Thursday Thirteen - 217 - 13 Eye Candy T13s

Here's a look back at some of the rather distracting Eye Candy Series that appears from time to time at A Piece of My Mind.


1 - 13 Ways to Admire Jensen Ackles










2 - 13 More Ways to Admire Richard Armitage











3 - 13 Ways to Say Happy 40th Birthday to Gerard Butler







4 - 13 Ways to Admire Michael Fassbender











5 - 13 Ways to Admire Tom Hardy









6 - 13 Ways to Admire Djimon Hounsou











7 - 13 Ways to Admire Konstantin Khabensky







8 - 13 Ways to Admire Lenny Kravitz









9 - 13 Ways to Admire Jared Padalecki













10 - 13 Ways to Admire Alexander Skarsgård











11 - 13 Ways to Admire Kevin Smith









12 - 13 Ways to Admire Kevin Sorbo









13 - A double holiday round-up!

Since I'm a dual citizen of Canada and the US, and since I'll be celebrating Canada Day in New York, and the 4th of July in Nova Scotia, here are two tributes to the hotties of my two nations. Enjoy.


13 of my Favourite Canadian Hotties in Honour of Canada Day








13 of my Favorite American Hotties in Honor of the 4th of July

Weekend Writer's Retreat - 60

My Scorpius serial is now joining The Serialists as well as continuing with the Weekend Writer's Retreat.

To recap this dark fantasy story so far:

As a small boy of seven, Scorpius was fetched from the nursery where he'd been raised to live among the nobility - fetched not by his family, but by a falconer to serve as his apprentice.

Scorpius soon learned that a close encounter with a dragon was preferable to the cruelties of the nobles he'd once hoped were family. His master did whatever he could to shield Scorpius from the world outside their cottage, but the falconer was merely a servant, when all was said and done.

An attempt on the life of a young noble while on a hunt sent the falconer and his apprentice on abruptly different paths.

We continue with Scorpius at age sixteen as he enters the service of Lord Thibault.

You can follow the progress of this story arc by clicking on the Works in Progress link just under the blog header.


Scene 60


“You have no master, you say,” the noble said. His deep, silky voice caressed Scorpius’ neck, his lips nearly grazing his ear.

Clenching his bound hands behind him, Scorpius fought the urge to cringe away from the lord. It wasn’t easy. Lightheaded with his heart beating so fast, he feared pitching backwards off the stool. “None,” he said, his voice betraying his fear.

The guard captain closed in behind him, leaning forward to speak over his head to the noble. “No master to look for him should he not return.”

Straightening, the noble said, “Yet he must have family awaiting him.”

Scorpius’ mouth went dry. He stared hard across the cell, his mind flashing back to his young days in the nursery waiting to be visited by his parents as all the other boys and girls were visited. He remembered vividly the sight of Richolf with his grim, scarred face, speaking to Nurse, then turning to claim him.

“No master,” Scorpius said, his voice weary with the truth of it. “No family.”

The noble exchanged glances with the captain. “Conjured out of thin air, were you?”

The mention of magicke – the spectre of being accused of any knowledge of it – seized Scorpius with an alarming urge to puke. The threat of being burnt alive filled the cell like a lightning bolt. “Begotten as you were begotten,” Scorpius said, shocked that any words had formed at all.

An explosion of pain nearly wrenched his head from his shoulders. Toppling from the stool, he sprawled upon the stone floor, his bound hands unable to stop his fall.

“I doubt his lordship entered this world as you did,” the captain said.

Shaking his head to clear it, Scorpius said, “As you were begotten, then.”

The captain lunged to strike him again, but a mere tap from the noble stopped him in his tracks. No blows, only assistance to sit once more upon the stool.

“Lord Thibault’s father will not be as welcoming as I,” the noble said, pacing slowly.

Shivering at the idea of lesser generosity, Scorpius held his tongue and tried to keep track of the captain’s whereabouts from the corner of his eye.

