Release date: March 31, 2023
Subgenre: Cozy Fantasy
About The Inn of the Seven Stars:
Excerpt:
"Well, your show's over," she said. "Let's have a couple of drinks and
figure out what to do next, shall we?"
Detmar grabbed a mug. Taking a swig, wiping away the foam it left on his
upper lip with a sleeve, he spoke. "Well, now we know who or what's
been leaving patterns in the dust overnight."
"You knew?" Cal asked in astonishment.
Agwen took a deep drink from her mug. "Not exactly. Strange sigils were
being found in the dirt in the cellar every morning. It's what Detmar
was digging holes for this afternoon. We were hoping for some bones.
Much easier to figure out if a proper burial would have made it stop."
"Did you suspect your aunt of having done something?"
"It's not like we were close. But, honestly, if my aunt went the way of
Mad Meladia and started killing her customers, I wouldn't blame her. It
seemed like a good method to make money; have them stay and take them
for all they're worth, bury them or feed them in a stew to the next
unsuspecting customer. Seems much more profitable than running a nice
little inn for people to lay off their worries for the night.
Unfortunately, my husband frowns on cold-blooded murder."
"I'm sorry. But I told you as much when you agreed to marry me; that's
on you, my dear," Detmar said, beard obscuring his mouth, but Cal
suspected a smile hid underneath.
"So... so... you're not upset I summoned up a shade?"
Agwen laughed. "Of course we are! We were set for a good night tonight!
I'll say this, everyone was having fun and ordering more ale than stew.
You were doing great! Till the necromancy, of course. You should have
told us you were a sorcerer. We would have politely sent you on your
way."
"I'm not!" Cal glanced at his mug and realized it was nearly empty. "But
the fiddle, the strings are encased in steel forged from the iron that
fell from the stars over in Riftensberg. They're supposed to have
mystical properties. Still. I assure you, a wizard I am not."
"I should hope so. Because if you were, I'd ask why you summoned up an
ancient shade in front of some templemen to set us up to be run out of
town, or worse."
Agwen tilted her head back to get the last drops from her mug. "Right
then. If the templemen come in the cold light of day, we can say it was
something in the stew, maybe blame it on that old grove we found in the
forest in the back."
Cal felt the need to speak up. "A grove?"
"Yes, very beautiful with shafts of light coming through the branches.
Detmar and I went for a stroll, and the silence of the place was
amazing. I nearly picked up some mushrooms growing out of an oak tree
but Detmar thought they might be poisonous. Mind you, my husband has
lived in cities and ships his entire life, and thinks carrots are also
poisonous."
"Don't put words in my mouth, my love. I said I'd rather eat poison than
carrots."
Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Apple | Google Play | Smashwords
About Kevin Beckett:
Kevin Beckett lives in a Canadian city that is on some nights colder
than the planet Mars. At various points in life, he has been a radio
show host, a nightclub DJ, and a music promoter, and he now runs social
media & promotion for New Edge Sword & Sorcery Magazine.
His previous works include “AKA The Sinner: Games of Dying Men” and
“High Road to Hy-Brasil!” published in Hell Hath No Fury from Pro Se
Press. He is working on more journeys with Fiddler Cal.
No comments:
Post a Comment