Nomad’s Force – Snippet 6!
Nomad’s Force
Terry Henry Walton Chronicles, Book 9
Snippet 6
UNEDITED
By Craig Martelle and Michael Anderle
Manhattan
Butch and Skippy ran into the brush to get away from where the pod could have been seen. They remained under cover in what used to be Central Park. It had deteriorated to where it was like a jungle.
And probably as dangerous, they thought. They sniffed and listened, using their Werewolf sentences to the utmost of their abilities.
Wild animals. A group of unwashed humans. All of them could be easily avoided. Butch and Skippy looked at each before stripping, bundling their clothes into their backpacks, and changing into Were form.
Two Werewolves moved through the brush, barely making a sound as they circled wide of the humans. The started to run when they hit an open area, scattering squirrels and deer alike.
Once into Midtown, they slowed, found a secluded alley, and changed back into human form. They dressed, put on their backpacks, and continued toward lower Manhattan, the financial district which Akio had indicated was starting to make a comeback.
Terry and Char had been to New York City a few times after the fall, but always to Brooklyn or Queens. Manhattan was a new twist.
“Maybe they commute?” Skippy said. “Is the subway running?”
Butch chuckled out loud. “Maybe.”
When they left the alley, an older man was leaning against the wall, watching them.
“Hello there,” he said. Skippy sniffed the air, smelling the man’s faint odor. They hadn’t been paying attention when they were changing. He cursed himself for losing his focus. Terry’s warnings raged back into his head.
Butch took it in stride. “You like to watch? So does he,” she said smoothly nodding toward Skippy. “Where do you live?”
He looked sideways at her, admiring her beauty. Brown hair, brown eyes, and slender. She put on her most winning smile as she walked toward the man. He took a step back.
Not a street tough, she thought. Skippy remained where he was, letting Butch make her play.
“I’m just out for a walk, but when I saw you. You’re one fine woman,” the man managed to stammer.
An older man in a place where men die young. He was exactly what Butch was looking for.
“And I’m looking for the right man,” Butch said in her New York accent. She approached him fearlessly and took his arm in both her hands. “Let’s go to your place. I hope it’s not far.”
Butch smiled adoringly at the man. He hesitated for only a moment, never taking his eyes from the Werewolf.
He started walking with Butch at his side having completely forgotten about Skippy.
Skippy stayed back, hoping that the man would continue to ignore him.
“It’s not far, my pretty,” he said softly. I’m set up with a small group, but it’s nice and we have plenty of privacy.”
Butch signaled behind her back, pointing and shaking her hand. Skippy had no idea what she was trying to say. She kept looking at the older man, so she never saw Skippy shrug and shake his head.
“What do you do here, where you can stand around and watch a young lady get dressed?” Butch asked.
“I work in the steel mill. Twelve hour shifts, six days a week, and they pay us in food. It’s a good deal. I never go hungry and have lots of time to do what I want,” the man replied proudly.
They continued toward Lower Manhattan for two blocks and then turned west at the Empire State building. Butch and Skippy looked closely, wondering if the old girl was going to fall on them. The bricks in the street suggested bits and pieces were coming off. When would the structural integrity fail?
A question best left to engineers and philosophers, neither of whom were there.
“I’m Dwayne, by the way. I didn’t get your name,” he said.
“My name is Beatrice, but I don’t think you want to die, so don’t call me that. I go by Butch. And my partner back there is Skippy.” She stabbed a thumb over her shoulder.
“Partner? As in business partner?” Dwayne ventured.
“No. As in life partner, husband, taking the bone canoe for a ride. That kind of partner. Listen, Dwayne.” Butch stopped and turned him toward her. “You’ve made me reconsider what I intended to do. I was going to kill you, move into your place, and take all your stuff. But I can’t do that, now. There was never a chance of us getting together, so that’s out, but what we really want is food and shelter. If we can join your group, get a place to stay, and then maybe get jobs at the mill, that would be perfect for us.”
Dwayne was taken aback, his hopes for a wild evening with the beautiful woman dashed. He got angry and grabbed her arm. She took hold of his hand with hers and squeezed until he cried out. She continued the pressure until he fell to his knees.
“You’ll notice that we have certain skills and if you’re community needs people to protect them, we can do that, too. You will feel safe with us around once we give you our word,” Butch explained.
“How can we trust you?”
“I could just kill you and be done with it. I told you exactly what we want and what we can provide in return. Our actions will earn your trust if we give you a chance. Now, please don’t grab me again,” Butch told the older man as she let go of his hand.
He rubbed it and carefully stood up. He looked back and forth, then bowed his head. “This way.”