“Although no doubt he will reward those who came to his son’s assistance,” the captain said from very close behind him. Scorpius jerked away from his voice as though singed.

“No matter,” the lord said. “This one’s already wearing his reward.”

Circling in front of him, the guard captain roughly loosened Scorpius’ jerkin and tunic. Scorpius’ pulse hammered in his veins as the captain took several steps to stand behind him once more.

Gathering every strand of courage blowing loosely inside of him, Scorpius sought the gaze of the noble as rough fingers yanked his clothing down to his waist, as far as the iron shackles would allow. He watched as the expression quickly changed on the lord’s face. Confidence gave way to dread.

“No marks, my lord,” the captain said.

Scorpius thought of the young guard flogged to a bloody mess during the nightmare hunt. Shaken by the force of gratitude for his unscarred back, Scorpius tried to cover his emotion by thrusting his chin forward, again seeking the gaze of the noble. Stepping close, the lord pulled up Scorpius’ tunic and jerkin himself.

“As I said, let’s not distress our guest,” the noble said, as though Scorpius wasn’t trapped in this cell with his arms bound and bruises forming.

“We’ll leave that to the duke,” said the guard captain, and the two men chuckled.

© Julia Smith, 2011

My Book Trailer Premiere and Web Site Launch

Welcome to my official web site launch and the premiere of my book trailer.

CLICK HERE to visit the web site

Grateful thanks to:

My web designer Anne MacFarlane

My graphics designer Karen Valentine

My name logo designer Andy Miller

And now -




Roll credits:

Fallen warrior - Scott Baker

Vision of his beloved - Stevie Cooper

Vampire - Bernie Matthew

The Saint - Brennan Handy

Battlefield scavenger/Brotherhood member - Brad Smith

Producer - Tara MacDonald

Writer/Director - Julia Phillips Smith

Director of Photography - Luke Hudgins

Production Assistant - Caroline Ruyle

Picture/Sound Editor & Special Effects - Doug Woods

5 on Friday - Set 72

Travis at Trav's Thoughts invites everyone to lay down a short set of music that takes their fancies for his 5 on Friday meme.



Officially starting my vacation as of today. Sweet.

The next installment of my Beatles series continues with the enigmatic Paul McCartney.

1 - Michelle

My sister and I are both insanely lucky to have Beatles songs with our names in the titles. This one is for my sister Michelle!



2 - Paperback Writer



3 - Helter Skelter



4 - Maybe I'm Amazed



5 - Admiral Halsey

Thursday Thirteen - 216 - 13 Things I Love About Going to See the Ballet

One of the things on my Bucket List is attending performances of the great ballet companies of the world in all of their home venues.

As a spectacular early birthday surprise - since my birthday is five months away - my cousin and my sister, who will be my roomies at the writers' conference in New York next week, presented me with tickets to the ballet while we're in the City That Never Sleeps.

And not only tickets to any ballet company, but tickets to American Ballet Theatre, which is second on my descending list of companies to see after the Mariinsky Ballet in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

And not only tickets to see American Ballet Theatre, but tickets to see Swan Lake, which needs no explanation as to why that is so incredibly dreamy for me.

So here are thirteen things I'll be enjoying during our trip to the Metropolitan Opera House:

1 - Entering the lobby with the other theatre-goers. How I love that first buzz of excitement.

2 - Entering the house (the inner auditorium) to find our seats. The thrill grows.

3 - Receiving the program from the usher and looking through it at my seat.

4 - The crowd conversation humming as the theatre fills and the warning bells ring.

5 - Houselights dimming and the crowd hushing. Anticipation trembles in the air.

6 - Houselights go dark. The spotlight hits the conductor. Opening applause to start the performance - how I love all the clapping. Audience participation!

7 - First notes from the orchestra. I'll probably burst out crying with joy. Don't worry, people-sitting-next-to-me - I'll be quiet.



8 - Curtain opening or rising. The 'ooo/ah' of seeing the set design.

