III

“Today is going by so slowly… too slowly…”

Tired of conversing with Sentinel, Taryn shut him down and lay back on her bed for a few hours. Finally, she decided that she needed to get off campus and try to sort out these feelings. She needed to piece everything together, and staring at four walls wasn’t going to do it.

She stood and grabbed her thin leather jacket off of the hanger behind the door. She was going to take a ride and clear her head. Cruising through the city always worked in the past, she’d hoped it would be the same way now.

Taryn was about to leave when she saw the old framed photo on the table next to her bed. The glass was cracked, but the picture inside was still in nearly perfect shape. She picked it up and studied the familiar faces.

It was a beautiful picture of a human boy with an elf girl on his back at Revere Beach. They appeared to be her age. The blond elf looked extremely happy. The boy had a smile on his face, but he also gave off a feeling of worry.

Taryn was familiar with her family history and could have thought of any number of reasons why he would be worried. She smiled, “I know what you two went through to be together. No government cover-up will ever convince me otherwise.”

As she slipped her jacket on, she thought back to her childhood. She had met Lia’na a few times when she was young. Elves lived much longer than humans, so she had the opportunity to meet her ancestor, albeit briefly.

Even in her advanced age, Lia’na was very beautiful, but she seemed lonely. After so many years, Taryn understood why. She missed Toby more than anything. For reasons that were still a mystery, her death came well before its time, but it held no fear over her. Death was simply her final passage to be with the one she loved again.

Taryn put the picture back on the table, “Toby must have absolutely worshipped you… we should all be so lucky.”

She closed the door behind her and exhaled deeply. Without another thought, she headed down to the main level and out the front door. She was determined to get off campus.

Leslie House had a small shed next to the building. Taryn had befriended the groundskeeper, so he let her park her bike in there for protection against the elements. She opened the door and quickly looked around to make sure that no one was nearby.

Confident that the coast was clear, she stepped inside the shed where she was greated with a low rumbling noise. She smiled, “Hello Glide, ready for some fun?”

The 1960 Harley Davidson duo Glide that waited for her, revved its engine in response. Taryn chuckled, “Good, glad to hear it.”

Vroom…

“I know… I’m sorry, exams have me on edge, but hey we’ll have the summer to have fun.”

Rooroom!

“Yup, let’s hit downtown.”

At that moment, Sentinel appeared out of her armband, “Do you actually understand this antiquated contraption?”

The bike roared, indicating that it didn’t appreciate being called a contraption. Taryn ran her hand over the seat, like she would a dog’s back. She had spent years upgrading her family’s old bike.

Fossil fuel reserves were slowly drying up and becoming too expensive, so she upgraded the engine to be able to process a synthetic fuel that was used to power older cars and bikes. The internal combustion engine was now almost completely a thing of the past and all modern cars were built with a new hydromolecular engine. Though more efficient, Taryn knew the secret of her bike and wasn’t going to risk destroying its life force, so she only updated what she needed to.

Taryn chuckled, “Ignore him, I’m thinking of tweaking his personality engrams anyway.”

“Fine.” Sentinel replied. “Excuse me for asking a question.”

Taryn sat down on the bike and looked at Sentinel, “Well to answer your question, I don’t really know. I hear the engine and am able to determine emotions from the bike. I can’t really explain how I understand it.”

“Perhaps it’s something to do with you lineage?”

Taryn shrugged, “Maybe…”

Vroom!

“I agree,” Taryn replied, “thoughts for another day, let’s go!”

She threw on a pair of goggles and a helment and rode out of the shed. She turned the bike behind the building and then turned onto Main Street. The bike roared as she hit the accelerator.

“You want to take over?” She yelled.

Vroom!

Taryn released the accelerator and lightened her grip on the handlebars, “All right, show me the sights!”

The bike, Glide, picked up speed as it hit the I-93 South ramp and headed for Boston. Taryn sat back slightly as she viewed everything going on around her. There was thankfully no traffic on the way into Boston. Everyone who needed to be in the city was mostly already there.

Taryn’s eyes lit up as she reached the Zakim Bridge. She looked over the side to see the Paul Revere Park Memorial to the soldiers who had lost their lives defending the city. Now even the government wouldn’t acknowledge what truly happened.

