Hello, my readers, quick update. I hope you are all safe. After watching some of Brandon Sanderson’s lectures (which I highly recommended) I rewrote my intro to be more engaging. Here’s the new version. Let me know what you think in the comments below. Thanks

“I’m not a monster!”

Pepper held her ground against the shadowy figures encircling her. She caught the glint of darksteel under their cloaks.

“Yer a half-dragon,” one of the brigands said. He stepped forward. “An abomination at that.”

Pepper bared her teeth and gripped her walking stick. It wasn’t a weapon, but it would do against these thugs. Her other hand clutched a large, teardrop emerald.

“She’s Saul Slyhart’s daughter,” another brigand said. He scowled and spat to the side. “The daughter of a war hero. More like an aberration and a thief!”

“I’ve done nothing wrong,” Pepper said, shaking the emerald in front of her. “This heirloom belongs to the Slyhart family. You’re the ones who stole it.”

“And yer kind savaged my family. My wife and children…eaten to the bone.” His lip trembled, but his eyes were hard, filled with bloodlust.

Bile filled Pepper’s stomach, and her face softened. The horrible acts her kind had committed. “I’m sorry.”

His left arm whirred with machinery as the hand molded into the shape of an arm cannon.   “Aye, ya will be soon!”

Pepper’s eyes narrowed. Her stubby tail stiffened as the brigands closed in. A gust whisked her ponytail about. She scanned the forest, not a few miles from home. Her throat tightened as she counted her assailants. Four. One of them had an arm cannon implant—if she could just disarm him…

“Die, tal’snak!” One brigand cried, rushing forward. His fists glowed, fingers hardening with stone-like gauntlets. He pounded the ground. The earth groaned, exploding in a wave towards Pepper.

A Shifter, Pepper realized, avoiding the shockwave and closing the distance. Spotting an opening, she pulled a feint. The thug collapsed from a blow to his stomach. Two more thugs rushed her. Pepper danced around them, her staff hitting vital points. They crumpled to the ground. Fast. Pepper wheeled around as the brigand with the arm cannon fired his weapon with a zap.

She dodged the fireball but grunted as the shockwave threw her against a tree. Blood ran down her forehead and the world spun. She staggered to her feet and examined a cut on her forearm. The emerald had slipped out of her fingers, dirt on its surface.

She clenched her teeth, staring at her dirty heirloom. “Okay, now I’m pissed!”

Still dizzy, she charged the thug, her staff aimed out. He fired another fireball. Pepper dunked under it and rammed her staff into his face. The wood cracked as the thug flew backward ten yards.

Her opponents lay motionless on the ground. Pepper sighed with relief. She discarded her broken stick. and picked up the emerald. An itchy, crawling sensation came from the cut on her arm. Already the flesh had stitched itself together. She frowned at the amazing regeneration of her body, one finger stroking the healed gashes.

She wasn’t a monster, was she?

I’m playing around with some new designs with my blog and testing them out. I’m also merging my blog with Mailchimp (still in testing). I plan to send out blog news, book promotions, and free gifts once I get it up and running! 🙂