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Nero Walker, Book 2 Ch.81 (113)

Walking through the halls, the king thought about what awaited him. For perhaps the thousandth time, he mentally reviewed how things had gotten to where they were. Just like his father, he had allowed his consorts to slowly take over his life.

It had started with his marriage to Marrisa. His mother had convinced his father of the need for him to start a family, and at the time, he wasn’t in any position to argue. After all, he had grown up with Marrisa, and they got along well enough....

Living Life on Purpose - Chapter 3

They led him through the stone building, eventually putting him in a small interrogation room.  Rather than having chairs and a table, they sat him on a stone pedestal then clipped his manacles to a chain attached to the floor.  The room had no other furniture, and the light was provided by weird bulbs sticking out from the wall.

Despite the danger he was in, Frank couldn't stop himself from wondering how the lights actually worked.  Although they looked like light-bulbs,...

Nero Walker, Book 2 Ch.80 (112)

Sergeant Terrance Blackwood sat with his back against the wall of the impromptu cell. The smell of fresh cut wood reminded him of how recently it was built. Regulations required soldiers under investigation to be either confined to their quarters, or held in a detention cell. As they were currently in the wilds, this was the best they could do. As they were short-handed, he actually had been part of the construction detail. He had been ordered to build his own cell.

Trying to take his m...

Nero Walker, Book 2 Ch.79 (111)

In the Hennings Tower of Magic’s council hall, everyone was engrossed in watching the events play out on the large hologram. But not all of those in attendance really knew what was going on. Many were only there because of word of mouth, and some had been dragged along by their colleagues.

Whispering to his boss, he asked, “So, this Dorchester is in the southern strates? How far away is it from the border?”

His boss leaned her head closer, while continuing to watch the holog...

Nero Walker, Book 2 Ch.78 (110)

Arch-mage Mathers sat in the director’s chair at the head of the council table. Everyone who could be was in attendance. After all, how often did you get to see Arch-mage Jennings have to deal with a situation he was directly responsible for. This was the event of the decade.

Frowning, he watched as two arch-mages whispered harshly at each other. They were both hunched over the communication crystal, trying to counteract the ward Jennings had put up. Several different scrying rooms we...

Nero Walker, Book 2 Ch.77 (109)

Arch-mage Jennings watched the pancakes being set out. Although he was surprised at how quickly they had arrived, he knew he shouldn’t have been. The keep’s kitchens had the finest cooks in Dorchester, and even a backwater had people skilled enough to make pancakes.

Standing next to the city-lord’s table, he listened to her discussion with the general. As they weren’t sitting next to each other, they weren’t exactly being quiet.

“Admitting culpability is the worst thin...

Nero Walker, Book 2 Ch.76 (108)

In the Hennings central command center, the king was meeting with his council of war. Consisting of 14 arch-generals, their purpose was to coordinate their response to the various theaters of conflict across the kingdom. Each general worked closely with the nobles who controlled the regions within their assigned area. But while the individual armies were paid for, and supported by, their local support systems, the final say of their deployment was always with the king. Since the founding of O...

Feb '24 Situation Report

I'd first like to thank all the new members for signing up.  Every time I see someone join, it makes my heart grow a little bigger.  By that I mean like the Grinch, not heart disease.  I can't tell you how much people actually supporting my writing means to me.

And for the members who've been with me from the beginning, I can't thank you enough.  Knowing that people are actually invested in my writing gives me the motivation to come home from work and put in a few ho...

Nero Walker, Book 2 Ch.75 (107)

Arch-mage Jennings waved his hand over the impromptu hologram, adding ‘Marriage to Heleema’ under the column labeled ‘Offers’. He looked over the board, frowning at the hodgepodge of ideas. The problem was, he wasn’t sure what the little shit actually wanted. Would they be dealing with Nero, or his proxy? Why won’t Nero answer his pings?

“Let’s do our best to save that as a last resort,” complained the city-lord.

Jennings turned to look at the full conference roo...

Nero Walker, Book 2 Ch.74 (106)

Located below the Henning’s Tower of Fate, hidden behind wards and illusions, was the Chamber of Destiny. It was a dark room, built to discuss dark deeds. Rarely did the Masters of Destiny meet, for theirs was a secret order, within a secret order. Since its inception, the rules had stayed the same. Only 5 members, and each could only serve for 50 years at a time before they had to retreat from public life for at least 100 years. The sacrifice was to ensure that the Masters didn’t use the...

Nero Walker, Book 2 Ch.73 (105)

Vera was enjoying an early lunch while going over the status reports from her field teams. Taking a sip of her tea, her eyes darted across the hovering screens assimilating the information with a glance. Her skills in the arena of paperwork were unmatched, and she used them like a master swordsman scything through a sea of never-ending enemies.

Yet, she never lost sight of the bigger picture. Each and every order she sent out was part of a larger game. She maneuvered her pieces, blockin...

Nero Walker, Book 2 Ch.72 (104)

General Branson stormed into the conference room. His day had gone from good to bad faster than he had thought possible. One minute, he was proudly approving the wall upgrades, and the next he was hearing that one of his pet projects was currently the subject of an assassination attempt aided by members of HIS army. The audacity of the nobles was unacceptable, and he was out for blood.

