Friday, May 22, 2015

Snippet for #SFFSat from WIP, Book 2 in the Grand Master's Trilogy

Welcome to another Saturday of Science Fiction & Fantasy snippets exchanged by writers. http://scififansat.blogspot.com/
My contribution this week comes from my WIP, Grand Master's Game, Book 2 in the Grand Master’s Trilogy. 

Excerpt

Athanor strode into the room and looked around with a proprietary air, as if he was examining one of his establishments. When she entered, Violet noticed a regular series of slow clicks emerging from a metal box on the desk. Phineas stood up politely, and Violet hid her amusement at the contrast between the two men. Even disguised and shielded, Athanor exuded an air of authority tinged with menace, while the professor was a bright-eyed academic, brimming with curiosity.
Tessa stepped into the office and cried in her nervous high-pitched voice, “Oh, Phineas, I didn’t realize you had visitors.” Her beautiful face brightened on recognizing her friend, Violet, and Tessa ran to hug her.
Athanor frowned at the interruption and the door slammed shut, leaving an unnatural silence.
Tessa stared intently at his saturnine face, which radiated confident pride despite his disguise. Her eyes widened in shocked insight and she yelped, “Violet, he’s your Grand Master!”
They all stared at Athanor. His figure appeared to grow taller and darker. The room filled with psi pressure and blue rays flared from his unveiled eyes. Simultaneously, the clicks from the box sped up until their volume reached a shattering crescendo. Athanor’s gaze flicked to the box and the clicks halted abruptly.
Tessa gasped and clutched at her chest.

Book 1 in the trilogy, Grand Master’s Pawn, is available: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00TP1N5PM

Please return to SFFSat and read the other snippets.
Your comments are welcome.


12 comments:

  1. Wowsers! That took a dangerous turn at the end there...good snippet!

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  2. Beware suddenly-silent metal boxes! Wonderful and intriguing snippet!

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  3. Great job building the suspense with the master's unveil timed with the ticking box. That's a fun idea - Looking to add some suspense to your scene? Throw a ticking box in the middle of it and watch how your characters react. Great snippet!

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  4. I love the contrast between the two men. And the cliffhanger at the end is great!

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    1. Thanks!
      Almost as good as dragons - they come later.

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  5. Oi vey. Sometimes some people should really learn when to close their mouths...

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  6. Why do I get the feeling that it's not a good thing that box stopped ticking?

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