“Just kill this fool and get me back to my workshop. I still have much work to do.”
The bandit frowned as he spared a pitying look for the dumbstruck priest.
“He’s a well-meaning fool. A simpleton with some hand-drawn icons at the edge of the city. Really, there’s no need to kill him.”
For one moment, Father Bunin thought about running, trying to escape. However, given what the man had said he must know about the chapel, Father Bunin’s only chance of escape, assuming they didn’t gun him down immediately, was to flee the area, and he knew he wouldn’t.
Instead, he decided to draw out his simple wooden cross and begin to pray where he was, on his knees.
“Our Father who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name.”
“He’s seen too much,” the wretch rasped as he shifted himself against the priest’s pack.
“Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.”
The bandit frowned, cutting an angry glance toward his mutilated partner before staring down at the kneeling priest
“Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses.”
“Get it over with!” the wretch snarled, air whistling through his absent nose.
There was a metallic click, and Father Bunin looked up into the black eye of a pistol barrel. He forced himself to look past that abyss over the wrist sporting a skull and orthodox cross into the dark gaze of the young man holding the weapon.
“As we forgive those who trespass against u—”
The pistol barked, and the last priest in Petrograd fell to the scorched earth.
If you’re looking for another double fisted tale of war, magic, and bloody conspiracies in the grim alternate history of the War to End All Wars, the story continues in Wizard Born, book 3 of the World's First Wizard series.
Wizardborn
The story continues with Wizardborn, coming November 12, 2020 to Amazon and Kindle Unlimited. Order your copy today for delivery at midnight on November 12th.
Coming soon to Amazon and Kindle Unlimited.
Author Notes - Aaron Schneider
October 19, 2020
Dear Reader,
Wow, already book 2, and book 3 (Wizardborn) is coming in just a few weeks.
Let’s hope you all can handle the short wait, and maybe even convince some other folks that Milo has something to offer. We may find it difficult to gather together, but we can certainly gather online to savor what, I hope, is a good book.
In the meantime, we’ve all got to keep living in this world that seems ready to tear itself apart at the drop of a hat or the scrape of a pen on a ballot. I pray by book 3 we’ll see peace and rest for the coming Christmastide, but in the meantime, I’ll ask us all to remember something, whatever our convictions.
Remember the words of G.K. Chesterton.
“Charity means pardoning the unpardonable, or it is no virtue at all. Hope means hoping when things are hopeless, or it is no virtue at all. And faith means believing the incredible, or it is no virtue at all.”
Be seeing you soon dear readers.
Aaron D. Schneider
Acknowledgments
For this book I wanted to take a second to acknowledge some of the amazing people who make these books possible.
First to my beta readers, the wonderful and enduring folks that you are, persevering past all my failings and inability to self-edit. You are honest and true, finding gems amongst all the muck. I value every suggestion and read every comment several times, so please know your efforts are greatly appreciated.
Second to Lynne and the Just in Time team, you are all saints the likes of which most people only hear about. You take this mess and with divine patience, sift and trim and cultivate and a thousand other metaphors for the marvelous job you do hacking a path through my unruly writing. God bless you.
Finally, to Kelly who keeps the wheels rolling on this crazy train. You right the ship and keep us steady, and I appreciate all of it immensely. Thank you.
All of the wonderful people I thanked in Witchmarked are just as worthy of my acknowledgment and thanks for this book as the last, but I hope they know they still have all my love and affection as before.
Connect with The Authors
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Other Books by Aaron Schneider
The Warring Realm Series
War-Born
War-Torn
War-Sworn
Rings of the Inconquo
(with A.L. Knorr)
World’s First Wizard
(with Michael Anderle)
Witchmarked (Book 1)
Sorcerybound (Book 2)
Wizardborn (Book 3)
Other LMBPN Publishing Books
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Sorcerybound (World's First Wizard Book 2) Page 33