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Carla Hennes ❌ 👑 🐸

@tempestteapot.bsky.social

1K followers 1.3K following 410 posts

Tempest Teapot: energy coiled in small space
Epic Fantasy novel Demon’s Bargain
#AmQuerying #F #R #YA #A
Kahyla Tamrin faces a demon’s bargain where all the options are bad: fight with soul-destroying magic or lose her family, her beloved, and her life.

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Carla Hennes ❌ 👑 🐸 @tempestteapot.bsky.social · Jul 13

A bastard gentrywoman, Kahyla protects her siblings against assassins, demon-eaten mages, and rivals intent on the throne. She faces a DEMON’S BARGAIN where all the options are bad: fight with soul-destroying magic or lose her family, her beloved, and her life.

#BluePit 📖 #F #R #YA #A #Q

Graphic shows silhouette of couple filled with courtyard, leather armor, and a structure consumed by flames. Six of Crows X Witch King Demon's Bargain A bastard gentrywoman, Kahyla struggles to protect her siblings against assassins, demon-eaten mages, and political rivals intent on the throne. She faces a demon's bargain: fight with soul-destroying magic or lose her family, her beloved, and her life. 120k Epic Fantasy Novel. Tropes list: Deliberate values dissonance Feminist within patriarchy Heel-face turn Slow burn Forbidden love Powers via Possession Coming of Age Quiet girl finds her voice Target markets: adult fantasy for darker themes, detailed world-building, and a blend of magic and political intrigue. YA for coming-of-age story and slow burn romance, while skewing older for the consequences of difficult life choices. #F #R #YA #A #Q Body count 11, proposals 4, weddings 2

Reposted by Carla Hennes ❌ 👑 🐸

Queen of Swords Press

@qospress.bsky.social

#Booksky 1/2 Real talk: the Press and several of our authors are based in Minneapolis, which is experiencing a significant government-fueled assault on our people, our communities and our local economy. And I have a LOT of bills to pay this month. queenofswordspress.com/product/comp...

January 14, 2026 at 1:37 PM

Carla Hennes ❌ 👑 🐸

@tempestteapot.bsky.social

Kahyla faces a DEMON’S BARGAIN: fight with soul-destroying magic or lose her family, her beloved, and her life. The demons are real but the saints require her body as a vessel.

⛓️Feminist
🦶 Heel-face turn
❤️ Slow burn
🕴️Powers via Possession
🗣️Quiet girl finds her voice

#BluePit 📖 #Q #F #R #YA #A

January 14, 2026 at 4:00 AM

Reposted by Carla Hennes ❌ 👑 🐸

Zed Prospero

@zprospero.bsky.social

A KINKY WEREWOLF X VAMPIRE SEX COMEDY

Wulf discovers being a werewolf means no orgasms, unless he wants to howl down every cop on the city on him, so his two hot roommates help him train to resist.

But when Sky, vampire S&M club owner comes, will Wulf?

#BluePit 📖 #P #A #F #R #Erotica #LGBT

At the top is the title text “Good Boys Don’t Howl”

On a background of a brick wall lit with the colors of the bisexual pride flag is the shadow of a howling werewolf and a rain of red feathers.

Over the shadow is a neon mouth with red lips and white vampire fangs and a blue and purple hand with a raised index finger in a shushing gesture.

Below that is a tagline: “pop goes the werewolf”

January 13, 2026 at 5:35 AM

Carla Hennes ❌ 👑 🐸

@tempestteapot.bsky.social

Kahyla faces a DEMON’S BARGAIN where all the options are bad: fight with soul-destroying magic or lose her family, her beloved, and her life.

Opening line:
Blood and ash, which way through the rocks?
Ending lines:
“And if you find more demons?”
“Then I fight,” she said.
#BluePit 📖 #F #R #YA #A #Q

January 14, 2026 at 12:48 AM

Reposted by Carla Hennes ❌ 👑 🐸

Kira of the Wind (Erika McCorkle)

@kiraofthewind.com

GRIMDARK-TO-COZY

Innkeeper Shallot can't help adopting every abused child who finds their way to her inn. She shows them kindness, but these kids grow up radicalized by their backgrounds and capitalism. As adults, they become a polyamorous gang of anarchists and murderers.

