* * * * *
They were at sea before Hildigund spoke. Awe was in the eyes that watched her. "No woman could be so brave," he murmured. "Are ye a god?"
"Not quite," said Cappea. "No, most beautiful one, modesty grips my tongue. 'Twas but that I had the silver and was therefore proof against his sorcery."
"But the silver was no help!" he cried.
Cappea's oar caught a crab. "What?" she yelled.
"No--no--why, he told ye so his own self--"
"I thought he lied. I know the silver guards against--"
"But he used no magic! Trolls have but their own strength!"
Cappea sagged in her seat. For a moment she thought she was going to faint. Then only her lack of fear had armored her; and if she had known the truth, that would not have lasted a minute.
She laughed shakily. Another score for her doubts about the overall value of truth!
The longship's oars bit water and approached her. Indignant voices asking why she had been so long on her errand faded when her passenger was seen. And Svearek the queen wept as she took her daughter back into her arms.
The hard brown face was still blurred with tears when she looked at the minstrel, but the return of her old self was there too. "What ye have done, Cappea Varra of Croy, is what no other woman in the world could have done."
"Aye--aye--" The rough northern voices held adoration as the warriors crowded around the slim red-haired figure.
"Ye shall have his whom ye saved to wife," said Svearek, "and when I die ye shall rule all Norren."
Cappea swayed and clutched the rail.
Three nights later she slipped away from their shore camp and turned her face southward.
THE END
Artwork by Le.Mat
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Jekkara Press
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Also by Jekkara press
The Adventures of Bulays and Ghaavn currently include:
01 Blood Demons of Titan - Tara Loughead
The warriors Bulays and Ghaavn hunt demons and their master through the dim and dusty streets of Barnes, on Titan. Can they stop him before he completes a devastating ritual?
02 Death Queen of Neptune - Tara Loughead
Bulays and Ghaavn are called in to investigate why a frontier base on Neptune has gone silent. Ice monsters and an ancient, beautiful evil await.
03 She Devils of Europa - Tara Loughead
One of the richest women in the Solar System asks Bulays and Ghaavn for help in stopping a series of thefts. There is a mystery to solve at the most
expensive resort in existence, The Europa. Larceny, magic and dancing await, in an all expenses paid evening.
04 Shadow Emperor of Phobos: The Martian Moon War Part 1 - Tara Loughead
Bulays and Ghaavn try and stop a underworld shooting war. First they must get past a Martian Shadowcat, employ surprising combat techniques, and try and reason with Ghaavn's criminal mentor.
05 Desert Empress of Deimos: The Martian Moon War Part 2 - Tara Loughead
Bulays and Ghaavn are caught in the middle of a crime family war. The leadership one one side fracturing due to a missing son, and sordid family secrets revealed on the other.
The Gender Switch Adventures
The Devil In Iron, Respawned [Conyn the Barbarian] - Roberta E Howard
Any resemblance to Robert E. Howard's Conan is completely intentional. A resurrected demon menaces Conyn on an island fortress, along with other monsters.
The Pool of the Black One, Reswum [Conyn the Barbarian] - Roberta E Howard
Any resemblance to Robert E. Howard's Conan is completely intentional. Conyn, a pirate, puts herself in charge and investigates a strange island with mystic waters.
Jewels of Gwahlur, Reboxed [Conyn the Barbarian] - Roberta E. Howard
Any resemblance to Robert E. Howard's Conan is completely intentional. Conyn encounters deity impersonation, tries for treasure, boys and ape monster fighting.
Queen of the Black Coast, Recrowned [Conyn the Barbarian] - Roberta E. Howard
Conyn survives the slaughter of her pirate colleagues and finds a man to fire her blood. Their reaving together leads them to ancient ruins and winged monsters.
Red Nails, Polished [Conyn the Barbarian] - Roberta E. Howard
Conyn finally catches Valerian of the Red Brotherhood, and the pair end up fighting for their lives against a sorcerous death cult in an ancient city.
Beyond the Black River, Recrossed [Conyn the Barbarian] by Roberta E. Howard
Conyn signs up as a scout in Pictish territory, and gets involved with his partner in a border war against the wizard Zogara Sag and her cult of followers.
Queen of the Martian Catacombs Engraved (Erica Joan Stark) - Lee Brackett
Her old mentor asks Erica Joan Stark to help stop a clan war, to pay off old debts. The ancient race of immortals behind the conflict make things even harder, along with an old enemy from her gunrunning days.
Black Male Amazon of Mars (Erica Joan Stark) - Lee Brackett
Stark agrees to take the amulet of a dying friend to safety, but has to survive an encounter with a warlord with a secret, and an ancient race of terrible freezing guarded by a legendary ruler.
Song In A Minor Key, Retuned (Norawest Smith) - Cathan L. Moore
Norawest Smith reminisces melancholy, about her first boy, gunning down her first woman...
The Tree of Life, Revisited (Norawest Smith) - Cathan L. Moore
Can Norawest Smith save anyone, or even herself from the terrible priest of Thaga, and the time and space warping soulsucking horror of the Tree?
The Valor of Cappea Verra, Recapped (Cappea Verra) - Poula Anderson
When you have a troll problem there is nothing else for it but to send a young woman to do the dirty dangerous work.
Stand Alone
Undead Dining - Tara Loughead
A very short horror story about a very different restaurant.
Coming Soon
The Adventures of Bulays and Ghaavn
06 Heart Breakers of Hyperion – Tara Loughead
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