Today's story ventures farther back into the past of the Yekara Universe farther than we have ever gone before. "Before the Fall" is set roughly 30 years before the events of Right of Succession.

Those who have read the novel will notice a few familiar names; however, the story makes sense on its own and does not contain spoilers for the novel.

I did adjust the wording of the last sentence in this dialogue prompt just a bit to fit more with the setting, but the meaning and tone remains the same.

Today's story takes us back to the Yekara Universe, about halfway through the summer following Right of Succession. While you don't have to have read the book for the flash fiction to make sense, it's perhaps a bit more fun if you have.

You can also click here to listen to the audio version of today's story. Or you can listen to a playlist of all the Yekara Universe Audios, in chronological order.

Today's story is set a few months before the beginning of Right of Succession, so I have to warn you it contains some fairly big spoilers. If you haven't read the novel, and you don't want to be spoiled, you might want to finish the book first.

I thought I'd mix it up a bit this week by answering a writer's tag I found online. It just has ten simple questions, so this should be short and sweet.

1. What do you write?

A quick scroll down the categories over to the right of the page ought to prove I write speculative fiction. Spec fic covers a wide range of genres and their subgenres as well as mashups of those. I tend to stick more with science fiction, but I do dabble in fantasy now and again. And like with the Yekara series and the Myth and Science universe stories, there are times when I use both science fiction and fantasy elements in the same piece.

Hey look! I can write a flash fiction set in the Yekara Universe that doesn't have spoilers. Yay!

Today's flash fiction is set roughly twelve years or so before Right of Succession.

Today's story takes us back to the Yekara universe about a week after the end of Right of Succession. There are a couple of spoilers in it. So if you haven't read the novel yet and don't want to be spoiled, you might want to wait about clicking "read more."

It is still going to be a while before I can start making audios of these stories again. Each one requires an hour or so of editing, and I still can't sit at my desk for more than a few minutes without spending at least the rest of the day in agony. Sorry.

Today's story is the first to be prompted by reader suggestion. Ms. Wiles commented with the suggestion below on April 27th, and this idea came to mind immediately thereafter.

It's set several months after the events in Right of Succession, but I don't think anything in it would classify as a spoiler.

Today's story is our first in need of a spoiler warning. This one is set toward the end of Right of Succession, and it contains some fairly big spoilers for the novel. So if you haven't read it yet and don't want to know how things turn out, don't click on "read more" until you're done with the book.

Why would I write a flash fiction like this? Well, once the Icarus rough is done, I'll be beginning work outlining the second Yekara novel. Today's story is more or less a character study for a background character who will become more of a central character on into the series.

She decided to go to her father’s grave, to ask his advice.
 
It lay alone in a tiny, forgotten clearing at the foot of the Andreas Mountains. He’d been afforded little more than a criminal’s burial, and with as few remains as were found, it looked like the final resting place of a child. Vegetation was just beginning to retake the soil, and she could smell the loamy sent of damp earth as she approached.
 
Chantal stood over the plot and gazed down at the thin marker bearing his name, birth date, and date of death. Forty-five years of life for such an ambitious man reduced to a name and two dates engraved on a stone already half covered by wild grasses. Standing there sweating in the heat until her scalp burned despite the shade of nearby trees and an afternoon breeze, Chantal thought it justice.
 
“Did you know?” she asked aloud. “I can’t imagine you did, or you’d have tried to turn me into a weapon too wouldn’t you?”
 
Her voice rose and cracked. Despite his attempts to be as unintrusive as possible, Chantal remained keenly aware of Tricon’s lingering presence near the tree line. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, willing herself calmer.
 
“I’m leaving to begin training tomorrow,” she said. “Without it, I’m dangerous.” Chantal scoffed. “You just couldn’t leave well enough alone, and I’m a danger to myself and everyone around me because of it!”
 
“I’ve been named your successor, so I’ll be training for that too.” Chantal shook her head and chuckled without humor. “Thanks for the incredible amount of damage we have to clean up, buy the way. That’s terrific!”

“The investigators figure you went insane as the retrovirus you injected rewired your brain.” She sighed and looked around the clearing. “That’s the only reason you have as nice of a grave as you do.”
 
Chantal glared at the marker. “After you made me a killer, I’d have dumped your ashes in the fields. At least then you might have done some good.”
 
Pain flaring in her fingers and wrist drew Chantal’s attention away from her rant. She’d wrapped her fingers around her mother’s bracelet until it dug into them and her wrist. Chantal released the gold chain and wrapped her arms around herself.
 
“I didn’t come here to rehash your crimes,” she murmured. “I’m to become Duchess of Tembar when I come of age.”
 
A tear seared down Chantal’s cheek. “How do I assume rule, even if it’s just of Tembar, without becoming a monster like you?”