A boot to the ass stirred me. I opened my eyes to the grizzled mug of Sergeant Clantalion looming like an apparition from one of the Three Hells. His square jaw and scarred face thrust near mine. I mustered a crack about his breath. It came out as a grunt.

He grunted in return. His voice was gravel. “Get up, Mortlock. Time to die.”

I swallowed and tried again. This time I managed to sound coherent. “Already Sarge? I was dreaming.”

“Me and your wife again?” he countered, moving to kick the next person, a friend of mine called Fearson.

I moved my legs, stretching full length. Cartilage cracked. I shifted. Pain shot across the lower back, a grim reminder of yesterday’s march over rugged terrain.

Fearson turned to face me. Calloused fingers wiped at his sleep matted eyes. His weary voice echoed my pain. “I hurt.”

I sat up, clearing my throat to spit. “Might be that slab of ground we slept on.” I looked around. A handful of shapes lurched zombie-like in the glow of the full moon. I stood to a symphony of pops and snaps.

“Simple agreement would have sufficed, Mortlock,” Fearson replied, standing beside me.

The morning air was damp and chill. My nostrils caught a familiar scent. Food.

Return of the Sword can be purchased

by selecting the cover graphic.

... features an attack by a rampaging mammoth skeleton. Seriously, what other recommendation do you need than that?

Ryan Harvey - Black Gate

There are echoes of REH, Gemmell and Drake. It features undead mammoths. What ain’t there to love?

Deuce Richardson - The Cimmerian