Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    From $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Mercs & Magi
    Mercs & Magi
    Mercs & Magi
    Ebook125 pages1 hour

    Mercs & Magi

    By Jamie Edmundson

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    All of Jamie's published fantasy short stories plus bonus material

     

    Striking Out

    Starting over is hard. Sometimes it's the only option.

    Since she was a young girl, Moneva has worked for the most powerful crime lord in the Empire. A chance encounter offers her a way out. Can she take it?

     

    Stiff's Standoff

    Lothar 'Stiff' Sauer isn't the most successful mercenary leader. But he's survived, thanks to his motto.

    Don't get into something you can't get out of.

    And he'll stick to that. Won't he?

     

    Demon Days

    Sari is plagued by her demon.

    Can she rid herself of it?

     

    Blood Ties

    Can Damir complete his final assessment and take his place as a member of the Sorcerers Palace?

     

    Bonus 1

    Preview—Og-Grim-Dog: The Three-Headed Ogre

     

    Bonus 2

    Interview with the Dark Elf

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRarn Publishing
    Release dateJun 21, 2021
    ISBN9781393840862
    Mercs & Magi

    Read more from Jamie Edmundson

    Related to Mercs & Magi

    Related ebooks

    Short Stories For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • UNLIMITED

      Valheim

      Dec 8, 2022

      Valheim
      5 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Time To Shine

      May 5, 2021

      Time To Shine
      4 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Liberation Day

      Nov 2, 2022

      Liberation Day
      2 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Multisensory LANGUAGE

      Jul 4, 2024

      Multisensory LANGUAGE
      5 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Child Of Light

      Oct 6, 2021

      Child Of Light
      1 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      A Cosmology Of Monsters

      Jun 17, 2020

      RELEASED 30 JUNE 448 pages | Paperback/ebook Author Shaun Hamill Publisher Titan Books Shaun Hamill’s debut arrives with a fierce buzz and a glowing Stephen King cover quote. That feels apt. A Cosmology Of Monsters may riff heavily on HP Lovecraft’s

      1 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      The British Roswell

      Nov 26, 2020

      The British Roswell
      1 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      New Romance Imprint From Entangled

      Jan 5, 2023

      Romance publisher Entangled Publishing has announced the launch of Red Tower Books, a new romantic science fiction and fantasy imprint, which will, the company says, ‘champion feminist and empowered perspectives in the fantasy and science fiction spa

      1 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Cat Amongst The Cosmos

      Aug 10, 2023

      Cat Amongst The Cosmos
      1 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      In The Spotlight: Your Writing Genre - Busting

      Apr 4, 2024

      What an inventive lot the WM writers proved themselves to be with the ‘Genre-busting' submission call! The response was terrific, with a postbag full of playful, off-the wall writing that read as if its creators had a gonzo riot mashing up elements f

      5 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      The Invitation

      Aug 21, 2023

      York, October 1644 Before I’ve even mustered the courage to knock, the door to the townhouse flings open. I drop my hand. “It is me, John Falmouth,” I say and wince at how loud my voice carries into the night. My greeting falters when I look up and n

      6 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      The ARRANGEMENT

      Aug 26, 2020

      The ARRANGEMENT
      3 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Love On The Line

      Feb 15, 2022

      Love On The Line
      6 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Mercs & Magi

    0 ratings

    0 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      Mercs & Magi - Jamie Edmundson

      MERCS AND MAGI

      A SHORT STORY COLLECTION

      Jamie Edmundson

      Rarn Publishing

      Contents

      STRIKING OUT: INTRODUCTION

      STRIKING OUT

      STIFF’S STANDOFF: INTRODUCTION

      STIFF’S STANDOFF

      DEMON DAYS: INTRODUCTION

      DEMON DAYS

      BLOOD TIES: INTRODUCTION

      BLOOD TIES

      BONUS 1: PREVIEW—OG-GRIM-DOG: THE THREE-HEADED OGRE

      AN OGRE OF THREE HEADS

      DARKSPIKE DUNGEON

      BONUS 2: INTERVIEW WITH THE DARK ELF

      INTERVIEW WITH THE DARK ELF

      Acknowledgments

      Jamie’s Series Information

      STRIKING OUT: INTRODUCTION

      This is the prequel story to my epic fantasy quadrilogy The Weapon Takers Saga. It was written at the back end of 2018, at the half way point of the series: books 1 & 2 were already done. Since then it has spent its life as an exclusive read for members of my newsletter.

