Story Excerpt of The Assassin and the Prince in When Assassins and Allies Conspire

I LOVE Goodreads, and I'm excited to bring you an excerpt from one of the stories I wrote. This story literally came to me in a dream, and I wrote most of it the same day and the rest the day after.

When Assassins and Allies Conspire: Visionary Tales, Volume I is a collection of tales that I might call mystical. They are fantasy stories with a personal development twist.

Perhaps you'd like to sample each of the stories so you can get to know my writing style.

The book is available in print, large print and Kindle formats.

So here is the first excerpt from the collection.

"The Assassin and the Prince", takes the reader deep inside the mind of an efficient Feline assassin who is NOT thrilled with her job of protecting a pampered human prince from danger. He's so annoying she just might kill him.

Here's the excerpt:

from "The Assassin and the Prince"

Seeing a castle in a picture or hologram did not compare to standing at the thick iron gate between two stalwart stone pillars. Aree's long silver whiskers twitched as she took in the strange building. Was this supposed to keep people out? Aree could climb over it easily if she needed to. Claws and agility were wonderful things. But then, this was a human construction. Ridan was a small but significant planet.

Aree stood before the censor that would relay her image to the gatekeeper. She knew her appearance might be startling to the humans on sheltered little Ridan. A five-foot-tall, brown striped Feline wearing a strappy leather bodysuit might cause a stir. But maybe that is just what the inhabitants of this imposing stone building needed.

A flat male voice came through the speaker. "State your full name and your business."
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"I am AreeLaradi-prr-Kyree. I am here to apply for the bodyguard position advertised in Warriors, Assassins and Renegades Weekly." Aree scolded herself. Even though she spoke Common, the language that allowed the diverse species of the galaxy to communicate reasonably well, she spoke with a strong Feline accent. These were isolated humans. She had not spent much time among humans, who spoke Common with a distinctly human accent.

Aree waited. A laugh. "Say your name again, please. More slowly."

Aree cringed. He was laughing at her name. She hated to be laughed at. Didn't that human realize his name would sound just as strange to her? She tried not to repeat her name through gritted teeth.

"Oh—my apology. You are expected." The gate opened.

Aree kept her long striped tail close to her body as she walked through the heavy gate. The space between the gate and the immense stone castle was large enough to park a four-hundred-passenger shuttle. The path had decorative stones featuring human faces interspersed among plain ones. The faces probably belonged to past rulers.

Pristinely manicured flower gardens lined the path. These humans must like their world orderly and planned. The entrance was designed to either impress or intimidate, but Aree was neither. She walked with purpose but not with haste to the wide wooden castle doors. The man awaiting her studied her from head to foot with a critical eye. His lips formed a tight straight line. The smell of him made Aree's stomach turn. She had forgotten how awful humans smelled, but she knew she would get used to it after awhile.

"Here are my credentials and the pass I was told to present." Aree stood in front of the man and held his gaze with her gold eyes. His shoulders slumped slightly and he took a step back.

The man blinked. "Oh... yes, thank you." He inserted the small triangular chip that the King had sent her into a matching hole on a console and swiped the censor of the square identity chip that showed her credentials. "You're applying for the special assignment?"

"Yes. You sound surprised."

The man averted his eyes and shuffled. "I suppose I shouldn't be, but… you're a cat!"

Aree raised her chin. "The job announcement said nothing about human applicants only. Why shouldn't I apply?"

"Because you would be protecting—I will let them tell you. It is not for me to decide."

Aree's tail started to twitch of its own accord. How dare he judge her because she was feline, not human. "Yes, that would be wise. Where do I go?"

Can you tell I love cats? Aree's character is based on my own cat, Tica.

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Follow your bliss!
Ronda Del Boccio
bestselling nonfiction and fantasy author
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