by Drak Bibliophile | Nov 9, 2018 | 1632Snippet, FreerSnippet, Snippets
All The Plagues Of Hell – Snippet 42 Chapter 21 The Duchy of Milan Actually, Count Mindaug and his two servants were at that very moment having their first encounter with the mercenary troops of Carlo Sforza. The soldiers were guarding a bridge over the Adda...
by Drak Bibliophile | Nov 7, 2018 | 1632Snippet, FreerSnippet, Snippets
All The Plagues Of Hell – Snippet 41 “Oh, they can get very close–within a few feet, usually. The count pays little attention to mice in his wagon, so long as they stay away from his crates of books. Even squirrels, he generally ignores. He’s...
by Drak Bibliophile | Nov 5, 2018 | 1632Snippet, FreerSnippet, Snippets
All The Plagues Of Hell – Snippet 40 So, it was time to move on again. Despite Tamas complaining of a terrible headache, and protesting about not being allowed to pole up the horses and do the other tasks he normally did for the count, they left early the next...
by Drak Bibliophile | Nov 2, 2018 | 1632Snippet, FreerSnippet, Snippets
All The Plagues Of Hell – Snippet 39 Now there was just the varlet holding the horses–and half a dozen more men straggling out of the bush. The whip dealt with the horse-holder, and the surging panicked horses did the rest. Mindaug gave them their heads,...
by Drak Bibliophile | Oct 31, 2018 | 1632Snippet, FreerSnippet, Snippets
All The Plagues Of Hell – Snippet 38 Morning brought a leaden sky and occasional flurries of snow, although it looked a lot worse to the north. And they were in daylight, at the top of the pass, with the trail winding through snow and then into clear fields. Far...
by Drak Bibliophile | Oct 29, 2018 | 1632Snippet, FreerSnippet, Snippets
All The Plagues Of Hell – Snippet 37 But more worrying was the fact that he and his fellow Knights, prepared to attack and magically neutralize the count, watching for any magical sign, protective wards at the ready… had seen nothing at all. The archimandrite...
by Drak Bibliophile | Oct 26, 2018 | 1632Snippet, FreerSnippet, Snippets
All The Plagues Of Hell – Snippet 36 Chapter 19 Tyrol The trip through the Alps was extremely chilly, muddy and relatively unpleasant, except where the ground was still frozen. Count Mindaug having been beguiled by the early spring mildness, began finding the...
by Drak Bibliophile | Oct 24, 2018 | 1632Snippet, FreerSnippet, Snippets
All The Plagues Of Hell – Snippet 35 Chapter 18 The Sea of Marmara “Finally,” said Benito Valdosta, looking over the stern-rail, taking enormous pleasure in the sight of the great city at the Gate between East and West. He had a superb view of the...
by Drak Bibliophile | Oct 22, 2018 | 1632Snippet, FreerSnippet, Snippets
All The Plagues Of Hell – Snippet 34 Chapter 17 Milan Milan had a week of frantic preparation. The reason given for the hasty marriage was the war with Parma. So far that had amounted to very little, and in truth, no one believed that to be the drive behind such...
by Drak Bibliophile | Oct 19, 2018 | 1632Snippet, FreerSnippet, Snippets
All The Plagues Of Hell – Snippet 33 She will die, whispered the asp in her bosom. Nothing lives through the poison of the great serpent, unless the serpent wills it… and even then, they live but for a while. “I see,” said Lucia. “As...
by Drak Bibliophile | Oct 17, 2018 | 1632Snippet, FreerSnippet, Snippets
All The Plagues Of Hell – Snippet 32 Chapter 16 Duchy of Milan Carlo Sforza rose in the predawn, as was his custom, and with his usual troop, exercised his horses. It was as much a habit with him as Francisco’s running was. He knew that patterns got one...
by Drak Bibliophile | Oct 15, 2018 | 1632Snippet, FreerSnippet, Snippets
All The Plagues Of Hell – Snippet 31 Von Stebbens’ troop followed and watched at Muthhusen. As a matter of course, they’d taken into custody a charm-seller from Italy, who had had words with Mindaug. The charm-seller’s pouch had revealed more...
by Drak Bibliophile | Oct 12, 2018 | 1632Snippet, FreerSnippet, Snippets
All The Plagues Of Hell – Snippet 30 His first reaction was a dangerous fury that they dared do something like this. He’d turn those coins to scorpions… and melt their entrails for daring to take his money. He could put a tracing spell… He shook...
by Drak Bibliophile | Oct 10, 2018 | 1632Snippet, FreerSnippet, Snippets
All The Plagues Of Hell – Snippet 29 Chapter 15 The Holy Roman Empire Count Mindaug was enjoying the mild spring in the Marcher country as they made their way west into forest country, avoiding Vienna, and then onward into an area of extensive apple orchards,...
by Drak Bibliophile | Oct 8, 2018 | 1632Snippet, FreerSnippet, Snippets
All The Plagues Of Hell – Snippet 28 Petro looked at her. “Now, while I do my best not to be overlooked or overheard, I will speak somewhat cryptically here. Some of your old connections from harder times have been engaged in trafficking information. Word...