The Viscount and the Witch (Riyria #1.5)

While signing with Orbit was certainly a pivotal moment in my fledgling career, that wasn’t the only good fortune that occurred toward the end of 2010. The planets had aligned and ebook sales started to soar, not just for me but a whole host of indie authors. In October I had just released my fifth book, Wintertide, and Robin had executed some creative marketing initiatives. The result: sales that month more than doubled to 2,600, but the real onslaught happened during the Christmas season (Nov — Jan) where I saw sales of 9,500, 10,500, and 11,500 per month.

In comparison to many of the well publicized indie success stories, such as Amanda Hocking or John Locke who sold millions, my sales were very modest. However, where they had priced their books at $0.99 or $2.99 mine had been selling well at $4.95 and $6.95. Suddenly my writing, which had been bringing in only a modest supplemental income, was generating “real” money. In addition, I was also receiving substantial additional income from foreign language sales to Spain, Russia, Germany, France, Poland, and the Czech Republic. Conventional writer wisdom says, “Never quit your day job.” But I had no day job to quit. You see, Robin had been generous enough to act as the sole bread winner for years so that I could concentrate on my writing. One of my most satisfying moments came in April 2011 when I was able to repay her by returning the favor, and she resigned from the company she had been working for.

What does this very long winded tale have to do with the short you are about to read? Well a few things. Hopefully laying this all out will help explain what has been going on behind the scenes (especially for those who are champing at the bit for the final book and may not know the details about why it was delayed). As I write this September 2011 is coming to a close, and it’s a frustrating time for me because for the first time in years I have no books for sale. You see, the Ridan books are now officially out-of-print, and while the Orbit versions are available for pre-order, no one will be able to read them until Thanksgiving. So the first reason why I’m releasing this short is to provide a little tidbit for my fans to read while they wait.

Secondly, writing this short gave me a chance to reunite with Royce and Hadrian. I’ve missed writing them, and because of how the series was constructed, there is no possibility for a seventh book. Yes that’s right, no matter how successful the series is, I won’t tack on another book. I just can’t. The sixth book is where that story ends, if you finish reading the series you’ll know why. So my only choice was to go backward, and explore the early days of Royce and Hadrian and what occurred long before the start of the Riyria Revelations.

Thirdly, I wanted to provide a little gift to all my fans for getting me to where I am now. This short will be released for free on my website (www.michaelsullivan-author.com/free.html) and through Smashwords. You’ll be able to get DRM free versions (I’m not a fan of digital rights management) in formats such as .epub, .mobi, .lrf, .lit, .pdf, and more). But because not everyone follows my blog, I’ll also release it through online stores such as Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and ibookstore. These venues don’t provide a means for an author to make a book free, but I’ll price it as low as I can, which is $0.99. Sometimes sites like Amazon will price match, so hopefully you’ll find it for free there as well.

Lastly, my hope is that this short will introduce some new readers who are unfamiliar with the series. So please feel free to share this generously with your friends. I often run across people who say, “I’ve heard about your books, but I haven’t had the chance to read them yet.” Well, this might be an easy way to take a look. Most short stories are 3,000 words and this one is almost twice as long (5,400) but it is still small enough to read in a single sitting, perhaps over lunch, or while waiting in a doctor’s office, or at the DMV (shudder).

One last thing, and I promise this is the last thing. If you enjoy this little short, please drop me a line at [email protected]. Heck, even if you don’t like it go ahead and email me. Your feedback will help determine whether I should write more about these two rogues or whether I should move on to something else. Writing stories that people want to read is why I do this, so it’s kinda important for me to know what you all are thinking.

Okay, that’s it. This note has probably way more information than you wanted and demonstrates why I’ve not written an author note before. Still, I hope you found it a little interesting. Now without further adieu, I present to you The Viscount and the Witch a short story of the early adventures of Royce Melborn and Hadrian Blackwater. I hope that you will enjoy.





Michael





The Viscount and the Witch

A Riyria Chronicles Short: Story #1





A woman wielding a broom charged at them, looking as much like a witch as anyone Hadrian had ever seen. Matted black hair spilled down in brittle locks, leaving only one eye and the tip of her nose visible. The peasant skirt she wore hindered her escape from the thickets, and had enough rips and muddy stains that Hadrian was certain she had tripped on it more than once.

“Stop! I need help!” she cried in desperation as if he and Royce had been racing down the road. In truth the two were riding their horses at a pace just slightly faster than a man could walk. Hadrian pulled his reins, halting while Royce continued for a bit before turning around with a curious look. Over the past year Hadrian had seen the expression often enough. He knew from experience that the puzzlement would turn to irritation as soon as his partner realized Hadrian was stopping to hear what the old woman wanted. Then would come the scowl. Hadrian was not certain what that meant—disappointment perhaps? Next, Royce’s eyes would roll with open contempt and then frustration would display itself in the form of folded arms. Finally anger would rise along with his cloak’s hood. Royce pulling up his hood was always a bad sign, like fur bristling on a wolf’s back. It was a warning and usually the only one anyone ever received.

“You must help me,” the old woman shouted as she plunged through the brush, climbing out of the ditch at the side of the road. “There’s a strange man in my barn, and I’m scared for my life.”

“Your barn?” Hadrian asked while looking over the woman’s head where no barn could be seen.

Royce and Hadrian had been traveling north on the Steward’s Road near the city of Colnora. All morning they had passed numerous farms and cottages, but they had not seen either for some time.

“My husband and I have a farm ’round this bend.” She pointed up the road.

“If you have a husband, why doesn’t he take care of the man?”

“Dear old Danny’s away. Went to Vernes to sell our spring lambs. Won’t be back for a month at least. The man in my barn is a drunken lunatic. He’s naked—violent and cursing. He’s probably been bit by a sick dog and now has the madness. I’m afraid to go near the barn, but I need to feed our livestock. I just don’t know what to do. I’m certain he’ll kill me if I set foot inside.”

“You’ve never seen him before?”

The woman shook her head. “If you help me, if you run him off my land, I’ll see that you get a fine meal for both you and your horses. I’ll even wrap up some extras to take with you. I’m a fine cook, I am.”