______________________________
I have a truck, and we had a few yards of gravel delivered because I need to have a ready stock for landscaping to control water run off and to fill those pesky sinkholes when they crop up. The road to our place from the main road gets zero maintenance from the city as its beyond where they’ll go. We have some potholes and they have become rather extensive making it an obstacle course to drive a quarter of a mile. So I put a blue tarp in the back of my truck and shoveied in half a ton of gravel. I paced myself so I didn’t run out of air.
And then I drove the truck to the potholes, collecting some rocks along the sides of the road along the way. I filled the deepest holes with big rocks and then shoveled the gravel, complete with fines on top. As of this morning, the repairs are holding nicely. I am pleased. I have one more load to clean up our street the rest of the way to the main road. I will leave a few because we can’t have people speeding down our road. Phyllis and I are out there way too much to deal with fast traffic. Traffic is defined as one car every two hours.
Barnes & Noble Fairbanks supports indie authors and I’m doing a book signing on August 26th! They will have a number of my titles available for sale and will put some marketing horsepower behind the effort. I’ll tag people I know and hopefully, there will be some interest for the event. I’ll keep everyone posted via Facebook.
In the interim, here’s a link to my other books. If you haven’t checked them out, stop by my author page and take a look.
http://www.amazon.com/Craig-Martelle/e/B01AQVF3ZY
Nomad’s Fury Audiobook Release!
Nomad’s Fury, Terry Henry Walton Book 5
By Craig Martelle and Michael Anderle
The audiobook for Book 5 in the Terry Henry Walton Chronicles, Nomad’s Fury is now available!
Buy on iTunes
Might Makes Right – TKG 18 – Snippet 01 of …
UNEDITED
QBBS Meredith Reynolds, Park – 4 months after First Battle at Karillian
The two women set up near their favorite tree. It had grown in the years from when they had first used it as a backdrop for their reports, but it was still recognizable.
One woman ran a hand through her hair, the other winked at her from behind her HUD Reporting setup.
Not that Giannini could see Sia’s wink.
There were a total of five drone cameras around Sia, with one high overhead getting the setting shot. Giannini would always be amazed at Sia’s ability to control so many input streams.
“Hello,” Giannini spoke to Sia, “My name is Giannini Oviedo, and I’m coming to you from the Mark Billingsly Park inside the QBBS Merideth Reynolds inside the Etheric Empire. This is our first report before additional Etheric Empire’s ships leave to further support the Karilleans in their fight with the Leath.”
Outside of the view of the camera’s, two men glided through the tree’s, their eyes flicking everywhere, searching out everyone and looking for anything that might give them the hint the two women were in danger.
Giannini continued speaking over the top of some action video of a battle. “We will have an interview with the Empress later today, but we were able to confirm the video’s that have circulated of her activity and actions on the Yaree’s or Karillian’s home world are correct. Empress Bethany Anne, Stephen, Gabrielle, John Grimes, Eric Escobar, Darryl Jackson and Scott English are seen in these video’s fighting the Leath from an odd pyramid structure in a jungle.”
Sia cut back to Giannini only, “Now, we have video provided by Cheryl Lynn taken from the HUD of those fighting.” Giannini looked straight into the camera.
“If you are bothered by violent death, please turn your channel now.”
QBBS Merideth Reynolds – Main Military Meeting Room
“We are,” Admiral Thomas answered Bethany Anne’s question, “probably outmatched on ships production by 50% in ships hulls and 80% on existing tonnage.”
The Admiral listened to an update, thought about his response and added, “The ships are, class by class, close but not equivalent to our capabilities. However, with their numbers and very little luck, they could take us in a major action so long as it is not here in our system. We are dropping puck defensive satellites as quick as we can right now.”
“How many attacks,” Bethany Anne asked, “have we had in Karillian by them in the last four months?”
“Three,” he answered. While both of them knew these answers, the many operations people in the large meeting room were put on notice. They should know all of this information as well. It wasn’t as if most didn’t know, since the updates for each attack by the Leath into Karillian space were shared, but tiny questions like these helped everyone focus on the questions at hand.
Bethany Anne raised an eyebrow. “Timing?”
“Exactly twenty-two point four days apart.” He answered.
“Another one in?” She asked.
“Three days, four hours, twelve minutes.” Admiral Thomas replied.
Bethany Anne paused a moment.
TOM, why are they so predictable?
The Phraim-‘Eh clan are very regimented in their belief system. However that major clan is broken down into five smaller clans. One of them, the K’gurth, are regimented to a fault.
That is a Kurtherian assessment?
No, that is a Kurtherian with years and years of working with humans assessment. Most Kurtherian’s would see the symmetry of the math and revel in it. So, we would, perhaps, love the math and believe that the math is sacrosanct, to mess with it would upset the meaning of the accomplishments.
So, they won’t change?
