Red Wolf Blogs

    Hi, folks. What could happen if you cross a sorcerer with an accountant? You might get The Alchemist (played in my mind by Alan Rickman). Here's the conclusion of my just-finished short story, The Alchemist's Ledger. I've had a lot of fun writing it, and I hope you've had some enjoyment reading the last few weeks.    Last week, our sword wielding mercenary, Sing, returned from his quest with a powerful jewel needed to complete a spell to animate a statue of Vale, the local God of Justice. Sing received only half his promised fee, and he left the Alchemist with a pile of receipts and the task of balancing them into a strange ledger. Today he's back to see if he can collect the remainder of his fee.   ---   Sing returned to the offices of the Alchemist late the next morning, nursing a hangover and debating with himself whether he should just take what he’d already been paid, leave town, and count his blessings. This time, he wasn’t surprised when the

    Hi, folks! What could happen if a sorcerer sent a sword-wielding mercenary on a quest to procure a magic gem, and required the mercenary to bring back receipts for all his expenses? Well, it would certainly kill the adventure for me , but Sing took on the task, endured all the awkward explanations, and has returned to the Alchemist with the jewel and the receipts.     Let's see what he gets for all his trouble. Presenting part 2 of The Alchemist's Ledger .                                                     ---------------------------------------------- On the seventeenth morning of Frostmoon, Sing crested the ridge of the High Pass Road and was afforded the first view of journey’s end. The sun rose over the peaks at his back, reflected off the spires of the King’s Palace rising from the mists over the city of Azurith, and glinted from points along the River Wiste, which ran through the heart of the city and meandered across the far side of the valley. It was a wel

   Hi, folks. What could happen? Well, I have a special offering for you this week and next. I'm presenting a short story in two parts, which is just a bit different from my usual paranormal fare. It's a sword and sorcery tale featuring a character that emerged years ago when my young son and I played an ongoing game involving swords, quests, and secret powers. I was recalling the game some months back, and I was wondering...      ...in the days when magic ruled, and sorcerers sent sword-wielding mercenaries on quests to procure various items for their arcane purposes...     ... did they require the mercenaries to submit expense reports?    Well, my apologies to Robert E. Howard and Fritz Leiber, who'll probably turn over in their graves, but here's The Alchemist's Ledger, Part 1... The tip of the broadsword made a satisfying schwick sound as it passed through the man’s throat. Time seemed to slow, like it always did in the heat of a fight, and the mercen