My second novel, The Glaring of Cats, is very nearly almost just about done. I'm just wrapping up the final-ish editing pass and waiting on the cover and it'll be done. Expect an official announcement in a week or two and then it'll be ready to read on Amazon.
So, in anticipation, here's a sneak peak. Enjoy!
The Glaring of Cats: Sneak Peak
The sun glowed high in the sky,
beating down through light clouds onto a smooth, calm sea. A double-masted junk
coursed across the water, its sails catching the westerly wind. An old ship, her
dark flanks bore the scars and dents from battle and weather, but the brass fittings
gleamed and her deck shone from constant care. Her figurehead, a busty mermaid
with a tankard in each hand and a confused expression, rode at the fore. Near
the bow in big, white letters read the ship’s name: The Drunken Mermaid with
Really Big Boobs.
At a small table in the shade of
the sail sat Captain Yhu, a skinny man in a red coat. A plate, piled high with
hard tack, salted fish, and cheese, and accompanied by a mug of thick, black
beer that could be used as paint remover, rested on the table in front of him. Most
of the crew, a swarthy lot with bare chests and loose pants, ate in what shade
they could find or perched on the railings. They talked and laughed as they
ate, the breeze doing its best to blow away the collected funk of men who lived
in a closed space and didn’t bathe.
“Sail ho! Sail to the south!”
came a shout from the crow’s nest. The men leapt to their feet and crowded
around the railing as Captain Yhu finished his cheese and rose. He pushed and
shoved his way to the bow, shielding his eyes as he scanned the horizon. Spotting
the sail, he brought up his spyglass.
A single-masted ship, little more
than a dot to the naked eye, sailed east. “It’s a river vessel,” he said.
“What’s it doin’ out here?” said
First Mate Mha, the sun glinting from the thick gold earrings in each ear.
“It’s gettin’ boarded is what its
doin’!” A cheer rose from the crew. “Break out the weapons and get to yer
stations!” The Captain felt the rumble of dozens of bare feet through the deck as
thirty-odd men ran to their posts.
“I got a bad feelin, Captain,” Mha
said.
The Captain glanced over at him.
“What?”
Mha wiped his bald head with a
hand, flicking the sweat onto the deck. “Ain’t no reason for a little ship like
that to be out here. It don’t make no sense.”
The Captain turned back to the ship
on the horizon, which stayed true to her course. “You’re right,” the Captain
said. “But sense or no, she’s an easy target.”
“As you say, Captain.”
“Get the Dragon ready, just in
case.”
“Aye.”
The Mermaid closed the gap, but the
smaller ship didn’t deviate. Captain Yhu stayed at the bow, tapping his fingers
on the rail. Behind him, his men gathered, knives, clubs, and heavy broadswords
at the ready.
“They have to know we’re here,” the
Captain Yhu said to himself. “Why ain’t they runnin?”
Almost in response, the ship
dropped its single sail and began to slow.
“Bring us alongside!” The Captain
felt the Mermaid slow and start to curve in. His finger tapped faster.
“The men’re ready, Captain,” said
Mha.
“Good.” The Captain glanced at
his First Mate. “I’m gettin’ the same feelin,’ Mha. This is startin’ to remind
me o’ the Hummingbird.”
“The Hummingbird?” The First Mate’s
voice trembled on the last vowel and the Captain thought he heard a sniffle.
The Captain turned and after a moment’s
hesitation, patted Mha on the shoulder. “It’s okay,” he said. “Don’t go
thinkin’ on the Hum- that other ship.”
Mha nodded, but the Captain could
see tears brimming.
“C’mon! Who’s a pirate, eh? Who’s
a big, bad pirate?”
“I am,” Mha said, a slight waver
in his voice.
“That’s right! Now, wipe your
eyes and get on the Dragon. Keep out of sight ‘till I signal.”
“Aye, aye.”
The Mermaid closed with its
target and the Captain could see her deck now. A long, sloped vessel with a
shallow draft, she should have been on a river. Only one person could be seen, a
woman standing at the bow. Yhu leaned forward and then brought up his glass. Though
he could only see her back, but she looked young and slim. Her long, straight
black hair held a single, jade comb and the breeze rustled her blue silk tunic,
pants, and sash. She played a flute, a long brass instrument with a red tassel
on the end.
“What the?”
The Captain heard her song as his
ship pulled alongside, a low, mournful tune that felt familiar, but he couldn’t
quite place. The woman gave no notice as the larger ship bumped hers and the
Captain saw her face. Fine, delicate features and silk clothing suggested a
noblewoman, which promised that her family would pay a fortune for her ransom.
Grapnels flew out from the Mermaid
and bit into the smaller ship’s rail.
“Look at her!” Sneaky Tan said,
as the two ships pulled close. “Hello, ransom!”
The woman continued her song as
the sailors lashed the ships together. A thud reverberated through the wooden
ships as the pirates secured the ropes holding them together. The woman gave no
notice.
Yet, just as the last knot pulled
tight, she leapt.
The Captain watched open-mouthed
as she arced up and over his deck, almost thirty horizontal feet and ten
vertical, to land on the Mermaid’s opposite railing. She played a few more
notes, let them linger, and then finished with a flourish, spinning her flute
behind her back. Then she stood there, hands clasped behind her, looking at the
stunned pirates with pale blue eyes.
“Oh,” said the Captain. “This is
gonna be bad.”
“You are pirates?” the young woman
asked with the same crisp enunciation the Captain recalled from a couple of
noble victims.
