My roommate walked into the home office we’d made out of the spare bedroom and was greeted by the sight of Gobelen sitting with his feet on the desk, holding one of my daggers. “Welcome back,” the jinni said. “Did you two enjoy your outing?” “There were people out there. What d’you think?” “People?” Gobelen... Continue Reading →
Gathering Clouds
Alhana camped at alone at Bethel that night, watching the distant lights of the jinn convoy continue their journey towards Solomon palace. The whole arrangement was indecent, for the jinn as well as the king, a fact they would all learn the hard way in time. Not all of the jinn had become servants of... Continue Reading →
Charcoal Prison
Jonathan and I collapsed onto the coal-covered ground and gave in to the exhaustion. Being imprisoned in a drawing hadn’t been on the list things we’d prepared for when we’d woken up that morning, and because of that we weren’t ready for tearing down a wall made of runes so Gobelen could zap us home.... Continue Reading →
Double Drabbles: “Basra” and “Kitchen Nightmares”
Gobelen surveyed the cards in the floor. The deck was nearly used up, it would not be long until the game was finished. He and Alhana kept all their cards floating around them while they moved in a continuous circle around each other. This did nothing to distract either player, but the motion was part... Continue Reading →
Speaking Without Thought
Jonathan was the first to ask the obvious question. “So could you give us unlimited wealth or anything like that?” He never could be subtle. “In a way, in a way not. A jinn does not magically create wealth. Any treasure we give to a person comes from our own storehouses. By your standards my... Continue Reading →
In the Dark
Alhana watched through a dusty window as Nesrin walked up the wooden board walk to the restaurant’s entrance. Nesrin had stopped to look at one of the wood pillars that supported the awning. The pillars were really trunks of small trees that had been cut and de-limbed. That made them thick, and as a... Continue Reading →
From Texting to Vegas
My phone knocked to let me know I had a text message. I clicked the notification and smiled when I saw who it was from. “What does Charlotte want?” Jonathan asked. “What makes think it’s Charlotte?” “Because you’re making your stupid Charlotte face. It’s always her when you make that face.” To be honest,... Continue Reading →
Confrontation
This is the conclusion of the flash fiction sequence I read in St. Louis. As such, it does finish the arc, but since these drabbles have only been the skeleton of a story, without all the pieces filed in, excerpts featuring these characters will still be posted out of chronological order from time to time.... Continue Reading →
Double Drabbles: “Soon” and “Sempiternal”
After our ordeal Gobelen teleported us home and let us collapse on the couch. It was a nice rest until we noticed the word “soon” written in giant, smokey letters across the wall. “What is it?” Jonathan asked. “It is a note from Wathanni.” I asked, “What does it mean?” “It means I can expect... Continue Reading →
Proposal
Gobelen had warned us that an old enemy of his named Wathanni might come looking for him. At the time I was unconcerned. Now that I’d been encased in a pillar of charcoal, I was more concerned, and slightly frustrated that I could still hear the two of them eating and talking. “Gobelen, do you... Continue Reading →
