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Chapter 1: The Proposal

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“Explain to me again why you’re marrying him?” I said. “He’s a total creep and raging misogynist to boot.”  I stared at Lynn with set shoulders as I waited for her response. Lynn glared at me over the laptop. I met her gaze and refused to blink. Lynn was my best friend. We had known each other since kindergarten. We shared nearly everything in common, except our taste in boys. Rain pounded on the windows of the girl’s academic dormitory, and I could actually feel the wind shifting the building. Outside, lightning spiderwebbed across the sky, and then the thunder rattled the windows. I hadn’t had time to draw a breath between lightning and thunder.  Lynn shook her head. “I’m marrying him because that’s how it is. That’s who I marry. Period. No way around it.” I picked up my wine glass and paused. Was it my wine glass? It couldn’t be Lynn’s. She was holding hers. But we were the last two girls standing tonight. Lindsay was asleep on the couch. We had held Sophie’s hair out of th...
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Captive of the Crimson Countess, Chapter 4: The Thulean Princess

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Blair found herself intrigued by Nadia. The Thulean princess was polite and charming, in addition to being beautiful. Blair imagined running her fingers through Nadia’s hair.  She imagined pulling the princess in for a kiss. But that was a bad idea, Blair knew. Nadia survived by allowing herself to serve as the countess’ favored pet. The other girls likely had good reason not to trust Nadia. And of course, Nadia was a Thulean. And not any Thulean, but a Thulean princess.  Then a thought struck Blair. “How did you end up here, a prisoner? And how did you end up the Countess’ favorite?” Blair asked during a lull in the small talk.  Nadia huffed, “My father sent me to Agartha to serve as a lady in waiting for her majesty Queen Elke. The goal was for me to secure Elke’s eldest son, Bernard, as my husband.” “Do you like men?” Blair asked. Nadia shook her head. “That doesn’t matter in Thule.” Blair grimaced, “You should live in Ys. You can play with all the girls.” Nadia smiled...
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Captive of the Crimson Countess, Chapter 3: The New Girl

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The new girl intrigued Nadia. Her skin was dark and her hair black with tight curls, so unlike the people of Thule. Perhaps, Nadia thought, she was exoticizing the hunter. But Nadia couldn’t keep her eyes off Blair. Nadia found herself staring at Blair’s armor. Metal plates stitched onto a heavy leather jacket. Blair looked dangerous.  The new girl had said she planned to attempt to flee and even fight the countess. Nadia eyed the pistols and saber that Blair wore. Nadia didn’t think Blair would succeed. But a part of Nadia hoped she would. A small part of Nadia prayed to the gods that Blair would survive. And, she prayed, Blair would save Nadia as well. That thought made her shiver. A brave knight saving a princess, like the stories. Nadia liked the idea of that.  She couldn’t see Blair’s physique with the armor in place. But the other woman was taller and broader than Nadia, at least five foot ten. Nadia allowed herself to imagine Blair sweeping Nadia into her arms. Then she...
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Captive of the Crimson Countess, Chapter 2: The Quest

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Three Months Earlier "I'm going with you ma'am." Marcel said as Blair finished tying closed the flap on her backpack. "This is a suicide mission Marcel, a fool's errand. I am not getting my squire killed on something so stupid." "No, you're only getting yourself killed." Marcel handed Blair her saber and Blair belted it across her waist. He then handed her two pistols in a bandoleer, which she swung over her shoulder. "Look, if you object, you can tell Grandmother. She'd never approve of what I'm about to do. So if you want to stop me, all you have to do is expose me." "You know I'm not doing that. It's your decision to go and your decision not to tell Baroness Wander. My objection is that you want to go without me." "Look, Marcel, please. This is my sister. She's probably dead. But I owe it to her and myself to look for her. You don't owe anyone. And it would be irresponsible to get my squir...
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Captive of the Crimson Countess, Chapter 1: Countess Battoria

