“Man’s gotta have his time to let…” Jimmy’s voice trailed off, his eyes wide, his stare fixed on a small group of soldiers ahead.
They leaned against a tall wooden fence in quiet conversation, wisps of smoke hovering over their heads as the embers of rolled cigarettes lit their faces. A two-story house stood behind the fence, the small flames of candlelight dancing in the upper windows. The sun dipped below the western horizon, framing the soldiers against the evening sky.
I didn’t think anything of it at first, not until we neared the men, and then I noticed. My steps halted as I caught the flash on their shoulders, spotted the insignia us regular soldiers feared.
Not much could shut Jimmy up when he was on one of his rants. I might’ve cracked a joke if I could get a word out myself. Instead I held out a hand, clenched Jimmy’s shoulder so that he stopped beside me.
Rarely seen out and about, these men were part of the sorcerer cadre assigned to the 13th. Whispered secrets, rumor and legend, there was always an undercurrent of fear when they came up in conversation. Talked about, but never in the open, never loudly. The way I figured it, the less we knew about them, the better.
I didn’t much care to get too close to their mysteries now, so I did what any sane, fearful man would, when confronted with that kind of power. Go the other way.
One of them looked in our direction as I pushed Jimmy across the narrow street, kicking up clumps of dirt as we shuffled towards the other side of the street, away from the sorcerers. Jimmy paused in the middle of the road, coughed again, this time a deep rumble in his chest. He cleared his throat with a hacking cough, spat out a wad of thick mucus.
“You okay, Jim?” I asked, taking a nervous step away.
Jimmy looked at me, and I knew right away something was wrong. His lids drooped, his breath coming in wheezing gasps. He held a shaky hand up, aimed for my shoulder. “Told you it was bad luck, Gord,” he said with a rasp.
Oh, and here's another massive incentive. You can pick up the entire collection for the measly sum of approximately $1.00. I don't know what more I can do to entice you? Oh, links, ....you want links? Here you go, then. Click away!
· Amazon UK
· Amazon US
· Smashwords
· Barnes and Noble
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And a Happy New Year to all
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