The Sapphire — Barb Hendee; J.C. Hendee

After fleeing from the small port town of Miiska -- and the threat of a vampire hunter's blade -- Ratboy finds himself alone in the king's city of Bela, having left his two companions, Rashed and Teesha behind. Lost and lonely at first, he soon realizes that he has a chance to reinvent himself, to take on a new name and a new identity.  Then... he sees a young woman with bright blue eyes, and he falls in love for the first time.

p>Unfortunately, he can't quite see that she's a gold-digging prostitute.  But love is blind.  He's determined to make her his own, make her immortal, give her anything she wants, and make her happy.  However, keeping her happy soon proves a daunting task, one that will require desperate measures and all his cunning. [Short Story, ~12k words]

About "Tales from the world of the Noble Dead Saga"...

No knowledge of the Noble Dead Saga or related works is necessary to read and enjoy these stories. They are written for fantasy enthusiasts in general and not just our established readership. Readers new to this world can step into it through any of these short works.

Tales are organized into “collections” where all stories therein share a theme and/or premise. When one or more link together, subsequent stories will mention “sequel to…” on their covers to guide you. Even so, each is self-contained enough to be your first adventure into this world.

-- Barb & J.C. Hendee