#BluePit📖 #A #F #W #LGBT

Mood board for Welcome to the Good Thyme Inn
Green background with gears and bedding. Knife prominent near the title. Images include candles, beds, a piano, an old timey kitchen, flowers around a big old house, vegetables, a bar, potions, and a hurdy-gurdy.

January 13, 2026 at 4:18 PM

Reposted by Carla Hennes ❌ 👑 🐸

Prof Emily

@professoremily.bsky.social

TENEMENT

House of Leaves x The Giver

Inside, the Tenement is an infinite maze of halls.

Outside, there is... Nothing.

When Noah Walker's mom mysteriously goes missing, he vows to learn the secrets of his strange world. Even if it means tearing the whole thing down.

#Bluepit #Bluepit📖 #YA #M #D

A dimly lit frame with the first four Rules of the Tenement:
RULE ONE
Under no circumstances shall anyone leave the Tenement.
RULE TWO
The Front Door is to remain shut and locked at all times.
RULE THREE
Any windows that appear are to remain closed, with the curtains drawn, and should be avoided until they disappear again. Tenants are forbidden from looking upon the outside.
RULE FOUR
These Rules, being given to us by our Landlord and passed down unchanged from the founding of the Tenement, shall be inscribed into the heart and mind of every tenant for the wellbeing of all
A mysterious photo of a woman in a dark hall and a scrap of paper are tucked into the bottom corner. The paper reads "Where is she?"

January 13, 2026 at 3:17 PM

Carla Hennes ❌ 👑 🐸

@tempestteapot.bsky.social

#WIPSnips #amquerying #writesky #epicfantasy 💙📚 🪐📚

From my Epic Fantasy novel Demon’s Bargain. Kahyla fights back. Her father's sword-sworn jumps her outside their campsite and tries to shift the blame to the rival lord's son.

“None of that, m’lady.”
Kirrik’s calm mocking voice.
“I can’t blame Kalev with scratches on my face.”
I gave him the idea. Despard would kill Kalev in a rage, then Kirrik could pick off Abber and Despard later.
Kirrik’s knee jammed into her diaphragm, forcing out what little air she had. Her ribs banged against his pommel. Reflexively, she doubled over. Air, she needed air. Kirrik dropped her arm, taking a pace back.
They’ll always be stronger, Kahyla.
Her heartbeat thudded in her ears. Her vision was sharp as Kirrik’s hand moved to the sword on his hip.
“If you run, I can make this much worse.”
Snorting around the gag, she stayed down. Her fingers twitched in pine needles and dirt.
I’m not running.
A wide swing of shadow, silent movement, star-shine on sword metal.
Get inside his reach.

January 13, 2026 at 5:22 PM

Carla Hennes ❌ 👑 🐸

@tempestteapot.bsky.social

January 13, 2026 at 5:13 PM

Carla Hennes ❌ 👑 🐸

@tempestteapot.bsky.social

#WIPSnips #amquerying #writesky 💙📚 🪐📚

From my short story “My Body as a Spacesuit,” a very distant prequel to Demon’s Bargain. Pim tried to fix her jumpship with an EVA, letting inside an alien that now demands to take over her body.

