Of Truth and Beasts - Noble Dead v.9

Informationen zum Autor Barb and J. C. Hendee live in a quirky little town near Portland, Oregon, with two geriatric and quite demanding cats. Barb's short fiction has appeared in numerous genre magazines and anthologies. She is the author of the Vampire Memories series. J.C.'s poetry, nonfiction, and short fiction have also appeared in many genre magazines. Visit their website at www.nobledead.org. Klappentext Young journeyer Wynn Hygeorht sets out with her companions, the vampire Chane Andraso and Shade, an elven wolf, in search of a dwarven stronghold that may well be the last resting place of a mythical orb- one of five such mysterious devices from the war of Forgotten History. And now, a direct descendant of that war's infamous mass murderer-the Lord of Slaughter-is tracking Wynn. If only that were all she had to worry about... Chapter 1 Wynn Hygeorht paced the floor of her room inside Calm Seatt's branch of the Guild of Sagecraft. Shade, a large wolflike dog with charcoal black fur, lay on the small bed, watching her through crystal blue eyes. Wynn was in trouble, and she knew it. Only one night before, Wynn and Shade, and her other companion, Chane Andraso, had returned from Dhredze Seatt, the mountain stronghold of the dwarves. In that place, Wynn had disobeyed every order and every warning from her superiors. The repercussions were staggering. By now, word of her return had surely spread through the guild to its highest ranks. It was only a matter of time before she would be summoned before the Premin Council. "Where's Chane?" she whispered absently, still pacing. Whatever happened tonight, he'd want to know. He'd taken guest quarters across the keep's inner courtyard, but it was well past dusk, and he was late. She nearly jumped when the knock at her door finally came. Pushing strands of wispy brown hair away from her face, she hurried to open it. "Where have you…;?" It wasn't Chane outside the door. There stood a slender young man only a few fingers taller than Wynn. He was dressed in the gray robe of a cathologer, just like her. His shoulders were slumped forward, as if in a perpetual cringe. "Nikolas?" Wynn said, then quickly dismissed her confusion and smiled. He was one of the few friends she had left inside the guild. He didn't smile back. In fact, he wouldn't even look her in the eyes. "You…; you've been summoned," he whispered, swallowing hard half¬way through. "Premin Sykion says you're to come straightaway to the coun¬cil's chamber. And you're supposed to leave the…;" He glanced once toward Shade. "You're to leave the dog here." Wynn just stared at him. But she'd known this was coming. Hadn't she? She straightened, smoothing down her own gray robe. "Give me a moment," she said. "Go tell the council that I'll come directly." He hesitated nervously, then nodded. "I'll walk slowly. Buy you a little time." Wynn gave him a sadder smile. "Thank you." She watched him disappear down the passage, but she closed the door only partway. She took a breath before turning about, for the next part wouldn't be easy. "Shade, stay here," she said firmly. "You cannot come." Wynn used as few words as possible, as Shade's understanding of language wasn't fluent yet. With a low rumble, Shade flattened her ears and launched off the bed. Wynn was ready. She spun through the half-open door and jerked it shut. The door shuddered as Shade slammed into the other side with her full bulk. Then the howling began. "Stop that!" Wynn called through the closed door. With no time for Shade's drama over being left behind, she gathered up her robe's skirt and hurried down the passage to the end stairs, and then out into the night air of the courtyard. She made her way across to the old stables and storage building, long ago converted to workshops, laboratories, and, of course...

About the author

Barb and J. C. Hendee live in a quirky little town near Portland, Oregon, with two geriatric and quite demanding cats. Barb's short fiction has appeared in numerous genre magazines and anthologies. She is the author of the Vampire Memories series. J.C.'s poetry, nonfiction, and short fiction have also appeared in many genre magazines. Visit their website at www.nobledead.org.

Product details

• Authors: Barb Hendee, Barb/ Hendee Hendee, J. C. Hendee, J.C. Hendee
• Publisher: Ace Books
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback
• Released: 03.01.2012
• EAN: 9780451464026
• ISBN: 978-0-451-46402-6
• No. of pages: 512
• Dimensions: 110 mm x 173 mm x 35 mm
• Series: Noble Dead; Noble Dead
• Subject: Fiction > Science fiction, fantasy