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direction and fell into step
with an adjacent bird. This step he repeated until all six birds
were marching off to the west, the dying sun’s bronze glow
flickering like firelight on their polished metal wings.
    The absurd
orting paused for some moments to watch his handiwork. Then he
raced around to intercept the ragged row of bokren constructs and
began turning them to go back the other way.
    Ynara began to
laugh. The sight of those ridiculous robotic bokren birds all
walking in a line; Sigwide’s herding game; the identical looks of
smug merriment on the faces of her husband and daughter; all of it
set her laughing until she could hardly breathe.
    ‘ All
right,’ she gasped at last. ‘That might be a truly resplendent
waste of time and resources, but I’ll admit it’s one of the best
things I’ve seen in a long time.’
    Aysun and
Llandry were laughing too. ‘No wonder he’s so bad at guarding,’
Llandry said breathlessly. ‘He’s a herder by nature.’
    ‘ Crap
at that too, though,’ Aysun said. ‘Watched him try it with the real
ones. Not one of them would take him seriously.’
    Ynara chuckled,
and picked up the orting as he raced past her feet again. She held
him in the air, his fur soft under her fingers.
    ‘ You’re ridiculous,’ she informed him.
    Sigwide squirmed
out of her grasp and resumed herding with inexhaustible
enthusiasm.
    ‘ Completely ridiculous,’ Llandry agreed.
     
    ***
     
    If you'd like to
read more about Lady Evastany Glostrum, Tren Warvel, Rikbeek,
Sigwide and the Sanfaer family, consider looking up the Draykon
Series. The first novel, Draykon , is currently available
from all major ebook retailers.
     
    When
shy and retiring Llandry Sanfaer discovers a mesmerising new
gemstone, she suddenly becomes the most famous jeweller across the
Seven Realms. Demand for the coveted stone escalates fast; when
people begin dying for it, Llandry finds that she herself has
become a target.
     
    Lady
Evastany Glostrum has her life in pristine order. Prestigious,
powerful and wealthy, she is on the verge of crowning her successes
with the perfect marriage. But when her closest friend is murdered
for the jewellery she wears, Eva is drawn into the mystery
surrounding the curious "istore" gem.
     
    The
emergence of the stone is causing chaos across the Seven. Gates
between the worlds are opening at will, pulling hordes of creatures
through from the shadowy Lower Realm and the glittering Uppers. As
Eva works to discover the culprit behind the spreading disorder,
Llandry must learn the truth about her precious istore stone -
before she herself becomes a victim.
     
    Read on for a
preview...
     
     
     
    Prologue

    On one cool
afternoon when the rain fell in gentle, glittering droplets and the
ground underfoot was spongy with moisture, nine-year-old Llandry
Sanfaer walked with her mother beneath the trees far to the south
of the Glinnery forests. They were gathering mushrooms, diminutive
little fungi with stems fat with juice and caps painted with
colour. Llandry crowed with delight each time she found a new
mushroom ring, picking the fattest or the most colourful specimens
with nimble fingers. Their baskets were growing heavy with gathered
produce when Ynara began to speak of returning home.
    'Not yet, Mamma,
just a little bit longer!' Llandry loved these excursions, loved
the hours they spent in close companionship, just her and Mamma.
She gazed up into her mother's face with her most hopeful smile,
and of course Mamma relented.
    'All right,
little love, but don't pick too many more mushrooms, or we'll never
be able to carry them home.' Llandry promised and was off once
more, her small form a whirlwind of activity.
    Then a faint
melody reached her ears and she came to an abrupt stop, her keen
eyes searching the mossy slopes for the source.
    'Ma, what's that
sound?'
    'What sound,
love?' Llandry looked up to find nothing but incomprehension in
Mamma's face. She frowned and dismissed the thought,