Category: excerpt

Trait of Honor Excerpt

Spearcarrier

Kreyg was silent for a moment, then he said harshly, “I can’t do it. Dammit, this isn’t right… the master would do just as well with a single vial of her blood. He doesn’t need the whole body.”

“What??!” the other cried. He raised his arms imploringly only to let them flop to his sides. “You idiot, we have to do it. You know we have to. Or would you rather face what the master has for us back home?”

“I know. I know…” Kreyg appeared to be looking at the ground like some scolded little boy. “But, Lleff… she’s just a child.”

Lleff snorted something incomprehensible and stepped away for a moment. Saraph turned back to Kreyg, who was fiddling with the light. It was a strange-looking device; round with knobs and a large handle. Saraph had never seen anything like it before. The conversation around her seemed too surreal to pay much attention to. Kreyg’s lantern was the only reality worth noticing.

“I’ll do it without you,” Lleff snapped. “And when the master finds out, he’ll make sure you’re next!”

Kreyg stopped playing with the light. He seemed about to say something but changed his mind. “Princess, let’s get you back to camp,” Kreyg said, reaching out to take the girl’s hand. “She’s obviously in shock, Lleff. We can discuss this later.”

“You bastard!” Lleff shouted. “There will be no later!”

“I don’t mind,” Saraph said suddenly, forgetting the lantern. The two men turned their attention to her as if they had never noticed she could speak before. “Maybe if you do kill me, it’ll be better. Maybe I’m better off dead.”

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Trait of Honor is actually only a working title as I write this story little by little. It began when I was in high school – 1988- and is going under a complete rewrite. Characters change, situations are made into better sense, and the ending is even going to be different. So it’s not even the same book all anymore but I’m good with that.

I’ve been working on the rewrite for a long loooong time now. I’d like to see it finished. I’m probably about halfway there and climbing.

Young Man vs. Dragon

Spearcarrier

Kirk knew nothing about being brave, but he knew desperation. Desperate was how one felt when a dragon narrowed an eye and said, chillingly, “Why, Fire, I believe this young scamp broke one of my nails. I just had them done last week, and now this one is chipped.” Desperation was knowing your only weapon was a broken stick as a pile of perfectly good swords taunted you from just feet away.

People do strange things out of desperation. Kirk chose to throw the stick into the dragon’s nearest eye and run for it. He did not stop running until he was on the far side of the meadow. Behind him, the dragon roared indignantly and shouted something about the price of having one’s nails done.

Kirk stumbled to a stop. The dragon was still at the cave mouth, biting one claw distractedly while making strange moaning sounds to itself. Still glinting in the morning sun, the pile of swords beckoned. If he had been quick and brave enough, he could have grabbed one….

Well, before he was incinerated.

Maybe he could still get one while the dragon was distracted. His father was counting on him, the dungeon was waiting, and he would never be able to face Lidea again if he failed. He had no choice. He had to go back….

This is an excerpt from A Chance Encounter of Two, a short story I wrote a few years back. It’s available at Barnes and Noble, Amazon, Kobo… and really anywhere Smashwords distributes it too. Which means it’s available on Smashwords as well.