Home. Not Earth anymore, but an asteroid near Saturn. A memory of blue expanding fire, a silent methane explosion with no air to carry the sound. Debris arced away in a wide low-gravity parabola from the habitat, across the gully where Pim waited in her jumpship. Like wasps, the Skelig gang’s ships darted to finish the job and take over an “abandoned” claim. No time for coordinates, no time for safety checklists, no time for grief, Pim had blindly jumped away from Rose’s pyre.
Even if she could fix the primary fusion reactor, she was all alone. Both in space and her heart.
Sometimes our shells would disobey and resist the saddle. Stupidly fight to hide their nerve control points. I could force control. Pim doubled over with fire in her joints. But you know the ship. If we can’t fix the ship, we both die.
“I can’t fix it. The radiation would kill me before I could restore the coolant system. Only an hour left and I can’t get close enough.” She took a ragged breath. “Story of my life, never let anyone close until it’s too late.”
A black coldness trickled up her torso, reaching her heart, then shoulders, then tendrils of ice climbed into her head.
Let me in. Let me see.
An ice pick stabbed behind her eyes.
You use engines to travel the void? And these metal things tell it where to go?
Her jump leads crackled with power.
I walk the path of the void, but I slipped my parent-leash to explore many times. I left the path to find a new way. I disobeyed my clan and left the safe paths. I thought I knew better than my clan and now I can’t get back. You miss your clan too.
Pim sniffled, grinding down her urge to sob in her suit. The smell of Rose’s perfume was the first thing to hit her when she returned home, the promise of a warm hug after peeling away the layers between them. Dammit, Rose, I didn’t mean to get you killed.

January 11, 2026 at 6:11 PM

Carla Hennes ❌ 👑 🐸

@tempestteapot.bsky.social

#WIPSnips #amquerying #writesky #epicfantasy 💙📚 🪐📚

From my Epic Fantasy novel Demon’s Bargain. Like a lamb among wolves, Kahyla navigates the princess’s tea reception where she expects to meet a mage contact.

Vayhne waved his hand. “Only until the Baron’s Moot. As my good friend Xaln discovered, a king is only as effective as his barons and priests allow. For myself, I’ve been saddled with Captain Jan here as my babysitter.”
“Better than guarding a teenage princess,” the veteran Blue said. “She climbed out windows.”
A cough from the sticky bun crumbs overcame Kahyla.
“You have my sympathies, Captain Jan,” she said after she recovered her breath. “I seem to have more in common with the princess than I imagined.”
Captain Jan turned to Master Vayhne. “Definitely Corporal Niklos, sir. With five sisters, he won’t underestimate the task.”
“She hasn’t agreed to anything yet, Captain Jan,” Master Vayhne twisted his ring before continuing more formally. “The princess wishes to assign a Blue to you for your protection, if you’ll allow it.”
Kahyla snorted, setting the gold dangles at her ears dancing. “What does she expect in return?”
Malgrim squeezed her elbow, earning an annoyed glare from Kahyla. Vayhne merely smiled and showed opened palms.
“A gift. She gains a buffer against a marriage to Grath and time to persuade on the Gooseport matter.”
Kahyla rubbed the ribbon buttons on her sleeve. Vayhne sighed, scanning for any listeners close by, then leaned close enough that even Malgrim couldn’t hear. “I promise friendly persuasion, not threats to your sister as Tav reported.”
Kahyla’s eyes widened at Tav’s name. Captain Jan maintained his neutral posture, but Vayhne met her gaze with a nod of confirmation. No wonder Tav’s master could arrange for open-ended royal invitations. Their mysterious ally was the InterRex himself.

January 10, 2026 at 4:24 PM

Carla Hennes ❌ 👑 🐸

@tempestteapot.bsky.social

#BluePitHype #WIPSnips #WritingCommunity #amquerying #writesky #epicfantasy

Mood board for Demon's Bargain.

January 9, 2026 at 2:53 PM

Carla Hennes ❌ 👑 🐸

@tempestteapot.bsky.social

#WIPSnips #amquerying #writesky #epicfantasy 💙📚 🪐📚

From Epic Fantasy, Waking the Saints. Zorrik hunted down mages before they can open a path to demons. To wake a saint, he has to collaborate with a hidden mage who has every reason not to trust him.

