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    Worse Than An Orphan's Curse
    Worse Than An Orphan's Curse
    Worse Than An Orphan's Curse
    Ebook18 pages15 minutes

    Worse Than An Orphan's Curse

    By Rik Hunik

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    About this ebook

    (3800 words) A pair of fantasy stories wherein an orphan's curse brings about the death of a ship's captain, but the captain's dying curse is worse. (Yes, the title is from that poem by Coleridge) In the sequel, “Dead Man's Ashes”, Dar, a young thief, is sent into the darkest part of the city by Peli, King of the Beggars, to recover the ashes of the man who cursed him, so he can exact his revenge.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRik Hunik
    Release dateSep 9, 2013
    ISBN9781301015672
    Worse Than An Orphan's Curse
    Author

    Rik Hunik

    Rik Hunik was born in Nelson, British Columbia, Canada, in 1957, and has lived his entire life in BC, except for a few summers in Alberta, and a few days in Washington State climbing rocks. He has lived in Ymir, Wells, Quesnel, Prince George, Quesnel, North Vancouver, Quesnel, Burnaby, North Delta, and Quesnel. I live with my wife Jo and a blue-eyed, white cat named Mister. I mostly build houses and shops to earn a living but I'm also a writer, poet, artist, photographer, role playing game designer and independent e-book publisher. I’ve written dozens of stories, including fantasy, horror, sword & sorcery, mystery, humor, erotica, and science fiction, frequently combining genres. Forty have been published in small press magazines and e-zines, from the 200-word "The Hole" in Ascent Aspirations, to the 10,000-word novelette "Levels" in Buzzy Mag, published in May, 2012. Some of them are available now as ebooks at Smashwords. Contact me at: rikhunik@hotmail.com

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      Book preview

      Worse Than An Orphan's Curse - Rik Hunik

      Worse Than An Orphan's Curse

      by Rik Hunik

      Published by Rik Hunik at Smashwords

      Copyright 2013 by Rik Hunik

      Smashwords Edition, License Notes

      Thank you for downloading this free ebook. Although this is a free book, it remains the copyrighted property of the author, and may not be reproduced, copied and distributed for commercial or non-commercial purposes. If you enjoyed this book, please encourage your friends to download their own copy at Smashwords.com, where they can also discover other works by this author. Thank you for your support.

      Chapter 1: Worse Than An Orphan's Curse

      Pity on an accursed soul, kind sir. The voice, barely audible over the din of the market crowd, was a hoarse, wet wheeze.

      I have none to spare, Arcado said in disgust and quickly turned away. He and his uncle, Khazeem, only a single step into the market square, were already being accosted by the first of the beggars that clustered near the entrance.

      Port Boraka was full of unsavory characters, but a single glance was more than enough for this skinny wretch, the most pitiful Arcado had ever seen. Ugly pockmarks on his gray, scaly skin, many of them

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