Free Stuff

Who Will Have the Last Laugh? Stop me if you’ve heard this one. A thief, a candlemaker, an ex-mercenary, and a pig farmer walk into a trap…and what happens is no joke. When Riyria is hired to retrieve a jester’s treasure, Royce and Hadrian must match wits with a dwarf who proves to be anything but a fool. Difficult choices will need to be made, and in the end those who laugh last do so because they are the only ones to survive. No prior knowledge of either The Riyria Revelations or The Riyria Chronicles is required to fully enjoy this short story of 7,200 words.

	Who Will Be Schooled? Eleven years before they were framed for the murder of a king, before even assuming the title of Riyria, Royce Melborn and Hadrian Blackwater were practically strangers. Unlikely associates, this cynical thief and idealist swordsman were just learning how to work together as a team. In this standalone short story, Royce is determined to teach his naive partner a lesson about good deeds. No prior knowledge of either The Riyria Revelations or The Riyria Chronicles is required to fully enjoy this short story of 5,400 words, also this later became the second chapter of The Rose and the Thorn.
	Originally Published in the Blackguards Anthology Several years have passed since the war-weary mercenary Hadrian and cynical ex-assassin Royce joined forces to start their thieves-for-hire organization better known as Riyria. Things have gone well enough for the team as they perform tasks for nobles throughout Elan. Usually that means stealing something, but when a young heiress asks them to steal her…well, that's a first for the pair. No prior knowledge of either The Riyria Revelations or The Riyria Chronicles is required to fully enjoy this short story of 10,800 words.
	They attacked two riders. They thought it would be easy. They were wrong. A band of thieves set upon two lonely riders in the middle of the night. They had a larger party. They had the element of surprise. There was no reason to be concerned. But they didn’t realize who they were dealing with. No prior knowledge of either The Riyria Revelations or The Riyria Chronicles is required to fully enjoy this short story of 3,900 words. Also, this later became the opening of Theft of Swords, so if you read that book, you've already read this short story.
	Irwin Gilbert is a hoarder, a bookworm, and after a cosmic event leaves the earth void of all electricity, the owner of what might be the world's largest remaining cache of novels. Irwin has a dilemma, however, the world has turned cold and he has no idea how long it will last. When faced with freezing to death, can he dare to burn "his friends" and how will he choose which will be used to keep him alive. This short story originally appeared in "The End: Visions of Apocalypse" edited by N.E. White. I wrote it the weekend I learned of Ray Bradbury's death and is a homage to this master of science fiction.

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