As I receive contracts and final edits from authors, I’ll post a teaser from their story here and on our Facebook page. You know where to get the rest, right? Comments are welcome.
The Charnel Pit
By
Stephen Gaskell
Thanh dug his fingernails into the coffin and hefted its edge onto a different part of his shoulder. His skin was aflame, the whole of his shoulder from the base of his neck to the top of his arm raw with pain.
He grimaced. To cry out would be shameful and bring dishonor to the memory of the dead emperor. At least the agony stopped his mind dwelling on why six lowly servants had been chosen as pallbearers. Not to mention why the coffin was so wretchedly heavy, when its occupant had been nothing more than skin and bones at death.
Mercifully, less than five hundred paces later, the procession leader raised a hand. The oversized sleeve of his black tunic pooled at his shoulder. Six servants rushed forward to take the load from Thanh and the other bearers. Thanh was glad for the reprieve, however short it might be.
So, why did we take this story? The world building was wonderful and the character’s situation quite interesting. We had some issues with pacing that Stephen addressed in rewrite and subsequent revision, and the final product is impressive indeed. The original was 5300 words; final edit is 4575 words.
Tune in tomorrow for our next tease. The full Table of Contents is here.
