Mike Carss

An abrupt clang woke Nathan from his slumber. Exhaustion had finally taken its toll, offering a dreamless sleep. The cold damp had sunk into his bones, and sporadic, uncontrollable shakes sapped what little strength he had left. Feeling had returned to his arms, but his hands remained numb. Glancing around in the dark offered no clue how long he’d slept. Time had no meaning in the dark. Another clang, distant and echoing from the long corridor, brought his attention back. A gate slammed sh

Endless trees. Even from their great vantage point high in the sky, the landscape offered little else. Toward the south, the grand mountains of Dead Man’s Pass peaked just above the horizon, and the north gave way to an immeasurable sea. Despite his sorrow, Nathan was fascinated at seeing the world from such a height. Upon leaving the ruins of Tornel, the daemon flew west toward Brockford. Nathan had never been there, knowing it was a heavily fortified garrison town, and held the main barra

Sleep had taken Nathan, however he’d been unable to recall when. He found himself on his side, Brohm holding him close with an arm wrapped protectively against his chest. He couldn’t deny feeling Brohm’s manhood pushing against the small of his back, and wished they were in a warm bed instead of an abandoned cave. It was then he realized a glowing blue representation of the cavern was discernible. Although quite dim, every crevasse was perfectly lit, and rubbing his eyes did nothing to alt

You'll have to wait and see what happens. 😅

So many heart reactions, you guys. ❤️😄 I'm really kicking myself in the ass for mentioning it here in the comments. That said, if anyone happened to read my profile bio, I talk about the sequel, so it wasn't exactly a secret. 😉

Morning came with the sun shining brightly into the once grand hall. Birds fluttered about broken rafters, and a cool sea breeze blew in from the gaping hole in the far corner. In the distance came the call of seagulls, and the crashing of water against the coast. After striking camp, they packed Nathan’s rucksack with supplies, and headed to the large door they discovered the day before. Both men stood silent, dreading the dark entrance. Nathan felt the urge to simply walk away, but knew t

Slowly opening the door to peek out, Nathan was relieved to find the dusty road almost deserted. Pulling up his hood, he stepped out toward the horses. Brohm emerged a few moments later with their supplies, and they were soon on their way to the north end of the large village. The late afternoon sun drew lengthening shadows from the surrounding buildings, allowing them to hide in plain sight. “I guess we should’ve figured out which road leads to Tornel Keep,” Nathan said. “What? I reck

Too bad they didn't have a magical alarm clock so they wouldn't have overslept. 😁

My lack of details strikes again! 😅

I'm not gonna spoil anything except to say their little adventure at the keep consists of three chapters. Next chapter on Friday.

They need to figure out how to get to the abandoned Tornel Keep. While it's not marked on the map, is it visible if you know where to look. It's just north of Morringstone. 😉

Fortunately, no one in Morringstone -- not even Nyle -- knows where Nathan and Brohm are headed. If they can make it out of town unseen, they should hopefully be safe. 🤞

Yeah, you can smell the hypocrisy from here. The money is good, but he'd rather just ignore what he's selling. That said, criminal or not, nobody wants violence in their own home.

They managed to get some sleep, only to be interrupted by Nyle bursting through the door. Brohm’s instinct had him on his feet, sword drawn and ready to swing before Nyle could blink. Hands up in the air, he stood there like a fool until Brohm sheathed his blade. “Sorry. You surprised me,” he stated simply. Nyle stood motionless for a moment before managing to recover from his fright. “Where’d you find this guy?” Nathan smiled and patted Brohm on the shoulder. “That’s a long st

Sorry for the spoilers. 😬 Nathan's bow wasn't lost, just out of reach. And they still have their horses. They're hitched nearby.

Thanks. 😄 I'll be sharing it here soon after I'm done posting this story.

While Brohm grew up on a farm, it was never something that interested him. They only grew vegetables and grains, so his familiarity with animals is just riding horses. Neither Nathan or Brohm had to learn how to live off the land, so that's why the food situation forces them to do risky things. It's one of many disadvantages I wanted them to deal with. As I was writing this, I kept throwing walls up to see how they would deal with each obstacle. The overall situation they've gotten themselves into is way over their heads. They're bad guys who've made terrible life decisions and it's all caught up to them. My goal was to have the reader root for the bad guy by humanizing them. Whether or not I've succeeded is up to each reader. Finally, it's easy to point and say: why didn't they do this or that? But in the thick of it, sometimes people do things that don't make sense. I suppose there's a fine line between doing the right thing all the time (boring) and making mistakes all the time (frustrating). I get the feeling you're in the "frustration" camp? 😅 If it's any consolation, by the end of this novel, they've "learned their lesson" and try to redeem themselves in the sequel by helping people instead of hurting. IMO, the sequel is a much better story -- certainly grander in scope -- which makes sense since this novel was my first serious attempt at creative writing. As always, I appreciate your feedback. Thanks! 💗

In case it wasn't obvious by this point, my protagonists are far from perfect. 😅 That's kinda by design. Nah. I consider it a bit cliché in fantasy novels when everyone knows how to trap and skin an animal. Nathan's "foraging" skills go as far as those bitter berries they ate early on. These two are way outside their element (pun intended), and I'm using that lack of knowledge to create tension by putting them in terrible situations.

If Wellor and Rypan were tailing them, they were doing an excellent job. Nathan never caught sight of them once. Well before dark, they decided to stop for the day, and ventured deep into the forest to search for a safe place to camp. Brohm, sullen after the discovery of the wanted poster, tugged at the reins impatiently as they led their mounts south off the road. Nearly a hundred metres into the brush, they discovered a weather-worn mossy rock. It was gigantic, nearly the size of a

Yeah. I'm sure the one trooper they let go in their last altercation confirmed Nathan and Brohm were together.

Nathan being surprised? Not sure exactly what you're referring to. If it's regarding the line: Nathan did his best to hide his reaction, this is just him being surprised at the bounty's worth. The amount is left unsaid at the moment, but will be shared later. Needless to say, it's a lot of coin. 😅

Exactly. She freely offered them a place to stay for the night, but that's where her generosity ends.

Unable to take his mind off Brohm, the night passed slowly. Nathan finally managed to sleep in the early morning hours, yet upon waking, found himself alone. He heard Brohm and Morgana speaking quietly outside. Stretching his weary body, he rose and stepped out to find them sitting on a bench against the cottage. “Good morning,” Morgana said. “Did you sleep well?” “I’ve slept better,” Nathan said, offering Brohm a knowing look. The big man tried to hide a smirk. “Oh, I’m

Nah, she's happy to help two waylaid travellers. That said, she might be able to assist them, and there's definitely a price for that.

That heartens me, since that was entirely the point. Thank you.