Howdy!

We’ve officially reached the last day of the blog tour! *sniff* It’s been a ton of fun and I hope you’ve enjoyed it as much as I have. Don’t forget to enter the giveaway at the bottom if you haven’t already! The Amazon links are down there as well. 🙂

We have two final stops today.

Lena Tesla invited me over for an interview

And check out Jaye L. Knight’s blog for a final excerpt from the book!

And my post is going up a little late today because I wanted to do a short story but had writer’s block until this morning. Anyway, hope you enjoy! If you missed a previous short story about Adela, check it out here. This one will focus more on Damian!

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Rafael darted a glance over his shoulder as he hurried up the path that wound its way around the mountain. He took the three steps that led up to Felix’s smithy in one bound before giving two brisk raps on the oak door. The door opened and he was practically yanked inside.

“Do you have it?” Felix asked.

“Of course I have it! Why else am I sneaking around trying to avoid Damian?” Rafael retorted. He handed Felix a small bundle. Damian’s stocky younger brother took it over to the workbench where a bright steel blade waited.

“It took me a few tries before I got it how I wanted it,” Rafael said, explaining his lateness as Felix inspected the carved hilt.

“I melted down two blades before I settled on this,” Felix nudged the blade over to Rafael. The faery inspected the length of forged steel, etched with Damian’s name on one side and a snow leopard on the other. The bare tang held a spell of Felix’s design to protect the sword and the bearer.

“I don’t know much about swords, but it’s beautiful,” Rafael said. “I think he’ll like it.”

“He better,” Felix growled. “He told me last night he’d been attacked again.”

“Again?” Rafael’s voice rose in surprise. “He at least ask for another weapon this time?”

“Of course not because he’s an idiot. Who takes a new assignment right next to the Nameless One’s territory and goes out with just a knife?”

Felix wrapped a cloth around the dull blade to grip it while he pushed the tang into the handle, giving it a few gentle raps with a hammer to set it.

“Should you be giving him something other than a sword then?”

“You know we’ve both been training with our father since we could barely fly. Perks of having a father in the royal guard. The sword is what Damian’s best at. Besides a spear would get in the way out there.” Felix was satisfied with the set and took up a piece of prepared leather to wrap around the handle for extra grip. Rafael shrugged. Felix probably knew best. His smithy was littered with weapons and various projects. Rafael was just a woodcarver who occasionally supplied him with custom hilts.

“He mention anything else recently?” Rafael casually asked.

“Like what?” Felix hefted the sword experimentally.

“I think he met a girl recently, or at least likes someone.”

Felix glanced at Rafael with a raised eyebrow. “I’m probably the last person he’d ever talk to about that.”

“You’re right. You are a rather unfeeling mass of muscle,” Rafael said and a smirk flashed across Felix’s face, vanishing as there was a knock on the smithy door.

“Go away! I don’t do commissions!” Felix yelled.

“With your charming personality, it’s no wonder you have faeries lining up at your door,” Rafael said straight-faced.

Felix glared before going to the whetstone in the corner and setting it spinning with a snap of his fingers. Rafael winced at the sound of metal against the stone filled the smithy. Felix was finally satisfied with the new edge and wiped the blade clean. He set the blade on the table just as the door swung open and Damian stepped in.

“What are you doing here, Raf?” he asked and then his gaze fell to the table where Felix hadn’t had time to cover the sword. Felix glared at Rafael.

“I didn’t say anything!” Rafael protested.

“What he’s doing here is helping with this,” Felix nudged the sword towards Damian. “It was supposed to be your nameday present, but since you have trouble with knocking…”

Damian took the sword in both hands, turning it over and testing the balance. “You made this for me?”

“Of course I did. You’re my brother, you idiot. Think I’m going to let you settle with some sub-par smith?” He headed to the back of the shop and came back with a sheath and belt of embossed leather.

“This is amazing, Felix,” Damian said.

“Thank me by actually taking care of yourself out there. I don’t really want to have to take an early trip to the stars with you.”

Damian slid the blade into the sheath. “Aww, he does care,” he said to Rafael who chuckled.

Felix only rolled his eyes. “I don’t know why I let you two come in here.”

“Because you need to talk to someone every now and then,” Rafael said.

“That’s debatable.”

Damian laughed and pulled Felix into a barely tolerated hug. “Thank you, Felix.”

“All right. Take your feelings and get out of here,” Felix growled.

“Well I was going to ask if you wanted to help me break it in,” Damian said. Felix smiled as he grabbed his own blade.

“Thought you never would.”

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Giveaway!

There will be 3 winners! Up for prizes are 2 copies of Adela’s Curse and 1 paperback copy of The Rise of Aredor which is celebrating its 2nd birthday on March 11!

Enter Here!

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