Decisions, decisions, decisions... It's often tough to make a choice between something that is tangible and loved and something else that is unknown, yet tempting. We Wandering Men totally understand this quandary; in fact, Nathan puts the main character of his Skein of Shadows novella, Arastin, in the path of just such a tough decision. Don't believe me? Well, you can read it for yourself in the intriguing opening of Vendetta, below!
Enjoy the elven assassin's struggle and selection in this tempting and tantalizing excerpt:
The sun, its morning glow casting everything in red and gold, hadn't yet risen over the rooftops of the Deep Harbor shops and tenements, but Arastin was already waiting at the Glorious Dawn for the breakfast he'd just ordered. He took a table outside. With his back to a wall and his left to the rising sun, he kept a wary eye on the early morning traffic of the Deep Harbor streets - not that there was much. Only a few sailors or dock hands passed by every so often, on their way to the harbor a few blocks away.
Eating at the Glorious Dawn in the morning was a routine for Arastin - something a person in his line of work should never fall into, but he'd grown tired of a life spent looking over his shoulder. If someone took revenge for one of his past deeds while he dined on some of the best grilled skate in Crown, so be it. Plus, Fennah, one of the adventuring owners of the inn, was always good for news and information when she was around.
Fennah didn't have any leads this morning, but Arastin did listen to a few of her latest adventuring tales to keep up the rapport. He smirked to himself as he thought about "adventurers" in general. He'd been alive for just over two centuries, and he still didn't understand the appeal. The streets of Crown had always provided him with enough work, gold, excitement, and - all too often - danger.
It was the latter aspect of his profession that'd he'd been considering a lot lately. He had no problem standing toe to toe with a mark or letting his blade do the talking with a hired thug. But, that was never the real danger in his line of work; it was always more secret or insidious - poison, a turned friend, one of his competitors on a roof with a crossbow, and the list went on. Perhaps adventuring would be safer. The macabre humor brought a smile to his face.
His eyes caught the sight of the morning sun on auburn hair, and his attention shifted. A lithe and attractive tiefling woman sauntered in from the street. Arastin smiled and raised a cup of tea to his lips, while his right hand slid to the knife at his hip.
"Hmmm, to what do I owe the pleasure, El'laa? And it is quite a pleasure, my dear." He took a second to appreciate how the sun accentuated the red in El'laa's hair and how she slid into the seat opposite him.
