Wednesday Excerprt, "Repercussions"

In the Commander’s Office of the Imperial Guard Barracks sat Commander Acreas at his desk with a feather, an ink well, and a pile of papers and scrolls. He was taller than Linvin and had a dominant physical presence, even among humans. Were he to stand, his intimidating stature would become most apparent. His long brown hair was bound together in the back making his strands pull tight against his head. Dressed in his fine uniform he cast a mighty shadow even from behind the desk. With his long sword beside him it was clear that paperwork was not one of his favorite duties.

There came a knock at the door. “Commander Acreas, it’s Captain Boshring. May I enter?”

Happy to have an excuse to end his task, Acreas set down his feather and answered, “Do come in, Boshring.”

In walked a man who was still imposing, but did not cut the broad lines of his muscular leader. “Commander, I have news for you.”

“We are alone, Boshring. There is no need for titles. What news brings you here with such zeal, My Friend?”

“Firstly, I have had all the Imperial Guard Captains recalled to the capital and given time consuming duties as per your instructions. I have also moved as many guards into the city as the barracks can hold. The remainder are camped outside the city. I told the men there might be a threat to the Emperor and that was why they were here. In all, nearly 90 percent of the Guard is in and around the city.”

“Excellent,” Acreas said as he sat back. “You are sure the other captains will follow me if the emperor dies?”

Boshring nodded, “They are with you so long as you do not betray your oath and kill your father yourself. They would see that as a lack of worthiness on your part.”

Acreas took to his feet and swept the papers from his desk in a violent stroke. Then he drew his sword and watched it as the light danced across the blade. “My Father. If he would only admit to being that, this coup would not be necessary. He thinks he is so smart by denying my birthright and keeping me here to watch over. The only ones more incompetent than him, are his spies. Oh what I would give to be the one to ram this steel through his heart. Alas, that is not to be. Is there any word on Grithinshield yet?”

“That is the other part of my news, Acreas. The frost is nearly upon us and still there is no sign of Grithinshield. For this plan to work, we need him to kill your father. The Emperor is angered by the long delay and has sent for Anvar Greenlith to see him in his courtroom. I thought you would want to know.”

Acreas looked sharply at Boshring and replaced his sword in its scabbard. “I must be the one to take Greenlith there. It is my only chance to question him. Has anyone else been dispatched to get him?”

“A squad of goblins was sent, but you still have time to intercept them.”

Tuesday Excerpt, "Repercussions"

The firelight brought the monsters plainly into view. They were long and not at all lean. Their bodies were thick and muscular with powerful limbs to attack and low centers of gravity to maintain balance in any encounter. Linvin’s memory had been correct, but had not done justice to the horror of their 180 degree double line of teeth. They glistened in the light and looked impossible to fit together considering the serrated row in the front.

Their fur was a combination of black and grey with a narrow mane of hair running from the tops of their heads down their spines. The oily nature of their skin made the fur mat down and clump in odd places where presumably another Trogo had nipped the other for some reason. Two Trogos climbed onto the wagon and produced claws the size of Linvin’s hand to begin shredding the wooden door to the barn.

They were a ghastly sight to Linvin who felt fear creeping into his stomach and tying his innards in knots. Then the bloodthirsty essence of Falconfeather poured like a waterfall into his being, erasing all doubt and replacing it with a wanton urge to slaughter every Trogoandras in sight. He felt self-assured and ready to fight.

The general in Linvin took center stage as he viewed the scene and quickly devised a strategy. He grinned as he thought about it and looked closely at his landing spot.

I love the plan, Master. Just remember your footing and to protect your feet. These things are close to the ground and love to attack low. And do not worry about putting enough force behind your blows. Between your strength and my might the most delicate slash will cause a most fatal effect.

Linvin had not moved his eyes. There are too many Trogos standing there with nothing to do. Wait for it. As if on cue the alpha let out a growling howl and two wolves ran around each side of the barn toward the northern entrance. Once they were well gone, Linvin smiled and the image of white flames appeared on Falconfeather. Old Friend, it is time to slaughter this scum.

Linvin leapt off the roof and headed for the edge of the wagon closest to the fire. The two Trogos on the wagon were on their hind legs scratching with their front claws. As Linvin descended he stabbed Falconfeather into the side of the nearest Trogo right behind the neck and let his momentum slice deep into the creature all the way to its hindquarters. Linvin landed on the edge of the wagon and pulled his sword back from the barn. The dying beast fell upon his comrades who were stunned by the turn of events. Clinging to the element of surprise, Linvin stabbed completely through the mid-section of the other Trogo on the wagon. Again he discarded the carcass on the crowd below.

