Todd Herzman

Ashrennon - Chapter 13

They didn’t have to go far to find the first gambling house.

‘As much as I would enjoy watching you cheat these people out of there money,’ Stanton said. ‘I think it would be best if you went in with Koel. If we were to go into the establishment as a group, we would stand out even more than we already do. Koel can be by your side, translate for you.’ He passed Rolland a purse full of silver. ‘Bet lightly, Rolland. Don’t get greedy. We don’t want to risk being found out.â...

Ashrennon - Chapter 12

The man was unarmed, hands raised and bare. Rolland flung off the bedcovers and slipped out of bed. He stood, slowly, a few steps from the man.

‘You speak Rennonian?’

The man nodded. ‘I speak many languages.’ His words sounded strange, but Rolland understood them well enough. ‘You are a Dreamer.’ His head cocked to the side. He wasn’t looking at Rolland as he spoke. Could he truly be blind? How had he gotten here?

‘I dream.’ He had just woken up from one. M...

Ashrennon - Chapter 11

Chergua was like nothing Rolland had ever seen. The towns they’d passed had been different in strange ways. The city, however, was something else. The streets were packed, and there were more types of people than Rolland thought there would ever be. The roofs of the houses and buildings were pointier here. The towns they had passed had slanted roofs, not much different to the ones in Ashrennon. In Cheruga, it was if the roofs were trying to pierce the sky. That was never more true than when...

Ashrennon - Chapter 10

‘You’re leaving the city?’ Rolland asked.

‘We’re leaving the city,’ Stanton said. ‘I told you, I had a plan.’

‘What? Can—can you even do that? Take me out of the city?’

Stanton frowned. ‘I don’t see why not, you’re my employee, my adviser. You go where I go, and I’m leaving the city.’

‘You’re a travelling trader?’

‘Where do you think I got this timepiece?’ Stanton held up the timepiece that hung around his neck. ...

Ashrennon - Chapter 9

Rolland had been rushed into the palace surgeon’s workroom. He didn’t know how long he’d screamed for. His throat was dry and sore.

The surgeon was not gentle. She was fast cleaning the wound. Rolland bit into a thick piece of leather, watching her nimble fingers work away at his flesh.

The surgeon looked at him, a hint of pity flickering in her eyes. ‘I will have to cauterise the wound.’

‘Cauterise?’ Rolland’s voice was weak, he could mana...

Ashrennon - Chapter 8

The day of his trial, Rolland was given permission to bath.

The king himself was presiding over the trial. Rolland wished he would have been able to meet the King of Ashrennon under better circumstances. All that he could hope for was that the king would be merciful. There were guards in the room where he bathed and he would have felt uncomfortable if it wasn’t for the impeding sense of dread.

The water was cold.

Every bruise and wound on his body flared up as he lowered h...

Ashrennon - Chapter 7

Rolland woke on the ground. His head pounded. It felt like he’d been dreaming, though that was impossible. Something was in his hand. The hilt of a dagger. His clothes were wet though it hadn’t rained. He opened his eyes and sat up on the hard stone.

Two men lay dead beside him. His purple robes were soaked with blood. He dropped the dagger and stared wide eyed at the bodies. He was about to get up, run, but he heard voices, shouts. Two inner guardsman ran down th...

A Darkness Beckons (Hollow Fate Book 2) is up for Pre-Order! Releases 31 October.

Here's the link: http://getbook.at/ADarknessBeckons

Patrons at the $5 tier will get this before everyone else!

I'll try my hardest to get the ebook to you a week early. But either way, you'll get them first!

Ashrennon - Chapter 6

You must be careful, Willem had said. Do not let him know that you know. Speak as little as possible in his presence. And whatever you do, do not meet his eyes unless you must.

The next two days of Rolland’s apprenticeship were the most nerve wracking he’d ever experienced. It wasn’t difficult, not speaking in Jolm’s company. Nor were his duties difficult, considering how few duties he had.

It was, however, difficult to be in the same room as the man. Dif...

PATRON EYES ONLY -- Hollow Fate Book 2 -- Book Cover Sneak Peek

I just got the first draft of the cover for A Darkness Beckons (Hollow Fate Book 2).

I'm very happy with it.

As you can tell by the watermarks, it's not the final version. There are a few tweaks I'd like to make, like upping the lightning effect on the sword, but otherwise I love it. I wanted to reveal it to you guys, as you get special, super-secret, behind-the-scenes access.

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Ashrennon - Chapter 5

It was a long walk to Rolland’s parents’ farm. Adviser Jolm had dismissed him much earlier than usual, and the academy wouldn’t do a head count until dinner. After what Jolm had threatened… he needed to see them. He needed to see his family. As a lighttouched, he was supposed to have given them up. Lighttouched weren’t allowed families. Their duty was their life.

That didn’t change how he felt about them. Jolm knew that. And… Rolland had a sister. A sist...

Ashrennon: Deleted Scenes (Unedited)

Warning: This was written about three years ago. Chronologically, it's just after the Prologue to Ashrennon (found here).

I wrote the first draft of Ashrennon a while ago. I've been revising it to my current level of writing and publishing it early for Tier 2 and above patrons, then on Royal Road. But not every part of the story I ...

Ashrennon - Chapter 4

Rolland had no classes on the days of his apprenticeship, and Jolm sent him back to the academy early every day, which left him with a lot of spare time. The first day he’d walked straight back to the academy and got some extra time in the library. But, after awhile, he started to get a little braver. He began wandering the streets of Ashrennon, trying to get a feel for the place he’d lived in all his life, but had been locked away from for the past five years of it.

At first, he wa...