Rising Wonder III: "Trap Door"

Find unique guardians of powers that cross fantastical worlds.

Anthology Contributor: "Trap Door"

Paperback $19.99 | eBook $4.99

Sample Reading by Author | Reviews

Sample

Pain.

Pain was not simple. Pain was a complex mix of experiences, of the body, of the mind, and of the heart. At the same time, the power of the mind over pain was significant. Sometimes, pain was purely of the mind, in response to the fear of harm. Sometimes, pain was ignored, because of inability to conceive of the harm or simple lack of awareness. Pain could be a sharp, sudden, piercing sensation. Pain could be a dull, persistent ache. Pain could be a burning, stinging sensation or throbbing and pulsing. It could be dull and continuous. It could be sudden and shooting. It could be stabbing, penetrating to the core. It could squeeze and tighten like a monstrous fist. During the aeons that Ellis has been alive, he had experienced them all. A great many of those experiences were self-induced, when he sought to thwart the gift from Ril the Bold, this inability to die. That was not exactly true. Ellis could die. He had died thousands of times. He simply did not stay that way. Much to the surprise of a great many, he tended to wake up after.

Sharp, piercing pain exploded from the old man’s chest. He roared in agony, a deep sound that echoed for long moments among the mountain peaks. When he opened his eyes, he realized that the storm was gone. The sun was bright ... and warm. Where he had been buried in snow and, apparently, a shard of ice had shifted to pierce his chest, it had melted. That or his body had expelled it to heal. He was unsure exactly how his curse worked in this case. All he knew was that he was buried in snow up to his armpits, his arms extended to the sides.

An upthrust of rock that he had not noticed before was completely devoid of snow. “No snow,” he said aloud. “No snow?” He turned his head, looking as far as he could manage, his body encased in ice. It was decidedly warmer. When he exhaled, he could not even see his own breath. “How long have I been dead this time ...?” He looked up and saw the black circle hovering in midair. At least I have a way back ... unless the others were foolish enough to follow me.

Ellis let out a long breath, then pulled his arms in close to his sides, doing his best to work his elbows under his shoulders. He inched them in closer and closer. When he was certain he could not manage any more movement, he bared his teeth and shoved, lifting his shoulders higher —

Crunch.