CHARLATAN'S
MAGIC
by
Patrick Bran
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
Love,
Trickery, Murder. All are abundant in the Jewel City. Ben is a
schemer and a pickpocket. He knows the city well...and he is torn.
Does he betray the woman he loves? Does he have a choice? Will he
follow his heart, firmly in the grasp of the beautiful Athena, or
give in to the unsavory life he knows?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Excerpt
“Are
you really a magician?” Ben asked in a croaking voice.
Ming
turned with a glint in his eye. "Do you believe in magic?"
"No."
"Then
how could I really be a magician?"
Ben
shrugged. "I could be wrong."
"Oh,
that's good." The old man snickered through yellowing teeth. "I
like to see that you’re a man of conviction, Ben."
"Don't
be a fool," said Ming's companion, if he could be called such.
Ben had hardly seen the two men look at one another. The dark figure
had a voice of ice.
"There
is only the blackest magic in this one." Moolag pointed an
accusing finger at Ming. "I have heard tell of him taking the
form of a mad dog in order to spread his evil."
Ben's
eyes went wide. He glanced at Ming Loo and saw a wicked smile form
under the rim of his broad hat. Suddenly Ben's arm began to throb
where the teeth of the hellhound had dug at his flesh.
He took
a step away but that only brought him closer to the assassin, Moolag.
That was no better. The man's eyes were cold, without emotion. He
could easily have been made of granite. Even Ming could not dismiss
his gloom.
"You
don't sound as though you’re enjoying your work, Moolag."
The
assassin threw a look of poison at the old man, yet still
emotionless, full of danger rather than hate. His words hissed
through clenched teeth.
"Just
remember your promise."
Ming
only grinned.
"How
could I forget?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR
Bio and Links:
Bio:
Patrick
Bran spent much of his early life moving around. He traveled from the
Middle East to Antarctica by way of the US Army. When he returned
home to Washington State, Patrick quickly began what would become a
lifelong involvement in theatre. His work in stagecraft eventually
took him to Washington DC, where he built scenery for a
nationally-renowned regional theatre. When progress demanded it,
Patrick left the scene shop and took the reins of the theatre's young
web presence, a job he has been doing for more than a decade. Patrick
still lives in Washington DC with his wife and two daughters. He
writes fiction and gets his best ideas from ancient history, myth and
the legends of the past.
Links:
Website:
http://PatrickBran.com
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/PtkBran
Twitter:
@PtkBran
Amazon
Buy Link: http://amzn.to/1BxFHOu
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ReplyDelete' "Oh, that's good." The old man snickered through yellowing teeth. "I like to see that you’re a man of conviction, Ben." ' I love this!!
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