“The demons?” she asked, before her words faded into a healing chant, down to the last of her rituals, thankful her hand was still coated in some of her salve, hoping that wasn’t somehow tainted with contact with the altar.
Rota’s breathing eased. “Eighteenth rule, weak connection. Some demons who haven’t been here long will be banished if you sever the connection. Unfortunate.”
Arin checked the level of the smoke, and helped the paladin sit against the passage wall. She used the last of her salve and last of her healing blessings alike—but was feeling more certain Rota would make it. “How is that unfortunate?”
Rota Brandrsdottir grinned with bloodied teeth. “They dissipated. Look at all of these demon skull bounties we’re not going to collect on.”
Arin decided to take the dark humor as a good sign and set to binding the numerous wounds. “I suspect people will take you at your word when you tell them how many you killed.”
“Oh, that’s not the story I want to tell,” Rota said, wincing only a little as the worst of her remaining wounds were bound.
Arin gave her a quizzical look, tearing at a little more fabric to fashion bandages as she ran out of her own supply. “You made the Lady to Whom Champions Bow proud today. You should tell the story. You’re good at those, too.”
“And you made the Lady of Small Feasts proud. To be sure, I do have a story to tell when we get back.”
“As well you should. We did great things today.”
Rota’s playful, bloodied grin remained. “I killed, what, one or two demons, and held the door? No. You did the real work today, destroyed all those demons and stopped the incursion. I just got you here.”
~***~
Jeffrey Cook and Katherine Perkins are an Indie Author tag-team that turn weird inspirations into books, especially YA books. Between them, they have 13 novels currently in print, 1 non-fiction book, and numerous short stories in anthologies, with more always on the way. Their latest book together is the YA urban fantasy You’re Not a Real Goth Until You Sack Rome.
Jeffrey frequently feels like he lives wherever the current sci-fi/fantasy convention is being held. His most frequent stop is Maple Valley, WA, to visit his wife, housemate, and three large dogs. He is a founding member and head organizer of Writerpunk Press. When not working, he has a lifelong interest in role-playing games and watching football.
Katherine, who was born in Lafayette, Louisiana, and will defend its cuisine on any field of honor, currently lives in Ontario, Ohio, with her husband and cat.
Their work can be found at https://clockworkdragon.net/
LEGAL NOTICES
Published by Clockwork Dragon, LLC
www.clockworkdragon.net
Swords, Sorcery, & Self-Rescuing Damsels is a work of fiction. People, places, and incidents are either products of the authors’ mind(s) or used fictitiously. No endorsement of any kind should be inferred by existing locations or organizations within it.
No men were harmed in the making of this book.
Cover copyright © 2019 by Holly Heisey
ISBN: 978-1-944334-35-2
Falcon’s Apprentice copyright © 2019 by Jody Lynn Nye
She Remembered copyright © 2019 by Lee French
Alive copyright © 2019 by Raven Oak
Thorn Girl copyright © 2019 by Connie J. Jasperson
The Princess and the Dragon copyright © 2019 by Robyn Bennis
Ashna’s Heart copyright © 2019 by Robert J McCarter
Aptitude copyright © 2019 by Matt Youngmark
Warmaster copyright © 2019 by Lou J Berger & Ian Berger
Princess Last Picked copyright © 2019 by Dawn Vogel
Yendy Loves Rattlescale copyright © 2019 by Elmdea Adams
Water and Light copyright © 2019 by Katie Cross
Low is the Land copyright © 2019 by Fulvio Gatti
Calamity copyright © 2019 by Edward J Knight
Not a Whisper copyright © 2019 by Sarah Bartsch
Hope Beyond Death copyright © 2019 by Jeremy Zimmerman
Balancing the Scales copyright © 2019 by Frog & Esther Jones
Remember To Thank Your Healer copyright © 2019 by Jeffrey Cook & Katherine Perkins
All Rights Reserved
The Clockwork Dragon sprocket-C logo is a trademark of Clockwork Dragon LLC and may not be reproduced without permission.
Without limiting the rights reserved under copyright above, no part of the this publication may be reproduced, stored, or entered into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.
The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the internet or any other means without the permission of the copyright owner is illegal. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.
CLOCKWORK DRAGON
Clockwork Dragon is a small press based in the Puget Sound region. We offer dozens of fantasy and science fiction titles, both young adult and grownup. Visit us at www.clockworkdragon.net for a full listing of all our books, including print, ebook, and a growing collection of audio editions. If you enjoyed this volume, please leave a review wherever you purchase your books. It helps us and all our authors a lot!
You can also sign up for our monthly newsletter to hear about our other new releases and convention schedule. We hope to see you at a convention soon.
Swords, Sorcery, & Self-Rescuing Damsels Page 27
