Hangman's Wages

By Cora Buhlert

Germany in the Middles Ages: Ulrich, executioner to Count Dietmar of Finsterwalde, finds his workload unexpectedly doubled, when Count Dietmar orders him to hang Anna, a young thief caught picking pockets during the public execution of a notorious bandit.

Ulrich feels sorry for Anna, but orders are orders. And so he leads the terrified Anna to the hanging tree, determined to make sure that she suffers as little as possible. But as he places the noose around Anna's neck, Ulrich finds that she touches his heart like no one before her.

But how can he save Anna, when the merciless Count Dietmar has already ordained her death?

This is a short medieval romance of 3300 words or approximately 12 print pages altogether.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Pegasus Pulp Publishing
• Release date: Aug 19, 2015
• ISBN: 9781513046174

Cora Buhlert

Cora Buhlert was born and bred in North Germany, where she still lives today – after time spent in London, Singapore, Rotterdam and Mississippi. Cora holds an MA degree in English from the University of Bremen and is currently working towards her PhD. Cora has been writing, since she was a teenager, and has published stories, articles and poetry in various international magazines. When she is not writing, she works as a translator and teacher.

Book preview

Hangman’s Wages

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The girl shivered in her thin linen shift. She was young, barely twenty years old, and pretty to look at. And stupid, too, Ulrich reminded himself, lest he be overcome by compassion. Truly, she’d brought her fate on herself. And for that she would die.

She was a thief, a pickpocket who’d been stupid enough to ply her trade among the crowd that had come to see Count Dietmar of Finsterwalde and his new bride visit the town of Goldenburg. Even worse, she’d managed to get herself caught. And so the soldiers had dragged the struggling girl before the Count.

Count Dietmar had been less than pleased. He’d made a name for himself as a strict ruler who persecuted and punished criminals to the fullest extent of the law. And he certainly wouldn’t show any mercy towards a little thief, no matter how comely she was.

And so the Count had taken one look at the girl, as she was forced to her knees in front of the dais where he was seated with his new bride. Then he turned to Ulrich who was standing beside the Count, clad in his black executioner’s garb.

We do not tolerate thieves and other malefactors in the Grafschaft of Finsterwalde, the Count said, not even sparing the girl another glance, Make sure that she’s hanged for her crimes, once the day’s entertainment is over.