Zorrik selected a table with several empty chairs. A young noblewoman with Sintebfin green ribbons on her red coolan ceased her conversation with the equally young gentleman in Tanik orange. Tien-wife to Baron Sintebfin, junior to the Baroness Sintabfin, if he recalled correctly. Zorrik made a show of placing his cup on the far side of the table and adjusting the fit of his red gloves that marked him as a demon-hunter not an ordinary priest. Like thievery and the city guards, he would leave other sins to his colleagues. The pretty second wife returned to her whispers.
Zorrik laid both his hands on the table and breathed slowly.
The traitor might not come. Someone who tempted a demon’s bargain, possession in exchange for power, such a man might not listen to reason.
Sit. Drink the tea. Wait and hope.
On his next cup of tea, second harvest Inani as, alas, the sassafras had gone cold, he wandered by the Queen’s table. All the chairs were occupied, so he paused strategically within her sightline.

January 9, 2026 at 2:46 PM

Carla Hennes ❌ 👑 🐸

@tempestteapot.bsky.social

#BluePitHype 💙📚 🪐📚

Oh hey dere! I'm Carla, a Minnesotan author. I have one published Sci-Fi story, "Haint Blue" with @story-forge.bsky.social and #amquerying a Fantasy novel, Demon's Bargain. I'm #writing a sequel novel called Waking the Saints.

Writing is my escape from the present horrors.

#BluePit - A Storytelling Hype & Pitch Event @bluepit.bsky.social · 6d

Welcome to the first day of #BluePitHype! It's only 5 days to #BluePit on January 13th! So, join us for our Q&A!

DAY ONE: Introductions

Tell us who you are! Make some new friends!

We can't wait to meet you and your stories!

#WriteSky #WritingCommunity #GameDev #TTRPG #Comic #AmQuerying

#BluePitHype
Q & A
JANUARY 8th

Introductions

Tell us about yourself ahead of #BluePit! What inspires you, what genres do you write in, how did you become a writer?

Pitch contests are also a great way to make/reconnect with friends. Remember to us the #BluePitHype tag!

5 DAYS TO #BLUEPIT ON JAN 13TH!

@BLUEPIT.BSKY.SOCIAL

January 9, 2026 at 1:46 AM

Carla Hennes ❌ 👑 🐸

@tempestteapot.bsky.social

#WIPSnips #amquerying #writesky #epicfantasy 💙📚 🪐📚

From my Epic Fantasy novel Demon’s Bargain. Young Abber chats with Horseman Vetal, a guard working for her kidnapper.

Abber sighed and put down her sewing. “What I wouldn’t give for some Inani silk to work with. That would have made Lady Trana’s Hidden Moon gown spectacular.”
“You were Lady Trana’s tailor? Bizal was convinced there was a Huxen connection when he saw the puffed sleeves in the Huxen mountain style. The kitchen girls were all sneaking peeks and guessing how you got the gathers to lay flat across her waist.”
“I put a strip of horsehair canvas along the gathering cord before attaching the bodice. Stiff and heavy, works great for shaping,” Abber said. “Doesn’t hurt the horse a bit, I’m sure.”
Vetal wagged a finger. “Don’t hurt my favorite horse, Domino. He’s likely to kick you if you pull his tail hair. Better to try Clover for a gentle horse.”

January 9, 2026 at 1:14 AM

Carla Hennes ❌ 👑 🐸

@tempestteapot.bsky.social

#WIPSnips #WritingCommunity #amquerying #writesky #epicfantasy 💙📚 🪐📚

From Epic Fantasy WIP, Waking the Saints. A last evening together before the young king rides to war with a double-crossing general.