Glide neared the guard rail as it passed under the old suspension cables. To her left, a ’77 Ford Hovercharge passed her by. The car was white with a silver trim and wheels folded up underneith for emergencies. The driver eyed the old bike suspiciously as it passed through his window.

Taryn didn’t care for hovercars. Too much could go wrong with the magnetic system. Tires were more expensive, harder to get, and not enviornmentally friendly, but they were tried and true.

The moment that the car was out of sight, Taryn noticed that the weight of the bike was being distributed to the back and the front tire was no longer touching the pavement, “Glide, what are you doing?”

Glide didn’t respond.

“Glide? Glide!”

Still nothing.

Taryn was about to panic when suddenly the tires began to glow white and the bike lifted off the road completely. She watched in awe as Glide continued to climb higher and higher, “Okay, next time give me some warning. I don’t like surprises!”

Vroom!

The chill of thin air passed over her skin as she flew high enough into the air to see the tops of most of the buildings. As Glide circled the Hancock tower a few times, Taryn could see the work being done on the building. Its old glass windows were being replaced with transparent foil solar-energy conducting ones.

Taryn flew even higher until she could see the atmospheric purifier that was installed atop several Boston skyscrapers to cut down on emissions and repair past damage. Though cold, when Taryn breathed in, she felt as though the cool air was cleaning out her lungs.

She hugged Glide’s chasis with her hips and spread her arms, “Keep me steady, Glide.”

She closed her eyes as the wind passed over her face and began mouthing the lyrics of one of her favorite songs as the tune passed through her mind,

“And so they danced with their hands clasped,

Around the room of Ancients past,

And so the tales of old repeat again.

When all the time has come and gone,

Another way will we bring you,

On great wings of hope,

A seed soon to sprout,

Will conquer all darkness.”

Taryn released the air from her lungs and looked down on the city. It was at that moment that she realized how much she wanted to share all of this with Bobby. She had told him some of her family’s history when she had downed a few drinks, but she doubted that he believed her.

Despite her desires, Taryn knew that it was too soon. She decided to give Bobby a chance, and if she got close enough to him, she’d start letting him in on a few of these secrets. It was only fair.

A chill down her spine told Taryn that it was time go go home, “Glide, let’s head back, I’m getting cold.”

Glide turned around and headed back to the bridge. Within a matter of minutes, the bike touched down on the highway, heading north this time. As the wheels hit the pavement, the bike roared.

Taryn looked down at it with worry, “You overdid it again, didn’t you?”

Glide made a timid clicking noise in response. Taryn sighed, “Look, you can’t do that. This isn’t like how it was when you were with your previous owners. You know you don’t have unlimited power. Don’t push youself.”

Vroom!

“I know you were just having fun and I appreciate you showing me the city from up there, but I don’t want you overdoing it. You’ve survived 4 generations of my family. You’re not dying on my watch.”

Vroom!

“Yes, I love you too.” Taryn replied. “Why don’t you let me take the reigns again while you rest?”

Vroom…

Taryn placed her hands on the handlebars again and held on as Glide gave her control. The wind blowing in her face was heavier now. It also came with the odor of industry from the city around her.

Taryn was used to the city, she’d grown up there, but part of her always yearned for the trees of the forest. She chalked that up to her elven heritage. Her great grandmother had always experienced difficulties in dealing with the city, but she managed to get by without any issues.

It wasn’t long before she began to see trees ahead of her as the bike carried her back to college.

Readers,

Do you have a question about writing, publishing, my stories, etc? Please feel free to post a comment or email me.

jimthewritingwizard@gmail.com

I’ll use those comments to select my next blog post.

I have been writing for several years, have 4 published works, experience with publishing and independent work, so I can hopefully be of assistance.

Please note, I only do one of these a day and will do my best to respond to everyone, but it may take some time.

Also, feel free to check out my works of Fantasy and Historical Fiction, Available on Amazon and where ever books are sold. See the link below:

http://www.amazon.com/James-Harrington/e/B00P7FBXTU

Thanks friends!

Catch you on the flip side!

-Jim

II

Class started the moment their professor appeared at the front of the room. She was a middle-aged woman with graying hair and a kind smile. Though her eyes showed years of endless study and nights without sleep, she never complained.