We don’t know that it is the K’gurth clan, it might be one of the other four. Even so, it depends on how much the Leath themselves believe in the rightness of the plan, before they change it.
Well, that’s annoying that it could change at any time.
Very.
She spoke to the group, “TOM says that the likely clan of Kurtherian’s behind the Leath revel in the math of symmetry. However, we can’t absolutely depend on them always being so regimented, as the Leath themselves might have more leeway with what they choose to do.
“Well, that’s annoying,” General Lanced Reynolds grumped.
“Very,” Admiral Thomas agreed to the general chuckles of the group. A dependable opponent was a god send. A dependable opponent who could change when you most needed them to stay dependable was an invitation to have your ass handed to you at the worst possible moment.
Hey. That’s what we said!
Like father, like daughter she replied.
FROM MICHAEL >>> WORKING, I’m WORKING 😉
Actually, ALL of us are working, or down sick. Well, except that CM Raymond – He is going on vacation (I joke, he will have his words complete before he leaves Saturday for us.)
Even Andrew Dobell is slamming together covers for us at an alarming rate as he and his family go on vacation for the last third of July.
Speaking of Andrew, many of you know that when I met him, he was a doing many different jobs (primarily wedding photoshoots) to keep his family fed. However, what he wanted to do was produce stories and work on creative projects for his artwork.
At the time we spoke last year, he had one book out (and the book been out for a while, not producing income) and was working on his second. Fast forward fifteen months, and Andrew has completed two trilogies, has just finished his LAST wedding shoot and is looking forward to another productive year (again, thanks in large part to YOU).
Sorry ladies, but when you are newlyweds, some of you can cause a wedding photo person to lose all of their hair… (Wait, that’s not a comment on Andrews going bald or anything, right?)
Yes, yes it is 😉
ANYWAY… I want to let those who are following Andrew’s career know that his ELEVENTH TITLE is out (he even has a coloring book) – This book is The Prometheus Trap!
AVAILABLE ON KINDLE UNLIMITED
The Prometheus Trap (The New Prometheus Book 3)
It was a routine mission, saving some more victims of the Corporations greed, but it turned into a nightmare. Now you’re alone, separated from your team, with a superior cybernetic killer hunting you down inside a building from which there’s no escape, could you survive?
The Nano Liberation, instigated by Frankie and her team at the A.C.T. freed billions from the tyranny of the Corporations rule, but the Corporations aren’t going to go down without a fight.
While the former victims of the Corporations rule start to stand up for themselves and fight back, the Corporations move to regain their power, killing these innocents and blackmailing officials.
Frankie and the A.C.T. find themselves stretched as they try to respond to every report of Corporation violence. When they head into the Undercity, into one of the huge support buildings, it seems like just another mission, until the ambush.
Outclassed and outgunned by cybernetic mercenaries hired by Psytech, Frankie finds herself separated from her strike team, trapped inside the building and disconnected from the outside world.
Now she is being hunted down by Hellion and her team, an elite strike force that will stop at nothing to kill Frankie.
Now Frankie must survive in a hostile environment, find her team and somehow find a way to fight back against a bigger, superior and bloodthirsty mercenary group.
This new Cyberpunk action thriller, the third book in The New Prometheus Series, is available now!
CLICK HERE to read / review the inside or buy at YOUR local Amazon: books2read.com/PrometheusTrap
Nomad Supreme Audiobook Release!
The Arcadian Druid – Snippet 1
The Arcadian Druid
Tales of the Feisty Druid: Book One
The Arcadian Druid is the first book in a new series in the Age of Magic Universe.
Snippet 1
UNEDITED
By Candy Crum and Michael Anderle
Prologue
Ten Years Ago
Matriarch… Patriarch… Please don’t let her die like this. She must survive.
Silent prayers filled Elayne’s mind; her arms held her young daughter tightly on the horse as they raced through the woods. The Hunters weren’t far behind, and death was sure to accompany them.
The druid said she is extraordinary. Arryn must live. Her mind focused on the promise, to the hope the druid provided.
Elayne pleaded to the old gods as she ducked under a tree branch. Please accept my sacrifice and save her life. I believe she would serve you well.
The sound of iron-clad hooves thundering against the damp ground echoed through the night air, assaulting their ears. The cool wind whipped the coarse mane of their spotted horse into Arryn’s face. She closed her eyes tight as Elayne cradled her tighter.
The darkness scared Arryn, and she wasn’t quite certain if it was the heavy fog that had settled in the woods or the pounding of the two horses in stride behind them that terrified her more. Things lurked in the darkness—large things with ferocious teeth—especially in the fog, but the greatest threat right then were the Hunters not far behind them. They may not have claws, but they had magitech.
Weapons far worse and much more lethal.
