Excerpt: Constant Paradox

“One step closer and the boy don’t get to keep breathing, James.” His voice was hard and filled with distain. Why he had chosen me as his target when he was obviously mad at the captain was something of a mystery. I really didn’t want to stick around to find out, but seeing as I couldn’t go anywhere, it really didn’t matter what I wanted. The next part is going to sound clichéd a bit, but When you have adrenalin pumping through your veins, things really do seem to slow down a bit. Several things did happen at once, one of the drunkards across the tavern got uppity and threw a bottle. At this James used the minor distraction to shove me out of the way, just in time for the gun to go off. I heard a thump, and looked over to see James lying on the floor and I reacted without thinking. I took my pistol from my hip and fired it at William, hitting him square in the chest. And as I watched his body fall, terror came over me. Terror and overwhelming dread. I’d shot a man, most likely dead, and he was my very first. I saw the scarlet bloom on his chest and watched it spread, unable to tear my eyes away. One of the crewmembers came over and I barely heard what he said.