      The story details a period in the earlier life of one of the POV characters in the series—Moneva. She refers, loosely, to these events in book one, Toric’s Dagger.

      It was fun to expand on this part of her history and give her the freedom to show her badass side. For various reasons, Moneva begins as a somewhat enigmatic figure in the series, though I think she grows to be one of the most dynamic characters. Striking Out gives her the early character development she deserves.

      STRIKING OUT

      COLDEBERG, CAPITAL OF BARISSIA, was arguably the second most important city in the Empire. But Moneva had never warmed to it. And Coldeberg Castle was the location she liked the least. Huge stone walls, massive towers, it stood like a giant grey beast on the top of the hill, looking down on the rest of the city, intimidating those in its shadow. No finesse, no sense of welcome to the visitor; just a brutal display of power.

      ‘What’s in the boxes?’ asked the soldier.

      They were standing in the yard of the castle, half a dozen wagons of goods ready to hand over.

      Moneva sighed. She really didn’t like Barissians. Some indefinable, can’t put your finger on it reason, that made her think they were all a bunch of arseholes.

      ‘It’s exactly what we agreed with Lord Orlin that we would deliver. No more, no less.’

      ‘Yes,’ said the soldier, speaking deliberately slowly as if she was stupid, ‘and what is it?’

      Ernst and Gernot stirred uneasily either side of her. Two big brutes of men, she had brought them with her to avoid this kind of bullshit. But it clearly wasn’t working. The Barissians had raised an army of unpleasant fuckers like this one, and clearly weren’t intimidated by her henchmen. This soldier had asked a question, and probably didn’t want to be seen to back down in front of the others in the castle yard. Pathetic little men with ridiculously huge egos. Yes, she remembered now. That was what she didn’t like about Barissians.

      She walked over to the first cart, jumping up into the driver’s seat where she had left her cloak. Rummaging in a pocket, she found the itemised list of goods.

      This whole job, a delivery run, was so beneath her. It didn’t require any of her skill set to perform. The only reason that Max gave it to her was that the profit they stood to make was staggering, and he didn’t trust anyone else with that kind of money.

      She returned to the soldier, his arms folded, a smug look on his face now that she was doing as she was told.

      ‘Did you want numbers, or will a list of items do?’

      ‘Items will do fine.’

      ‘Food: crackers, oats, bread. Peas, carrots, cabbages, and various other vegetables. Meat: chicken, duck, goose, lamb, pork, beef, salmon and various other fish. Hay fodder. Barrels of ale, mead, white wine.’

      Moneva paused, looking up at him.

      ‘Continue,’ he said imperiously.

      ‘Armour: plate, chain and leather. Shields. Weapons: spears, bows, arrows. Shoes and clothing, various.’

      The soldier nodded wisely, giving the list his own personal approval.

      Stupid bastard. Moneva sighed. ‘Sundry items: saddles and other accoutrements for cavalry. Oil. Timber. Nails, rivets, hammers…’

      Moneva needed a drink, and George’s House was as good a place as any. It was small, out of the way, and didn’t suffer from large groups of foreigners or soldiers. She sat by the bar, letting the tensions of the day seep away.

      It had taken a good two hours to get full payment for the items, having to cajole various soldiers and officials into honouring Duke Emeric’s contract with Max. And it wasn’t just that. What also stuck in Moneva’s craw was that they were helping Emeric and the Barissians to win a war they had started against the Black Horse tribe of the Midder Steppe. It was a war of aggression with little pretence at justification, fought to bring glory to an ambitious duke still brooding that he had been beaten to the title of emperor by Baldwin of Kelland five years ago.