Now, riding on the back of a horse whose thundering hooves carried them further away from Arcadia and closer to freedom, Elayne and Arryn silently prayed that they be delivered to safety—to Elysia, the Druid they had met in the Dark Forest. Free from the Hunters who Elayne could now see were getting closer. Free from Adrien. Free from death.
“Arryn,” Elayne said, her voice trembling with fear. She knew the words that she needed to say, but they killed her to speak them. Tears welled in her eyes, knowing what she was about to do. “I love you. I love you so much.”
Arryn’s entire body stiffened in Elayne’s arms at the sound of her voice, and she knew that her daughter was far more aware of their situation than a small girl should have been.
“No! You can’t! Please!” her daughter pleaded, somehow knowing exactly what was about to happen.
Elayne had heard that very same tone that she’d just taken in her husband’s voice before he’d pulled them both to his chest. He’d hugged them and then forced them to run while he sacrificed himself to the Hunters to buy them time to escape. But it didn’t take long for the Hunters to catch on, and now Elayne sounded just as desperate.
“It has to be this way, baby. I can’t let you die when I can stop it.” Her mother blinked the tears away. “Remember, you have greatness in you. One of these days, you will come back and save our people. Help them, guide them.” Elayne squeezed her daughter’s waist with the arm that held her in place. “You know where to go. You know what you must do. You’ll be safe there.”
Arryn began to cry. Elayne felt the tears drip from the girl’s cheeks down onto the bare skin of the arm that she had wrapped around her waist. There was no way to know if Christopher had survived, and now Elayne planned to sacrifice herself as well.
It didn’t matter as long as their daughter lived…
The sting in her eyes fought the pain in her chest as she continued instructing her only child. “Please. Do this for me. For your father. Don’t let us die in vain. Let this be our victory—let your full life be our victory. One day, Arryn, one day you will make this right. Return to Arcadia when you’re strong enough and take it back. Do what we couldn’t.”
Her daughter was too young to understand the love a parent carried for their child, but she certainly understood her love for her parents. Elayne hoped that it was enough to drive the girl forward and allow her never to look back.
“Arryn, promise me!” Elayne demanded, her own need to hear it come back coloring her request.
“I promise,” Arryn said, her small arm lifting to wipe away her own tears.
Elayne pulled hard on the reins, the horse crying out into the murky darkness as she did. He slowed to a stop, and Elayne quickly dismounted. She moved to the side and squeezed her daughter’s hand.
She pointed down the path. “Hold tight to the reins and head west. That’s all you need to know. Stay close to the water. She will find you and keep you safe. I love you!”
Arryn was barely able to choke out the words, “I love you,” before her mother slapped the horse’s rear, sending him into a full gallop.
Then, her mother turned from watching her daughter streak away, and settled herself in the middle of the path, waiting for those who would do her child wrong.
***
The girl wanted nothing more than to stop. She wanted to go back for her mother, but her instincts and the promise she made drove her forward.
The foggy darkness lit up bright orange behind her as the tortured screams of men echoed throughout the vast wooded land. Suddenly, a bright flash from a magitech weapon filled the sky, and the sound of her mother’s pain-filled screams reached her ears.
Then—there was nothing.
No horses. No men on foot. No voices. No screams. Just the sound of her horse running through the night, the tiny branches and ground giving way with every stride. She said another prayer that the Matriarch and Patriarch would take care of her heroic mother, knowing she’d just given her life to protect her.
Blinking the tears away, Arryn focused on moving faster to get to safety. The Dark Forest was a long ride away. The horse would need to stop for water, and she would need to sleep, but fear and desperation pushed her. Her mother had told her to head west and stay close to the water, so she found the Kalt river and travelled along the edge.
Horse and rider traveled as long as they could before her horse couldn’t go any farther.
Being outside of a city was new, was scary. After a not-so-restful sleep from losing her mother and anything familiar she’d ever known, she and her misappropriated stallion carried on.
They traveled in search of the druid, Elysia, the woman who only a few months prior had vowed to care for Arryn in any emergency to repay a life debt. As Arryn approached the edge of the lush Dark Forest, Arryn saw people waiting for her.
Elysia was standing there with several other druids. Arryn saw another familiar face with those standing—Elysia’s son, Cathillian.
Somehow, the druid Elder had known of her coming. How she knew wasn’t important to Arryn at the moment, but the success of her parents’ sacrifice, was.
Arryn pulled back on the reins and slowed her horse before slowly climbing off. Taking the reins in her hand and walking alongside him with tears in her eyes, she approached Elysia and the others.
“Oh, Arryn,” Elysia said, opening her arms to the young one.
Elysia took in a deep breath. The young girl’s presence without her mother could only mean both of her parent’s sacrificed all for her child. Elysia’s expression was warm, but sad. It held the weight of young Arryn’s reality.