Taryn admired her for her ability to mix historical fact with both human and Elven legend to fill in the missing gaps. She quieted down and poked Merrin, “Shh, you’re going to get us in trouble again. Professor Pacewitz is here.”

The professor looked up at Taryn and smiled, “Thank you, Ms. Arrigan. I trust you managed to complete the paper I assigned?”

Taryn nodded, “I emailed it to you last night.”

“Very good.” She replied. “I look forward to reading it.”

Professor Pacewitz sighed as she spoke, “Now class, who can tell me where we left off on Wenesday?”

Merrin raised his hand while giving Taryn a smug look as though he were saying, “Yeah, see? I pay attention too!”

The professor looked up and nodded to Merrin, “Go ahead.”

“Ma’am, ye was talkin’ bout the Boston restorating effort a 2014, followin’ them unexplained attacks on our city.”

The professor nodded, “Very good, Mr. Telog, you are correct. Now the initial attack was a combination of dragons, centaurs, griffons, and other creatures that, up until then, we had long dismissed as fantasy and folklore.  Their inexplicable departure was cause for concern and kept the National Guard on its toes. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise as the city was already on alert when the corpse army began to form. Can anyone tell us who was responsible?”

Taryn raised her hand, “Ma’am, it was the result of a domestic terrorist organization that had acquired a piece of the Lux Mundi.”

The professor nodded, “And the name of their group was…?”

“The Filis de Lux, ma’am, which translates to Children of Light.”

“Excellent Taryn,” Professor Pacewitz replied, “you have been doing your reading.”

Taryn sat back and listened to the professor talk about events that she was all too familiar with. She’d heard these stories over the years, passed down by her family, but they differed from the official accounts in a few key places.

As the professor began to wrap up her lecture, she looked out at the class, “Now, can anyone tell me how the corpse army was defeated?”

Taryn raised her hand with a devious look on her face, “Professor, a lone group of college students, led by an enchanter infiltrated their base and defeated their leader.”

Giggles and low laughing came from around the room as Professor Pacewitz rolled her eyes, “Ms. Arrigan, I am well aware of your family’s history, as well as their involvement in fighting the Filis de Lux, but the stories of your great grandfather having supernatural powers has long since been discredited. Now can anyone tell me the historically accurate ending?”

Another student spoke up, “Ma’am, it was a surgical strike by our combined naval and air power.”

Professor Pacewitz nodded, “Very good, that is the officially released version of what happened.”

Taryn sat back with a smile and shook her head. She knew that this was nothing more than the government attempting to slowly rewrite history so that what happened would soon disappear into myth. She knew the truth and it was passed down by her family. In the end, that’s all that mattered.

Merrin looked over at her suspiciously and whispered, “Ye enjoyed that.”

Taryn nodded, but said nothing as the professor finished up, “Okay, so does anyone have any questions before we adjorn for the weekend?”

The class sat silently for a few moments. Taryn didn’t see a single hand go up. The professor nodded, “Very well see you all on Monday. Have a good weekend.”

Merrin got up and turned to Taryn as he packed his bags, “Ye really love tryin’ ta git under people’s skin, don’t ye?”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

Merrin’s eyes narrowed into an accusing stare, “Yeah ye do! Ye knew exactly what de professor would say bout that. Ye just wanted your story to be heard.”

Taryn shrugged, “Maybe…”

“Ye as sneaky as a sharpy,” Merrin said through a smirk, “I swear.”

A spark of anger entered Taryn’s eyes, “Hey, not cool!”

She turned her head slightly to the side, giving Merrin a clear view of the points on her ears. Merrin’s eyes widened as he realized his error, “Shit… sorry. I keep forgettin that you be part elf.”

Taryn nodded, “Its fine, just ease off, okay?”

“No problem.”

Merrin had never met an elf before in his life. With the increase of interspecies breeding and the lack of viable offspring coming from the few purebloods still breeding, elves had become extinct. Half elves were about as close as anyone could get, “By the way, how much elf are ye?”

Taryn shrugged, “Who knows anymore. Less than 40%, I think? My great grandmother was an elf who married a human, and my grandmother married another elf, but my father was human… So now here I am.”

Merrin nodded as Taryn stood up, “Yeah here ye are, a pain in de ass. Do ye really believe those stories bout yer family?”

