“You sure you want to stop here?” the captain asked.
Argus nodded, and handed him all the dragons he had left. “If you're asked, you didn't see me or give me passage.”
He smiled. “Of course. That must have been a gull I was talking to on our voyage.” He pocketed the money and shook his hand.
Argus stepped off into the waist-deep water and waded ashore, careful to keep the Five Branches and Reaver dry. After a long bout of sloshing about he dragged himself onto the rocky shore. He sat there for a while, until the boat sailed beyond the horizon.
The captain and his crew were the last living souls Argus saw for a long time. There was no life left on the island—no life save him. Davos looked much the same as it had before. The bodies were starting to decay; the debris seemed to be growing into the vegetation itself.
Argus strolled up Bank Street. He stopped only once, to strip a pair of gloves off a Calladonian soldier for his burnt hands. He claimed a modest stone house as his own. A part of him chastised the decision because he could have taken one of the enormous ones at the top of the hill. But another part knew that would be the first place people would look, and he didn't want to be found.
After settling into his new home, he began a routine that never wavered. The morning hours were for burying bodies. When he tired of that, he picked up debris and tilled a garden up in Bannerless Square. Some days he worked to rebuild the dock that had burned.
The evenings were for study.
Argus pored over the Five Branches. His hearing spells came along nicely. He could listen to a squirrel on the others side of the woods, or the distant rumble of a storm that would pass the next day. He even learned to hear the voices of the ones he'd loved and lost.
Willow spoke to him the most in that practice. There is a different grade of man in you. You do not see him.
He didn't see it, but he felt her lips on his own. They went with him wherever he went, like an ink stain he didn't wish to remove.
Argus closed the book and peered through the stone window to watch the waves crash at the bottom of the hill. There was nothing but the crackling logs on the hearth and the roaring of the sea.
He would rebuild this place. Maybe not into it once was, but into somewhere he could grow old.
He would keep studying the Five Branches.
Somewhere inside those pages lay the right words to free himself from his old companion. He looked at Reaver and imagined her rusting at the bottom of the forgotten, cold and forgotten.
He opened the book again.
Soon.
The Most Important Thing You Can Do to Spread the Word
Thanks so much for reading my book.
There are a million different things you could have done with your invaluable time and attention. So it means the world to me that you gave The Legion of the Wind series a chance. You rock. Seriously.
But I’d appreciate it if you could do just one more thing (it’ll only take a minute)…
If you enjoyed my story, please leave a rating and a review today.
WHY YOUR REVIEW MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE
For centuries, publishers and booksellers determined which books saw the light of day. Not avid readers like you. You only got to experience a few stories – the ones that made it through all the gatekeepers.
But as Bob Dylan says, “The Times They Are a Changin’.”
Now you have all the power.
Now readers like you and writers like me can cut through the red tape and interact directly.
Now reviews separate books that get found and read from those that don’t.
There are a ton of great writers out there publishing their own work. But it only takes something as simple as a two or three sentence review to help writers you enjoy separate themselves from the pack.
That’s why your review is so important.
I’m not wild about being so upfront and asking you for one (it makes me feel like I’m one of those dudes in a telethon), but as a new writer, getting discovered and reaching new people helps me do what I love most: keep writing.
Ultimately, I’d continue whether I had millions of dear readers or if it were just me and my computer screen. The numbers aren’t as important as the itch – the drive to create characters and worlds. I’ve written for over 10 years now, knowing deep down it was what I was meant to do. So I’ll go on doing that in any way I can.
But I’d much rather connect with you and others. That’s when something magic happens. I have so many stories to tell, and I want to keep telling them to you forever.
Your reviews – even though they only take a few minutes – fuel my ability to go after my dreams. That’s how important they are. The more of them I get, the more stories I’m able to tell, the more time I can spend telling them, and the more experiences we can share together.
WILL YOU JOIN MY ELITE ONE PERCENT?
Do you know that only about 1 in 100 (1%) of people who read a book actually review it?
It’s true.
Some people don’t care about that stuff.
Others don’t understand how important it is (especially to new self-published authors like me).
Some people don’t leave them because they feel like they don’t know what to say.
And everyone’s busy.
So, if you can’t leave a review for whatever reason (or it you just don’t want to), I totally understand. The most important thing to me is that you gave me a chance – that you’re reading and spending time with the stories I created.
But if you do want to step up to the plate and leave a review, understand you’re joining a very special group of readers making a huge difference in my life. You’re helping me get noticed and reach new people. You’re helping me follow my dream.
The toughest thing for indie authors is finding an audience. Word-of-mouth and reviews at places like Amazon, Apple, Barnes & Noble, and Goodreads can make all the difference whether a new reader will find me.
If you have a few minutes, you’ll make a BIG difference in how my story as a new indie writer unfolds. This is a story we can write together!
Your review doesn’t need to be long, dramatic, or flowery.
Just honest.
A few sentences why you liked the book is all it takes. I’ll consider it a personal thank-you.
Thank you for reading,
Corey Pemberton
* * *
About the Author
Corey Pemberton is a freelance copywriter and storyteller who finally worked up the courage to share something he wrote. He’s been writing in his spare time for over 10 years now, filling up desk drawers and flash drives with short stories, novels, and plenty of bits and pieces. Reaver's Wail is the first installment in The Legion of the Wind series. He has also written Demon Marked, an ongoing urban fantasy series. The journey has just begun, but it’s already been an unforgettable ride!
Corey loves dark, character-driven fiction where the real and the fantastic collide. Some of his favorite authors are Stephen King, Robert E. Howard, Ray Bradbury, Kurt Vonnegut, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Gene Wolfe.
When he isn’t pounding his keyboard, Corey is reading, doing something outdoors, or sweating his butt off at his Brazilian Jiu Jitsu gym. He lives in Austin, Texas with his beautiful wife, Alejandra. And he appreciates your support more than you know.
Connect with Corey and stay in the loop about upcoming stories here:
http://coreypemberton.net
Stay in the loop about special deals, free stories, and new releases here:
http://eepurl.com/cI2YO5
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