Arryn dropped the reins some ten feet from the group and ran into Elysia’s arms, the tears finally releasing in a torrent, overflowing. Cathillian stepped forward, placing a hand on her back. She turned her head over to see who was touching her, and he brushed the black hair from her face.
“I’m sorry about your parents,” he said in a small, fragile voice. She watched with her eyes as he turned his face to the horse, and with a wave of his hand, her stallion approached. Cathillian took hold of the reins and turned to face her once again. “You have a home here now.”
Arryn pulled back off of Elysia’s shoulder and nodded to him. “Mourn tonight, child,” Elysia told her, gently stroking Arryn’s right cheek with her thumb. “Tomorrow is a new day, and we will go to the river to honor them. Tomorrow, you’ll say your goodbyes. They will rest well knowing that you’re safe.”
The words pierced Arryn’s heart.
Her mother had said as much. Arryn’s life would be her mother’s victory. If she wasted her life wishing for other outcomes, she would dishonor her. As Arryn turned and looked into the eyes of the beautiful, golden-haired druid, she knew that her parents’ judgement had been well placed.
All Arryn could see was the kindness of her heart, and the smile of a mother.
All Arryn could think about was realizing the future that Elysia had seen for her the day they’d met. The power that Elysia had sensed in her.
Arryn nodded to the woman, promising herself she would become strong enough to return to Arcadia.
And she would avenge her parents.
To find out more about Candy Crum and to check out her other books: http://www.candycrumbooks.com
Terry Henry Walton Short Story
Wednesday Terry Henry Walton Short Story
The spring morning sent a misty fog rolling in from the lake. Kae liked to walk along the shore in the morning, a habit he’d picked up from his father. Everything the colonel fought for was so people like Kaeden could enjoy the peace and serenity of the world around them without having to be afraid.
Terry had insulated the people from the influences from the outside.
People. What Kae’s father meant was civilians, those not serving in the Force de Guerre.
Kaeden knew what his father meant. Many bristled at the term, but they wouldn’t say anything to the man who saved most of their lives by bringing them to North Chicago. And now they had running water and electricity, those things that soon came to be taken for granted. Kae wouldn’t forget. It was the FDG that made all things possible. And the FDG was Terry Henry Walton.
Kae thought he could do more good as a member of the fishing fleet and a defender of all things Terry Henry from outside the FDG. There was an unspoken barrier, even though Kae’s father did everything he could to keep the warriors integrated with the community—working the fields, helping in the kitchen, moving, cleaning, and building. Nothing was beneath or beyond them.
And still people bad-mouthed him. Terry sloughed it off. He didn’t shoot back. He defended their right to speak their mind. He also defended the right of people who didn’t want to listen to mindless drivel. Terry explained about the risks of a free society until he was blue in the face, but there were those who abused it on both sides.
“More control!” some screamed.
“We’re free, so why do we need a military?” others claimed. Kae found that he was better distancing himself from the whole conversation and simply leading by example. Enjoying the freedoms earned by the warriors, while living his life to the fullest, not bending a knee to anyone.
A ripple in the water distracted him. Someone swimming. A little cool, he thought, but stepped to the water’s edge and dipped a finger in. Too cold!
He looked at the swimmer wondering why he would tolerate that instead of going for a run where the weather was perfect. Kae planned to pound out some miles, run to the power plant and back before the fishing boat headed out.
“What are you looking at, perv?” Marcie called. Kae realized he’d been staring, but hadn’t been looking at her. Of course, it was Marcie. He saw the blond hair.
Now. She was hard to miss.
“Nothing! I was thinking about dad and the FDG.”
“I’m nothing, you say? You’re looking at a naked woman and thinking about your dad. I was right. You are a perv.” She motioned for him to turn around so she could get out.
He complied without question. When she cleared her throat, he turned around. She had her towel around her, but it didn’t cover much.
Kae did a double take.
“When did we grow up?” he asked softly.
“What do you mean?”
“You look incredible. I mean, it’s hard not to see how beautiful you were as we grew up, but I always thought of you as my younger sister. I am not thinking of you like that right now. My god, Marcie! You made my heart skip a beat.”
Kae looked uncomfortable while talking. He wasn’t one to share what he was feeling. He’d learned that from his father as much as his mother tried to break both of them from it. Kimber also kept her emotions inside, letting them stew until she exploded. Cory was helping her, even though she was younger than Marcie.
Beautiful Marcie.
“I don’t know what to say,” Marcie said softly as she moved closer. Kae’s breath caught as her towel dropped, seemingly of its own accord. She wrapped her arms around him and rubbed her cheek on his, whispering as her lips brushed his ear.
“Men chase women only until she catches him.”
