His hackles rose the instant he entered it, and the pathetic smiles of the two whores on duty soured his stomach. At the bar counter, he ordered a glass of wine and waited for one to approach him. Within a few minutes, a buxom redhead with sultry brown eyes sat beside him, her breasts almost spil...
A buxom serving girl winked at Conash while she cleared the neighbouring table, and he scowled at her. The girl blanched and hurried away. A hunched, brown-haired man with a servile manner and rat-trap mouth approached their table and sat opposite, his eyes furtive. Talon nodded at him. “Evening,...
Kerra's questions and demands grew less heated and intelligent as the liquor took effect, and her eyes drooped. The Regent summoned a bard to strum a lute and hum soft tunes, lulling the Queen further into an inebriated stupor. Chiana sat and worried about what might be happening to Redgard and h...
In the afternoon he went for a short walk, taking a freshly-killed rabbit for Rivan and his sister to share. Leaving Rivan to play with her, he returned to the cabin and sharpened his daggers until dusk, oiling the sheaths to ensure that they did not stick. As the first stars appeared in the dark...
During the day that had passed since his confrontation with Tarl, he had tried to forget what the cyber tech had said, without success. He kept recalling the encounter with Tisha, and his mixed reactions to it. He wanted to be a normal human, not a semi-human or part human or even almost human. H...
Sitting up, he summoned an Eye with a wave and gazed into it. The image that formed showed his sphere surrounded by a torn and smoking landscape of melted rocks and glowing craters. The vista was unmistakeably the aftermath of a battle between two dark gods, but there was no sign of either of the...
Tarl stood beside her, his face carved in lines of furious anguish. Tall trees surround them, and a chill wind nipped at Tassin through her cloak. Spring had barely begun to chase away the winter cold, and patches of snow lingered in the forest's gloom. It had taken three days of riding to reach ...
It seemed they had wandered through this harsh, trackless realm for an eternity, and she wondered if they would ever reach their destination. Mithran, who rode the grey stallion beside her, cast her a weary smile when she glanced at him. Time was hard to measure where there was no day or night. T...
Tassin jumped up with a glad cry and approached him. Kole and Tarl rose too, studying him. Her welcoming smile faded when she noticed the bandage on his hand. "What happened? How did you get hurt?" Her brows drew together. "Did he torture you?" "Who?" "Overlord Ravian, of course." Sabre hid his s...
Sabre also rested in his cabin, and Tassin longed to spend time with him, but now was too embarrassed to face him. She lay on her bed and stared at the dimpled plastic ceiling, remembering the previous evening. What must he think of her? She had not tried to hide her feelings from him, but he see...
The ex-cyber tech's hovering irritated him, even with the calming drugs. Pathos had just completed docking with Shadow Hawk, and tension on the bridge was high. Thestan issued orders into his com-link, directing rescue and repair crews to affected areas. Pathos had taken a terrible beating, and s...
The chapel windows darkened in the gathering dusk, and two priestesses walked the aisles, lighting the glowing blue spheres with long tapers tipped with tiny, fizzing sparks. Queen Kyan stood at his side, and he glanced at her as she said, "No one will get past them. And more stand guard outside ...
Blade remained vigilant, and spent a fair bit of time with her, studying her mood. When he was certain that she was not about to snap out of her introspection, he would return to his rooms. On the third day, he was forced to give another brief audience, but it ended without mishap. The lords brou...
Broad belts of woodland dissected rolling meadows that herds of grazing beasts populated. An occasional herder's hut stood at the edge of a forest, smoke curling from its chimney, but for the most part the land was wild. Wagons and horsemen traversed the roads, so Chanter avoided them. In the mid...
"What is it, My Lord?" she enquired. "I do not know, exactly. I sensed something, when I was sitting beside Mirra, almost as if..." "You could read her mind?" "Yes. Am I supposed to be able to do that?" She smiled, but her eyes were concerned. "This is only happening to you now? Your powers are c...
"Get up, we are leaving." Mirra scrambled to her feet and hurried outside as the tent collapsed behind her, Mord rolling it up swiftly. Pale morning light bathed the mountains and dew frosted the grass beneath a thick blanket of mist. Bane strode to the demon steed with hardly a trace of a limp, ...
Tassin became immured to the madness and accepted the hardships without complaint, adapting to its unexpected dangers. The chaos' relentless bombardment of horrors was punishing, and allowed little rest. Tassin and Dena were soon bruised and exhausted, dirty and blank-eyed. She gave Sabre water, ...
Murdor was slumped over a table, emitting a rumbling snore and the reek of ale. The rest of the patrons had left, and only the bartender remained, polishing tankards and setting them in rows on the shelves. It took a great deal of prodding, slapping and shouting to rouse Murdor, then Gearn plied ...
The sight of it brought a rush of homesickness and memories, blighted by Dellon's green and yellow colours flying from the battlements. She wished she could march inside and rip down the offending flag. The journey from Mandor had been achieved without mishap, thanks to Sabre's scanners, which ha...
He received a reply the day after, offering to meet him the following night, a mere three days after his return to Jondar. During that time he found himself a great deal in Chiana's company, whenever she was not required for official duties. At her urging, he told her about the Cotti, describing ...
When all the guests had arrived, however, little space remained amongst them. In the adjoining banquet hall, dozens of massive tables were laid with golden cutlery and alabaster crockery. Servants scurried in and out with flagons of ale, wine and fruit juice, filling the guests' cups until the Qu...
This provided the rats' breeding ground, and the people who lived in this evil, depressing place trapped and ate them. Rawn hardly took any notice his surroundings, unable to think of anything except how he was going to find his sister. He did not notice the group of men lurking in a dark doorway...
Sabre hunted every afternoon, shooting rabbits for their supper, although he once said that it was a waste of ammunition. Tassin shrugged it off, she enjoyed the fresh meat. Once they came across a shepherd's hut, and spent the night under a roof, but mostly they slept in the scrubby clumps of st...