October Daye's world is much larger than can be contained in the books; there are adventures outside the main narrative, and even adventures that involve people other than Toby herself. Welcome to the short fiction page.
Currently, the stories on this page appear in order of publication. This may change in the future, once we have more pieces by different narrators. Please read the descriptions before downloading or seeking out the stories, just so you'll know which books might be spoiled by reading too soon. Some stories are free; others have been printed in anthologies or collections, and are not available for individual electronic distribution. All stories are clearly marked one way or the other.
In the case of free stories, multiple formats have been provided. Please download these, rather than attempting to read locally. In the case of stories included in print anthologies, purchase information has been provided.
The knowe known as "Goldengreen" has been locked and alone since the death of Evening Winterrose...which is why it's a bit of a problem when Toby and her allies are called upon to reopen the knowe. Knowes can have minds of their own, you see, and they don't take kindly to being disturbed. And since Toby would rather keep herself and her friends alive than actually succeed in her mission, it's entirely possible that things will not end the way that they were originally intended to.
Not that failure is an option. And not that trying to be careful is going to make any difference when the problem involves not just unreal real estate, but crumbling cliff faces, giant spiders, pixies, and smart-mouthed Fetches who insist on poking their noses in where they're not wanted. Oh, and did we mention that there's no coffee?
"Through This House" is best read between Late Eclipses and One Salt Sea, as it falls chronologically directly between these two books. It naturally contains spoilers for the first four Toby adventures.
"Through This House" was originally published in the anthology Home Improvement: Undead Edition, released in August of 2011. Copies are available from a bookstore near you.
It was 1972, and a teenage girl named Elizabeth Ryan thought her world was coming to an end. The daughter of two Selkies, Elizabeth had just been passed up for a skin. But when a mysterious cousin who calls herself Annie appears, Elizabeth finds other things to think about...
It can be easy to forget that worlds don't wait for heroes before they begin. It can be easy to forget that things happened before the lights came up and the story started. This is one of those things that happened: this is one of those tales that slipped through the cracks. It is the story of a girl named Elizabeth, and a girl named Annie, and what they were to one another, in the sight and sounding of the sea.
Maybe it isn't fair. But fairy tales never really are.
"In Sea-Salt Tears" is best read after One Salt Sea. It does not contain direct spoilers, but it will have the most emotional impact if you have already read through book five in the main series.
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In 1959, Faerie came for a little changeling girl named October Daye and presented her with the Choice that her mother had been struggling to prevent her from ever needing to make. But how did Faerie find her? Where did the channel of October's destiny diverge? To know the answer, you must look to the water, and to the woman who many refer to as "the sea witch."
It can be hard to deal with betrayal. Betrayal by family is so very much worse.
"Never Shines the Sun" was commissioned for the print edition of Chimes at Midnight. It is a print exclusive, and is not included with any other editions at this time.
In the year 1666, a young Prince of Cats named Rand dwelt peacefully in Londontown with his beloved sisters, Jill and Colleen. He spent his nights at the theater, drinking in the works of Shakespeare, and had no interest in the day when he would be expected to rise up, challenge his father, and take his place as a King of Cats. For Rand, kittenhood was a wonderful dream, and one that he hoped would last forever.
Dreams end.
All stories have to begin somewhere, and this is where the story of Tybalt, King of Dreaming Cats, began: with a boy, and his sisters, and the city that he loved and never planned to leave. When duty calls, can he make the choice that will keep them all safe, without giving up everything that he has ever wanted from his life?
"Rat-Catcher" can be read at any point, as it is background for the series. It is best read after at least two volumes of the main series, to give a firm grounding in the character.
"Rat-Catcher" was originally published in the anthology A Fantasy Medley 2, released in December of 2012. This limited-edition volume can be obtained directly from Subterranean Press.
