Other Worldly Ways (Anthology 1) Read Online Free PDF Page A

one Iver and I shared, and he had the space to himself. Likely he'd had the space to himself all along—I saw no evidence that a tentmate had vacated it after being ousted in the Trials.
    The Irzu board was already set up on a low table, with the familiar piles of black and white stones set out beside it. We'd be sitting cross-legged on the floor while we played. Pheran had taken the black, leaving the white stones for me.
    "Come in," Pheran motioned me forward as I stood uncertainly at the open tent flap. "I have tea and beer," he added.
    "I'll take tea," I nodded as I walked into his spacious tent. A few personal belongings were inside but like most Falchani warriors, the space was clean and uncluttered. "I wish my tentmate could see this," I breathed as I gazed about me.
    "Why is that?" Pheran poured a cup of tea and handed it to me.
    "Because he's a pig," I stated baldly. "He doesn't clean himself or his space, and he makes the whole tent stink."
    "A sure sign of the poorly trained," Pheran motioned for me to sit down. "Who is it?"
    "I was told his name is Iver," I said. "He hasn't bothered to introduce himself."
    "Ah. Lord Inver's brat."
    "I've heard that description before," I nodded.
    "It's going around," Pheran said. "Please, don't let your tea grow cold." I drank while studying the board, considering my first move.
    * * *
    "She doesn't have a clue who I am," Pheran grinned. Raven Praxa, Pheran's Captain of the Guard, watched as Devin walked away. The game lay unfinished inside Pheran's tent—she'd proven a worthy adversary.
    "Is that a bad thing? Most people who know you are terrified."
    "Are you terrified?"
    "At times," Raven admitted reluctantly. "But I'm less terrified of you than I am of the General or the Warlord."
    "They usually don't bite," Pheran grinned.
    "Say that after you've been pounded into the dirt by either one of them," Raven muttered.
    "I have been pounded into the dirt—regularly—by both of them," Pheran replied. "I spar with them once every eight-day."
    "And then you pound me into the dirt afterward," Raven nodded.
    "It's only fair," Pheran grinned.
    * * *
    Iver and another date occupied his pallet when I walked into the tent. I considered asking her how she managed to tolerate the stench but held back—I figured she'd get paid for her services before the night was out. Whatever she was charging, it wasn't enough, in my opinion.
    The tent next to ours wasn't occupied—both men had been defeated in the Trials, leaving their space empty. Gathering my things while Iver rutted shamelessly nearby, I walked out, hoping to get my first full night of sleep since I'd arrived.
    * * *
    "Up." The command sounded. I'd made it to the third day of the Solstice Trials. Crane should be satisfied with that, I mused, as I studied my opponent. He wasn't tall—perhaps five-eight or nine, but was well-built and wiry, with muscles bulging on his arms and chest.
    Wearing only an open, black leather vest, he bore a full set of tattoos; a coiled snake prepared to strike covering his chest. Figuring that was how he fought, too—striking quickly and then pulling back to lure in an adversary, I watched for him to make a move as soon as the signal flag dropped.
    I wasn't wrong. He came after me so quickly I had difficulty matching his blows. "Don't let your enemy outmaneuver you," Crane always said. This one worked to throw me off balance. I worked to keep that from happening. Then I realized that he was keeping me on the defensive and preventing me from going on the offensive. I also discovered that although his pattern was an uneven one, it was still a pattern.
    Blocking blows that caused my blades to clang in protest, I waited for the best opening, when he drew back before striking like a snake again. Instead of pulling back just as he did, I followed him. He never expected it and frankly, my muscles were screaming as I forced them to move faster, compelling him to block my blows.
    My breathing labored, I grunted