1632 Snippets
The Demons of Constantinople – Snippet 22
The Demons of Constantinople - Snippet 22 Location: Guest Quarters, Magnaura, Constantinople Time: 8:23 AM, October 15, 1372 Annabelle Cooper-Smythe laid the wrench on the table. It was a medium small wrench made in France by one of Bertrand's smiths. "For the moment, we cannot do magic other than that we brought with us. However, the twenty-first century had a technology which was put to much the same use. This wrench --" She pointed. " -- can be adjusted to fit a bolt of several sizes. And we can build machines that will make this device...
The Demons of Constantinople – Snippet 21
The Demons of Constantinople - Snippet 21 *** Lakshmi looked at the young prince. He had hazel eyes, sandy brown hair, and a neatly trimmed beard. And he had noticed her. That wasn't unusual. Most heterosexual males noticed Lakshmi, but this time Lakshmi found herself noticing him back. And she wasn't sure why. He was a healthy young man, well-muscled and toned with the calluses of regular sword practice on his hands. Something she knew how to recognize after a year in this time of swords and magic. But there was more. His hazel eyes seemed...
The Demons of Constantinople – Snippet 20
The Demons of Constantinople - Snippet 20 Chapter 7 -- Settling In Location: Gaol, Constantinople Time: 10:30 AM, October 8, 1372 Gabriel Delaflote walked down the hall to the barred wooden door. The guard lifted the bar and Gabriel stepped through to see an old man seated on a stool before the lectern-style desk like Gabriel had used his whole life until the twenty-firsters arrived. The clothes the old man was wearing were dirty and the man on the stool stank. No, it wasn't the man. It was the bucket in the corner. There was a high window...
The Demons of Constantinople – Snippet 19
The Demons of Constantinople - Snippet 19 Andronikos IV was still avoiding them, but Manuel II was anxious to meet them all. "We have an invitation to a small party in the town house of Prince Manuel," Roger continued, "even if the Orthodox clergy wants to have us all, especially Monsignor Savona, burned as witches." They continued to chat as they waited for the rest of the party to disembark from their riverboats and mount their horses. Then the whole bunch made a parade to the Magnaura. It was a well watched parade. The streets were lined...
The Demons of Constantinople – Snippet 18
The Demons of Constantinople - Snippet 18 In the Byzantine Empire they had two emperors as a sort of a holdover from the two consuls of the old Roman republic. And John V's son and former co-emperor Andronikos IV was no fan of his father or his father's decisions. Especially John V's conversion to Catholicism. So it was a safe bet that he wasn't thrilled by a bunch of Catholic wizards with diplomatic immunity. Manuel, the recently crowned co-emperor, was something of a cypher. "As you say, Majesty. Please excuse the ingrained caution of an...
The Demons of Constantinople – Snippet 17
The Demons of Constantinople - Snippet 17 Chapter 6 -- Constantinople Location: Constantinople Time: 3:05 PM, September 29, 1372 Bertrand stepped out of the large inn and looked around. The broad streets were dirty and there were as many vacant lots as buildings in the large wall-enclosed city. The gate guards had let them through with only a modest bribe and the hostel they were staying in was large enough for their party. Constantinople was a complex mix of wealth and poverty, of grandeur and decay. He walked along the side of the building...
The Demons of Constantinople – Snippet 16
The Demons of Constantinople - Snippet 16 Location: North Shore of the Bosphorus Time: 2:17 PM, September 27, 1372 The rain dripped off Roger's helmet and down the back of his neck. His horse nickered at him in what Roger was sure was a complaint. His phone, Clausewitz, added, "Wilber says Beau would like you to turn off the rain." Having someone who could talk to animals was often a convenience. However, having your horse know that it can complain and be understood was not always a boon. Like now. "Have Wilber tell Beau, for the fourteenth...
The Demons of Constantinople – Snippet 15
The Demons of Constantinople - Snippet 15 Chapter 5 -- On The River Again Location: Near Asuma's Tree, Vienna, Austria Time: 6:45 PM, September 23, 1372 No one noticed the events in Asuma's pentagram, because they were all distracted by a nobleman who'd accompanied Leopold to the scene. He was a big, tough-looking fellow they'd never seen before. As the sun was touching the treetops, and moments after Themis disappeared, Leopold's companion drew his sword and proclaimed, "I challenge you, Roger McLean, for you are peasant born and unworthy to...