9 - Clapping for the principal dancers as they make their entrances. Yes, I love the clapping!

10 - The rhythmic rustling sounds of the costumes as the company moves through its choreography, the tapping of the pointe shoes on the stage, and all of the sounds emanating up from the orchestra pit.

11 - Watching the conductor's floppy hair as he feels the music.

12 - Feeling connected to Tchaikovsky himself as certain unexpected and perfect moments appear in front of me, shining a light on his work in a new way for me. Trust me - it always happens.

13 - Cheering jaw-dropping or tear-inducing performances by the dancers. Shouting Bravo! or Brava!

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT -

My very own dot com web site will be going live on Saturday, June 25th - drop by A Piece of My Mind for the link and the world premiere of my book trailer!

Weekend Writer's Retreat - 59

My Scorpius serial is now joining The Serialists as well as continuing with the Weekend Writer's Retreat.

To recap this dark fantasy story so far:

As a small boy of seven, Scorpius was fetched from the nursery where he'd been raised to live among the nobility - fetched not by his family, but by a falconer to serve as his apprentice.

Scorpius soon learned that a close encounter with a dragon was preferable to the cruelties of the nobles he'd once hoped were family. His master did whatever he could to shield Scorpius from the world outside their cottage, but the falconer was merely a servant, when all was said and done.

An attempt on the life of a young noble while on a hunt sent the falconer and his apprentice on abruptly different paths.

We continue with Scorpius at age sixteen as he enters the service of Lord Thibault.

You can follow the progress of this story arc by clicking on the Works in Progress link just under the blog header.


Scene 59

Rising stiffly to his knees, arms still wrenched behind him by the iron shackles, Scorpius glanced up into the eyes of the noble.

He was a heartbeat away from lowering his gaze. Serving such men at the hunt demanded it. But quick as a whip crack came Lord Thibault’s words through his mind: “They will not believe your master was the falconer.”

He saw clearly in his mind how the courtiers had sat there glaring, even chained to the hitching posts, even with bruises and swollen lips. The guard detachment had dealt them a bitter taste as to what they could expect, once it came time to answer for their assassination attempt upon his new master. But it had not altered their demeanor in the slightest. They’d not hung their heads nor cowered nor looked away.

So Scorpius wrestled down Richolf’s training to return the nobleman’s stare as though he had a right to do it. After all, hadn’t his former master fetched him from the nursery? Scorpius had been raised to be a little lord himself until the falconer had arrived, providing him with the sanctuary of life out at their cottage.

“Name,” the guard said.

Maintaining eye contact with the noble, as if it were beneath him to address a guard, he said, “Scorpius.”

“Your master,” the guard continued.

Scorpius turned his gaze toward him this time – and his breath hitched in his chest. It was the captain who’d ridden around the bend towards the cottage with the detachment, the same man who’d ordered the guard to dig the arrowhead from Lord Thibault’s shoulder. He’d seen Scorpius at the falconer’s cottage with his own eyes.

Blinking rapidly, Scorpius forced himself to trust in what his new master had said: “They will not believe your master was the falconer.” If that were the case, the guard captain could think as he liked. He looked away from the captain who’d carried himself like a prince that day, once again addressing only the noble. “I have none,” he said as dismissively as he could.

“All men have masters,” the lord said, his deep silky voice suited to a castle’s great hall and not this dank cell. His mouth turned up in a wry smile. "Even I have masters.”

The captain moved slowly to circle behind Scorpius. “You’re a mercenary, then.”

“No.” He’d almost said No, sir. “No, no mercenary.”

Yanking Scorpius’ head back hard, the captain said, “How much did they pay you?”

Turning his alarm into outrage, Scorpius stared down the noble and said nothing. These men no doubt assumed that eventually they would get what they wanted from him. Whether they believed he was a noble or a servant, it was held to be a truth that every man had his breaking point.

Yet Scorpius’ former master had been put to the question and had never broken.