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Pain blasted through her skull. Blair opened her eyes to see a darkened room lit by a single guttering candle. Her breath hung in the freezing air of the room. Blair shivered. The room flickered and swam in the candlelight. She pulled herself up to a sitting position. She could smell wet stone and tasted copper as she took a breath. Blood. The air hung thick with blood. The room's decorations looked lavish. Not a dungeon then. Blair sighed. Not that this comforted her. If the lady of the manor didn't kill Blair, her grandmother definitely would do so. That thought spurred another. Why wasn't she dead? Countess Battoria had every reason to kill Blair. She knew what the lady was, an immortal. And so Blair could bring down the lady as head of House Battoria. Why would an immortal risk keeping a witness alive? And why keep a witness like Blair alive in particular. She had training as a monster hunter. Even unarmed, Blair was dangerous to the lady. Most people in Karshvar knew t...
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The Husband Poisoning Society, Chapter Fifty-One: A Stowaway

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“And Ada volunteered?” I asked.  “Ada had been volunteering since she first joined us if you’ll remember. She was downright proud to die for this cause.” Lynn said.  “Do you think they’ll notice that Ada used luckfish poison, instead of giant scorpion venom?” I asked.  “Probably. But what would that prove? Ada made claims of a massive network of people.” Leon answered. “Of women.” “Indeed.” Fiona said, joining us to stare out across the bay at the ocean.  “How many women helped her?” Amy asked. “Nearly two dozen. All of them were proud to die for the chance to get back at Hyperborean men.” “And to make Hyperborea safe for their daughters,” I added. “Were they all caught?” “Only the ones who served the wine were caught.”  “So the Husband Poisoning Society lives on,” I said.  Fiona nodded. “Indeed. And the men of Hyperborea must now reckon with a threat they never conceived before this day.”  “Now what?” I asked. Leon shrugged, “Well, the Folkmoot is can...
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The Husband Poisoning Society, Chapter Fifty: The Husband Poisoning Society

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The Judge looked up me, eyes wide. “I moment ago you were arguing that you were innocent. Where did this come from.” I didn’t answer. I didn’t dare say anything that might implicate the others.  Duke Xander nodded. “Very well. If we have a confession, that is sufficient.” The doors of the hall swung open and Lynn marched in, fists clenched. “They are innocent. I poisoned the duke. Alone. Me. Nobody else.” The assembled crowd burst into murmurs. I looked at Leon, and saw his eyes widen. Then his face hardened and he nodded.  Leon took a step past me.  “No. She is covering for me. I killed the duke.” More gasps from the crowd.  Fiona stepped forward, “I killed his grace. I acted alone.” Amy squared her shoulders, “There is no need to protect me. I killed the duke. I alone.” The crowd burst into a buzz of conversation and activity. Talking and yelling. Muttering and chattering. The noise filled the assembly chamber.  Vanni sneered and his voice boomed above the cla...
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The Husband Poisoning Society, Chapter Forty-Nine: The Trial Begins

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The courtroom turned out not to be a room at all, but an open air auditorium. To my eye, the thing looked like the Roman colosseum. I felt like they were about to feed us to lions. Guards chained us to stone pillars with wide holes drilled in the tops. We stood on a small stage and looked up at the judge’s stand. Curving around from the stand lay the seats for the viewing gallery. The dawn was a hour away and the cold blue light of predawn poured across the auditorium. I’d seen this before. We were coming to the grand finale.  The prosecution team entered, a group of noblemen in traditional Hyperborean garb. I looked at the chief prosecutor. I recognized the big man. It was Duke Xander’s brother, Vanni. I grimaced, of course the prosecutor would be somebody with a grudge against us. And he had motivation to upstage his brother. I didn’t like our odds.  Amy looked as well. “Is that who I think it is?” I nodded. “Indeed,” Fiona added. “Do we know anything about his skill as a la...
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