Hierath is avaialble now from Lulu.com as a paperback, with pages and everything. For people who like their books the old-fashioned way...
Valery had consolidated his hold on Deepdene by mid-morning. He had triple-reinforced the gates with his own hired thugs, and supervised the rounding-up and brutal despatch of the last few pockets of resistance. It had been a bloody and unpleasant business, particularly with the children, and he had escaped as soon as he could to the top of the highest tower. The stink of blood and burning corpses still lingered in his nostrils, even in this fresher air. From here, he could see fires going up in the town and surrounding farmland, and hear the faint sounds of fighting in the streets. Most of the people he had spoken to in the town didn’t seem to care much who was in charge up at the castle, as long as they were well fed and free from the threat of war looming over their heads. Clearly though, there were some down there who did not think that way. Valery hoped the fighting in the town would soon be over, and the people would settle down. At the moment, it was a distraction.
He turned his attention in the direction of the Marsh, wondering if the Witches had seen and understood his signal. There seemed to be a green glowing spark over in that direction, and even as he watched, it seemed to be growing in size and intensity as it raced towards him at an unimaginable speed. Valery dived to the floor as it shot over his head like an arrow, slamming to a dead stop just before it reached the battlements.
As he scrambled back to his feet, sword in hand, the shade rotated slowly in the air to face him. “You can put up your sword, Lord Northpoint," it said, in a voice barely more than a whisper. “I cannot touch you, and you cannot touch me." The shade was nebulous, glowing-green and translucent, and Valery could see the ramparts through its torso.
“What are you?” he asked. “You wear the face of Laduge, but I can see right through you."
“I am the Shade of Laduge, Laduge without the physical presence. My body lies on the edge of the Deepdene, but my Shade talks to you here. Is it safe?”
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