For ten years, the young King of Cats known throughout the Kingdom of Londinium as Tybalt—once known to family and friends as "Rand," a gentle Prince who had never aspired to the throne—had ruled his Kingdom alone, refusing to let any other of his kind enter the city while it is in his care. But even a King can get lonely...
When Tybalt meets a Selkie stranger named Dylan, it seems almost inevitable that they should become entangled with each other—the lonely King and the man without friends or family in London were virtually designed to be together. But sadly, designs can only hold for as long as they are left alone, and when the Undersea inevitably arrives looking for their missing son, Tybalt will have to choose. His Kingdom, or Dylan?
Either way, he loses.
"Forbid the Sea" is best read after "Rat-Catcher," although it can be considered a standalone. It does not contain direct spoilers for the main series, but will have the most emotional impact if you have read through at least book five.
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It may have taken them years to reach the point of admitting that there was a mutual attraction between them, but now that they have, it's time for October Daye and Tybalt to begin exploring their relationship, such as it is, and deciding what it is going to mean for them going forward. But when an old-fashioned pureblood and a modern changeling decide to court, what form can that courtship possibly take?
It's time for a first date, a first romantic encounter, and a first assassination attempt. Just the usual assortment of complications for a man, a woman, and the complicated world between them. And of course, it doesn't help that the man is a King of Cats, and has his own share of demons to bring to the table...
"No Sooner Met" is best read after Ashes of Honor, and contains spoilers for the series up through book six.
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Long, long ago, when the worlds of Faerie and Man had not yet fully separated, a battle was fought to determine the shapes those two worlds would take. Firstborn against merlin; strongest against least. And between those two stood Antigone of Albany, who would later be known as the Luidaeg, and whose loyalty would inevitably sway the fortunes of war...
There was a time when things were different. This is the story of the battlefield where it all began to change.
"The Fixed Stars" was originally published in the anthology Shattered Shields, released in November 2014. Copies are available from a bookstore near you.
Baron Patrick Twycross was an unlanded, comfortably unambitious man. He knew that one day he might inherit his family's estate, but as that day was hundreds of years and most of a continent away, he was content to spend his time fiddling in his workshop and trying to keep his friend Simon from doing something foolish enough to get himself killed. He was happy; he had no aspirations. So how did he wind up married to a mermaid?
When King Gilad holds a ball in honor of the abdicating Duke of Saltmist and his daughter, the Duchess-in-waiting, there's no real way for the nobles of the Mists to avoid attending. All Patrick is hoping to do is survive the night without utterly embarrassing either himself or Simon, or attracting the wrath of Simon's wife. Alas for him, things are going to get a lot more interesting than he's counting on...
"Heaps of Pearl" is best read after The Winter Long. It is a historical story, but contains character relationship spoilers through book eight.
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Quentin Sollys has survived more than he ever expected to. He's a squire, working toward his knighthood; he's a student, a friend, and well on his way to becoming a hero in his own right. None of this means he ever wanted to see his parents in a room with his knight, the often unpredictable and definitely complicated Sir October Daye.
It's really a pity that Quentin so rarely gets what he wants. It's even more of a pity that his parents seem set on taking him home with them, whether he agrees with the idea or not. How can he make them see sense, when he's not even fully sure what sense is?
"Full of Briars" was originally published as a DAW e-original in August 2016, and is available now from a retailer near you. This story takes place between Chimes at Midnight and The Winter Long, and should not be read before reading Chimes at Midnight.
By the standards of Faerie, Arden Windermere is little more than a child. Yet, despite her youth, she has already lost almost everything of importance: her parents, her brother, the life she expected to lead, the life she built for herself out of the ashes. Now Queen in the Mists, she is still struggling to find a place to stand. It seems impossible. And yet...
When circumstances present her with the chance to have her brother back again, is there any chance she can refuse? But when that restoration proves to come with a terrible price, is there any chance that just this once, she can win?
"Dreams and Slumbers" was originally published in the print edition of Once Broken Faith, released in September 2016. Copies are available from a bookstore near you. Do not read this story before reading the book!