The Smoke Thief
Chapter One
Chasen Manor
Darkfrith, England
1737
The Right Honourable Christoff Rene Ellery Langford, Earl of Chasen, was bored.
He had decided to demonstrate this fact by slouching in his chair, his legs outstretched and his blond head turned idly away from everyone else in his father's study. One sun-darkened cheek was propped languidly upon his fist; his green eyes were hooded, masked with brown lashes. He listened to his father talk with the haughty, brooding air common to either the young or the powerful.
Kit, as it happened, was both. Sixteen years old and well-acknowledged as the heir to the tribe, he endured these meetings as his duty. He did not speak. He did not bother to meet the eyes of the other men present. When he looked up from his boots he chose to contemplate the view from the Tudor windows, the summer lush hills and rich black trees. The beckoning woods.
He listened to the same debate the council had at every meeting now. He could practically predict, verbatim, who would say what.
"The safety of the tribe is paramount. We must ensure our survival."
Parrish Grady again. The man never let up. Eldest member of the council, blue-eyed, sharp-to ... read full excerpt from: The Smoke Thief ebook
