The second book in The Great Legend Chronicles is now available! To celebrate the launch of our second book we are sharing a sample from its twelfth chapter.

And for those of you still reading Shadow-spun you don’t need to worry about spoilers! The sample doesn’t contain anything that would spoil the plot of Shadow-spun, so you can enjoy it spoiler-free.

— Duncan

Soul’s Spiral Chapter Twelve

The sun seemed to pour every ounce of its baking heat onto the five-foot-wide patch of the sidewalk where Avad stood at his post on the edge of Mitmá Square. Not even cooling charms could save a man wearing black leather armor in the middle of the summer. A distraction from his misery would be welcome, but the dull, milling crowds of the festival weren’t much good for that. He sighed and rolled his shoulders, his damp tunic sticking to his skin beneath the chainmail.

Furious shouting exploded from the center stage of the festival behind him. Avad snapped out of his dazed study of the streets.

Shouldn’t have wished for a distraction.

He ran toward the uproar. A few flares from Squad Eight shot into the air. In seconds, Avad and the other officers were converging on a growing riot. Only Vralden and Jisen were missing. If the arc of the last flare Avad had spotted were any indication, they were stuck somewhere on the other side of the crowd.

Avad fell into formation with the squad. “What happened?”

“Morons making trouble for us,” Zalsan grunted next to him.

Attack spells burst out of the riot as if someone had lit a box of fireworks. A bright yellow spell shot between Avad and Zalsan. They sprang back from the dangerous flare of energy and kept running.

“Wasn’t this supposed to be a routine job?” Trotak complained. “Watch the festival, sneak some pastries, eye the lovely women?”

Avad ignored him. “What sparked the riot?”

“Some half-human girl won an art prize, and they went after her,” said Zalsan. “That’s all I saw.”

“Trotak, you take the south perimeter with Zalsan. I’m going to get the woman out before they kill her.”

Trotak tried to grab his arm. “Are you crazy? You’ll get stampeded. Hey, Avad, wait!”

Avad charged into the riot, shouting at the top of his lungs. “This is the Bright Blades! Break this up!”

A few flares and a lot more yelling didn’t get anyone’s attention, so he started to pull people apart, forcing his way into the heart of the crowd. Behind him, Squad Eight fired stun spells on the edge of the mob. Avad’s eyes scanned the turbulence. Several paces ahead a peach-colored woman with silver facial tattoos and white hair fought to get free. That had to be her. 

Someone knocked Avad to the ground and shoved him forward along the gravel. The stones scraped his leather armor and tore through his palms like sharp fingernails. He rolled over and threw up a domed magic shield to force people back. He had hardly risen when the crowd surged forward and pushed him into the thick of the fighting. In his effort to keep his footing, he lost his concentration on the shield spell.

He pressed forward anyway, keeping an eye out for the half-human woman he’d seen. Just ahead a blur of movement flashed before him as she whipped around to slam the heel of her palm into someone’s jaw and then knock three men backward at once with a force spell. A blast of magic barreled into her from behind and threw her forward.        

Avad pushed two people aside to get a clear path to the half-human woman. Above him, green flares of magic from Squad Eight shot into the sky to request backup from Central. He hoped some of the help would come his way. He’d wanted to use the bulk of his squad to keep the riot from spreading, but as a sharp jab hit his side and angry yells closed around him, he started to think he should have at least brought Trotak with him.

A gray-green arm from behind the half-human woman grabbed her in a chokehold. “Found you, mongrel!”

A bright flash of an attack spell near his face blocked Avad’s view of what happened next to the woman. The yellow glare took a few seconds to fade from his watering eyes. In that time, the half-human woman had thrown her stunned attacker to the ground and run, but she hadn’t gotten far before a ring of tearing hands caught her.

Avad dove for her. The half-human woman threw a burst of magic in reply. Avad crossed his arms over his face and took the brunt of the attack. The rozoke fasteners on his gauntlets sizzled. He recovered his balance. “Alnaya, I’m a Bright Blade! Take my hand!”

Her leg snapped out, kicking back a bearded Strength Tribesman and opening a small space around her. Avad dashed in, grabbed her arm, and dragged her free. A fire spell grazed her shoulder from the side. She cried out and stumbled into Avad.

The rarlatan man with the gray-green skin flew out of nowhere and tackled the half-human woman, throwing her to the ground and pinning her arms so she couldn’t cast any more magic. Avad pried him off of her and hurled him back with a burst of magic. The man fell into the crowd.

Avad grabbed the half-human woman’s arm again. “Come on!”