Big So pushed his way in front of
her, swinging a club larger than some masts. “Yeah,” he said with a leer. “but
don’t worry, we ain’t gonna hurt ya none, we’re just gonna ransom ya back to
yer rich daddy.”
“And if I resist?”
He grinned and shrugged. “There’s
like thirty of us an’ one a you.” The other pirates snickered. “But if it makes
ya feel better, th-“
Something happened that began
with a gold blur and ended with a ‘crack.’ Big So fell backwards, a huge lump
forming on his head.
The assembled pirates stared as
Big So thudded onto the deck. Even as the Captain shouted for his men to stand
down, a collective yell rose from the crew.
They charged.
Little So reached her first,
slashing with his broadsword. The woman leaned to the side, letting the weapon
pass a scant inch from her head, while ramming her flute into Little So’s
midsection, dropping him to the desk where he writhed and gasped. She tripped
Medium Fang as he charged, his momentum carrying him headfirst into the
railing. Just-So came in low, knives flashing, and received an almost delicate
kick to the jaw, which sent him flying backwards. Five more pirates attacked in
as many seconds and went down just as hard.
The remaining crew stampeded to
the opposite side of the ship.
The young woman, now on the deck,
stood with her hands behind her, the breeze blowing past her, rustling her
hair, and delivering a faint scent of roses. Big So started to rise, looked up
at her, and then scrambled away to his mates, followed in short order by the
other victims.
“Who is the Captain?” the woman
asked.
Sixty-four-and-a-half fingers
pointed at Captain Yhu. He glared at his crew for a moment and then straightened
his coat and stepped forward.
“I’m Captain Yhu. Who’re you?”
“You may call me Miao.”
Captain Yhu paused. “Like a cat?”
“As you say.”
“Right.”
“I have a question,” Miao
continued. “Is this a better ship than that one?”
The Captain glanced at the small,
one deck river boat. “Yeah.”
“Good. You will take me to the
city of Locklarn.”
Captain Yhu blinked. “The city of
what?”
“Locklarn.”
“Never heard of it.”
She stared at him for a moment.
“Well, poop!” Miao froze, hand going to her mouth. “I’m so sorry! I apologize
for my language!” She bowed low enough that her hair touched the deck.
“Ummm,” said the Captain. “We’re
pirates. You can say whatever.”
“Really?”
“Sure.”
She glanced around and then
smiled. “Poop!”
One of the pirates, Young Ko,
raised his hand. Miao nodded at him. “That ain’t real swearin.’” he said. “I
mean, you can say ‘shit’ and ‘fuck’ and all sortsa-“ A piton crashed into his chest,
knocking him backwards into his mates.
“I will not,” she said, eyes
narrowed, “stand for such language! Any person using those words will be
punished! Severely!”
All the pirates shut their
mouths, but one hand rose from the back.
“Yes?”
“Can we say ‘po-‘ that word you
just used?”
Miao thought for a moment. “Very
well. But not too much. Now then,” she said, sweeping back a loose strand of
hair. “You do not know how to get to Locklarn?”
“Never even heard of it.”
“I see.” She strode forward, the
pirates parting in front of her. “Mr. Ho!” she called out to the smaller ship
as she leaned over the railing. “Please bring my bag!”
“Where is it?” came a voice,
muffled behind the tiny door that led to the central cabin.
“It’s hanging on a peg.”
“By the barrels?”
As Miao spoke, Sneaky Tan waved
to the Captain. He gestured towards the woman and made a cutting motion. The
Captain nodded and Sneaky Tan began to move towards her, his bare feet making no
sound on the deck, a knife at the ready.
The Captain held his breath as
Tan got within striking distance. Tan readied himself, lunged, and missed.
Miao stood next to him, her hand
on his throat. Sneaky Tan froze. “We can agree,” she said. “That I can kill any
or all of you anytime I wish?”
A murmur of assent rose from the
pirates.
“Then please refrain from
attacking me or I shall. By-the-by,” she said, as she released Tan. “If the man
with the firearm does not discharge it into the ocean, I will hang him from the
. . . “ she trailed off. “What’s the thing that holds the sail up?”
“Mast?” someone said.
“Thank you. Yes, I will hang him
from the mast with his own intestines.”
All the pirates turned towards
the door to the lower deck. “Captain?” asked First Mate Mha from behind the door.
“Do it!”
The door creaked open and Mha
stepped out, straining under the weight of the weapon. The Dragon’s brass
fitting gleamed when the sun hit them, joined by the rich luster of the mahogany
stock. Its twelve thick brass barrels jutted
out in an arc, designed to clear a deck in one shot. Mha staggered to the
railing and set the gun on it.
Everyone clamped their hands over
their ears as Mha pulled back the hammer. He said a quick prayer and then after
a three-count, pulled the trigger.
The entire boat recoiled at the
flash and roar, knocking several of the pirates off their feet. A cloud of
smoke obscured the port side of the ship, masking the rain of feathers that
erupted from an unlucky flock of seagulls.
The Captain turned away from the
smoke as it rolled across the deck, filling his nose with the smell of burnt
powder. He then noticed Miao.
She knelt, her hands clamped over
her ears, but she looked blurry, like a runny ink drawing. Even as the Captain
reached up to rub his eyes, she came back in focus.
As the Captain started to order
his men to attack, Miao stood, one hand on the rail, and brushed at knees of
her silk trousers. She looked shaken, but Yhu closed his mouth and watched as
she regained her composure.
“You okay?” he called out, but
she didn’t appear to hear him. “Huh.”
