Thraxas and the Dance of Death
Chapter One
It's summer. It's hot. The city stinks. I've just been described as a
liar in court and subjected to a stream of hostile invective that would
have made a statue flinch. Funds are low, I'm short of work and badly
in need of beer. Life, in general, is tough. It's no time for my idiot
companion Makri to be complaining about an examination.
"So you have to take an examination. You wanted to go to Guild
College. What did you expect?"
"It's not just a written examination. I have to stand up and talk to
the whole class. It's making me feel bad."
"You used to fight in the gladiator slave pits. I thought you'd be used
to an audience."
Makri shakes her head violently, causing her huge mane of black
hair to swing around the small of her back. Underneath all her hair
Makri has pointed ears. This often leads to problems.
"That was different. I was killing Orcs. It never felt stressful like
talking to a group of students. They're all merchants' sons with money
and servants in their houses. They're always laughing at me for being a
barmaid. And how a ... read full excerpt from Thraxas and the Dance of Death ebook
