Daniel and Rachel paced around the wine cellar, studying the extensive collection. As they toured the racks of wine, Daniel studied the milling crowd. Meanwhile, Rachel focused her attention upon the expensive wine when her eyes caught sight of a particular bottle. She scurried towards the unique bottle and whipped her head around to stare at Daniel. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, and Rachel tapped at his shoulder and then pointed at the bottle. “Daniel,” she exclaimed her eyes following her hand towards the wine. “I can’t believe they have a bottle of…”

“Not now, Rachel,” Daniel chastised, grabbing her wrist before she could touch the bottle of wine.

“But Daniel,” Rachel pleaded as she lifted her perfume atomizer. She turned to the bottle, and the finger hovered above the plunger...

As the garbage truck came to a stop, Leland took it out of gear and tapped his partner’s shoulder. “Veit, we’re back. Go on and start emptying the load.”

“I did it last time, Leland,” Veit complained.

Leland scoffed as he looked at his diminutive partner, “It’s not my fault you can’t drive the truck.”

“That’s not fair,” Veit grumbled as he yanked his door open. “You’ll have to take a turn doing this work eventually.”

“No, I won’t,” Leland replied as he threw the lever to open the garbage truck for Veit. “Come grab me once you’ve emptied the trash...

“Did the message buoy get dropped?” Someone in the back of the shuttle called out.

Rylan groaned and replied, “Yes, I dropped the buoy before we lost sight of the ship. When I dropped it, I made sure we could communicate, and they instructed us to stay the course.”

“Not what I asked,” the same voice called back.

Rylan ignored the comment and returned to his scan of the planet. Laria was just as dead as the other two worlds, and that stole the resolve from most everyone in the shuttle...

Quinn and Caitlin maneuvered their agendas with the help of Malark, and now they have to deal with Olyver who wants to make them pay for that success…..

Last month Harrison followed his familial duties and thanks to the influence of his friend, Lucas Roth. As with any duty, Harrison could not escape it for long. This month we shift to Sylvia, who is now dealing with the fallout of her employer’s demands...

Rushing to the precious center of a section of the wall, Tarian grabbed one of the rifles of the dead still lining the failing wall. He bent down, and a tear threatened to escape, but he forced the emotions down. He could grieve for the dead later. Tarian wished that the dead could have been given the respect they deserved, but they couldn’t spare the manpower. As a result, bodies and their rifles littered the walls.

With burning, hatred, Tarian popped up and fired upon the advancing horde. After getting a couple of shots off, he spun back under the meager protection the wall presented him. After a couple of moments, he turned toward a hole in the wall, and he could see the undulating mass below. Tarian brought his weapon to bear upon the swirling mass of body and sinew...

Nathaniel stood on the beach of the closest continent. As the waves lapped up against the man’s legs, he watched as bodies flowed out of the Novus into this strange new world. Some headed away from the claimed shore.

Someone tapped on Nathaniel’s shoulder, and the man’s head turned around and saw his friend, Marcus, standing behind him. Marcus stepped closer to his friend and pointed at the raft coming towards the shore...

A common definition of a compromise is an agreement where no one ends up happy. It appears that Quinn doesn’t listen to that definition…..

As Amelia’s feet carried her forward, she tugged at her hood to keep the chilly air from overpowering her. But when she stepped onto a slick patch of earth, her foot slid, causing her to stumble. After she hit the ground, she propped herself up and ran a finger through the muddy surface. She rubbed the mud between her fingers before standing up and staring into the sky. Her eyes widened as she raced up the small hill.

When she reached the summit, Amelia raised a hand, and the first raindrops slammed against her palm. As each droplet collided with her skin, it rippled, absorbing the drop like a stone thrown upon a clear lake...

Placing his hand on his chest, Rylan tried to force his raging stomach to settle. As his fingers went through the motions of lacing up his boots, his mind kept returning to the fact that according to the long-range sensors Laria was another dead world. Yet there was another planet in this system that teemed with life, and he couldn’t explain it.

As he finished tying his shoes, Cederic sat down next to him. “How are you holding up Rylan?”

Rylan sighed as he wet his cracking lips with his tongue. “I’m doing pretty well...

As he paced about the wall, Tarian stopped when he came to a devastated section. He ran his fingers along the shorn stone and glanced at the boulder, now entrenched in the ground just behind the wall. Thankfully, the defenders stationed there evaded the massive rock hurtling past them, saved only by a defender’s shout. Tarian shook his head and turned back to the swelling ranks of monsters.

He blinked, uncertain if the distant tree had moved. But upon a second examination, he confirmed that it was not only moving, but massive. His shoulders slumped, heavy with the realization of the implications. He pulled out his telescope and searched for answers. As he followed the steady stream of creatures, he came to the largest troll he’d ever seen.

He spun around, his eyes wide...

Guiding Darren through the streets, Leodor Sultaser ducked down an alley and positioned the boy behind him while they waited. When the elf resumed his pace, Darren tugged at the man’s sleeve. “Where are we going?”

“I’m leading you to my home.”

“Why?”

“As I told you, Darren. I need to test your commitment...

Brandon Sanderson is a fantastic author. And the arcing story he is telling in his cosmere universe is breathtaking. But he does not spend all his time living in that universe. Which means his faithful readers are treated to tales outside of that story. One such story is Skyward. This particular story centers around the life and struggles of Spensa aka Spin. She is a child who has a simple dream. She wants to follow her father’s footsteps and become a starship pilot. That single goal focused by a desire to help her people in their struggle against their enemy...

Last month Sylvia was tasked with preparing for a celebration that her employer was going to put on. She felt Kameron was foolish with his decision. But she relented when it became apparent that Kameron was not going to back down. This month we shift back to Harrison and his latest adventure with his familial duties...

I remember seeing the original Iron Man in theaters and being blown away by the movie. Its story was captivating, and the characters were cast with perfection. Then something extraordinary happened, the first post-credit scene ran. And I remember the chill that ran down my spine. Eleven years ago that scene teased a future movie, The Avengers. But even with that first mention of what was to come, I never expected what would unfold before me. It took a while for the depth of this saga to unfold. But when the credits of Infinity War began to roll, my heart yearned for the then-untitled fourth Avengers film to arrive. It was fortunate that the wait wasn’t too long. But after twenty-one movies in the what has become known as the Infinity Saga. I couldn’t help but wonder how Marvel Studios would manage to tie everything together. And after walking out of the theater on the 27th, the answer was simple. All they needed to do was release Avengers: Endgame...