The Dead God's Destiny -- Prologue

"Chop off the beginning" is standard advice when revising fiction: sometimes it takes a few paragraphs (or pages!) to get into the swing of things, and for the story to really start in earnest. But that doesn't mean the excised beginnings necessarily suck!

I have a story (the first of three) appearing soon in the e-zine Flashing Swords. Here is the opening you won't see there:

Jack’s leather shoes slipped continuously on the smooth safety railing of the bridge, but he did his best to keep his movements flowing and graceful. An impressed applicant made for a compliant employee, after all. A very attractive compliant employee in this case, thought Jack.

“Do you have to walk up there?” Avasa asked from the safety of the bridge. Jack stopped abruptly and turned, letting his heels hang out over Jengao, toes and the balls of his feet supporting all of his weight. Avasa closed her eyes and her face went nearly as green as the buildings. Jack thought it went well with her short locks and dark skin.

“No, I don’t have to,” said Jack.

“Well,” said Avasa, eyes still closed, “wouldn’t it be less conspicuous? We are stealing, right?”

Jack jumped down to the bridge and back up to the rail. Avasa opened her eyes, saw what he had done, and shut her eyes again. Jack smiled...

(Read the rest here)