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Beast Within
    Dead Alert
     
     
    Coming Soon:
     
    Dragon Knights
    Keeper of the Flame
    Available in ebook – February
2013
     
    Jit’Suku Chronicles:
Arcana
    King of Stars
    Available in ebook – Spring
2013
     
    Dragon Knights
    The Dragon Healer
    Available in ebook – Summer
2013
     
    Dragon Knights
    Master at Arms
    Available in ebook – Summer
2013
     
    Brotherhood of Blood:
    Wolf Quest
    Available in ebook – Fall
2013

 
     
    We hope you’ll enjoy this
excerpt from the first story in the Arcana series, which is also set in
the world of Bianca D’Arc’s Jit’Suku
Chronicles…
     
     
    King of Swords
    by
    Bianca D’Arc
    © 2012 Bianca D’Arc. All Rights
Reserved.
     

Prologue
     
    The Rabbit Hole was well known on the civilian
space station for its private booths and intimate atmosphere. The
new owner of the small tavern was still, to some extent, an unknown
quantity, but seemed a solid enough man according to local gossip.
Ex-soldier, went the rumor. David knew Alex would be amused by what
the grapevine had to say about him, though they didn’t know the
half of it.
    Scoping the area out of habit, Dave noted the
wide hall in front of the tavern was very near the mechanical parts
of the station, which were off-limits to everyone but specialized
workers. Alex must get a lot of traffic when the shifts changed,
being on the edges of the civ area and right near the mech section.
Good placement for a business like his.
    Dave entered The Rabbit Hole and was
immediately assailed by dim light and the not-unpleasant scent of
premium alcohol. It was the perfect atmosphere for a relaxing drink
with friends. The bar was cozy and welcoming.
    As his eyes quickly adjusted—a gift of his
genetic Enhancement—Dave saw the man behind the bar. Alex had
spotted him and waved him over using the hand signals all soldiers
knew. Several heads turned and Dave recognized the look of the men
sitting around the bar, if not their individual faces. Soldiers.
Like him.
    For the first time in weeks, Dave felt at
home.
     

Chapter One
     
    Adele Senna re-read the address on the
comm from her Aunt Della. The message had come from a small tavern
near the mech section of the station, called The Rabbit Hole. Adele
was new to Madhatter Station and had reserved living space on the
other side of one of the giant rings. She hadn’t ventured too close
to the core yet, but was learning her way around as she sought out
her beloved aunt.
    The Rabbit Hole looked nice from the
outside. Not upscale, but not a dive either, which was a relief.
Aunt Della wasn’t known for her judgment. A brilliant woman, gifted
with a strong ability to see the future, her aunt sometimes didn’t
display much common sense. Or, at least, it seemed that way.
Ultimately, her odd actions always had some purpose, but only in
retrospect.
    Adele wondered what Aunt Della was up
to, setting up shop as a dealer and reader of cards for patrons of
this working class tavern. She must have some reason, but Adele was
hard-pressed to understand it, even though she had—at times—seen
glimpses of the future, just like her aunt.
    The psychic gift ran in the family. As
far back as they could trace, the women of her family had been
blessed—or perhaps cursed, depending on your outlook—with varying
degrees of foresight. Aunt Della was truly gifted, but she insisted
Adele hadn’t yet grown fully into her power. Adele wasn’t sure she
wanted to. The few flashes of the future she’d received to date had
scared the bejeezus out of her. She didn’t know how her aunt dealt
with it day to day.
    Adele pushed through the portal and
waited a moment for her eyes to get used to the gloom inside. What
she could see of the place was clean and well kept. The atmosphere
was dark, quiet, and relaxing rather than sinister, as she’d half
expected. She saw a couple of big men at the bar as her eyes
adjusted slowly, scanning the room for her aunt. The place was set
up with small private booths and one