We reach the top of the ridge overlooking the valley where our village rests. In the distance, we can see our home. Asteroids pass above us, dappling the sunlight with shade, and this high, the air thins and the stars still peek through the pink clouds. The wind teases through our hair and under our folded wings. We stretch them wide, enjoying the ache of easing our stiff spine. Our fingers twine amongst the long grasses on our mane, gripping onto the sturdy anchor. Small white flowers bud on our branches. We whisper with a voice like a rustle of a breeze through new leaves.
“Just one flight?”
This quarter’s short story marks the 3rd installment in The Real World Sequence, and revisits Notos, a character previously introduced in my Writeblr Summerfest story called, “A Sea of Savage Stars.” It follows a young dragonrider who lives on an asteroid ring and is facing the difficult decision to continue her apprenticeship with their mentor, Boreas, or to stay home in safety and comfort. It’s about owning up to your mistakes, fresh starts, and family. You can read the whole story by signing up for my mailing list here!
If you’re not familiar with my newsletter, it’s a quarterly publication that includes an original short story or exclusive WIP update with each email. These are often more experimental works that play with unique POVs or formats, or develop the background of one of my existing novel worlds. When you sign up, you also get access to the entire library of previous stories, so if you want to catch up on what you missed, you can work through them at your own pace! Email is also the best way to contact me directly, so it’s great if you want to strike up a conversation or give me feedback. I plan to turn these stories into published anthologies in the future, but subscribers get the first look at them, early votes on decisions like merch designs, and priority for blog post recommendations. If you enjoy the work, you see on this site, be sure to check out the newsletter for more of my wacky ideas!
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Etta Grace: Author 