Robert C. Roman

Another six today from my WIP, The Desert Fox and The Iberico Clavel – OR – The Solitude of An Armored Soul, book three of the Iron Angel series.

***

“You should have been a boy!”

The old man’s tortured voice echoed through the empty room.  Alondra jerked back as if she’d been slapped.  Her hands, still on the silk, yanked it away from the old man’s face.  He stared at her unseeing, his eyes rolling in their sockets.  He drew one long, wheezing breath, and then shouted again, his once powerful voice a hideous mockery of itself.

Okay, since you guys are digging it, I’ll keep going with the Desert Fox and the Iberico Clavel – OR – The Solitude of the Armored Soul. Remember, it’s the third book in the series that starts with The Strange Fate of Capricious Jones – OR – Genesis of an Iron Angel. Yeah, my cover artist hates on me just a little for making her put that many letters on the cover.

The hot summer wind teased strands of her hair free of its confining bun and blew them across her face.  She yanked them away, tucking them back behind her head with fierce determination.  One came free of her scalp, the pain spilling tears from her eyes for a moment.  Blinded by pain, drowning in tears of regret, Alondra was lost to the memory of how she had come to this square, this day, for this execution.

***

The old man lay coughing his life out on the old, heavy bed.  The bed, cherry and oak and mahogany, all polished to a gloss over years of care, spoke of wealth.

Since you all liked it so much and Christine asked so nicely, here’s another six from The Desert Fox and the Iberico Clavel, latest in the series that starts with The Strange Fate of Capricious Jones.

He stood, back straight, face turned away from the crowd, staring at the gallows where he was scheduled to hang in less than an hour’s time.  The sweat that rolled from his brow was from the hot California sun, not from fear.

Estupido!

The same sweat stung at Alondra’s eyes.  She wasn’t crying.  She refused to cry for an idealistic idiot, no matter who he was.

I Return!

This time with an excerpt from The Desert Fox and the Iberico Clavel, Book three in the Iron Angel series, which starts with The Strange Fate of Capricious Jones.

Alondra Gonzalez stared with numb horror at the gallows in the town’s central square.   It had been erected with frightening rapidity. Pine sap dripped down one uncured upright. The rope dangling from the crossbar was raw hemp, thick and rough.  The nails holding the structure together were still shiny, without a touch of rust.

She focused on the mundane details of construction to take her mind off of the figure shackled to a post in the center of the square.

Hmm… I might have something from Giving Thanks next week, but for now here’s more from the sequel to Fae Eye for the Golem Guy and What Not to Fear – Drag.Race!

Micah wanted to scream, but he settled for a hissed whisper that he hoped didn’t carry to the now-weeping mother, ”then what the hell were you doing dangling a kid off the balcony?”

“Because the museum cannot afford a lawsuit.”

Despite himself, Micah’s voice was rising, ”explain.”

“The child attempted to play with of the Dynamic, this would likely have damaged the Dynamic, the museum would have had to pay damages to its creator, I prevented the child from interfering with the Dynamic.”  The entire time she spoke, Tee was frozen in mid-step.  Micah glanced around quickly; people were starting to stare.

*grump grump* Okay, I wanted to start something new today, but you guys are so intrigued by the next installment of the Artifice series (Fae Eye for the Golem Guy and What Not to Fear) that I’m compelled to post more of it. *grins*

Micah rubbed at his temples with the thumb and forefinger of his right hand.  His guards were handling the woman and her child, but he would need to speak with her before she left.  The only reason he wasn’t speaking to her now was Tee: she was inherently far more dangerous than her quiet, subservient demeanor indicated.  She was also moving to clean the rubbish bins.

“Tee, wait,” she stopped, frozen in mid step, “Tee, the museum can’t afford a lawsuit.”

She stood there, halfway through her step; it took her an uncomfortably long pause to realize he was waiting for an answer, “I understand; the museum cannot afford a lawsuit.”

Okay, not sure if I’m going to continue this one or switch to another after this, but here’s one more shot of Drag.Race, sequel to Fae Eye for the Golem Guy and What Not to Fear.

“Tee, you work the night shift with Tama.  It’s one in the afternoon; what are you doing here… For that matter, where is he?”

If his revelation that she was up well into her night surprised her, it didn’t show; she just stood there for a bit, quietly, before speaking.  “I do not know where Tama-sensei is; he entrusted me with cleaning the Balcony Gallery, the Dynamic in the center of the Gallery was unappreciated, so  I was appreciating it.  I am sorry I did not complete the cleaning of the Balcony; I will go and complete it now.”