“I told you to leave me,” she snapped. She dropped her hands to the table to disguise her emotions.
“And I will, dearest.” Tauno wore a long sailor’s shift and boat slippers. “But will you be my braid buddy first?” His navy braids still tangled his hair. “None of my valets understand braids on a man. Landbound demons.” He pulled up a footstool and sat next to her.
Lualih traced the worry lines by his eyes. A swift tuck brought his mouth to her hand for a kiss.
“It will be alright,” Tauno said.
She locked her arms around him, burying her face in the sweet oil scent of his wood-curl hair. “No, no, it’s all wrong. Tauno, you fool, he’s going to kill you.”
A few moments of warmth before he pulled away. “Not even Bizal would commit treason.”
“He doesn’t have to! Surround you with his cronies and they will all swear it was the enemy that stabbed you. Treason never investigated because you’re dead.”
Her fingertips slid across the lacing of his shirt’s yoke, feeling for his heartbeat. “Tauno the Brave cut down by Northmen, when the support for your vanguard is slow in responding.”

January 7, 2026 at 1:45 PM

Carla Hennes ❌ 👑 🐸

@tempestteapot.bsky.social

#WIPSnips #amquerying #writesky #epicfantasy 💙📚 🪐📚

From Epic Fantasy WIP, Waking the Saints. First Privy Council for the young royal couple. Queen Lualih knows her politics, but King Tauno is a ship-born sailor and courted Lualih with maps instead of trinkets.

Drawn to the beautiful maps, Lualih stopped herself before the formal crown slid off her scarlet coolan. Other suitors had brought her furs or jewels like Tepaya’s dear and dim brother with silver Dancing Day bells, but Tauno had brought her navigation maps. The golden ribbon had been his uncle’s idea, but Tauno had shown her how to read the currents, interpret the soundings noted by captains wary of shoals, and regaled her with stories of all the places on the map he had seen with his own eyes. On a dare, she had calculated the most likely location for a shipwreck, based on the logbook found on the body of the navigator.
Baron Tartuj unrolled the oilcloth down the long table, expertly avoiding the water glasses. Tauno caught the edge and traced his finger to the Dragon’s Teeth in Ferruthan waters.
“Fast and direct, but with dangerous currents, especially during low tides,” Tauno said.

January 6, 2026 at 1:41 PM

Carla Hennes ❌ 👑 🐸

@tempestteapot.bsky.social

#WIPSnips #amquerying #writesky #epicfantasy 💙📚 🪐📚

From my Epic Fantasy novel Demon’s Bargain. Abber questions Kalev the rival lord's son, trying to reconcile an assassination attempt in the fall with a blizzard rescue in the winter.

January 5, 2026 at 2:08 PM

Carla Hennes ❌ 👑 🐸

@tempestteapot.bsky.social

#WIPSnips #amquerying #writesky #epicfantasy 💙📚 🪐📚

From my Epic Fantasy novel Demon’s Bargain. The Tamrin children fled to a foreign city to escape assassins, but months have passed without word from their father. Learning forbidden magic, Abber hasn't seen any demons...yet.

Tebfin licked his fingers and joined Abber on the floor. “When do we go home, Abber? Home to Tamrin. I want to ride horses, not shovel droppings.” He added several large sticks and closed the stove. “The other stablehands make fun of how I talk, say I clip my words like a horse on cobblestones. Except for Timothy. He’s another working apprentice. He’s from a Ferruthan town up the Silvern Road, so he doesn’t sound like all the Bivmiavan boys. And he lets me practice drumming with him.” Tebfin lay his head in Abber’s lap.
“You could take the apprentice exams if you want to learn more music. With the sums you learned from Master Kurth, I’m sure you’d pass,” Abber said, smoothing his wild hair. “I want to stay and learn more magic. Master Yill says I have the talent to become a commercial mage, maybe travel if I learned healing or far-speaking. If I can develop the discipline to control the flow. He even suggested it might be time to clean the spent magic from my blood. Have a Silva priestess draw it out. Can you imagine Kahyla’s reaction if I set foot in a Silva temple, let alone allowed a priestess to lay hands on me?”
Tebfin sat up slowly, Abber’s hand sliding off his head.
“Kahyla’s better at changing the subject,” he said. “When are we going home? How long can it take for Daddy to burn down the Terrick Manor and teach them a lesson?”
Abber rubbed the tingle from her fingers.
How much fire would that take? How much would the magic take out of her?
“He’s probably settled with the Terricks, but can’t get a message to us,” Abber reassured him. “The passes are snowbound. Between storms and pirates, the courier ships from Huxen can’t make safe harbor to Bivmiav until late spring. A few more months?”

