Fight Smarter

By Meyari McFarland

Gavin wasn’t terribly pleased to be tapped as unofficial Clan heir. He’d rather just learn how the business ran and help his relatives.

But when his little sister Anwyn came home with dreadful injuries, Gavin realized that it wasn’t just paperwork.

He was responsible for lives. He had to fight for them all. More importantly, he had to be smart about it.

Or everyone would pay the price.

• Language: English
• Publisher: MDR Publishing
• Release date: Jan 31, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301400669

Meyari McFarland

Meyari McFarland has been telling stories since she was a small child. Her stories range from SF and Fantasy adventures to Romances but they always feature strong characters who do what they think is right no matter what gets in their way. Her series range from Space Opera Romance in the Drath series to Epic Fantasy in the Mages of Tindiere world. Other series include Matriarchies of Muirin, the Clockwork Rift Steampunk mysteries, and the Tales of Unification urban fantasy stories, plus many more. You can find all of her work on MDR Publishing's website at www.MDR-Publishing.com.

Book preview

Fight Smarter

Published by Meyari McFarland at Smashwords

Copyright 2013 by Mary Raichle

This book is available in print from most online retailers.

All characters and events portrayed in this novel are purely fictional. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental and is not intended by the author.

Dedication

This one is dedicated to Lectorel, my wise and wonderful editor who helped me make this into a much stronger story than it would otherwise be. Also to Erica who helped me proofread and find the many typos--any that remain are definitely my fault.

Thank you both for all your help!

The beautiful cover was created by the incredibly talented MG Nemesi. You can find more of her work at mgnemesi.deviantart.com or on her site dreamchasing.altervista.org. Thank you for your beautiful work, Neme!

Fight Smarter

You know you're not supposed to get in fights right now.

Gavin looked up from his job of sorting invoices, absently smoothing his kilt over his knees. His younger sister Gwen's voice carried along the back hallway that ran past his little office. There was only one person she could be talking to about fighting: Anwyn.

Of the entire clan, his little sisters Gwen and Anwyn were the ones most likely to get into a brawl, so when Gwen slowly hobbled into sight a moment later it wasn't a surprise that she was with Anwyn. What did surprise him was that Gwen was supporting Anwyn with an arm around her waist. It was clear Anwyn resented it from the way she tried to lean away from Gwen.

Both of them were filthy, covered in mud from the cobblestone streets. More worrisome, they both had blood on their clothes. Being covered in mud from a fight was normal enough for girls of the Dana family. Well, fights were common all over Aingeal, but even more common for Dana's combative women. What was unusual was the amount of physical damage Anwyn had taken. Normally she won her fights easily.

Anwyn was cradling her ribs as if a few might be broken, but the scattered bruises and scrapes showing from under her short sleeved tunic and calf-length pants didn't appear to be too serious. Unfortunately, her ankle wasn't supporting her weight properly; it was swollen to the point that the laces