Intruder

By Steve K Smy

A new threat arises, but one from within. This danger, however, is not one that will not succumb to any normal solution. Tirnam must rely on friends old and new if the threat is to be overcome.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Steve K Smy
• Release date: Feb 27, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301818518

Steve K Smy

Steve K Smy was born in Ipswich, Suffolk - a picturesque part of England famed for being part of Constable Country, where the renowned artist John Constable worked and produced many of his finest paintings. He has lived virtually his whole life there. He started writing for pleasure when he was 13 years old, with a science fiction novel! Naturally, his writing was less dominant for many years, as he and his wife Jenny raised their three children to adulthood and independence. He returned to writing seriously in February 2012, following a long illness. Since then, he has written and published, in ebook format, several short stories and, in ebook and paperback formats, four novelettes and a novella, and has been working on a major fantasy novel. His published stories include tales in three series: the Thief series of fantasy short stories, the mixed genre G1: The Guardians series (two novelettes and a novella, to date) and the science fiction Captain Henri Duschelle Stories (a short story and two novelettes, so far). The novelettes and novella have now been published in paperback. Fans of the G1: The Guardians series should be aware that a novel (part four of the series) is going to be published very soon! Mr Smy is also a blogger with a growing readership for his blog Imagineer-ing, Again, fans of the G1: The Guardians series will be happy to hear that they can find background information on the stories, especially the political shape of the world, in a special section of the blog site! Steve passed away on November 22nd 2013 after long periods of illness. His novels are being typed up and published by his son, Damien. Any profits are to be donated to Help for Heroes, a charity that Steve supported.

Book preview

Intruder

Being the fourth part of Thief

by

Steve K Smy

Copyright © Steve K Smy, 2013

Published by Steve K Smy at Smashwords

The right of Steve K Smy to be identified as the Author of the Work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

Apart from any use permitted under UK copyright law, this publication may only be reproduced, stored, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means, with prior permission in writing of the author or, in the case of reprographic production, in accordance with the terms of licenses issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency.

All characters in this publication are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

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Contents

Title

Copyright

Dedication

The Thief Series

1

2

3

4

5

6

Dedication

To Jenny, my beloved wife, for all the love and tolerance

over many years, through all that Life could throw at us.

***

The Thief Series

Thief

Gabrin: The Avatar

Ur'gavan

Intruder

The Guild

***

1

The man was skeletal in appearance, draped in rags, hair unkempt – hacked at crudely – teeth (such as were left) blackened pegs in diseased gums, eyes liquid pools forever brimming, his chin coated in rough grey stubble. His fingernails were yellow horny talons, where they weren't broken. Worst of all – he stank! His reek was a miasma that heralded his arrival and lingered long after his departure. Nobody cared to think what contributed to that stench.

This evening, the man was huddled up in a filthy alley, mouldering rags and rugs pulled over his fleshless body in an attempt to stay warm. He nursed a pottery bottle that contained a few last drops of arlak, a vile spirit that could strip paint. Occasionally, he took the merest sip of the stuff, his blistered lips working to ensure that he didn't lose a single trace of the stuff.

The ragged beggar had come to Ur'gavan hiding in a cart full of untreated skins. Before the cart arrived at the tannery, he had slipped out and scurried into concealment. Since then, people had glanced at him, tried to evade the cloying stench he exuded and shown him no charity at all, except for an elderly woman at a distillery, who had reluctantly given him the bottle of arlak.