Friday 16 October 2015

SFFS 17-10-2015 - Impcatcher

This is my snippet this week for SFFSat. SFFSat is a place where a number of authors post snippets from their written works, and give the opportunity for comments, support and encouragement. Please also explore the other blogs that are part of this set - you can find the information here.


 Today's snippet is from Impcatcher, which (Amazon willing!) should be released on Thursday - here is the definitive cover!

In this snippet, two people have just walked into Tal's shop.

 
Two people were in the shop - a man and a woman. Smart leathers. Artisans from Eastwall was my first assumption. I didn't feel any immediate alarm - they didn't look like cheap thugs.

Mostly because they weren't – this pair were expensive, professional thugs. I was reaching out my hand in greeting to the bearded, heavy-set man when I saw a glint of steel moving in the woman's hand. If I had been a second slower to respond, everything would have been over then. For ever. As it was, I jerked sideways, tumbling into a hobcage and falling backwards, the deadly knife slicing across my leather tunic without impacting upon my flesh. This was no attempt to beat me up – this was lethal, ruthless, offering no quarter.

Her cohort had drawn a blade of his own, the edge rippling and shimmering blue-gold. Enchanted. I had no doubt that any injury from that particular edge would be fatal. With a few minutes' thought and perhaps a glance at one or more of my books I could have told you the type of demon bound within the blade. As it was, I had an extremely unpleasant suspicion I would never get to find out.
 

As always, comments welcomed!

12 comments:

  1. Demon bound blades - cool. I don't think they're after the petty cash. I'm totally sucked into this one. Looking forward to seeing where you take it.

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    1. Tal doesn't have much petty cash. Not much cash at all, actually. So you might well be right that they have some other motive...

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  2. Oooh, not just enchanted but a demon bound to the blade! I hope he does get to find out which kind because I'm very interested to know :3

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    1. Don't get your hopes up - he's more interested in staying alive.

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  3. Have to always keep an eye out on those expensive, professional thugs! And to be double-teamed to boot...

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    1. I suppose Tal should take it as a compliment that they thought him worth the effort.

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  4. I love the hint of humour despite his precarious situation.

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    1. I always try to get a little humour into my writing, even when the central character is in extremis.

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  5. Where's that imp from the previous snippets when you need a good distraction?

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    1. Nice thought - perhaps Tal needs to keep an imp as a sidekick. (I might whisper the name Scrag - a character who's going to appear in the second book, Street Demons - but more of him in a few weeks' or months' time).

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