The Viscount and the Witch by Michael J. Sullivan Page B

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