Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Clan, Honor, and Empire Wednesday Sneak Peek







Available at Amazon, Amazon UK, and Smashwords.  Also available in print.

               Rajhir walked into the reception area of Zarl’s chambers.  The Imdiko who usually greeted visitors was away at lunch.  The entrance to Zarl’s private office was closed and certainly locked.  Rajhir’s door was open, as he’d left it.  He walked in.
                Nobek Breft sat at his desk.  The youth looked up at Rajhir, who stared at him in utter shock.  He nodded to Rajhir and plugged a file drive into the computer.  “Good day, Dramok.”
                Rajhir finally recovered to splutter, “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”
                “Going through your stuff.”  Breft’s tone was as casual as if they were having polite conversation.  “You’ve got some interesting items here, from what I’ve been looking at.  The kinds of things you’d have to be crazy to leave unattended.” 
                Rajhir could only stand there and stare.  Was the man insane?
                Breft kept on talking as he leaned back in Rajhir’s chair and stared up at him.  “Do you know how easy it is to get on this floor when the Imperial Clan is not present?  All I had to do to come in here was tell the Royal Guards I had an appointment with you, submit to a weapons scan and background check, and here I am.  I know those guys are badasses and can handle just about any emergency, but frankly, I’m appalled.  You should tell Emperor Zarl to rethink his open-door policy.  There’s accessibility to his subjects and then there’s madness.”
                Breft kept right on talking, pummeling Rajhir with his thoughts.  “Then there’s you.  Your office door was unlocked, you know.  I walked right in here and plundered without any trouble at all.  I didn’t even try to hide what I was doing.”
                Rajhir finally found his voice, though his shock held him still when he should have been kicking the Nobek’s ass.  “You nasty little bastard.  I should have you arrested!”
                Breft shook his head, acting as if Rajhir hadn’t spoken.  “Dramok Rajhir, chief aide to the emperor.  Yet you’ve got all this stuff, all these records lying around on your desk.  Anyone can get in to see what you’re working on, including a Nobek still in training camp.  This is remarkable.”
                Rajhir slammed his hands down on his desk and glared at Breft.  “What the fuck is wrong with you?”
                Breft jumped to his feet and slammed his palms on the desk as well.  He leaned across until he was nose to nose with Rajhir.  “What the fuck is wrong with you?  All this information is just lying around!”
                Rajhir scowled.  “None of it is deemed confidential, you thug.  That stuff is locked up tight.”
                “Then what’s the big deal with me poking in it?”
                “Because it’s not proper behavior!” Rajhir shouted.
                There was a dinging sound from the computer, and the vid hovering above it shivered.  Breft looked down at what was displayed before returning his attention to Rajhir.  “Tell me something.  Does Emperor Zarl or Councilman Muzej want anyone in the public to know about the recent security breach in the Dal mines?  Because it says right here that they don’t, at least not until the issue is fixed.  Yet here I am, a member of the public, reading all about it.”
                Rajhir had had his fill.  He stormed around the desk, shoving Breft out of the way without bothering to worry over how a Nobek trained to kill with his bare hands would take such force.  Rajhir snatched the file out of the computer and the vid blinked off.
                He rounded on Breft.  “You foul shit.  How dare you!  The Royal Guards are only steps away, you know.”
                The Nobek gave him bored eyes.  “Yet I wandered in here without any real challenge.  I guess the emperor trusts his aide to keep things secure and his secrets private.  Has he misplaced that trust?”
                Rajhir felt worry worm into his gut.  “Are you here to blackmail me?”



Available at Amazon, Amazon UK, and Smashwords.  Also available in print.

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