True, his body held the scars that had given Lord Thibault the ammunition he’d needed for his current attempt to right an old wrong. It was also true that Richolf still woke in the night, shrieking and sweating, even all these years later.

But Richolf had survived their torments without giving up the information for which they’d pressed. Perhaps that is why Scorpius was able to meet the quizzical stare of the noble, even as the captain’s fingers pulled cruelly at his hair.

He knew it was possible to survive whatever these men had planned for him. He knew it, and they did not. Yes, he trembled – who would not, after the day he’d spent in chains? Yes, his stomach flipped with dread – if he did not fear what lay in store for him, having treated his former master’s wounds himself, he would not be in control of his senses.

“Come, come,” the noble said suddenly, addressing the captain and flicking his head toward the stool. “Let us not distress our guest.”

Hoisting Scorpius to his feet, the captain dragged him forward to sit roughly upon the stool. How he wished the captain would not stand behind him like that.

The noble rose from his chair to approach Scorpius. Taking deep breaths, Scorpius fought to ignore the way his heart hammered so loudly. In the few short steps it would take to reach him, the lord meant to unravel what his former master had suffered so much to give him.

Clenching his bound fists behind him, Scorpius held his head high, staring hard at the wall in the distance. Whatever they meant to ask him, he did not know the answers. It was just a matter of endurance.

“Why should you care about my master, my lord?” he’d asked Lord Thibault, when they’d still sat upon his horse in safety, on the edge of the estate. “What is he to you?”

“It is not what he means to me,” his new master had cautioned, “but what he means to you that concerns me. You will need to hold onto that dearly.”

In the damp echoing cell, Scorpius filled his mind with the memory of Richolf and held onto it. Richolf had endured. He would show Scorpius how to do the same.

© Julia Smith, 2011

5 on Friday - Set 71

Travis at Trav's Thoughts invites everyone to lay down a short set of music that takes their fancies for his 5 on Friday meme.

Our own rhododendron is finally in bloom - so today's banner could be a peek at my front garden.

Continuing with my Beatles series, this week I'm featuring the always fascinating George Harrison.

1 - Do You Want to Know a Secret? - The Beatles



2 - Taxman - The Beatles



3 - Long, Long, Long - The Beatles



4 - What is Life - George Harrison



5 - Handle With Care - The Traveling Wilburys

ClICK HERE to watch the video

Thursday Thirteen - 215 - 13 Things to Do Before I Go to My First RWA National Conference

1 - Send manuscript out to readers for critique.





2 - Apply for my passport.





3 - Get incredibly attractive passport photos taken.





4 - Shoot a book trailer.





4 - Register for the writers' conference in Manhattan.





5 - Purchase plane tickets.





6 - Book agent / editor appointments for the conference.





11 - Score 2-for-1 tops and purses at Zellers.





7 - Work with web designer to launch my new dot com site. Going live on June 25th.





8 - Get vastly more pleasing author photos taken for web site.





9 - Collaborate with top-notch film/TV editor on book trailer post production.





12 - Find an exquisite outfit for the conference awards banquet.





13 - Set up a Facebook author page.

Summer Stock Sunday - 35

Robin's Summer Stock Sunday meme continues - she invites all to post summery photos and visit other bloggers who share their feelings and memories about this magical season.
















This is a shot from the late 1960s, taken when my family lived in Michigan. That's me in the back row, waving at the camera.

We had a street full of kids who liked to put on little shows. This is a show presented by my best friend's sister Barb, my best friend Mary and our neighbor Kimmie.















Of course, when the 'kids' put on a backyard show, I'm sure the moms were the unsung heroes, setting up the chairs, making lemonade and finding sheets and streamers to decorate the stage.

Weekend Writer's Retreat - 58

My Scorpius serial is now joining The Serialists as well as continuing with the Weekend Writer's Retreat.

To recap this dark fantasy story so far:

As a small boy of seven, Scorpius was fetched from the nursery where he'd been raised to live among the nobility - fetched not by his family, but by a falconer to serve as his apprentice.