      She took a swig of wine, a sharp Barissian white, inferior to Kellish wines in every way.

      That was how things were going now. Max gave her a job, Moneva fulfilled it, and each time they made a lot of money and made the world a little bit worse than it was before.

      ‘That any good?’ A man had taken the seat next to her, a soldierly looking type.

      That was all she needed. Usually, two swords strapped to her back were enough to put off unwanted attention. But there was always the danger of running into idiots, drunks and worse, who felt like trying their luck. She gave him the once over. He didn’t look like he fell into those categories. Well-kept and not bad looking, though the hint of a smirk on his face that she didn’t like the look of.

      ‘Tastes like piss,’ she answered.

      ‘Only that bad? Give me a glass of what she’s got,’ he called out to the barkeep.

      ‘You’re in the army?’ Moneva asked.

      ‘Yes, for my sins.’

      ‘You don’t sound like a Barissian.’

      ‘I’m not, praise Toric. I’m from Magnia.’

      ‘I see. A mercenary, then.’

      He looked at her. ‘Do I detect a note of distaste?’

      Moneva raised an eyebrow. He was touchy. ‘Trust me. I’m in no position to judge anyone else.’

      He nodded, eyeing her with curiosity. His drink arrived, and he took a gulp, then made an astonished face.

      ‘By Toric, whose piss have you been drinking?’

      Moneva laughed despite herself. That was a good one, she had to admit.

      ‘So, what’s a nice boy like you doing in Emeric’s army?’

      He made a sour face, taking a second gulp.

      ‘Getting paid. Between you and me, it was a mistake. This war stinks. We’re treated like animals, and we’re ordered to treat the Middians like worse.’

      She had to admire his honesty. ‘Can’t you leave?’

      ‘Not really. Deserters are given an unpleasant death, for one. But it’s not good for one’s reputation to break a contract either. I’m thinking I’ll have to stick it out. Anyway, at least I’m here for the night.’

      ‘Why’s that?’

      ‘I’m picking up supplies for my company. Salvinus obviously trusts me, or at least he trusts me not to steal too much.’

      ‘Who is Salvinus?’

      ‘Gervase Salvinus, leader of my mercenary company. Making quite a name for himself. If you want someone to kill innocent women and children for you, he’s your man.’

      Moneva grimaced. ‘That doesn’t make me feel any better.’

      ‘What have you got to feel bad about?’ he asked.

      ‘Those supplies you’re picking up are probably the same ones I just delivered.’

      ‘Ah. War profiteer. I had you down as a spy or an assassin or something. So that’s why you’re in no mood to judge me. Well, at least you’re making proper money out of it. That must be some consolation.’

      ‘Not really. Even if it was, it’s not my money. I’m working for some bastard, same as you.’

      Moneva knocked back the rest of her drink and ordered another. It wasn’t like her to open up to someone else this much. But then, he was being pretty open too. He was studying her, a sly, thoughtful expression on his face.

      ‘Maybe we can do something about our situation. Do something for ourselves.’

      Moneva shrugged. ‘I’m listening. But that’s all I’m doing.’

      ‘It’s chaos in the army. Between Emeric’s officials, his noblemen and mercenary captains like Salvinus, no-one’s really in charge. Once I deliver these supplies they get inventoried, but after that it would be very easy to go and pick some up with no-one noticing. I get them, pass them on to you, and you sell them back to the army again. It could be a nice little earner, that only we need to know about.’

      Moneva considered it. Earning her own money, independent from Max, was tempting—though that could be the drink talking. It could be dangerous too, and she would have to trust someone she’d only just met.

      ‘I need to go back to Essenberg now,’ she said. ‘That will give me some time to think about the offer. If I think it will work, I’ll find you.’

      ‘How will you find me?’

      ‘What’s your name?’

      ‘Herin.’

      ‘If I want to, I’ll find

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1