by Hans Bezdek
“But we didn’t kill Jaspar,” said Lotus, tilting her head to the side. “Did he die in his sleep?”
“No, he’s still very much alive,” chuckled Warden. “In fact, he appears to have come to the conclusion that he values his life far more than his social standing in Durzheim. He has told a select few that he intends to retire from the public life immediately.”
“Oh,” said Jester, leaning forward. “So you’re saying it’ll be easier to kill him once he settles down somewhere?”
“The goal was to remove the Grand Duke,” Wild replied, understanding what Warden was insinuating far better than Jester. “The easiest way was to kill him, but it wasn’t necessary. Now that he’s decided to leave on his own accord, we have actually accomplished what we wanted.”
“So it was a success!” cheered Lotus.
“More or less,” said Warden. He then remembered his place and added, “Although we are right to mourn the loss of two of our brothers.”
“They will be remembered when we usher in the new age,” nodded Sage.
“I will see to it that they are avenged,” added Wild, her fists tightening.
“Just so we’re clear,” said Jester. “This means we aren’t hunting down Jaspar?”
“Correct,” nodded Warden. “Phase One has come to its end. Within the next few weeks, we will begin Phase Two.”
“Hurray!” cheered Lotus.
“Can’t wait!” laughed Jester. “We’ll be running this city in no time!”
“This is delightful news,” agreed Sage. “I thought finishing up Phase One was going to be a pain after last night.”
Wild was the only one that didn’t seem happy with the news.
“So this means we can’t add the guards that killed Phantom and Chaos to the list?” she asked, sounding disappointed.
“Correct,” nodded Warden. Wild began to protest but Warden lifted a hand. “However, just because we no longer have a list doesn’t mean we can’t have some fun.”
“I like the sound of that,” giggled Jester.
“So we can begin looking into the identity of these guards?” asked Wild.
“I’ll do you one better,” smiled Warden. “I know who they are.”
“You do?!” exclaimed Sage.
“There were four that took out Chaos, but they should be easy enough to eliminate,” explained Warden. “The one that killed Phantom may cause some problems. After all, this wasn’t the first time our group has had a run in with him.”
“No way!” laughed Jester. “It’s the same guy?!”
“The one that Phantom and Chaos already fought?” asked Wild. “He continues to live?”
“The very one,” nodded Warden. “We have some flexibility over the next few weeks. It’s the perfect time to get revenge for our fallen comrades.”
He got to his feet and leaned over the table, making sure he had all of their undivided attention.
“It’s time we kill the one-armed assassin, Anselm Brooks!”
The End
The One Armed Assassin Series:
Phantom's Grasp (Book 1)
Released February 2019
Demon's Smile (Book 2)
Coming February 2019
The Arcane Staff Trilogy:
The Elf Thief (Book 1)
Released April 2018
Lost Citadel (Book 2)
Released May 2018
Final Barrier (Book 3)
Released June 2018
The Half Dragon of Yaerna Series:
Tumbler Short
The Ilkas Diamond Job (Book 0)
Released February 2018
The Gathering Arc
The Shattered Sword (Book 1)
Released December 2017
The Time Shield (Book 2)
Released January 2018
Grimkell's Mace (Book 3)
Released January 2018
The Heralding Arc
Durnskeep (Book 4)
Released March 2018
Ravendale (Book 5)
Released July 2018
Aelric (Book 6)
Released July 2018
Second Dragon War Arc
Darkness of Old (Book 7)
Released August 2018
The Ancient Crown (Book 8)
Released November 2018
The Winged One (Book 9)
Released December 2018
For a FREE copy of the prequel novella The Half Dragon of Yaerna: The Ilkas Diamond come subscribe to my mailing list at
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