Scorpius soon learned that a close encounter with a dragon was preferable to the cruelties of the nobles he'd once hoped were family. His master did whatever he could to shield Scorpius from the world outside their cottage, but the falconer was merely a servant, when all was said and done.

An attempt on the life of a young noble while on a hunt sent the falconer and his apprentice on abruptly different paths.

We continue with Scorpius at age sixteen as he enters the service of Lord Thibault.

You can follow the progress of this story arc by clicking on the Works in Progress link just under the blog header.


Scene 58

Scorpius stared at the pebbles at his feet, the same pebbles at which he’d been staring since dawn first broke and Lord Thibault had delivered him to his uncle in the guise of a prisoner.

How much longer would he be forced to linger here, arms wrenched behind him, chained high upon the stone column, forcing Scorpius to bend forward to stare at the pebbles? His back had gone through a rising wave of agony throughout the day, but he found that if he could remain as still as possible, the pain held its breath.

But his legs had gone numb. He needed to shift position.

Yet another biting fly made up his mind for him. It landed on his cheek in the rivulet of sweat and blood left from the guard's blow. Shaking his head to dislodge the fly, Scorpius sent a forked bolt of agony through his hips, up his spine, flaring out across his shoulders, snaking up his arms and exploding along his neck into his head.

Gasping with the force of it, Scorpius squeezed his eyes tight, tears joining the sweat, the blood, the dirt, his matted hair that stuck to his face.

“It will be hard,” his new master had said. He’d known what Scorpius would face.

Taking as deep a breath as he dared, Scorpius concentrated on the memory of Lord Thibault writhing upon the table as the guard had dug the arrowhead from his shoulder. He remembered just how it had felt to press with all of his might against the young noble’s attempts to get away from the pain.

His new master was now laying the framework to wrestle justice from his would-be assassins. Scorpius no longer served a falconer – he served a young noble whose life would always be in danger. So here Scorpius hung in chains in the relentless sun.

His stomach rumbled as he thought of the young noble sitting down to eat. Stretching out his tongue, Scorpius licked the sweat from his upper lip. He had not eaten in a very long time.

In fact, no one had come to check on him in hours. He was bound here in a walled-in courtyard quite apart from everything or anyone. He could hear sounds of life just over the wall, but here there were just the pebbles, the sweat, the flies, the pain and his own desire for revenge.

If he put his faith in his new master who had his own score to settle, the torments once visited upon his former master Richolf would come full circle upon whoever was responsible. Until the gray hours of this morning, Scorpius hadn’t even hoped such a thing could come to pass.

So he hung here, the iron cutting into his wrists, his head swirling with fatigue, his muscles seizing up to draw cries from his cracked lips.

When he finally heard the creak of a door and the rhythmic cadence of footsteps, the jingling of keys and the solid sway of a guard’s uniform, Scorpius didn’t know whether he should be grateful or terrified.

The guard released the shackles from the rings embedded in the stone column, only to grab hold of Scorpius’ aching arms, shoving him forward still bound. Scorpius stumbled on legs that were stiff and swollen. Slaps from the guard spurred him forward.

He entered a cool corridor, so dark after the day he’d spent in the sun that he was as good as blind. He trembled as the sweat chilled on his skin, fear stealing his breath. Kicks from the guard kept him moving.

The corridor turned, revealing a door. A young guard stood at the ready beside it, nodding at Scorpius’ escort and pushing the door open.

The room was empty except for a stool, a rough table and a chair, upon which sat an imposing man in noble attire. Another man turned to fix Scorpius with a stare that shriveled any semblance of courage if it had ever existed inside him.

The guard shoved him forward. Scorpius landed on his face at the lord’s feet.

© Julia Smith, 2011

5 on Friday - Set 70

Travis at Trav's Thoughts invites everyone to lay down a short set of music that takes their fancies for his 5 on Friday meme.

