Path of Smoke

Zusatztext PRAISE FOR PILE OF BONES : "An absorbing tale of role-playing, magic, and the danger that can ensue when the boundaries between the real and the make-believe disappear. Intelligent...a fascinating read."— RT Reviews Informationen zum Autor Bailey Cunningham is the author of the Novels of the Parallel Parks, including Pile of Bones . Klappentext In Wascana Park! they're ordinary university students. But after midnight! when the park transforms into the magical kingdom of Anfractus! they become warriors! bards! and archers in a real-life role-playing game... The company of heroes has thwarted the plan of the power-hungry basilissa to conquer Anfractus! but not without a cost. Andrew's character! Roldan! died! leaving him cut off from the mystical realm without any memory of its existence. If the others reveal the park's magical nature to Andrew! his banishment will become permanent. So they must hide their nighttime adventures—and hope that his memory returns. Pursued by the basilissa's forces! the rest of the group keeps a low profile in Anfractus until they uncover an unholy alliance between their enemy and the silenoi! satyrlike creatures who hunt humans—an alliance that threatens to cross the barrier into the real world. And while his friends struggle to prevent an invasion in both worlds! Andrew receives a visitor determined to restore his memory of Anfractus by leading him down a very dark path... Leseprobe PART ONE TROVADOR 1 HE SAT IN THE window of the black basia, watching the Subura below. It was a hive of drunken people, sweating and belching and singing as they clogged the narrow streets. They were on the hunt for something that could only be found in this quarter. Nobody came here for the food. The alleys were a city of their own, full of treasures and bleak endings. A familiar alley might turn into a trap before your eyes. Anfractus never stayed the same for long, and the Subura was its dark heart. People came here in search of solace, odd miracles, and luck. The furs waited for them, clinging like moss to the stone walls. Their charms and delicate hooks could snag a purse in seconds. Babieca pulled his knees up to his chest. He could smell the fish sauce from the caupona across the street. The sky was beginning to darken. He was only two stories up, but the fall would still break something. He loosened his grip on the sill. A trovador had once told him that you could sing yourself a staircase. Not a real staircase. More like one of the stone skyways that crisscrossed the horizon. If you sang the proper song, you could make the air thicken, just enough to support your weight. He swore that he’d seen someone do it. But he was a drunken senex, with very few teeth, and Babieca didn’t trust what he said. A song like that would be something rare and dangerous. The notes would play you without mercy, and when it was done, you’d be someone else. Someone who knew how to walk on air. “If you fall,” a voice said, “someone will have to settle your bill.” Babieca climbed down and replaced the shutter. The street noise was muffled, but he could still hear it. He reached for the cup of wine that he’d left by the bed. It was made of cheap blue glass, although it bore a slight resemblance to a more expensive design. He drained the cup, then refilled it. “You’re the father of this house. Can’t you forgive my debt?” Felix paused in the act of fastening his sandals. “I suppose I could. It would make more sense to auction off your possessions, though. Your lute might be worth something.” “It’s got a crack.” “Most things do.” He slipped on his tunica, dyed saffron and covered with rich panels of embroidery. “What about your cloak? That’s worth something.” Babieca shook his head. “I stole it. I liked the tigers dancing along the edges. They thi...

Dettagli sul prodotto

• Autori: Bailey Cunningham
• Editore: Ace Books
• Lingue: Inglese
• Formato: Tascabile
• Pubblicazione: 29.07.2014
• EAN: 9780425261071
• ISBN: 978-0-425-26107-1
• Pagine: 304
• Dimensioni: 106 mm x 171 mm x 19 mm