Find out more about Craig Martelle at www.craigmartelle.com
Shades of Dark RELEASE!
Shades of Dark
The Hidden Magic Chronicles
We’re excited to announce that Shades of Dark is now available on Amazon. Check out the blurb and click the link below if you’re interested.
The Truth will set you free, but what happens when the Truth is a Lie?
Rhona and her paladin brother Alastar have left the protection of the Paladin’s, and are now hunted by the same group.
Feeling like he can still make a difference for the people, Alastar is looking for his version of the Holy Grail.
The search for the magical Sword of Light takes Rhona and Alastar to an island rumored to be haunted and overrun by remnant.
What they discover there will change the fate of Roneland, but in ways they never would have imagined.
Along the way, Alastar is surrounded by the people he needs, as his belief’s start falling to the reality of truth.
When you know the truth about magic… anything is possible.
Shades of Dark – Final Snippet
Shades of Dark
The Hidden Magic Chronicles Book 2
Final Snippet
UNEDITED
By Justin Sloan and Michael Anderle
Although her father had insisted they get a full night’s sleep before beginning their mission, Kia found that sleep didn’t come easily the night before riding off. Add in her worries about Rhona and the others, and she had only been able to sleep for a couple hours. The rest of the time was spent staring at the ceiling and flashing back to those sorcerers and their magic.
Her father had always told her to hide that her magic was different than the others. Not only had she skipped the phase where others saw spirits or familiars, but she could control fire without a nearby flame. No one else even considered that possible. While fighting to save their lives, it obviously hadn’t been such a big deal. Now she wondered where they stood on the issue.
When they went out to the surrounding clans, would she be expected to stand by and pretend like everything was normal, or would she serve as an example of how their situation had changed?
She finally gave up and, opening the door carefully to avoid waking her father, crept out into the early morning. The sun was still just a faint light beyond the clouds on the horizon, a distant glow that sent long shadows across the village.
She still found these people strange; the water mages and their kin. She had almost forgotten about the others visiting, the outsiders who had come seeking refuge after paladins or remnant had destroyed their homes. But as she made her way to the kitchens to see if there were any leftovers, she spotted a small boy by the river. He was moving his hands in a complicated pattern that resembled waves, so at first she expected to see him manipulating water. When she drew close, however, she saw that there was a wind spirit hovering before him, the two in some sort of staring contest.
“They’re not real, you know,” Kia said. Suddenly the wind spirit was gone and the boy leapt up, spinning to face her.
“I was just watching the water,” he said, face pale. His eyes narrowed as he took her in. “Oh, you! You’re that sympathizer girl, aren’t you? I’ve heard of you.”
“Excuse me?”
“The one who’s friends with a paladin.” He shook his head as if she should be ashamed. “The rest of us don’t appreciate that much.”
“So you speak for the rest of the clans, do you?” Kia folded her arms across her chest.
“Well, no, but my uncle says—”
“You uncle’s an idiot.”
The boy stepped forward, moving his hands again as his eyes turned black, but Kia held out her hand, palm up, and made a flame dance there. It was tiny, but threatened to be so much more.
“I dare you,” she challenged, smiling in the knowledge that the fire’s reflection would be casting creepy shadows across her face that added to the intimidation factor.
“My uncle saved me,” the boy muttered, eyes wide at the sight of the flame. He stumbled back and sat again, black fading from his eyes. “He wasn’t able to save my dad, but he saved me.”
Kia let her hand fall, knowing the answer before she asked. “Was it remnant or paladins?”
The boy gave her a look that confirmed her suspicion and then replied, “Paladins,” as if to rub salt in the wound.
“Not my friends,” she retorted. “The paladins are after them too, for betraying them. For turning from their ways and helping us.”
The boy looked doubtful. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
For a moment, the boy watched the darkness and the moon’s reflection on the water. Kia sat down beside him.
“I’m sorry about your dad.”
“Me too. And I know they’re not real…the spirits. Not like my dad was, anyway. But sometimes my uncle is too busy with clan responsibilities, and it’s nice to have someone to talk to.”
“Even if it’s an imaginary wind spirit?”
He nodded.
“You can talk to me.” She offered a smile, but he didn’t notice.
“Thanks.” He looked up, cautiously. “You know, I met them. The mystics that your friends traveled with.”
“You met actual mystics? The good ones, right? I mean, I heard the stories too, about the fight at the Fortress of Stirling, but to actually meet them…”
He smiled, proud now.
FROM JUSTIN >>> The final snippet before the book releases (today?). I hope you all are as excited as we are! We’re so excited, that book 3 is already underway.
So what’s next after you get the book? Get PT Hylton’s next one, because you know it’ll be great.
As for me, I have to get back to writing so that you don’t have long to wait for the next book.
