Adventure Takes a Holiday: A Legends of Lasniniar Short: Legends of Lasniniar

By Jacquelyn Smith

Barlo lumbers through the snow along a narrow mountain path. A substantial trail follows in the dwarf's wake.

Iarion leads the way. His light, elven feet barely make an impression in the snow. Barlo would like to blame his pulled groin for his own awkwardness, but he knows Iarion would never let him get away with it.

As night falls, a storm closes in.

...Definitely not the holiday Barlo hoped for.

A stand-alone misadventure story of the unlikely friends Iarion and Barlo from the World of Lasniniar epic fantasy series by award-winning author, Jacquelyn Smith.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WaywardScribe Press
• Release date: Aug 1, 2019
• ISBN: 9781927723852

Jacquelyn Smith

Jacquelyn Smith writes both epic and intrigue-based fantasy, and mysteries that range from cozy to kick-ass, with independent, strong-willed heroes, in search of their place in the world. These heroes take the problems they face seriously (but never themselves), and are supported by unlikely friendships they forge along the way. Jacquelyn is the author of the World of Lasniniar epic fantasy series, the Fatal Empire fantasy intrigue series, the kick-ass Kira Brightwell mysteries, and the Mackenzie Quinn Canadian cozy mysteries. (She originally published several of the early Kira Brightwell titles under the pen name Kat Irwin, before killing Kat off to eliminate the many awkward questions about having a second identity.) When spending time in the real world, Jacquelyn lives on the suburban outskirts of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, with her husband, Mark, and their feline owner, Xena, who is definitely a warrior princess. To learn more, visit: JacquelynSmithBooks.com

Book preview

Adventure Takes a Holiday

ADVENTURE TAKES A HOLIDAY

A LEGENDS OF LASNINIAR SHORT

JACQUELYN SMITH

WAYWARDSCRIBE PRESS

Adventure Takes A Holiday: A Legends of Lasniniar Short

Copyright © 2023 Jacquelyn Smith

Published by WaywardScribe Press

First published in August, 2019 as Legends of Lasniniar: Adventure Takes A Holiday

Cover and layout copyright © Jacquelyn Smith

Cover design by Jacquelyn Smith/WaywardScribe Press

Cover art copyright © Kjolak/Dreamstime

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. All rights reserved. All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental. This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission. Thank you for respecting the hard work of the author.

CONTENTS

Adventure Takes a Holiday

A Close Shave

A Note from Jacquelyn

About Jacquelyn Smith

ADVENTURE TAKES A HOLIDAY

T his isn’t funny, you know, Barlo grumbled as he lumbered through the snow along a narrow mountain path, leaving a substantial trail in his wake.

An icy blast of wind smelling of more snow to come whistled past his ears, ruffling his long, brown beard. He clung to the edge of his hooded cloak with one hand as he held the other out for stability. The ground beneath his boots was uneven, and it was a long way down.

I never said that it was, Iarion said.

The elf glanced over his shoulder as he spoke, revealing his dusky, angular features. His long, silver braids slithered down his back among his pack, bow, and quiver in a windswept tangle. The edges of his gray cloak flapped in the wind behind him.

He said the words without so much as a twitch of his lips, but his silver-flecked sapphire eyes glimmered with amusement. Barlo scowled. Despite being well over a foot taller, the lean elf’s boots made barely an impression in the deep snow, forcing Barlo to crane his neck up at him even more than usual.

The haft of Barlo’s ax thumped against his leg with each wincing step and his chain mail jingled beneath his cloak in an unsteady rhythm. He stifled an oath. It was bad enough having short, dwarven legs when the snow was knee-deep, but the pulled muscle in his groin had reduced him to a graceless waddle.

"Are you sure you don’t want me to make you a sled?" This time Iarion’s lips did twitch.

Barlo’s brown eyes narrowed. "And have you drag me along like some kind of invalid? Be serious, Iarion. I have some dignity, you know."

Iarion quirked a slender brow as Barlo continued to wallow through the snow toward him at a snail’s pace, struggling to keep his groin as still as possible in a wide-legged shamble.

Yes, I can see that.

"Shut up, elf. I’ll have you know, I blame my injuries on you."

Iarion gave him a dubious look. "Well, that hardly seems reasonable. I’m not the one whose wife kicked him out of Dwarvenhome."

Barlo spluttered and almost lost his balance. That’s not how it happened! Narilga only suggested I take a little holiday away from the city.

‘Suggested’ was probably an understatement. Barlo’s wife was pregnant with their second child. Barlo loved Narilga dearly, and had taken some time away from his work at the forge as she had gotten further along to help take care of her. If he was being honest with himself, it was mostly an attempt to make up for how he had left her to go on an adventure during her last pregnancy a few years before, which part of him had always felt a bit guilty about.

She seemed to enjoy his attentiveness—at least at first. But Narilga was an independent woman, and unaccustomed to being waited on hand and foot. Barlo had known he was smothering her, but he couldn’t seem to help himself.

He suspected his attempts to help in the kitchen had been the last straw. He had somehow managed to burn dinner