January 4, 2026 at 2:17 PM

Carla Hennes ❌ 👑 🐸

@tempestteapot.bsky.social

#WIPSnips #amquerying #writesky #epicfantasy 💙📚 🪐📚

From Epic Fantasy Waking the Saints. Zorrik has dedicated his life to hunting down mages, but now needs to covertly work with a mage.

Late posting today because my day was not calm.

Who? Who could it be?
Smaller teapots and a sea of individual teacups filled the white draped table. Zorrik put down his sad empty cup and grabbed a delicate light blue teapot. A brief sniff confirmed the contents of sassafras tea and he poured. He took a calming sip before turning back to the chaos.
The Raven. A madman he had hunted for years.
From the card room, the braying laughter of Baroness Kalamaji echoed. Startled, Zorrik almost spilled dark liquid down his red priest’s tunic.
Could the Raven be a woman? The Baroness had the money to cover her tracks, but Saint Podru had mentioned a connection to the palace. The shipping family of House Kalamaji rarely ventured inland.
Near the archway to the Queen’s table stood a tense soldier in a crisp blue uniform. His belt carried a long sword on one side and a dagger on the other.
A royal Blue would be close to the king. Chosen from veterans for their bravery and expertise, a Blue could be clever enough. Zorrik snuck another look at the young soldier. The Raven had been active for decades but most Blues didn’t make it past forty.

January 4, 2026 at 12:43 AM

Carla Hennes ❌ 👑 🐸

@tempestteapot.bsky.social

#WIPSnips #amquerying #writesky #epicfantasy 💙📚 🪐📚

Resolution = cadence

From my Epic Fantasy novel Demon’s Bargain.

Some worshipers approached the fountain, and then quickly left after tossing in one of the special coins. Others knelt at the basin to splash water on their faces and mutter a prayer. A few used cups to pour water into small bottles.
Cutting through the murmuring water, a clear tenor voice sang a simple melody. Melting one vowel into another, the deep Ferruthan accent obscured the words, but the song clearly transmitted gratitude. Circling the fountain, Kahyla traced the source. Malgrim knelt facing the fountain’s statue, his face damp, his loose white hair dripping, his voice pouring devotion to his goddess. As Kahyla entered his peripheral vision, he gracefully brought his song to a cadence and stopped.
“Blessed by Her Luck!” cried Malgrim, bouncing to stand on muddy boots. “Kahyla, my petition passed! The Guildmaster approved my petition to lead a caravan to Huxen.”

January 2, 2026 at 6:04 PM

Reposted by Carla Hennes ❌ 👑 🐸

Samantha Breaux ❄️ ☃️

@woodenvelt.bsky.social

Spencer has an awkward conversation with a mysterious stranger.

From book 2 of my romantasy wip about a priest of the dead and a thief with a heart of gold.

#WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingPrompts #WritingCommunity #Wrencer

“Interesting choice of words, that.” The stranger’s gaze skidded past Spencer and drifted out into the rising darkness behind them where stars were just starting to freckle the sky. “Beholden. It implies a debt. An obligation from you to Her.”

A suspicious little voice that was decidedly Wren-like kept bouncing around Spencer’s thoughts whispering questions like, “Who is this oddly helpful man?” and “Where did he come from?” and “Why is he so damn chatty?” Between the incredulous thoughts and his queasy stomach, the steadying calm Spencer had previously attained was rapidly evaporating.

“Accurate, I would say.” Spencer struggled to keep the irritated edge out of his voice. “She graced me with Her gifts from a young age and without them, I can’t imagine what shape my life would have taken.”

