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    Never (Prequel to The Amber Isle)
    Never (Prequel to The Amber Isle)
    Never (Prequel to The Amber Isle)
    Ebook61 pages51 minutes

    Never (Prequel to The Amber Isle)

    By Ashley Capes

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    About this ebook

    Adventure? Check. Magic? Check. Sarcasm? You bet.

    Roguish Never is sure he has hunted down every relic and every clue possible on his quest to finally lift the curse on his blood and hopefully learn his true name. However, convincing the wealthy Lord Firmita to part with a map to the sunken city proves to be far more dangerous than he first imagined.

    Prequel story to The Amber Isle - see how Never meets his enemy Harstas!

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherAshley Capes
    Release dateOct 13, 2016
    ISBN9780994528971
    Never (Prequel to The Amber Isle)
    Author

    Ashley Capes

    Hi, I'm Ashley, an Australian poet, novelist and teacher.I've been writing since before my teen years (as so many writers have) and started publishing in 2008, mostly in the poetry world. To date I've had six poetry collections published and released seven novels and novellas. When I'm not flat out writing, I tend to teach, usually Music Production, Media Studies and English. Teaching is a tough gig but it's meant to be - learning is a deeply complex process.Before teaching, I did a few other things - I played in a metal band, worked in an art gallery and slaved away at music retail. Aside from reading and writing, I love volleyball and Studio Ghibli – and Magnum PI, easily one of the greatest television shows ever made. I've also been enjoying Cowboy Bebop quite a lot.My first novel was an epic fantasy/adventure title called City of Masks, released by Snapping Turtle Books in 2014. We followed it with the second part of the trilogy, The Lost Mask the year after. The conclusion - Greatmask is forthcoming in 2016.In between I also released shorter novels The Fairy Wren, A Whisper of Leaves, Crossings and the beginning of 'The Book of Never' series, The Amber Isle.

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    • 3/5
      Should have been included with the series, explains a lot of references in them.

    Book preview

    Never (Prequel to The Amber Isle) - Ashley Capes

    Never (Prequel to The Amber Isle)

    Copyright © 2016 by Ashley Capes

    Cover: illustration by Lin Hsiang, typeset by stk•kreations

    Layout & Typeset: Close-Up Books

    All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form by any electronic or mechanical means including photocopying, recording, or information storage and retrieval without permission in writing from the author.

    ISBN-978-0-9945289-4-0

    www.ashleycapes.com

    Published by Close-Up Books

    Melbourne, Australia

    Never

    (Prequel to The Amber Isle)

    Ashley Capes

    Chapter 1.

    Air rushed from Never’s lungs as the brute landed another blow.

    Never choked on a curse as he doubled over. The two other guards lifted him again, grip tightening further. I can’t help feeling... there are other ways to tell me... Lord Firmita is busy, Never gasped as he glanced up to the leader’s silhouette. The man was a hulking figure before the torchlight that caught in the warm breeze and twisted across stony manor walls.

    There was not much to see, just two glittering eyes in a darkened face. The man’s lip would be bleeding too, courtesy of Never’s elbow.

    Search the fool. Knife him if he gives you any trouble.

    Rough hands snatched the pack from Never’s shoulders. Another man searched his vest and the inner pockets of his cloak, removing several knives and tossing them to the grass.

    Damn swine.

    The rebuke could have been directed at himself – he’d misjudged them. Quite clearly his story of meeting Firmita in the garden had been pretty thin, especially now that he was being robbed by the man’s guard. Given a chance, Never might still talk his way into a meeting with the lord of the manor and find what he needed.

    Unless his blood got free.

    Then, no amount of talk would make a difference. But so long as they didn’t cut him, everything would be fine. Offer no resistance, let them search. Keep calm.

    The empty purse at his belt elicited a curse from the leader. You’ve got nothing. The big man spat. No gold, no silver, nothing.

    I’m just as disappointed as you, Never said.

    The man folded his arms, muscles bulging beneath the edges of his tunic. Red and yellow strips appeared near black in the night but the white from the rest of the tunic seemed bright enough to shave by. So clean. How did they manage it? Testament to Lord Firmita’s fastidiousness, perhaps.

    One of the fellows holding Never sighed. Let’s just take him to Firmita already. He’s obviously worse off than us.

    Good idea, Never said. After all, we wouldn’t want him catching his men robbing a guest, would we? He’s rather devout, as I understand it.

    One snorted. Guest?

    Wait a minute, the guard holding his pack said. What’s this? Diego, want to take a look? Never sighed when the man carefully lifted a wrapped relic then unwound the cloth to reveal a hunk of carved stone shaped as a fish.

    Or so it seemed at first glance.

    The fellow frowned down at it. It looks old.

    Good guess, Never muttered, unable to stop himself.

    Shut your mouth, the leader, Diego, said as he waved the men closer.

    In the yellow glow of the torchlight, carvings on the piece of stone glittered – the granite he’d worked into the surface to mimic scales and more, to mimic the old relics once commonly found near the Sand Cliffs. The way the guards’ eyes lit up suggested it had fooled them – but would it fool their lord?

    And would Never even get a chance to attempt his ploy? After trying for weeks to arrange a meeting with the collector, some boldness had seemed in order... but there was boldness and there was foolishness.

    Now this we can sell, one guard said.

    Diego shook his head. No chance, Bu.

    Why not? Bu whined.

    Think you or I know the first thing about what it’s really worth? Or who to sell it to?

    Grumbling.

    Put it back. The leader flexed his hands, balling them into fists as he began to pace in and out of the torchlight, clean-shaven jaw working. Finally, Search him for more knives then take him to see Firmita.

    "What

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