Topher Lydon

Everyone failed Jeb in one way or another. He was fortunately spared heartbreak at the end by a twist of fate. And for that, there is a small kindness. There is a reckoning coming

She is far from blameless, she exploited and used Jeb's despair, and then sold him for a few dollars.

Ephraim came into Alvarez's house, hurt someone important to his skinny boy. @drpaladin is right, rabid dogs get put down.

Ch12 The evening air that settled over Lanternlight carried the heavy, cloying scent of woodsmoke, cheap whiskey, and the sharp, metallic tang of horse sweat that had baked into the boardwalks all day. The Lemon Saloon was in full, raucous swing, the out-of-tune piano hammering out a frantic, discordant melody that barely cut through the roar of drunken laughter and the clinking of glasses. The massive crystal chandeliers cast fractured, golden light across the patterned tiles, i

Wylan's being careful. I mean, I pity the idiot that tries to kill Wylan, Bran would eat them. But he's in an assassin den, trying to figure out what's going on with Ishan/Erik while Baldwin of Edessa's men crawling all over the city. It's a highly dangerous time, with Darien laid up. Baldwin is a known backstabber and we know he isn't above trying something. Julian is working steadily to get the Vanguard out of there, but there is a massive fortune in the city, and without Darien, they are all vulnerable.

Finn's entirely too focused on Orel. He could have a marching band of naked men, with a banner saying "You, yes you Finn!" And he wouldn't notice, but Orel smiling and talking about Isopods, and Finn's all over it.

Told ya, Wylan would work it out eventually. Gif unrelated, I am just enjoying how utterly disinterested he is.

Gary's a favourite of mine. He gets a boyfriend in the next book, and a saucepan. The combination of these two things means a great deal of humour. The second book is called " The Tainted Relic" It is finished and will be released after this one gets completed.

Wylan, after his journey through the sand. The Little Saint, the Magi. This harkens back to the network of Magi implied when the Byzantine Envoy gave him the book that allowed him to understand what he was. There's an inherent respect that comes from those who understand what he is and he's earned his status as a wiseman. (It doesn't hurt that Wylan could bring the whole city down on their heads if they tried to kill him). I toyed with this, thought it through, and decided that Prince Ishan ibn Fadil Al'Kalijj would be more important than a conflict that was now over, and a crusader host that was leaving the holy lands. Allowing both sides to work together for his well-being. We joke about Assassin's Creed, but the Fida'i were a very real thing, right down to the red sashes they wore. They were also VERY active at the time of the First Crusade and through much of the Crusades.

Good Morning

The air in the place between waking and sleeping was utterly still, devoid of temperature, scent, or sound. Erik stood in the center of an endless expanse, a vast, liminal void where the sky above was a canopy of brilliant, diamond-hard stars, and the floor beneath his bare feet was a sheet of perfectly undisturbed black water. It was a mirror of the cosmos, infinite in every direction. He had been here before. He felt the familiarity of this quiet emptiness deep in the marrow of his bones.

It's a fun genre. I've done three with this one now. And the setting is rich. I was raised on Louis Lamour and the like. My father would share them with me. One of the few fond memories.

Ha, and you know Poitr was thinking this exact thought. well not just that exact thought:

Poitr, in this chapter, proving he is just as much the main character.

there is a collision ahead, and something's got to give. If I recall, this was a song about Warren Beatty

The Mercedes pulled up to the valet stand at 7:58 PM. The hotel was a monument to old Hollywood money—white marble, gold fixtures, a sweeping driveway that curved under a portico lit by crystal chandeliers. Palm trees lined the entrance, their fronds illuminated from below, casting long shadows across the red carpet. The valets were Elven teenagers in tailored black uniforms, their movements precise and unhurried, their faces blank with the particular boredom of the immortal serving the me

I am not sure what he would have done after he'd shot Acosta. The sense is that he feels damned and betrayed so I think him going after Ephraim next would have been logical. Alvarez's hollowing out after shooting what is essentially another boy like Devon, a friend of Jeb's (no matter how twisted up by the Barn thing) shows that through his bravado and his bluster/swagger, Alvarez isn't a cold blooded killer. Acosta just got lucky, a revolver/early automatic vs a Bolt action rifle at range was a massive disadvantage for Alvarez. It was only Alvarez's skill and the rapidity of fire by the Salvator-D pistol that saved Acosta's life there. He certainly owed Alvarez after that.

The marshal doesn't buy Acosta's spin that Lemuel was a Mennonite for a second. The Marshal is far from a fool, one of Acosta's rifles doesn't just find it's way into a pacifist community's hands just to send one of their kids out to assassinate a banker. Something just ain't right here.

Oh I agree with you. Devon is acting just as badly as Alvarez did in this moment. But then, that's human. They both reacted like children in this moment.

If Alvarez can overcome his petty jealousy and sulking.

uggh I hate the name Lumuel, Lemuel, Lemial horrible name... and my autocorrect LOATHES it. Never, ever, EVER again. Serves him right to have his name mispelled on his tombstone.

Lumuel after being told he was manipulated by Ephraim, and they were being used by Acosta, vowed to get even.