“Did She, though? Or did She simply take credit for the natural gifts that were yours to begin with?” The stranger’s voice had shifted, chameleon-like, from gregarious stranger at the pub to streetcorner philosopher prodding passers by towards some deeper understanding.

“May I ask your name, friend?” Spencer asked in a tone that suggested rather the opposite of friendship.

The man shrugged, his broad shoulders rising and falling with a soft creak from his leathers. His face was an innocent, amiable mask but his eyes glittered sharply in the growing dark.

January 1, 2026 at 3:44 PM

Carla Hennes ❌ 👑 🐸

@tempestteapot.bsky.social

#WIPSnips #amquerying #writesky #epicfantasy 💙📚 🪐📚

A Demon’s Bargain where all the options are bad: fight with soul-destroying magic or lose her family, her beloved, and her life. Opposites thrown together: a gentry refugee pulled from the river by a rough sell-sword with a poet’s heart.

Despard shifted, leaning on the hip opposite his sword. “Where do we begin?” he said, giving her a Ferruthan bow from the waist. “Gentlemistress.”
Imagine he’s a lost nobleman, stumbling onto her step like one of the saint’s stories.
“May Parkith protect you while you dwell beneath my humble roof,” Kahyla said, returning a proper Huxen curtsy.
“Your roof, is it?” Despard said lightly.
“A guest is supposed to bring fruit,” said Tebfin, tugging on Despard’s cloak.
Despard scooped up an apple and presented it to Kahyla. She grinned, accepting the bumpy fruit. She held it under her nose, smelling the orchards of home.
“I could spend hours climbing the apple trees near the manor, ripping my skirt and hiding from my tutor.” Her bittersweet smile faded. “I wanted to escape all the responsibilities, all the people telling me what to do, but I never felt lonely. Today, I was surrounded by people and I’ve never felt so alone.”
Despard hunched his shoulders before meeting her eyes. “When I first arrived in Bivmiav from the marshlands, I felt the same. I missed a girl back home so much I wrote a poem for her.”
“I wish I deserved my own poet,” Kahyla said. “Can I hear it?”
“Where buildings rise as trees,
With no bird song easing fears,
Without her, all peace flees.”
He snuck a peek at her, as though expecting laughter.
“She’s very lucky,” Kahyla said.

January 1, 2026 at 4:09 PM

Carla Hennes ❌ 👑 🐸

@tempestteapot.bsky.social

#WIPSnips #amquerying #writesky #epicfantasy 💙📚 🪐📚

From Epic Fantasy WIP, Waking the Saints. First privy council interrupted by news of invasion.

Lualih’s focus continued down the map, past the river mouth to the Ferruth capital city of Bivmiav, past the coves of Bajan, and the crinkled coast of Caldone. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the Blue at the door bring his elbows up, pivoting to brace the far door. Hadn’t that turncoat Vetal been on watch duty for the outer door? A muffled shout preceded the soldier ripping open the door as a muddy girl dashed inside.
“We are invaded! The Northmen are invading!”
The hiss of rain against the saint-designed windows filled the stunned silence. The stench of horseflesh evaded Bizal’s lavender perfume. Sleeping saints, the border was a good week’s ride and the girl looked like she hadn’t slept in days.
Tauno leapt to his feet. “Baz, give her your seat,” he barked, slipping to the first name of the baron at the end of the table.
Ambassador Quimmick stepped forward to place a water glass before her, but the youngster shrank away from the Northman. Tepaya dunked a handkerchief in a different glass, maneuvering around Quimmick. She knelt and washed dirt from the girl’s face, brushing chestnut hair back into her stained white coolan.
Quickly threading through the crowd, Tauno put a hand on the young baron’s shoulder. “Baz, get the map for the border.” The girl’s breathing had slowed from gasping. “When you’re ready, child, tell us more.”