“Yes I do.” Taryn replied. “I don’t know why, I can’t explain it, but I feel like they’re real.”

Taryn followed Merrin out of the room, “By the way, are ye seein’ Bobby again tonight?”

The very mention of his name caused her cheeks to flare up. She wasn’t sure if they were blushing bright enough for Merrin to see, but she could feel them, “I… well I assume so. He’s a nice guy after all.”

“Ye like ‘im.”

Taryn rolled her eyes, “Oh shut up…”

Merrin laughed as they walked outside, “Well for what it’s worth, I think ye should give ‘im a shot.”

“Why?”

“Well ye very particular bout who ye spend time with.” Merrin replied. “Heck, yer fucking picky as shit. The fact that ye spend time wit ‘im at all says something. Think bout it.”

Taryn shrugged, “Maybe…”

“Ye getting’ some food?”

“At some point, I’m not hungry at the moment.”

“Aight, well I’m off to de café then. Call me later if ye want to hang.”

Taryn nodded and headed in the other direction. She tapped on her small wristband, “Sentinel, can you locate Bobby Nielson?”

The wristband emitted a holographic image of a human figure. It had no gender and was almost featureless. It processed for a moment before responding. The image’s voice was mechanical and barely had any emotion in it, “Checking his key code… I’ll need the pin he gave you to access that information.”

Bobby had given her that code a while back. She was at a party when she met Bobby. The two of them talked for hours on end. When he brought her home, she began to suffer from odd visions like the one she’d seen that morning. The next thing she remembered was waking up in her room.

Bobby met up with her on campus later and gave her the pin just in case she needed help. Since then, the two had become very close, though emotionally, she still kept him at arms length.  As far as she was concerned, she was heiress to a proud family name. She had no brothers or sisters, so it was up to her to choose a suitable mate and she wasn’t sure if he met her standards or not yet. Some might view her as a bit of a princess if she’d ever revealed her feelings, but she didn’t care.

“Pin number Alpha Whiskey nine, five, five.”

The human figure nodded, “Thanks, I’m processing that info now… let’s see… it would appear he’s in Arcanus’s main classroom hall… room 206.”

“Cross reference that time and location with Arcanus’s course catalogue, what time will he be out of class?”

The figure looked at Taryn suspiciously, “Taryn, some might consider this stalking.”

“Just do it!” Taryn said in an annoyed tone.

Sentinel shrugged, “Okay fine. What do I care, it’s not like anyone will think I’m creepy for this.”

“He gave me the pin for a reason, you know?” Taryn sighed.

Sentinel brought its legs up so that the figure was in a sitting position on Tayrn’s arm, “Cross referencing… processing time now…”

It took Sentinel a moment, but he was able to come up with the information she needed, “Got it, he’ll be in class until 2pm. Course catalogue lists him as in Course 421 ‘European Socialism of the 20^th Century.’ Quite the specific course.”

Taryn nodded as she started back to her room, “He’s always been into politics. That sounds about right for him.”

“Query,” Sentinel asked, “if you’re so interested in this boy, why haven’t you persued a romantic relationship with him?”

“Must every relationship between a guy and a girl be anything more than plutonic? What if I’m not interested in him like that?” Taryn asked.

“You are.” Sentinel replied as they reached the door to Leslie house.

Taryn glared at the human figure, “How the hell do you know?”

“Your pulse increases whenever you see him, your pupils dialate and you begin to persperate. Also, your pheromone level…”

“Okay, enough.” Taryn replied in almost a yell, certain that her face was bright red. “Of all the AI personal assistants I could have bought, why’d I go for you?”

“Because you have wisdom that transcends your age.”

Taryn rolled her eyes, “Yeah right.”

“You still haven’t answered my question.” Sentinel said.

Taryn climbed the staircase and headed down the hall, “I… I don’t know why I haven’t. There’s just… something about him… It seems like my dreams and visions only happen when he’s nearby. It may be coincidence, but it gives me pause.”

Sentinel processed that information as Taryn opened the door to room 204 and entered the room, “The Elven brain is designed with an extra sense. Perhaps it’s trying to warn you about some danger surrounding him?”

“But I’m not even a half-elf.”

