Note: This book is temporarily unavailable while I rework some details around the release. I hope to have it up some time in December/January.
E-Book: 4.25 USD
Print: 14.00 USD
Length : 396 Pages
Publication Date: August 10th, 2025
Synopsis: A dark city lays in an artificial land where the sky is made of metal, dominated by the foreboding red moon. This is the City of the Moon, ruled over by dukes and duchesses, seemingly immortal crime lords whose psychological manipulations, cunning, greed, and ruthlessness are unmatched. Only the Thief Taker is greater than they and few dare even whisper the name of that ominous all-seeing deity. Yet even in the darkest of skies, a star might yet shine through.
Excerpt from Chapter 2
Intense rain fell upon the cobble-stones of Undercity, dripping between the massive interconnected systems of pipes and metal sheets thousands of feet above, its water reflecting the red glow of the bright moon above. Cursing, a passerby ran for cover, his coat already damp. A feral black cat scampered to get out of the sudden downpour, crossing the man’s legs and almost sending him sprawling over. The old rag seller woman, safe beneath the canopy of her trade cart, grinned with what remained of her teeth. The man ran to the door of the house, becoming obscured by a large hanging sign adorned with a black rose which read, The House of Thorns. A black haired young woman, about sixteen years of age, stared absentmindedly from behind the second story glass window.
The young woman returned to the simple chair she’d been sitting in and held up her right hand. White bandages were wrapped tightly up to the knuckles, leaving the fingers bare. With a grin, she made a fist and punched the palm of her left hand, feeling the strength in the blow. Then she went to work wrapping her left hand. When she was almost finished with the job a knock sounded on the door accompanied by the shout of a gruff man.
“Hey Helia, you’re up in five minutes! Gonna take all night?”
“Yeah, yeah, Todd,”Helia called out. “I’m almost done!”
Hurriedly she finished wrapping her her left hand, then rose and took a glance at the mirror on her way out the door. She wore a pair of black pants and a black shirt that left her arms bare. Bandages around her feet created a makeshift footwrap. Her hair had been neatly trimmed, resembling a cut one would more expect on a man than a woman. Twin bright orange eyes stared back. She liked to imagine that they were fierce, intimidating, predatory. Those traits were always assets in the company she kept. Another knock sounded on the door.
“Yeah, Yeah!” Helia said loudly.
She reached for the doorknob and aggressively flung the door open. Todd, a large powerful man with tanned skin and a nose that looked like it had been broken too many times to count, waited with arms crossed. Helia met his gaze, a single fierce dark brown eye and an eyepatch that concealed a gouged out socket staring back at her. In her youth she might have shivered at the sight, but here any sign of cowardice or weakness was a cry for blood.
“So who’s down in the pits right now?” Helia asked brashly. “Can’t have been doing too good if you called for me this soon.”
“The Foxes brought up a new guy from Armitage,” Todd replied. “Been kicking Ethan fat ass all night long.”
“You didn’t bid much on him, right?”
“Why would I waste time betting on Mid-wit Ethan’s luck versus an Armitage guy? Come on, fight’s almost over. We’ll yap on the way there.”
“Right.”
They walked through hallways dimly lit by lanterns. Already the roars, cheers, and jeering of the crowd were could be heard. The villa-like design left the inner square of the house largely open while the outside walls were almost like a mini fortress. The stands would be covered with tarps, but the fighters would be exposed to the elements above.
“So, who do you have for me?” Helia asked.
Todd shrugged. “They got a fighter I’ve never seen before from the Crimson Dragons. Claim she’s real hot stuff.”
Helia chuckled. “Yeah? Well so am I. What are the odds they’re giving her?”
“Six to one.”
“Six to one!” Helia almost spit out her words. “Do the bastards think I’m some sort of amateur?”
Todd grinned. “All the better to pad my coin-bag.”
A confident smile crossed Helia’s face. “So, you decided to bet on the better girl after all, huh?”
“Has my little cat ever let me down before? After all, I only bring her out on special occasions.”
“What makes tonight so special?”
“The Thief Taker is here.”
Helia stopped and stared at Todd, mouth agape. “The Thief Taker? Here?”
Excerpt from Chapter 32
Jax grinned at Trist. “Someone’s got a date with the lady of mystery, huh?”
“It’s a mendicant session,” Trist replied.
“Sure, sure. But you picked her out of the crowd and she’s held your fascination. Never seen any woman do that. Why, not even I could pull that off!” She lowered her voice to a mutter. “Despite my best attempt.”
“Fascination, huh…”
Jax put her arm around Trist’s shoulder and gestured to the window of the king suite. “Regardless, there’s a world of potential in such a mysterious lover! You just have to find the courage to explore it.”
“For now it’s a medical call,” Trist replied. “As for it becoming something else, such things properly take their time.”
Jax blushed. “Well… uh, normally at least, yes. The important thing is that one should never dance where one’s affections are unwanted. However… sometimes being forward is more welcome than you realize.”
Trist smiled. “You know that by experience?”
“But of course! For how else would my silver tongue dance amongst entranced audiences if it lacked such bravado and daring!” Jax said.
“Forward, huh. Yeah, I could see Tareth being like that.”
Jax pouted. “The day will come when you will have to put your faith in me, Trist. That I promise, on the reputation of the Magnificent Jax!”
“Sure thing, Jax.” Trist went silent for a few moments. “But say that I was interested in her. How would I know if she felt the same way?”
“Ah, the many subtleties of feminine signals,” Jax said. “A glance here and there; a smile, yet not one that can be mistaken for our typical simple courtesy smiles; changes in how we walk and move our bodies; softness of speech; pursing of lips. Oh, and I’ve got plenty more.” She smiled mischievously. “But those ones will cost you.”
“And presumably nothing universal in the whole lot,” Trist said.
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