My latest chapter of The Merchant’s Daughter, a standalone Wayfinders Story, is now available and free to read on Patreon! Since it’s Valentine’s Day, I’ve chosen to share an excerpt that depicts Dur’s love life or the lack thereof. If you enjoy medieval fantasy with a touch of magic and romance, then you’ll love The Merchant’s Daughter!
Here’s a snippet from Chapter 4:
Presently assigned to kitchen patrol, better known as K.P., Dur had less free time than some of the others. To his chagrin, he was “riding herd” on the pots this week. The other men assigned to K.P. had been given quicker tasks and had already left. The big iron pots were heavy and often had a thick black layer of scorched food on the bottom, making them difficult to scrub clean. Dur, wiping his forehead on his sleeve, knew this was going to be a long week. Tonight – apart from Cook, who was putting dried beans on to soak for the next day – he wound up as the last one still working in the kitchen area. He didn’t mind too much. One of the perks of finishing last was coming away with a bucket of hot water, which he was looking forward to washing with. And Cook, who was a jovial sort, always thanked his helpers for doing the job right, even sometimes handing out crispy little sweet cakes he called “koo-kiss” from his special stash when really pleased. This evening, Cook gave Dur an extra one for his hard work with an especially crusty and blackened pot.
The first time Dur had learned about the treats, he’d been told they were as good as a lover’s kiss, and after tasting them, he agreed. Not that he’d had much opportunity to share kisses with anybody. One day, he hoped to meet a special woman, the kind that would turn his head around and make his heart beat faster. But, until then, the koo-kisses were a pretty good substitute. Dur was planning to get the instructions on how to make them from Cook before this job was over. Knowing his ma loved to learn about new things to cook, he’d occasionally included names and descriptions of the new treats he’d tasted in his letters. This time, he hoped he could personally take the instructions home to his ma. A fond grin spread across his face. Ma was, after all, the only special woman with a place in his heart right now.
On the outside, Dur wore the tough caravan guard mask well – being tall and muscled helped – but on the inside, there was still a lot of the boy who’d had to swallow a lump in his throat when leaving home at sixteen.
Continue reading Chapter 4 on Patreon.
If you want the inside scoop, be sure to sign-up for my newsletter!
Have you visited my Patreon page yet? I’ve added sunrise photos and my Wayfinders map in the shop.
If you want epic photos like the one above and this one below, be sure to visit my shop! They look great as desktop wallpapers.
C.A. Morley - Author 
Leave a comment