She tried to knock him off, but he reasserted his grip and started pulling her through the mass of people. Many were just trying to get out of the chaos, but more than a few fired spells or clawed at her. Avad encased a shield tightly around them and plowed forward. He managed to get her all the way to the edge of the crowd when he felt a shock spell jar his arm. His fingers sprang open and the half-human woman ran for it.

“Wait!”

Part of the mob funneled out of the square and into streets after her. She pointed at the air in front of her like she was going to make a portal, but in the end put on an extra burst of speed instead. She’d never have time to cast the spell before they reached her. Lungs on fire, Avad charged across the distance she had created between them. He caught up to her just as she rounded a corner.

“Move!”

He knocked her into an alleyway. She tripped over a raised stone, and he crashed into her, bringing both of them down. Avad slapped a hand over her mouth and held her still, his own breathing coming in quiet gasps. He hoped no one spotted her bright white hair.

The mob rushed by in a cacophony of shouts and breaking glass. Bright Blade squads chased after them, firing volleys of restraining and stunning spells. Avad sat up and removed his hand. He flicked his eyes over to the street and then back to see if the half-human woman was all right.

Avad froze. She had a sword pointed at his throat. He almost couldn’t see the jet black blade in the dark. He kept his tone calm.

“Alnaya, put that away,” he said, using the Arvelakan honorific for young woman. “I’m a Bright Blade.”

“Prove it.”

Avad instinctively reached for the badge on his tunic. His fingers found a long gouge in the leather. He swallowed a curse.

“I’m afraid you’ll have to take my word for it. I am a Bright Blade.”

“And I kiss Snakemen.”

“Keep that sword out and you’ll be under arrest. I’m being very lenient.”

With a scowl, she dispersed the weapon. She pulled her uniform tunic up over her bloodied shoulder and watched Avad with dark, piercing eyes. He climbed to his feet.

“Come with me. I’ll take you to safety.”

“How do I know that? I don’t know who you bloody are.”

“I’m a Bright Blade,” he said again. “You can trust me. It’s my job to protect you.”

She didn’t move. Under her defiance he spotted fear.

Avad smoothed his hair from his eyes and let out a frustrated breath. “Alnaya, if you hadn’t noticed, I did just rescue you.”

Her hand fell to her side, loose and ready to form her sword again. “Right. To get me alone.”

Beings Above, she was a tough case. He spread out his hands. “Look, I swear I mean you no harm. I’m just an officer trying to help you.”

Her jaw worked back and forth. The sound of the mob wasn’t far off. “Can you get me to a portal station?”

“No. You need to come to Central with me. It’s safer.” And standard procedure—but he didn’t think she’d like that answer. “Please, Alnaya.”

Hesitancy clouded her eyes, but she followed him to Squad Eight’s air-runner, which was idling just outside Mitmá Square. Avad helped her climb into the back and followed her. She looked around carefully, as if expecting the floor of the vehicle to open beneath her and swallow her whole.

Caizan turned around with raised eyebrows. “Corporal?”

Avad closed the door behind him. “Take us to Central and call for another air-runner for the rest of Eight. We need to get this woman out of here now.”

“Yes, sir.” He threw a few levers and pressed a pedal into the floor, launching the air-runner down the street.

On the bench across from Avad, the half-human woman crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him. Blood and gravel speckled her like pepper flakes.

“Are you all right, Alnaya?”

“I just got attacked by a mob, I don’t know what happened to my friend, and I lost one of my best paintings. No, I’m not all right.”

“I’m sorry. Would you allow me to at least provide you with a healing spell?” He held a hand out.

“I’m quite capable.”

She waved a hand over her body, and a flash of white light coated her, closing her wounds. Avad sighed.

“I’m trying to help, you know.”

She narrowed her eyes but said, “I appreciate that.”

Avad stowed his frustration and tried for a friendly approach. He extended his right arm. “Perhaps we can start over. I’m First Corporal Avad of the Leadership Tribe.”

She took a few seconds before clasping his arm in greeting. “Solstice. Leadership Tribe.” She pulled her arm back.

Avad blinked. “You’re the one who saved the ambassador.”

“Oh yes, and as you can see, everyone on Arvelak is very grateful for my service.” She blew hair from her dark eyes. “So what happens when we get to Central?”

“You’ll be safe there, Alnaya.”

“Is that all? Why don’t you just take me home?”

“We’ll have some questions for you first, and then we’ll make sure you get home safely.”

“Questions? A mob attacks me and I get interrogated?”

“I apologize. You saw the riot start, didn’t you?”

“And?”

“You’re the victim here, Alnaya. We need your eyewitness account.”

Solstice tossed her wild hair over her shoulder. “If that’s really what you want, fine. Though, if you all actually take my word for anything, I’ll eat my sword.”

“I . . . of course we will,” Avad said.

She just laughed.