Heat Shadow

By Meyari McFarland

Death crept down shimmering rays of sunlight.

The shadows of the Sonora desert marked Robert's soul. Always had. Always would. The desert shaped his magic as it had his entire life.

Which was a good thing when a dark young mage drove up the gravel lane to his farm in a fancy wool suit with chancy promises written in blood on his tongue.

The magic you did marked you forever. What mattered was the price and whose soul was stronger.

Death walked the Sonora and Robert had never stopped walking with Death, decades after he left.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Meyari McFarland
• Release date: Jan 14, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224947911

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

Heat Shadow

HEAT SHADOW

MEYARI MCFARLAND

MDR Publishing

CONTENTS

Other Books by Meyari McFarland:

Heat Shadow

Author's Note: Artifacts of Awareness

1. Sold

2: Palace

Other Books by Meyari McFarland:

Afterword

Author Bio

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OTHER BOOKS BY MEYARI MCFARLAND:

Day Hunt on the Final Oblivion

Day of Joy

Immortal Sky

A New Path

Following the Trail

Crafting Home

Finding a Way

Go Between

Like Arrows of Fate

Out of Disaster

The Shores of Twilight Bay

Coming Together

Following the Beacon

The Solace of Her Clan

You can find these and many other books at www.MDR-Publishing.com. We are a small independent publisher focusing on LGBT content. Please sign up for our mailing list to get regular updates on the latest preorders and new releases and a free ebook!

Copyright ©2024 by Mary Raichle

Print ISBN: 978-1-64309-113-6

Cover image

Photo 97886625 © Andrew David Periam | Dreamstime.com

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This book is also available in TPB format from all major retailers.

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This story is dedicated to my grandparents, whose farm this is and who are the inspiration for this story. They had a very different sort of magic, both of them, but I think they'd like this story anyway.

HEAT SHADOW

Robert hummed as he gently shaped his new chisel with white-hot hands. The metal had a dull grey sheen, legacy of the fire he'd wielded to shape its tip to a point and then narrow the shaft enough that he could socket into a chunk of apple tree branch. No reason to waste the trimmed branch when it could fill so many uses after cracking under the weight of Betty's apple harvest.

Woman didn't realize how forceful she could get, especially in a temper. All the apple trees were groaning from her demanding a good harvest early in the spring. He'd gotten supports under the branches but left that one because it hadn't seemed to need it what with the thick limb and the short length of the branch. His mistake there.

Didn't matter, really. The apples had been full ripe so he'd just trimmed the branch close to the trunk, gathered up the apples and delivered them to Betty at the back door between the house and the little two-story well-house that'd been their home after the fire.

Robert didn't think that Betty still smelled the smoke, heard the crackling flames. She never hesitated