Tethered Book Novels & Stories

The name hung unspoken—but present—above the book like a word that had yet to be pronounced by existence. “I remember the sound,” Elthara said, voice shaking. “Not the name. The sound it made when I tore it from the sky.” The dagger trembled. Her twin blinked. “You shouldn’t. You weren’t supposed to.” Aelrian surged forward, light flashing in his palm, and cast a barrier between them. The twin staggered back, shrieking like a broken bell. Elthara’s fingers closed around the edge of the book—not the ink, not the story—but the spine itself. And it pulsed.

​‌ I whispered​. “Of cou‌r‍se. Come i​n.​”⁠ ‍ Hi‍s o‌ff‌i⁠c‌e smell⁠‌​ed exa‌c‌t‍ly⁠ the same‍ — old books. Familiar. Safe. “So⁠​,​” he said g⁠ently​, cro‍ssing​ his legs.‌ “Tell me what’s going on​.”​

she breathed back and went to the next room. Little chatterings of children, filled the room that was meant for an office. Each of them held a book they called 'reader' and sang every word they saw in the book in unison. They had this serenity they showed when they sang in numbers. Madeline Miller– held a long pencil, moving her hands up and down like an opera instructor. The smile on her face was priceless. She was her best friend, she stood beside the door until Madeline finalized the session with the children.

I moved toward the Tether. I dove into the whirlpool, grabbing Dante’s collar with one hand while pinning the child to my chest with the other. I didn't try to pull us out. I used my weight—the raw, non-resonant mass of the "Lead-Bender"—to Anchor us. I felt the dark matter clawing at my skin, trying to dissolve my molecular bonds, but I dug my heels into the warping metal and roared.

Cal obliges, knowing T is chained to the wall. T’s expression hardens as I step inside. The book is in here, I know it. Looking around, I check in every shadowed corner, finding the book under his bedroll. The look on his face as I reveal it to the light is one I shall savour in my mind for the rest of my life. Nothing about it feels scared, however, the answer to everything to do with T must be in here. “Alpha, you don’t want to do that,” T says slowly, as I step back outside of his cell, Cal closing the door after me. T yanks at his chains, which only pull him back against the wall. If only he would touch the silver.

or the second skin it shed for romance | the subject no book could ever tell | cite | write | but story endings belonged to the boy’s crying | those signs freeing tiny feet from charts & footnotes | they hang around him like fireflies | like instructions for dancing | winked the lights to the geomancer eyes of risk that mouth shadows | to be random still | to be like earth that split & form | perhaps it’s only me | & not the boy | who saw magic in math | when met by the very truth | by the process the geomancer uncovered | from the book of love. Tunnel #8 (... like the parakeets in Istanbul) I had a dream you were wearing funny socks at the movie show and that I’m glad you were there almost

Jonathan had five more people come down from admin and take a tour of the morgue for the first time in all the time that he worked there. He knew that this was an intimidation tactic and he wished that they wouldn't waste his or their time period he wasn't going to be intimidated by a bunch of pencil pushers. He had already scrubbed his own computer clean and put everything on a USB port that he had on his person in his pocket. He wasn't dumb by any means and he understood the way that people worked. They were always going to try and cover their own asses before they did anything else.

“There’s a minor magical tether used to secure the archive’s older cabinets. It isn’t a living bond.” “Good.” Rhydian nodded. “Only if you want to.” I looked at him. “You’re really going to let me decide?” “Yes.” I took a breath. “Show me.” The tether was almost invisible. Tavish pointed toward an old cabinet. “It’s connected to the locking mechanism. Nothing living. Nothing dangerous.” I stared at the faint silver thread between my fingers and the cabinet. “How do I touch it?” “You already are,” Rhydian said.

“Well, that’s comforting. So not only do we have a Rift that’s breaking reality, but now it has eyes in our world.” Lena shook her head. “No,” she murmured. “Not eyes. A tether.” Cassian’s hands flexed on her shoulders before he released her. “What do you mean?” Lena hesitated, searching for the right words. “It doesn’t just want to take me back—it’s trying to anchor itself here. Like it’s using me as a doorway.” The realization made her stomach twist. Dorian let out a low curse. “Okay, so… what happens if it succeeds?”

Let’s come back in the morning or tomorrow to get the books. Taran shakes his head before writing: ‘Let me borrow your jacket, backpack, and anything else holding your scent. It should cover mine enough they won’t get suspicious.’ I doubt my jacket will fit him, but I hand it to him along with my bag. Taran puts the bag over his shoulder then drapes my jacket over his arms as if he’s carrying it for me. I take the books and head to the counter. My heart is racing as I set the books on the checkout counter along with my card.