“All right. What do we know?” asked General Branson without even offering a greeting.

City-L...

Nero Walker, Book 2 Ch.71 (103)

Several teams had already reported in, and the camp was starting to fill up. More hands meant more work being done. Captain Angelton walked around, silently observing the various tasks that were being tended to. The sounds of construction felt like a march toward the civilization of this small stretch of the wilds. By tomorrow, everyone should be here, and then the real work could begin.

“Captain, I need to speak with you privately,” Sergeant Blackwood said, sounding worried.

...

Nero Walker, Book 2 Ch.70 (102)

Lord Blackwood cautiously entered the once familiar office. He had been here many times, but that was when Mage-adept Cranston had been the court mage. Fondly, Blackwood recalled his interactions with the former court mage. That man may have been an idiot, but he had known how to play the game. He had always been available for a favor, and his requests were always simple. Lord Blackwood looked around the room, noticing the changes. Everything was different now, even the rugs have been replace...

Nero Walker, Book 2 Ch.69 (101)

Arch-mage Mathers’ image was hovering in a scry-portal facing Jennings’ desk. His arms were crossed, and his brow was furrowed in anger. Jennings was thankful that the man was alone, as he didn’t feel up to facing the entire council of mages at the moment.

“How bad is it?” asked Mathers, his voice full of reproach.

Jennings nervously shrugged his shoulders, and replied, “It’s not that bad. Things just got a little out of hand. Everyone is fine. No one died… well no...

Nero Walker, Book 2 Ch.68 (100)

Lord Blackwood was starting to get nervous. The mage he had contracted was not returning his pings. It had been more than hour since he had from him. The mage had reported that everything was in place, and the ambush would happen shortly. But, since then, the mage had gone silent.

Tapping his finger anxiously on his armrest, he thought through the most likely scenarios. The problem was that regardless of what happened during the ambush, the mage going silent was a problem. It all came d...

Nero Walker, Book 2 Ch.67 (99)

Rose was in her element. Even though the situation was dire, she had missed this. She had always loved the wilds, it was where she felt at home. The sounds of the forest wrapped around her like a blanket. Like a ghost, she moved along the forest floor in a crouch, alert for any threat.

She felt the ambiance change, and her surroundings seemed to quiet. Pausing, she quickly found a bush to hide under. Like a rabbit, she scurried to safety. Her heart was steady, and she waited patiently t...

Nero Walker, Book 2 Ch.66 (98)

Sergeant Wesker was not a happy man. This situation was totally unacceptable. His team had been systematically destroyed, and he had been completely outmatched. Never, in all his years, had he been so thoroughly humiliated. The enemies plan had been perfect, and if it weren’t for Walker, of all people, his entire team would be dead. Yes, this entire situation was completely unacceptable.

Arms crossed in repressed anger, he watched as the little lord emotionally broke the assassin. Wit...

Nero Walker, Book 2 Ch.65 (97)

The sound of the incoming arrow caused Rose’s eyes to snap up from her soup bowl. She looked up just in time to see Ms. Averett’s forehead sprout an arrow. As the woman’s body collapsed, Rose was already moving.

She had been trained for situations just like this. Her former teacher, Ulric, had put her through surprise drills many times. At first, she thought the man was a sadist. But over time, she had grown to appreciate his diligence. His words, ‘Be ready for the situation to ...

Nero Walker, Book 2 Ch.64 (96)

Vera Salvatore-Verena was not happy. She didn’t appreciate having to deal with problems in person. It had taken years, but she had cultivated agents that should have been capable of handling things like this.

She walked quickly through the hall, her two armed bodyguards walking a step behind her. Vera didn’t bother to glance at the bureaucrats clinging to the walls, looking on in fear. As a group, she and her bodyguards were sufficiently intimidating, and everyone had cleared the w...

Nero Walker, Book 2 Ch.63 (95)

Jennings sat in his comfy chair, sipping an iced tea. He was currently maintaining two holographic screens on the wall. One showed Nero’s party setting up their campsite, while the other followed the hunters who had been contracted for the assassination. He had to admit, he was impressed with their coordination.

Without taking his eyes from the screen, he said, “You know, this was actually a really good plan. They accurately predicted the area their target would make camp, while lea...

Nero Walker, Book 2 Ch.62 (94)

Captain Angelton used a shield construct to hold up the large planks, while Peyton hammered large dowels connecting the planks to the ceiling runners. If they kept up this pace, they should have the barracks finished by morning. The captain couldn’t help but be impressed with Peyton’s agility as he saw the man lightly stepping across the posts that made up the wall.

Once they ran out of planks, Peyton jumped down from his perch and flipped the hand-axe he had been using as a hammer ...

Nero Walker, Book 2 Ch.61 (93)

Captain Angelton stood in the center of the clearing he and his team had just cleared. He figured a 200 ft radius should be enough. They had chopped down plenty of wood, then burned everything that was left. Now there was nothing but a dirt patch waiting to be filled with a temporary camp.

Looking over, he saw the two former hunters, Sergeants Peyton and Jackson, stripping the branches from the trees. Specialist Howard was floating in a lotus position, mentally monitoring the area. Mean...