Last week, I called on The Beatles to help me out when I needed a set list.

For the next few weeks, I'm going to have a closer look at each member of The Fab Four.

The series continues with drummer Ringo Starr.

1 - Boys - The Beatles



2 - I Wanna Be Your Man - The Beatles



3 - Good Night - The Beatles



4 - Photograph - Ringo Starr



5 - No No Song - Ringo Starr

Thursday Thirteen - 214 - 13 Things About Moving Onto the High Resolution Editing System During Post Production

1 - Met up with Doug Woods for our third editing session at 902 POST, his post production facility here in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

2 - The editing system shown above displays the offline edit stage - this part took us two sessions to complete.

3 - In the offline stage, the creative decisions are made by the editor and director using the original footage as shot by the director of photography.

4 - The director verifies which shots will be used, and the editor lays them out so that the sequence of shots tells the story.

5 - At this point, the final decisions in digital file form are loaded onto the high resolution editing system. For this project, Doug is using the Avid editing system. I can vouch for its gee-whiz, jaw-dropping, cutting-edge hallmarks.

6 - For the initial session with the high res system, Doug completed the first of two sequences in online edit form.

7 - At this point, all the technical elements are in place at full resolution. He can now add backgrounds and effects to the footage shot against greenscreen.

8 - Using the chroma key process, Doug places the photographic stills which I chose to stand in for exterior locations, and adjusts the moving footage to match the implied exterior. This stage is called compositing.

9 - During this process, Doug creates a negative image where the background is black and the moving figure is white. If you've seen Sin City, you'll know what these images look like. He then adjusts any greenscreen spill which shows up as gray sections on the black or white figures. After these adjustments, the positive footage then reads true against the supposed exterior.

10 - He can also draw a section around the middle ground of the two-dimensional background photo, and using his effects toolbox, blur the section selected. This contrasts nicely with the foreground figures, who are in focus. It gives the impression of greater depth of field to the background, which adds to a feeling of authenticity for this effect.

11 - He added a glowing effect to surround a near-death vision of the main character's beloved, as well as slowing her movements to suggest that she is a vision and not moving in real time.

12 - He morphed one character into another by first matching the two characters' body positions in the frame, then matching up eyes to eyes, nose to nose. Freakin' cool.

13 - Finally, he color corrected the shots to match the lighting of the supposed source of the exteriors. For example, as the sun sets, he bathes the main character in a warm glow. But when twilight comes, he leeches out the warmth to create the cool tones of moonlight.

Stay tuned to A Piece of My Mind for more updates as the book trailer nears completion.

Summer Stock Sunday - 34

For the third year running, here comes one of my favorite bloggy events - Robin's Summer Stock Sunday meme.

She invites all to post summery photos and visit other bloggers who share their feelings and memories about this magical season.

Last year I decided to post only vintage photos for this feature. They were so enthusiastically received that this year I'll keep 'em coming.










This shot was taken by my dad in the late 70s, while I was in my Little House on the Prairie obsessive phase.

I still have these phases. They're a part of my creative process. It's all good.

Anyway, because I used to obsess about Laura Ingalls' red calico dress and her 19th century boots, my mom indulged her sewing/costuming cravings and made me and my sister our own Little House dresses.

I still have this dress. It's hanging in my closet at this very moment.

Weekend Writer's Retreat - 57

My Scorpius serial is now joining The Serialists as well as continuing with the Weekend Writer's Retreat.

To recap this dark fantasy story so far:

As a small boy of seven, Scorpius was fetched from the nursery where he'd been raised to live among the nobility - fetched not by his family, but by a falconer to serve as his apprentice.

Scorpius soon learned that a close encounter with a dragon was preferable to the cruelties of the nobles he'd once hoped were family. His master did whatever he could to shield Scorpius from the world outside their cottage, but the falconer was merely a servant, when all was said and done.

An attempt on the life of a young noble while on a hunt sent the falconer and his apprentice on abruptly different paths.