Find out more about Justin Sloan and his books at http://www.justinsloanauthor.com
Nomad’s Force – Snippet 5
Nomad’s Force
Terry Henry Walton Chronicles, Book 9
Snippet 5
UNEDITED
By Craig Martelle and Michael Anderle
Kimber quickly sobered. “Dammit! I’m sorry, Gunny. We got carried away. I mean, I got carried away. Here’s the deal…” Kim explained the situation with the others adding when they thought it warranted.
“I see,” Lacy said, slowly stroking her chin. She was too old and liked home far too much to throw her hat in the ring for consideration, but she thought that there might be less competition for the positions than the newly enhanced youngsters thought. “Let me offer an alternative. Why don’t we just ask them?”
“You mean, ask the members of the Force if they want to join?” Kae wondered.
“Yes,” Lacy replied simply. “You line up and they can join who they want and we’ll see how things shake out. I think you’ll find this lesson in human behavior enlightening.”
Kim, Kae, and Marcie considered themselves well-versed in human behavior having been brought up in the community with Terry and Char leading the way. Marcie’s father, Billy Spires had his moments of clarity when it came to dealing with other people.
Ramses was open. He had not had much interaction with people in his life. He appreciated the opportunity to lean, so he shrugged and watched.
Since the four of them were outranked by the Gunnery Sergeant, they unquestioningly agreed to do it her way.
The company, which consisted of two platoons since the other two were deployed to San Francisco, stopped their training evolutions for the day and reported to the front of the barracks where they stood in formation.
“At ease!” Lacy shouted. “Do we have a little something for you, or what? All I can promise is discomfort, physical anguish, maybe even some outright pain. Who wants to volunteer? ”
There were no oorahs as the warriors waited impatiently for the gunny to describe the bad side of the good deal.
“As I thought,” she looked at the four, and they returned her gaze impassively. Cordelia watched from the side, unsure of what the gunny was getting to.
“No volunteers, huh? Let me tell you a little bit more. You know that your squad leaders and platoon sergeant had been gone. Corporal Marcie filled in while the others underwent a special medical procedure to make them more like the colonel and the major. That means they’ll be in the line of fire that much more. And now they need help. We will have ten volunteers join each one of them—Sergeant Kimber, Corporals Kaeden, Marcie, and Ramses.
“You’ll train as a reconnaissance tactical team, a tac team where you’ll be dropped into enemy territory. You’ll scout an area and then return unseen with the information you’ve gathered. Some of you have already done some of this training. Others have not, but it only gets ratcheted up from here. You’ll work hard and you’ll be gone a lot. That’s the only thing I can promise you. The rest is up to you. And remember, ladies. The word ‘volunteer’ does not have to start with the word ‘I,’” Lacy told them.
She could see the wheels turning as they mulled the unsavory proposition. One warrior raised her hand. It was Camilla.
“I volunteer,” she said firmly.
“Fall in on the squad leader of your choice,” Lacy told them, stepping aside to let the warriors pass.
Camilla marched straight to Kaeden, nodded and stood next to him. She’d been in his squad before.
The rest of that squad joined her. Marcie’s squad fell in on her and Ramses’ squad joined him. Kimber stood alone, until a trickle of warriors came from the second platoon.
“The sergeant needs five more, ladies!” Lacy bellowed as she stormed toward the platoon. No one moved.
“Counting down. Five. Four. Three. Two…” she hesitated, drawing out the word. The warriors remained steadfast. “One. You, you, tall guy, you, and one more. How about you, smartass?”
Kimber wasn’t sure she wanted the one that Lacy had designated as a smartass, but he shrugged and left formation. Lacy looked at the remaining warriors. She had twenty.
“Well, ladies. That settles it. I’ll take the remaining bunch, and we’re going to train with them. So you’ll get all the pain and none of the glory. Strap in, bitches, we’re going for a ride!” Lacy grinned devilishly.
Those still in formation groaned in unison, but there were no slackers in the Force. The initial training weeded them out and after that, the training and operational tempo kept them sharp. The colonel didn’t want anyone getting lax. That was a hard and fast rule.
Lacy dismissed the platoon for the day even though it was still the morning with a call to report at daybreak with full packs and ready for a week in the field.
She watched as the four team leads briefed their squads. Once they released the group, she waved them to her.
“What did you learn?” she asked. Lacy had spent so much time with Terry Henry Walton that she’d picked up many of his character traits.
Ramses watched closely. His guess was that he’d earned the trust of his squad, and he wasn’t the only one who thought that.
“They trust us, their squad leaders,” Kae said, convinced he was right.
Lacy shook her head. It seemed that she had something different in mind. Marcie and Kimber didn’t offer anything else.