December 31, 2025 at 6:40 PM

Carla Hennes ❌ 👑 🐸

@tempestteapot.bsky.social

#WIPSnips #amquerying #writesky #epicfantasy 💙📚 🪐📚

From Epic Fantasy, Waking the Saints. Vayhne rose to power as the late King’s advisor, but secretly works to save his fellow mages. Zorrik dedicated his life to hunting down mages but now needs a mage to awaken the saints.

Vayhne waved to palace servants and greeted Royal Blues while Zorrik struggled to keep up with the mage’s quick pace. Across from a gate leading into pungent gardens, Vayhne stopped and unlocked a plain door. He waved Zorrik into a cluttered room. Stacks of books teetered on the floor. Half-filled teacups, phoenix cakes, and linens huddled in disarray. Vibrant yellow wallpaper reflected the bright sunshine through cloudy glass windows. The surface of the desk lay hidden beneath a sea of scrolls, quills, and inkpots.
The door clicked shut, followed by a key in the lock. Vayhne held Zorrik’s attention with an unwavering stare. His delicate fingers spun circles, daring Zorrik to react. A slight pressure in his ears and a whiff of sulphur confirmed the silence spell. Master Vayhne had openly performed magic in front of a demon-hunter.
“If you report me, I will release the arrest list. If I disappear, my associates will deliver it to the Temple with details outlining how you gave them, knowingly, to a mage. You will continue to supply arrest lists before issuing them to your officers. Do you understand?”
“Yes,” Zorrik whispered.
What had he done. Broken through blackmail, the Raven owned him.
“Please,” Zorrik said. “I need your help.”
A small chuckle escaped. Sleeping saints, the man was enjoying this humiliation. Vayhne rummaged in a cabinet, eventually producing a teapot, water pitcher, sachet of green pellets, and two clean cups.
“I did promise you tea.” Vayhne removed the teapot’s lid, revealing a wire strainer in the opening. “But I never promised to help a cranberry who murders my friends.”

December 30, 2025 at 5:16 PM

Carla Hennes ❌ 👑 🐸

@tempestteapot.bsky.social

Clobber = smack

#WIPSnips #amquerying #writesky #epicfantasy 💙📚 🪐📚

From my Epic Fantasy novel Demon’s Bargain. Despard sets the gang to training as a team. Fight like a girl wins Kahyla a hit against a Blue.

Niklos bounced lightly on his feet with one hand touching the stable door. Dark blue leather armor covered his chest. A sideways glance confirmed Vetal ready with the wooden long sword in his hand.
“Ready? Go!”
Abber overtook a startled Vetal, but skittered to a stop when Niklos blocked her path. She retreated behind Vetal. Tebfin darted for the stables with Despard and Kahyla following. Scrambling nimbly over a low shrubbery, Niklos circled around Despard’s reach and smacked Tebfin on the back.
“Hold!” Despard called. “Gods, that was over fast. Next time, tell us before you run, Tebbie.”
Niklos shared a grin with Vetal but a deep frown covered Kahyla’s face.
“Tebfin, go sit by the well with Captain Jan. Niklos, reset to the stables.” Despard brushed dust from his trousers and considered his next move. “Vetal, switch sides and join him.”
Niklos and Vetal exchanged a puzzled look before walking back to the stable door. The Blue stood opposite Kahyla and Vetal faced Abber.
“Move to the middle, Abber, so Kahyla and I can bracket you,” said Despard.
Abber stepped between them. Despard settled in a ready stance with the unfamiliar lightness of the short sword.
“Go!”
Creeping forward, Niklos watched Despard with a quiet intensity. Vetal hung behind, sliding along the stable wall.
“Kahyla, circle and forward,” Despard whispered. “Wait for my signal, Abber.”
With a stronger sword in back to prevent the same error, the trio inched across the open clearing. Vetal stopped across from them but Niklos continued to close the gap off Kahyla’s left side. When the distance narrowed to a stride, Kahyla lunged and hit Niklos's arm before retreating. With a huff, Niklos lowered his sword arm. Turning within their circle, Despard slid into the front position.

December 29, 2025 at 2:44 PM

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