By that point the other Trogoandras were enraged and urged on by the alpha. They jumped at Linvin’s feet and attempted to pull him down into the mass of wolves. Linvin slashed at them as they made their modest jumps, but knew his time on the wagon was short lived. His plan was to jump to the clear zone between the barn and the fire and make his stand there. As he prepared to jump, a Trogo leaning on the wagon reached up and wrapped its teeth around Linvin’s left calf.

Stab it in the chest. Stab it in the chest, Falconfeather quickly called. Linvin did as ordered and the Trogo released its grip as it was mortally wounded in the heart and fell back.

Wasting no time, Linvin jumped to the open spot by the fire. A Trogo immediately attacked him. Linvin fended him off with his shield and used the beast’s momentum to raise it up. The action exposed the belly of the beast and Linvin did not think twice about slashing deep into its underbelly and dropping it for good. Another Trogo was right there to take its place as the fighting continued.

It’s only a matter of time until they come ‘round the fire and attack from two sides, Falconfeather warned.

I expect as much, Linvin thought between attacks. Even so, with every kill the odds swing more in our favor, Old Friend.

Guest Appearance

Marie Lavender was kind enough to host me on her blog “Writing in the Modern Age” There is a character interview, an author interview and an excerpt from the new book, “Repercussions Abound.”  Here is the link to the blog: http://marielavender.blogspot.com/2016/09/a-character-interview-with-linvin-from-repercussions-abound-plus-chat-with-author-rival-gates.html  Enjoy the read!

1st Excerpt, "Repercussions"

Today I bring you the first excerpt from “Repercussions Abound.”  Enjoy.

 

“Is that because you know me so well? You love a man you think you know. Every day I learn more and more about who I really am and something here just feels off to me. It is as though there is a huge piece of me missing. No. Actually, it is like there are two pieces of me missing. Tell me, you saw me fight the first group of bandits. Was there anything of note about me?”

Corilon thought back to that terrifying day and remembered Argentoe cutting a dashing figure as he chopped down one bandit after another with the aid of a glowing sword with white flames running the length of the blade. He was outnumbered and in full control. She realized she loved him from that moment onward.

“So was there anything you can think of to help me?” Argentoe repeated.

Corilon pulled the blanket to her chin and answered quietly, “You were a great warrior. The number of opponents left you unfazed. There was not much to tell, really.”

She rolled away and showed him her back as she hid tears forming in her eyes. Corilon knew there was a high probability Argentoe’s memory might come back if he were given his sack of possessions. She knew it was the right thing to do. It might even save his life. Yet Corilon wept in silence and did not move. She could not bring herself to take the chance of losing her husband.

Argentoe was preoccupied trying to determine how he knew so much about their enemy and yet nothing about how he came upon the information. He held the sword straight out in front of him and looked down the blade again.

“Take this sword. It is straight and was hammered out by a weapon smith with considerable skill. The blade is tapered perfectly and was sharpened by someone with knowledge of such craft. The handle is weighted right for thrusting and pummeling. In battle you can switch from one attack to another without moving your grip. The pommel is rounded out nicely for sudden blows to the skull.”

He stabilized it on his finger and watched as the sword never dipped. “It is perfectly balanced and is made of a fine steel alloy only a talented craftsman could forge. This is an excellent blade and anyone carrying it into battle should be proud to have it by their side.”

Argentoe tossed it to the corner of the room like a piece of refuse. “I know this much. It is not my sword. This is going to sound strange, but my sword is somehow…alive. I realize that makes no sense, but it is like an old friend or companion whom I trust with my life and has saved me countless times. It is that friend I need now, in my head, in my hand, waiting to jump into the abyss. Where did it and all my other things go? I cannot remember seeing them since I was lying in the wagon so long ago.”

Corilon could not think of a clever way to avoid the question so she outright lied. “I have not seen any of your things. It has been so long now they could have been lost or accidentally buried with the bandit bodies along the way. The matter is of little consequence. Those items didn’t spark any memories before. There is no reason to think they would now.”

