The Amber Wizard
The Osserian Saga: Book One
Chapter One
Gerin Atreyano moved with an easy stride across the castle's main practice yard, the toes of his boots kicking up whorls of dust from the bare patches of dirt scattered between clumps of dry brown grass. He carried a wooden sword in his right hand; his left was free. Practice today was with swords alone -- shields were not permitted. He wore a leather jerkin under a half-sleeved shirt of chain mail, leaving his lower arms bare. His black, shoulder-length hair was covered by a plain steel helm with flared cheek-guards and an old round dent on the left side, just above the ear.
The heat was stifling, like the hot breath from an oven, but Gerin did his best to ignore it. He focused instead on his opponent. Anything else -- the boys and soldiers talking and sparring in other parts of the yard, the clacking sound of wood striking wood, or a grunt as someone took a blow -- was a distraction he could not afford.
Gerin scarcely blinked as he circled his younger brother. Therain panted and wiped sweat from his eyes with his free ... read full excerpt from Amber Wizard, The ebook
