Husk: A Maresman Tale (28 page)

Tizzy watched her go through the slats on the blinds. She could hear the rattle of the wagon coming down the high street, but she had no eyes for that.

Ilesa.

Ilesa Fana, after all these years. And to look at her!

Then it struck her: Jebediah Skayne—he’d picked up the mask, put it on.

“Oh, my shog!” Tizzy said to herself. She wouldn’t want to be the Maresman for all the money in Boss’s coffers. She tried to call out to Ilesa, but the words never left her mouth.

Best to let it go
, she told herself.
Ain’t none of my business
.

All she had to do was get her things loaded on the wagon and there was a whole new life waiting for her in Brink. What other people got up to was between them and them alone. They’d work it out, she was sure. Once they had a chance to speak.

She continued to watch, even as the wagon pulled up and the driver started to climb down.

Ilesa walked with the grace of a dancer, lightly on the balls of her feet. Tizzy had seen others walk that way, poised and ready to strike at the slightest hint of trouble. As she watched, the air about Ilesa began to shimmer once more. Her clothing faded, and feathers began to sprout from her arms.

Tizzy blinked to make sure she wasn’t dreaming, and then she gasped as a huge brown eagle took to the air and soared toward New Jerusalem.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

D.P. Prior was born and bred in England, lived for a while in Australia, and now resides in Florida, USA with his wife, two children, and three cats. He writes and edits fiction for a living, has a passion for pumping iron, and frequently grumbles about taking care of five acres of snake-infested woodland.

Web: dpprior.blogspot.com

Facebook: facebook.com/dpprior

Twitter: @NamelessDwarf

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ALSO BY D.P. PRIOR

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The Axe Of The Dwarf Lords

The Scout And The Serpent

The Ebon Staff

Bane Of The Liche Lord

The Nameless Dwarf: The Complete Chronicles

Shader

Sword Of The Archon

Best Laid Plans

The Unweaving

The Archon’s Assassin
(forthcoming)

Rise Of The Nameless Dwarf
(forthcoming)

Saphra
(forthcoming)

Shader: First Trilogy: Against the Unweaving

The Memoires of Harry Chesterton

Thanatos Rising