“You may be right,” Argentoe said with disappointment. “But I know my sword would have cleared up some of my thoughts or at least given me a better chance in the coming battle.” Corilon was silent and simply nodded.

“When all my plans are said and done, you and I know this fight will be as your father said. It will come down to me against them. I can plan and scheme, but no one is going to sacrifice themselves to help me in this battle. And that is exactly what this would be, a sacrifice. One Trogoandras can kill every one of you. A pack of ten or twelve would devastate the farm.

Book 4 Is Out!

There is that momentous occasion in a writer’s life when they publish their first book.  It’s an amazing feeling to say you are a published author.  You would think that feeling would diminish when you publish your second book but it doesn’t.  Now you are in that relatively small group who can say they’re multi-published authors.  Then a third book comes out and your fraternity of authors becomes smaller still.  Now I am pleased to announce the release of my fourth book, “Repercussions Abound.”  It is available on Kindle at http://amzn.to/2cGyNmy and on paperback at http://amzn.to/2deaOGW.  This book answers a lot of questions and as the title suggests, has some negative outcomes for nearly every character.  See what happens to each character and how they deal with their reversal of fortunes.  Enjoy the book!

Girls and Books

Guys, have you ever asked out an absolutely beautiful girl who hasn’t gotten back to you promptly.  Then another amazing girl shows up on your radar that you want to ask out.  You can’t ask the second girl out because the first girl might still answer yes.  In fact, you expect her to do so…in time.  On the other hand you hate to lose the time you could be enjoying with the second girl.  If only life had been so simple for me when I was younger?  Now replace the girls with books.  The first girl represents the book still at the editor’s.  Are the corrections taking this long or did I cross the line with my number of corrections.  Now think of the second girl as the second book I want to start.  Once I start something, if I don’t finish it I tend to forget parts.  That causes huge delays and eventually rewrites.  Once the book is published there will be a great deal of promotion to do.  I can’t concentrate on that and writing a book.  My mind does not multitask on these things.  So I’m stuck without a girlfriend, as it were.  One I have to wait for and can’t do anything about.  The other is there for the taking but I must wait for the first one’s response.  I know there’s some fellow with bravado out there saying he’d date them both.  Well my friend, it doesn’t work in life with girls or books.  Take my word for it.  Once again all I can do is wait for girl 1 or the book at the publisher.  Girl 2 has been waiting over 30 years for me to take her out.  She can wait a little bit longer.    

Tuesday Excerpt, "Revenge"

Mandrean bent down to bring his face directly in front of

Necromancer’s. “You say you’re patient, but you’re not. You want

me dead so badly it’s eating you up inside. I know you just as you

think you know me. You wanted Grithinshield to murder me. The

fact that he failed is tormenting you day after day.”

Necromancer looked away during the speech and then focused

on the emperor.

“The only thing tormenting me is your minute intellect.”

“Say you are a spineless coward who can’t do things

himself…Say it,” Mandrean ordered as he stepped back.

Necromancer stood and looked Mandrean in the eyes. “Very

well, Sire. You are a spineless coward who can’t do things

himself.”

“Not me, idiot! Say I’m a spineless coward,” Mandrean raged.

“But I just told you that you are a spineless coward. If your

grace has forgotten, I would gladly tell him again.”

The master lost his temper and threw a stool across the room.

He stood by Necromancer shaking from his anger in frustration at

not being able to let it out at the wizard.

“Now,” Mandrean bellowed as he began to circle the albino,

“you didn’t help Grithinshield by any chance, did you?” He paused

and heard nothing in reply. “I didn’t think so,” Mandrean said with

sarcasm. “Because if you had helped Linvin kill me, that would

violate our little arrangement and present serious repercussions for

you.”

Necromancer did not speak. He merely looked away. Mandrean

found the silence more infuriating than the rude comments the

servant normally made.

“You do remember the agreement, do you not?” Necromancer

looked at him with a face that acknowledged the absurdity of the

question. That expression alone put his benefactor over the edge.

“You must follow my commands to the letter,” Mandrean

yelled. As if to prove his point, he barked an order.

Water had spilled on the floor from the bath. It made the surface

slippery and dangerous. “I wouldn’t want to slip and hurt myself in

a fall. Dry up all the water on the floor immediately!”

Necromancer rose and smiled knowingly. Then he waved his

hand. The floor turned red as it instantly became superheated. In as

much time as it took Mandrean to scream in pain and leap into the

water, all the liquid on the ground was dried and gone.