Sentinel nodded, “True… which may be why your impressions aren’t easier to decipher. That part of your brain may not be as well developed as a pure blood elf. I could access some articles on the subject if you wish?”

Taryn shook her head, “No, that’s okay… So what are your interpretations here? Do you think my sixth sense is trying to warn me that he’s dangerous in some way?”

“I’m not programmed to be able to interpret feelings or dreams. They could be a warning about him, but they also could be a warning that something could happen to him.”

Taryn collapsed on her bed, “So you’re basically telling me nothing.”

“Your dreams are your own.” Sentinel replied. “You’ll have to figure that out on your own.”

Readers,

Do you have a question about writing, publishing, my stories, etc? Please feel free to post a comment or email me.

jimthewritingwizard@gmail.com

I’ll use those comments to select my next blog post.

I have been writing for several years, have 4 published works, experience with publishing and independent work, so I can hopefully be of assistance.

Please note, I only do one of these a day and will do my best to respond to everyone, but it may take some time.

Also, feel free to check out my works of Fantasy and Historical Fiction, Available on Amazon and where ever books are sold. See the link below:

http://www.amazon.com/James-Harrington/e/B00P7FBXTU

Thanks friends!

Catch you on the flip side!

-Jim

Hello all,

Today and for the next few days, I’m going to start sharing some stories that simply didn’t make the cut. They are books I started working on, but eventually gave up dealing with either due to burnout, or because I simply didn’t like the direction they were going… or I scrapped the stories and started in on a new one and used a few of their plot elements.

So we’re going start of with Taryn. This story takes place in our not-so-distant future, about 100 years or so after the events of Magnifica. Taryn is the great-granddaughter of the Last Enchanter. She’s roughly 35% Elven and 65% human. Though only a small degree of Elven blood flows through her veins, she possess certain abilities that had long since been thought lost. These are enhanced by her Elven traits.

Anyway, I wanted to post these stories in case there is any interest in me continuing to write them. If I get an overall response on any of them, I’ll consider revisiting the work. Remember though, these stories are in very

Anyway, enjoy what little of Taryn’s story I was able to write:

I

Darkness surrounded Taryn as and her breathing became more rapid. Her head darted back and forth as she looked for any sign of life, “Hello? Is anyone there?”

No response.

“Hello, hello?”

An odd sound appeared in the distance, it was little more than a whisper, but nothing that she could make out.

“Is someone there?”

The voice grew louder and the darkness began to fade. At that moment, a pair of red eyes appeared in front of her. The darkness was fading fast now as a man with pointed ears and long black hair appeared in front of her. Goose bumps appeared on her skin as she took a fearful step back. Her heart raced as though she had run a great distance, “Who are you?”

The creature’s mouth open as it continued its menacing gaze. Its eyes burned as bright as the campfires she’d sat around in the woods of New Hampshire when her high school friends had gone camping. The creatures dark hair made them appear even brighter.

A high pitched scream was the only response she received as the creature suddenly moved forward and passed right through her. She covered her ears, trying to block it out, “Who are you, what do you want?”

As the creature passed through her, the pain of the scream became intolerable. She squeezed her eyes closed and cried out, hoping she’d be heard over the screaming, “Stop it!”

“Whoa, Taryn, are you okay?”

Taryn gasped as she opened her eyes, “Bobby…”

“Easy, sounds like you had a rough ride.” Bobby replied as Taryn slowly sat up. “What happened?”

She rubbed her eyes before turning to him, “It was the same as before.”

“The dreams again, huh?”

Taryn nodded, “Now I’m glad I left my door unlocked. I keep seeing this man with pointed ears. I don’t know who he is, but I feel like he’s important somehow. It’s strange.”

Bobby’s lips twisted thoughtfully, “Pointed ears?”

“Yeah, like the pictures we saw in biology…” She replied. “I think he might have been some kind of elf.”

“You mean a half elf?”

“No, his ears were very pronounced.”

Bobby frowned, “Taryn, the last elf died a few years ago. They’ve been extinct for a few years now. You of all people should know that.”

Taryn nodded and ran her hand over the point of her own ear, “Yeah… don’t remind me. Even so, that’s what I saw.”

“Maybe your own Elven senses are playing tricks on you?”

“Maybe.”

