Flotsam: Chronicles of the 5th Epoch

By Van Peer

Sibi ekes out a living translating ancient blueprints, when he agrees to help a young woman rescue her husband who was abducted by a demon. But, Time flows in strange ways within the desolate ruins where the monster lurks, and what Sibi encounters is not quite what he expects.

( 9000 word fantasy short, with a pinch of physics. The first story of a planned anthology. )

• Language: English
• Publisher: Van Peer
• Release date: Aug 9, 2015
• ISBN: 9781516372607

Van Peer

I grew up on a steady diet of science fiction, which probably explains my urge to experiment with fantasy mixed with hard science. I am obsessed with all branches of science, math, ancient & medieval history, space exploration, artificial intelligence and hiking the temperate forests of North America. Van Peer is my pseudonym. 

Book preview

Flotsam

Chronicles of the 5th Epoch

Van Peer

Published by Van Peer, 2015.

This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.

FLOTSAM

First edition. August 9, 2015.

Copyright © 2015 Van Peer.

Written by Van Peer.

Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright Page

Flotsam

About the Author

Sibi's breadth whistled through his teeth as he sighted High Mausoleum. The ruins were devoid of color as they were of life, the ancient surfaces pitted and bleached like a moonscape. The blocky dwellings were scattered in dense clumps across the slope, looking deceptively small in the distance. But the dead city sprawled like a vast wound as if exposing the white bone beneath green living skin that cloaked the rest of the mountainside. Pebbles skittered down the steep dirt track as Sibi stopped to catch his breath.

Oof..., Akalya's exclamation muffled behind him as she ran into his knapsack, watch it... what's the matter?

Sibi swallowed and pointed up the trail. High Mausoleum radiated out from a central hub like a slice of pie draped down the mountain flank, not unlike the terraced rice paddies they had left far behind earlier that morning. Sibi glanced back wistfully where the trail emerged from the relative safety of the tree line.

Whoa, color returned to Akalya's tear-streaked face as she took in the subtly alien sprawl, what a forsaken place.

Sibi grabbed his chance to collapse with a grateful sigh on a moss covered outcropping. He looked at Akalya with grudging respect. She couldn't be any more comfortable with this hike than he was, but somehow she managed to mask her fatigue with grim determination.

He's in there, she whispered, pray we find him. Then louder as if to clear away doubts, We'll find him, come on. Looks like we are nearly there.

Give yourself a rest, Sibi implored and pointed up, Those buildings? They were built for Giants, not men. They are larger than you think. A lot larger. Which means the city is farther away than it looks.

Akalya frowned and lowered the hem of her sari which was hitched up for the hike in the fashion of women who farmed the rice paddies. The striking yellow garment bordered in indigo and silver tracery already showed signs of wear that hadn't been there this morning. She wordlessly plopped down on the wayside grass and wiped her face with the sari's loose end that ran across her bare midriff up over the blouse contouring her bust. Her fingers darted back compulsively to the hilt of something like a blade sheathed into the sari folds tucked around her hips.

Wow, she's quite alluring... Sibi caught himself and looked away embarrassed, not