Siphäis—the Jewel of Pelassia. Once, the city boasted a population of well over five-hundred thousand, sprawling as it did over the east and west banks of the sluggish Aornus River. Then came the Orcs of the Zhrokari Mountains, led by the Butcher, Fakh-Thal. Half the city died in the siege, of starvation, disease, or the relentless hail of stone, arrow, fire, and spear. Siphäis became a city of ghosts, a battleground between Human insurgents and the Butcher's horde. When his patrol is ambushed and destroyed by foul magick, the Orc-captain, Kraibag, joins forces with Muzgaash, a solitary Witch Hound, to exact revenge against a sorceress and her eerie minions. "Oden's action scenes are rich with crackling vitality and his pacing is top-notch. One of the best adventure writers working today." — Howard Andrew Jones, author of Desert of Souls It’s an Orc story, set in the shared world of Tharduin—a little over 6000 words (20 pages).
Author
Scott Oden is a bestselling author of historical fantasy and sword-and-sorcery. Since his debut in 2005, his books have received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Booklist; he has been an Amazon Editor’s Pick and has been nominated for a Gemmell Award. His work has been endorsed by such preeminent authors as Steven Pressfield, David Anthony Durham, and John Gwynne. Scott lives in the foothills of the Appalachians with his lovely wife, Shannon, and a variety of dogs—all of them neurotic and prone to dancing like no one’s watching. Before turning his hand to writing, Scott worked the usual slate of odd jobs, from delivering pizza to stocking shelves at a local grocery. In his spare time, he likes table-top roleplaying games, reading, and making the occasional bracelet from old stone beads. He dreams of running away from reality and living in a Hobbit hole . . . If you want to know more, please visit Scott’s website at https://scottoden.wordpress.com/, where you can follow his blog and be there when he finally takes the plunge and creates a mailing list.