Bobby smirked as he stood up, “You should probably get up. Your hair’s a mess!”

Taryn ran a hand through her dirty blond hair and brushed it back behind her ears, “All right I’m up, now leave me alone!”

She looked over at her clock as her feet touched the floor, “7am… well at least I have time for a shower.”

Bobby nodded, “I leave you to it then.”

“Thanks.”

The moment Bobby was gone from the room, Taryn stripped out of the sweat-soaked pjs she was wearing, grabbed the towel hanging off of her bedpost, and headed for the bathroom.

The hot water pouring over her skin helped wake her up. Her hazel eyes widened as her newfound energy flowed through her. A cloud of steam surrounded her as she washed herself down. She took a few minutes to savor the serenity. College had always been something of a rollercoaster ride for her so she appreciated any moment of peace she received.

Thankfully, classes were wrapping up for the summer. At which point, she would need to go find a job if she wanted any spending money for the summer. It wasn’t something she enjoyed, but she knew that she needed to. Her parents had provided everything for her up until this point and had even taken out a mortgage on the family home to make sure that she would make it through college debt free.

Knowing that did not make life any easier for Taryn and she refused to take another penny from her parents as a result. Her goal was to pay the mortgage to make sure that the house would always remain theirs.

She grabbed the towel and dried herself off before moving to the bedroom to get dressed. She pulled open her top drawer to the usual assortment of underwear and grabbed a pair of hip huggers. Normally on a Friday, she’d go for the bikini briefs, but she didn’t have a date or any plans for the evening, so she wasn’t looking to impress anyone. She quickly slid the underwear over her legs before reaching for a bra.

Once she was dressed in her normal black capris and white blouse, she went about fixing her hair. The shower had worked wonders. Her hair was very thin, so combing out the knots wasn’t difficult. Her ears were slightly longer and more pointed than that of a full human. It was something she relished as keeping her hair tucked behind them was much easier.

Finally, she turned to her small make up case. I don’t think so. She thought to herself, not today. Taryn wasn’t a huge fan of makeup and often just went without it. Lipstick and maybe some cheek blush were about all she’d tolerate if she was going on a date, but even then, she’d often just wipe it off later.

At that moment her eye caught the digital clock on her desk. 7:45

“Fuck!” She blurted out. “I’m going to be late!”

Without a thought to her book back, she dashed out the door, down the steps, and out the front entry way. With a clear path, she dashed across campus to the main building. She was determined to minimize her tardiness.

The warm breeze that passed over Taryn’s skin was no comfort to her as she ran. The grass around her was slowly returning to green as spring was quickly giving away to summer. Typical Boston, she thought to herself. The seasons here change so quickly.

Taryn arrived at the main classroom hall with barely a few minutes to spare. The building was a large brick structure with gold lettering on the side that read ‘Arcanus University.’ She immediately proceeded inside.

She quickly made her way down the hall to room 103 and took her seat. The room was a large auditorium that seated about a hundred people, but only thirty seats were occupied. Either the class wasn’t very popular or they were just using a large room due to lack of space.

Taryn favored the back of the room for reasons she could never quick figure out. She sat down and pulled out her books as a portly dwarf sat down next to her, “Hey Taryn.”

“How are you, Merrin?”

The dwarf shrugged, “Can’t complain… much.”

“Did you break into that rock salt vodka again?”

“No…”

“Merrin?”

“Maybe…”

Taryn shook her head, “You know you can’t handle that stuff. It blows right through you!”

“Hey dat shit be dwarven-made!” Merrin replied. “I can handle anythin’ my people make. Rememba that!”

Taryn chuckled, “Okay Merrin…”

Readers,

Do you have a question about writing, publishing, my stories, etc? Please feel free to post a comment or email me.

jimthewritingwizard@gmail.com

I’ll use those comments to select my next blog post.

I have been writing for several years, have 4 published works, experience with publishing and independent work, so I can hopefully be of assistance.

Please note, I only do one of these a day and will do my best to respond to everyone, but it may take some time.

Also, feel free to check out my works of Fantasy and Historical Fiction, Available on Amazon and where ever books are sold. See the link below:

http://www.amazon.com/James-Harrington/e/B00P7FBXTU

Thanks friends!

Catch you on the flip side!

-Jim