#maze.

UNCOLLECTED ANTHOLOGY #22: MAZES AND LABYRINTHS IS AVAILABLE NOW!! It includes stories from awesome authors like Alexandra Brant, DeAnna Knippling, and Pie Press’s Robert Jeschonek’s story A MAZE THAT IS A GREAT WHITE BULL. A quarter-century ago, the underground Maze of Mithras disappeared from the uplands of Italy, taking Andrea's partner with it. Now that it's returned—thousands of miles away in Namibia, Africa—she races to unravel its mysteries...and, perhaps, find the man  she once loved. But will Andrea end up trapped inside when quakes rock the ancient site? Will she be lost forever when the walls themselves shift and change, pushing her down unfamiliar passages where a ravenous man-beast lies in wait? Or will the secrets of the forgotten god, Mithras, guide her in directions she never imagined? Check out the Anthology now and this awesome story!

@the-lewdest-concubine

          They were handed a [ ᴍᴀᴘ ] then sent on their way. Above – the sky was a bright blue. Sun shimmering down with a chilled breeze with the air. A light coat to bring warmth is all Rukia needed. Only a few white clouds crossed the sky. Maybe three or so in her vision. A perfect day to start off the fall season. She was ready to enjoy it [ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴀɴ ᴜɴᴇxᴘᴇᴄᴛᴇᴅ ᴘᴀʀᴛɴᴇʀ ɪɴ ᴛʜɪs ᴄʀɪᴍᴇ ]

          Having heard from the townsfolk that this attraction was a [ ᴍᴜsᴛ ᴛʀʏ ] Rukia couldn’t hold back her eagerness to go. Rumor has it that this maze was one of the biggest and most complex in the area. Would certainly test their skills in navigation and patience.

Right as they stepped in, they were face to face with a fork in the road.

“ARCs get cranky when they’re cooped up on desk jobs,” Darman said, feeling he had to make excuses for Maze. “They’d all rather be at the front.”

Probably one of the reasons I like Ordo and Maze’s relationship a lot is that they’re both ARCs built from day one to be soldiers, one man armies, honed down to be absolutely efficient killers in the name of the Republic, however, they’re also both spending nearly all of their time at HQ on Coruscant during the war, doing what they perceive to be “soft jobs” and the administrative tasks “with nothing to kill except time”, while their brothers are off fighting. It’s not necessarily that they want to be always seconds from death in battle; it’s just that it’s what they’re built to do, or it dissatisfies them and doesn’t feel right to be sitting around while their brothers daily risk their lives.

I imagine Ordo worries in part because of his anxieties over being seen as the favored son. But, it’s also this whole deal about being a living weapon yet stuck doing the filing. Primed, but having nothing to kill. It’s probably part of why Ordo and Maze are such testy, humorless, knives-edge of men so ready to employ violence with one another.

http://new-children.ru/post/107587555083