The Way of the Black Beast
Page 27
"But—"
"Tommy and I can take care of them. And I need you to keep the innocent out of harm's way."
"So this is the grand mission now? Clean up the country?"
Malja shrugged. "My fathers were Jarik and Callib. Tommy has part of Barris Mont inside him. You were a warlord."
"I wasn't any good at it."
"And I ... I was consumed by hatred. We're responsible for a lot of this mess. Fixing it seems like the right thing to do."
Fawbry looked to the bartender. "Well, can I at least get a free drink for saving your life?" The bartender passed out. Fawbry shrugged, reached for a mug, and poured himself a drink. "I suppose this'll work well. Better than your myopic revenge thing."
"Much better," Malja said as she wiped Viper's blade. "The Black Beast is dead. Now, I'm the law."
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THE WAY OF THE SWORD AND GUN
Malja and her companions face a self-made ruler obsessed with taming the destructive magical energies pulsing from a place known as the Library.
But magic this powerful can do more than destroy. It can unlock a path toward the desires Malja buries in her heart. Desires that may tear her from those she cares for the most.
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Acknowledgments
If you've ever read an acknowledgements page, then you know that a lot of people help out an author in the creation of a book, many times without them even knowing it. Here are some of the people that helped make Malja's story come to fruition: Jeff Dekal, Stephen and Amy Ball, Garrett Place, Rich Sigfrit, and Tee Morris; McKenna Donovan, an excellent editor; the Magical Words team -- David B. Coe, Faith Hunter, Misty Massey, Edmund R. Schubert, and A. J. Hartley; and of course, my wife and son. But most of all, I couldn't write this without having people like you to read it. Thank you.
About the Author
Stuart Jaffe is the author of The Malja Chronicles, a post-apocalyptic fantasy series, as well as the short story collection, 10 Bits of My Brain. Numerous other short stories have appeared in magazines and anthologies. He is the co-host of The Eclectic Review -- a podcast about science, art, and well, everything. For those who keep count, the latest animal listing is as follows: five cats, one albino corn snake, one Brazilian black tarantula, three aquatic turtles, one tortoise, assorted fish, two lop-eared rabbits, seven chickens, and a horse. Thankfully, the chickens and the horse do not live inside the house.
Stuart can be easily found online at these sites:
Website
Blog
Facebook
Twitter
Goodreads
Copyright Notice
The Way of the Black Beast is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
THE WAY OF THE BLACK BEAST
All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2011 by Stuart Jaffe
Cover art by Jeff Dekal
ISBN-13: 978-1466321847
ISBN-10: 1466321849
First Edition: September, 2011
Second Edition: September, 2013
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27