Necromancer was unaffected by the sudden change in ground

temperature as he hovered above the floor. He bowed in jest and

said, “As you commanded, Oh, great one, all the water on the floor

was dried up. Do you have any other commands that I may follow

so precisely?”

Waiting...

It took longer than I expected but I finally finished my last edits on “Repercussions Abound.”  Now it is in the hands of my publisher.  Will they go along with the numerous changes I have made?  Will they ignore my changes and print it as is?  Like I said, it’s in their hands.  I’ve had publishers make my changes before printing and I’ve had them ignore my opinions.  It can be a frustrating time but in the end the writer usually has to make some concessions.  After all, the publisher holds all the power in this situation from the time you first submit your manuscript.  All I can do now is sit and wait.  I often refer to my works as my children.  This is like sending your children to school on the first day and waiting for the bus to drop them off to you at the end of the day to see how it all went.  The tension is tremendous.  To distract myself I am reveling in my first book, “Quest for the Red Sapphire” receiving a five star review!  It was a glowing endorsement and really made my day.  You can read it on Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/review/show?id=1259661705 or Amazon.  It was a ray of sunshine on a rainy day.  It’s always nice to hear someone loved one of your babies.  

Tuesday Excerpt, "Crucible"

General Maxion was the first to step forward. He cried aloud, “Pawns.” Three young boys dressed entirely in black rushed from their seats on the benches toward the map on the floor, in between Maxion and the Emperor. Each boy had a number sewn onto his shirt. They were clearly numbered one, two and three.

They all took up positions north of Marinhalk on the map. One went to the extreme north, closest to the Emperor. Two and Three took up positions parallel to one another further south on the map.

Maxion bowed in a grand gesture and addressed his Emperor. “My good Lord Mandrean, my Province continues to flourish. The mines continue to produce vast quantities of precious ores. Iron mining has nearly doubled since our last meeting. Lumber also is progressing well into the northern wilderness. Our contribution to the glory of the Empire is clear and noteworthy.

“The First Division patrols the border with the Ice Giants to the north. The Second and Third Divisions are segmented into garrisons and placed around the key mining and forestry production to prevent slave revolt. All is well with my Province.”

Mandrean looked irritated and handed his goblet to Fendri without saying a word. He stood and observed the pawns’ position in detail. “As usual,” he barked. “You tell only the side of the story you want to be heard. What of the revolts in the mines?”

“As I mentioned, My Lord, the Second and Third Divisions are in place to prevent such instances.”

Mandrean appeared evermore lucid as he paced before his general. “So I was misinformed that gold production was brought to a halt for nearly a month? Are you saying the reports were wrong about your subordinates selling the slaves’ food for profit to line their pockets and afford their…attire? Are you also saying that the chain of revolts by starving slaves that followed did not require both the Second and Third Divisions to quell? In doing so I suppose it would also not be true that crushing the revolt reduced the work force by half. So did these things happen or are you simply withholding my gold shipments?”

Maxion’s arrogance evaporated in the light of the disclosure. After a moment’s pause he replied. “My Good Lord, the facts of these matters have at the least been contorted and spun in a most incorrect manner.”

“Well,” Mandrean said as he walked forcefully to his general and stared him in the eye. “Why don’t you explain it in a way that will not have your skin hanging from the battlements of this building?”

Maxion’s words sputtered out slowly. “You see…the Ice Giants have increased their tribute demands. If we do not meet their quota of food, we risk them coming into our realm this winter and taking what they wish. I do not have sufficient men to fend off such an attack. It was for that reason some of the provisions intended for the slaves were diverted to the offering. In hindsight, we gave too much and the slaves rebelled. The results were unfortunate but could have been considerably worse if we had not paid the ransom.”

Mandrean struck his palm to his forehead. “So let me understand. You took provisions from the workers and caused a mutiny with great loss in manpower and production and I am supposed to believe you did it for the good of the Empire?”

“Those would not be my words, My Lord, but the essence is correct.”

Mandrean produced a knife from his sleeve and held it to Maxion’s throat. “I will investigate your statements. If I find the slightest discrepancy in the story, I will peel your skin like that of a potato and feed it to the hogs. Now get out of my sight.” Maxion stepped back and performed more of a courtesy than a bow. Then he meekly returned to his seat.