“Just as they reached the bridge, Alix heard the planes returning – and soon after came deafening explosions to either side of them. Plumes of water rose into the air as bombs fell into the river and the fragile bridge shook alarmingly. Tito quickly dismounted Swallow, leading his horse onto the wooden pontoon. Alix got down too and followed, her head bowed in an attempt to shut out the cacophony of noises. As she reached the end of the pontoon, ready to climb up the old bridge, she heard a horse scream behind her. She jerked round in the direction of the noise and saw Nikola’s horse throwing up its head and prancing sideways, refusing to set foot on the bridge. Nikola remained mounted, struggling to keep control.
Above her she heard Tito shout, ‘Dismount, you fool!’ But it was too late. Nikola gave the horse a cut with his whip. It reared and then bucked, throwing Nikola over its head into the turbulent waters of the river below. Alix watched, terror stricken, for him to surface. But there was no sign. Though it was mere seconds, it felt as if she was frozen in place forever. Then she heard the sound of another body entering the water. Drago had been close behind her but now she realised he was missing. Paralysed with fear, she looked down at the rushing waters below her. A few more seconds passed and then Drago reappeared, holding Nikola under the arms.
”
― A Call to Home
Above her she heard Tito shout, ‘Dismount, you fool!’ But it was too late. Nikola gave the horse a cut with his whip. It reared and then bucked, throwing Nikola over its head into the turbulent waters of the river below. Alix watched, terror stricken, for him to surface. But there was no sign. Though it was mere seconds, it felt as if she was frozen in place forever. Then she heard the sound of another body entering the water. Drago had been close behind her but now she realised he was missing. Paralysed with fear, she looked down at the rushing waters below her. A few more seconds passed and then Drago reappeared, holding Nikola under the arms.
”
― A Call to Home
“Tucked away in my mind, in my heart, a glimmer of faith remains. If I just say the right words, play the right song or poem, perhaps recite a key memory.”
― To be a Fae Guardian
― To be a Fae Guardian
“Americans have a love affair with weak coffee.’ ‘And you’re a coffee expert, too,’ Gwen said, cutting a thick slice of apple pie.”
― Banker's Holiday: A Novel of Fiscal Irregularity
― Banker's Holiday: A Novel of Fiscal Irregularity
“To honor his significant contributions to physics, particularly his work in nuclear science Einstein was an ironic choice for the name of einsteinium since he was a pacifist and opposed to the hydrogen bomb which is what produced this element.”
― Magical Elements of the Periodic Table Presented By The Actinide Knights
― Magical Elements of the Periodic Table Presented By The Actinide Knights
“Daring to raise my eyes,
I call out, a bird-like sound,
giving myself to this day,
abandoning desire
for all except you.”
― Something Will Change Me: Poems of Soul and Spirit
I call out, a bird-like sound,
giving myself to this day,
abandoning desire
for all except you.”
― Something Will Change Me: Poems of Soul and Spirit
Jay’s 2025 Year in Books
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