Dissolution, The Year of Rogue Dragons, The Captive Flame, and Whisper of Venom. A resident of the Tampa Bay area, the setting for much of his horror fiction, he spends a good deal of his free time fencing epee and playing poker. Interested parties can visit him online at www.richardleebyers.com and follow him on Facebook and Twitter.
M P Ericson's fiction has been published in various magazines and anthologies. She lives on the edge of a moor in Yorkshire, England, with an assortment of spiders and mice. Visit her website and author page for news and more stories.
Irene Radford has been writing stories ever since she figured out what a pencil was for. A member of an endangered species, a native Oregonian who lives in Oregon, she and her husband make their home in Welches, Oregon, where deer, bears, coyotes, hawks, owls, and woodpeckers feed regularly on their back deck.
A museum trained historian, Irene has spent many hours prowling pioneer cemeteries deepening her connections to the past. Raised in a military family she grew up all over the US and learned early on that books are friends that don’t get left behind with a move. Her interests and reading range from ancient history, to spiritual meditations, to space stations, and a whole lot in between.
In June of 2011 Irene returns to fantasy with a new series, The Pixie Chronicles, the first being Thistle Down. Look for Chicory Up in 2012.
Laurie Tom is the author of over a dozen short stories, with lucky #13 being her winning entry in the Writers of the Future contest. She won the grand prize in 2010 for her novelette “Living Rooms.” When not writing fiction she can often be found playing video games, which goes hand-in-hand with her day job at a major video game company.
Follow Laurie on-line at: http://laurietom.blogspot.com/, on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/laurietom.writer, and on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/writerrat
Aaron Rosenberg likes to mix things up.
Perhaps it’s because of his history: born in New Jersey, raised in New Orleans, schooled in Kansas (under the tutelage of science fiction legend James Gunn), now living and working in New York. Or it might be his work experience: creative director for an animation studio, script editor for a film company, submissions reader for a publishing house, English comp and lit teacher at two colleges, graphic designer for an insurance company, and desktop publisher for a publishing house.
Whatever the reason, Aaron just can’t stick to one media or one genre. He’s written novels, short stories, children’s books, roleplaying games, webcomics, essays, reviews, and educational books, and has ranged from mystery to horror to science fiction and fantasy to contemporary fiction. He’s won awards for his roleplaying work (an Origins Award and a gold ENnie) and his fiction (a Psi Phi Award and a Scribe Award), and is constantly finding new stories to tell and new ways to tell them.
Recent fiction projects include the space-opera novel Birth of the Dread Remora, the Stargate: Atlantis novel Hunt and Run, the Chaotic junior novel The Khilaian Sphere, the middle-grade series Pete and Penny’s Pizza Puzzles, and two Eureka novels (written under the house name Cris Ramsay). Recent game projects include the Supernatural Hunter’s Guide, Eclipse Phase: Sunward, Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, and the Trail of Cthulhu supplement This Sceptre’d Isle.
You can keep up with Aaron’s exploits on his website, www.gryphonrose.com. You can also follow him on Twitter @gryphonrose.
About Story Portals
Story Portals is dedicated to providing great stories from great authors writing about great characters, and to providing a community for readers and authors alike to share their thoughts. For more information—or for more stories about Katya and other terrific characters—visit www.storyportals.com.
The Taste of Waterfruit and Other Stories (Story Portals) Page 18