We continue with Scorpius at age sixteen as he enters the service of Lord Thibault.

You can follow the progress of this story arc by clicking on the Works in Progress link just under the blog header.


Scene 57

Pulling the reins taut, Lord Thibault stopped them at the edge of a hill overlooking a fortified estate. The approaching dawn revealed laborers already wading out into the fields, watched by overseers.

“I should have asked you this before,” the young noble said, his voice barely audible from weariness and caution.

Scorpius recoiled a little from Lord Thibault, releasing his hold upon him from his perch in the saddle. The sight of the masters keeping watchful eye over those serving in the field brought it all back to him – the screams that hung in the air of the nightmare hunt.

“There is something I must ask of you. Something very hard,” Lord Thibault said.

Scorpius’ lungs tightened with dread. But he remembered the weight of the coins this noble had delivered to Richolf, urging him to embrace life when it was in danger. So he took a deep breath and said, “Then ask it, my lord.”

The noble bowed his head for a long moment. Then he twisted back to gaze at Scorpius as far as his shoulder wound allowed. “This is my uncle’s estate. If we stop here before returning home, we can set events in motion that will see justice delivered for your master.”

“My lord?” The desire for revenge flared inside Scorpius’ chest. How swiftly it took flight, yet he hadn’t realized it even lived inside of him.

“This will take some days to reach fruition. Days you will find very hard.”

“Why should you care about my master, my lord? What is he to you?”

“It is not what he means to me, but what he means to you that concerns me. You will need to hold onto that dearly.”

Scorpius said nothing, so Lord Thibault continued.

“During my first visit to the falconry, I noticed a scar upon your master’s neck. It had a singular shape which I recognized.”

Scorpius knew it well. Only Ingerith’s intervention had healed such a vile piece of torn flesh.

“When I was a boy,” Lord Thibault said, “I was taken to the deepest corner of my uncle’s holdings. It was meant to toughen me, for one day I would be asked to put men to such torments in my turn.

“There was a demonstration of the question being put to an unfortunate fellow, and a grievous wound made that held the shape of the falconer’s scar. The man wielding the iron took special pride in fashioning his own tools. So I know who it was that tormented your master. And this knowledge gives me the missing proof for my own justice, proof I’ve sought out for most of my life.”

Perhaps Scorpius should have felt his blood chilling with fear at the thought that Lord Thibault had played a flawless hand. The young noble’s continued dismissal of Richolf in favor of Scorpius had pulled the veil over any hint of interest in the falconer and his telltale scar.

Perhaps he should have felt a chill. But for Scorpius, the memory of the coin bag’s weight as he passed it to his master fanned the embers burning in his heart. This noble could have sent Richolf into the darkness with nothing.

“What would you have me do, my lord?”

“It will be hard.”

“How long have you waited to find the scar upon my master?”

Lord Thibault looked across the fields at the estate. “Whatever you think 'hard' will be, the ‘hard’ I’m warning you about is far worse.”

“And yet you ask it of me.”

Birdsong filled the silence between them.

“My father knew that one day I would be called upon to send men to their deaths,” Lord Thibault said. “Or worse. To wish for death and not be granted that release. He schooled me to rule, and I did not shy away from his lessons.

"Yes, I am asking you to do this, Scorpius. A request, and not a command.

“I’m going to ride into my uncle’s courtyard, and if you’re still on the back of this horse I will present you as my prisoner. You will be the one who took me from the falconer’s field and held me on behalf of your master.

“They will not believe your master was the falconer. Fortunately for my purposes, you will not be able to answer any of their questions. This will make my version of what happened ring true.”

The burning rush through Scorpius’ veins gave way to icy fear. Lord Thibault was young, but he continued to play his hand with the sureness of a red-tail swooping low over the field.

“I will do as you ask, my lord,” he said, his voice trembling.

Lord Thibault’s head bowed quickly. The sounds of the morning could not drown out the sounds of his weeping.

© Julia Smith, 2011