“People don’t like change. They’re creatures of habit. When given the opportunity to do something, they’ll do it the same way they did it yesterday and the day before. Understand that and use it against your enemies. Watch them long enough that you see the routine that they will inevitably fall into,” Lacy advised.
Check out Craig Martelle’s other books at http://www.craigmartelle.com
Shades of Dark – Snippet 3
Shades of Dark
The Hidden Magic Chronicles Book 2
Snippet 3
UNEDITED
By Justin Sloan and Michael Anderle
The stars glittered in the night sky as the four riders left the village behind. Rhona rode next to Alastar, with Estair and Gordon single-file in back of them. Gordon had insisted he take the rear, to keep a lookout for anyone coming at them from behind. Estair was in the center so that she would be protected enough to shoot her arrows at attackers coming for their party from any direction.
While they all knew magic of one type or another, they figured it would take too long to cast and agreed that they should first use weapons if they were caught off-guard, both for speed of response and because magic was draining. They had to keep moving fast, since none of them knew when Master Irdin and his sorcerers might return.
Riding at night wasn’t easy on the horses, and more than once Rhona heard her brother mutter a curse as his horse nearly tripped. It was necessary, though, to leave at night, because they didn’t know who might be out there watching. They wanted to make as much progress as possible before sunrise, then rest and move on again around midday.
They rode in silence for some time, but when the moon was high overhead they paused to dismount and walk the horses to keep a low profile against the bright sky. Movement in the lands below them gave the impression of the ocean, but they hadn’t ridden nearly far enough yet for that.
Now that they were stationary and could focus their sight, it became clear it was an army moving on the ground below. Remnant, if Rhona had to guess. Even from here, the wind carried their stench—like moldy bread and mud.
“At least they’re headed north,” Gordon stated, “and not east.”
“If they’re headed in any actual direction,” Estair replied, pointing to a few that were starting to meander more to the northwest. As they watched, more and more started breaking off in that direction, then the rest of the group followed. “They seem to be moving at random, all going with the larger group, until a bunch split off in some other direction.”
“Point is, this group likely won’t block our path.”
She grunted. “That’s a plus, for us anyway. Not so much for any clans they might stumble across.”
“When it comes time, we’ll put together an army and push them back into hiding,” Alastar vowed. “They’re too dangerous to have walking about like this.”
A glow appeared from the far side of the group, then another, followed by the sound of someone shouting.
“What in the…?” Alastar craned his neck to see.
Rhona put a hand on her horse to keep her calm, straining her eyes. She knew what the glow was before she confirmed it.
“Paladins. They have the same idea as you, brother, but it seems they think they can do it on their own.”
Alastar grunted, but she could see in his eyes that he had a nascent longing to be out there with them, swinging his sword among his brothers-in-arms.
“You’ll be back with them when this is all over,” she reassured him, “if that’s what you want.”
“I’m a paladin, now and forever.”
Rhona glanced at Estair, who wore the same frown she imagined on her own face.
“There are good men among them,” Alastar declared. “Men who fight for what’s right, who stand for something.”
“Lots of men stand to take a piss,” Gordon commented. “That doesn’t mean it’s the only way to take a piss.”
“I literally have no idea how to interpret that,” Alastar spat, his voice full of annoyance. “Are you telling me I should sit down to pee? Is that what clansmen do? The kilt helps with that, or—”
“No, you daft man.” Gordon pulled his horse back from the edge of the hill, and Rhona did the same so they could ride out of there before the scuffle below ended.
“He’s saying you can do good without the label,” Rhona offered. “I think.”
Gordon shrugged. “More or less.”
“By the Saint, can you all—” Alastar stopped abruptly, then took a step back.
Rhona wasn’t sure why until she glanced ahead and saw what he had seen—two dozen paladins, gold cloaks flapping in the night wind, white, polished armor bright as the moon in the night.
FROM JUSTIN >>> Some of you (if you follow me on my author Facebook page) might have seen that I was pretty out of it today. Woke up with my hip going crazy and had to walk around with a cane (if you see a pic of me, you’ll see I’m not nearly old enough for that to make sense. I have a weird story about that, actually. Once, a couple years ago, when this pain was acting up and I was using my cane to walk, I passed an old woman on the street who was using the same cane. I’m not sure why we noticed, but we both stood there, took note, and smiled. She pointed at my cane, nodded, and walked off. Okay, not much of a story, haha. But a funny occurrence – I think I was… early thirties? So, yeah…
The point of this? I’m glad I finished this and the other book in advance, because my mind was WAY not in productive mode today. (the other book being Reclaiming Honor 5 – Born into Flames).
Tomorrow though, I’m plowing forward – getting started on Shades of Glory (Hidden Magic Chronicles book 3). Exciting!
Check out Justin’s website at http://www.justinsloanauthor.com