"I Have No Name" in Unmasked: Tales of Risk and Revelation
In a fantasy heist gone wrong, a nameless thief uses her powers of illusion to search for clues to her forgotten past. When these clues finally lead to the one person who seems to know her, she find herself wondering if she truly wants the answers she's sought for years.
She finds herself wondering: Is knowing worth the price of being known?
Behind the Story
I wrote this short story on a whim after hearing about the open call for Kevin J. Anderson's anthology. From the start, the heroine and her search for meaning in a forgotten life enraptured me. After the anthology was published, I began plotting out a trilogy to see the end of her story, which is how the Forgotten Masquerade Trilogy was born.
NOTE: This short story is published under the penname Andi Christopher.
The Waking Dreams of Briar Rose
Briar Rose LeBlanc, the orphan ward of a countryside finishing school, has no patience for royalty or their rules. The Fae's departure has left the world barren, the king’s greed has left his people destitute, and Briar’s defiance in aiding the refugees blamed for the catastrophe has branded her an outcast.
When she meets Marc, the young footman of a visiting lord, she finally believes she’s found an ally. Drawn to his quiet strength and wit, she begins to rely on him, despite a nagging feeling that he might not be all he seems. Meanwhile, her haunting dreams hint at a secret truth: there is a link between her past, the royal family, and the Fae's cataclysmic departure from the kingdom.
As her visions grow darker, Briar is forced to confront dangers she never imagined. With her loved ones’ lives and the future of her crumbling kingdom at stake, Briar must unravel the truth of her nightmares before it’s too late.
