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No part of this publication may be sold, copied, distributed, reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, mechanical or digital, including photocopying and recording or by any information storage and retrieval system without the prior written permission of both the publisher, Oliver Heber Books and the author, Elizabeth Rose, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
PUBLISHER'S NOTE: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2024 by Elizabeth Rose Krejcik
Cover art by Dar Albert at Wicked Smart Designs
Published by Oliver-Heber Books
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Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
From the Author
About Elizabeth
Also by Elizabeth Rose
One
EVANDORM CASTLE, LAND OF MURA
“I’ll bid two chickens—still alive.” Rhys Blackseed reached down, grabbing each bird by the neck, throwing them to the center of the table atop the pile of coins that had already been bet. He played cards with his brothers and the elf, Elric, out in the courtyard of his brother Zann’s castle.
The chickens flapped around, causing each of the men sitting there to pull their cards closer to his chest. All three of them backed away from the fowls.
“Did you really have to do that?” grumbled Darium, the eldest of the three Blackseed brothers. He took a swig of ale and thunked the tankard down on the table, still eyeing up the pesky birds. With one hand, he pushed a strand of hair from his eyes. He had a white clump of hair that melded into the rest of his long black locks. Having a stripe atop his head was normal for a sin eater. It reminded most people of a skunet—one of the pesky black and white furry animals of Mura that left a stench wherever it went.
“Those are my chickens, you fool!” Zann said in disgust. “Place your bid with something else. Try something that is yours instead.”
“What’s all the fuss about?” Rhys shrugged. “I’ll pay you back if I lose. I promise. Besides, I’ve got better chickens at Kasculbough to replace these scrawny ones.”
“My chickens are not scrawny,” scoffed Zann, feeling highly insulted. After all, he was a king now, just like his brother, Rhys. Zann felt that his chickens were highly superior to those of his brother.
