Welcome to another round of Weekend Writing Warriors.  This is a blog hop where writers of all stripes and spots share ten line snippets from their work; published, unpublished, or fresh from their brain to your screen.  I’ve been sharing from my latest release, Masters and Mages 3: Curse of Salar.  This snippet picks up right after last week’s. Prince Dezra, tired of fighting against servants who don’t really try to beat him, challenged Captain Rayn Nevar to bout of shibar.  Dezra is getting more than he bargained for.

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The captain never relented in his offensive maneuvers, keeping Dezra on his heels the entire time, though Dezra did land a glancing blow or two. He was breathing hard, nearly panting, and he was soaked with sweat, but he was thrilled to be challenged and excited not to be beaten in the first thirty seconds of their match.

After barely escaping several times, Dezra gritted his teeth at the realization that Captain Nevar was holding back after all. Obviously, he couldn’t try to kill a prince, but surely he could try to win.

Dezra gained a safe distance and paused to wipe sweat from his face. “Captain Nevar, you disappoint me.”

“Have I mussed you, Prince?” Nevar said in a highly disrespectful manner, a twinkle in his formerly hard eyes.

“On the contrary. I don’t believe you’re doing your best to beat me.”

“I like to play with my kill before I eat it,” Nevar said, his grin turning vicious.

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In the desert kingdom of Jahar, the rule of mages has been overthrown and the line of sorcerer kings wiped out. Prince Dezra and his sister are the last living members of the royal family and are held prisoners in their ancestral palace.

Prince Dezra lives a life of lies and deceit. In order to stay alive, he must pretend to be a drug-addicted wastrel, trusting no one, isolated from even his sister who has chosen to cooperate with the government that executed their parents.

Into his lonely existence comes a man who should be his sworn enemy; Captain Rayn Nevar. Dezra is irresistibly drawn to the rough soldier and his longing for a simple sexual encounter quickly morphs into a dangerous obsession.

Captain Rayn Nevar knows he should stay far away from Prince Dezra, but his desire for the beautiful young man overrides all common sense. Despite the fact that Dezra’s ancestors destroyed Rayn’s family, the captain finds himself in a position of protecting the prince from the many schemers who believe the last of the mages should be annihilated.

When treachery leads to Dezra’s escape, he is at last free to bond with the serpent god Ka’alar and develop his long repressed powers. Only the arrival of a mysterious monk with powers greater than Dezra’s stops the prince from using black sorcery to destroy all who stand in his way, including Rayn.

As Jahar edges toward another war between masters and mages, Rayn must question his devotion to his increasingly deadly lover while Dezra must decide if ultimate power is worth the ultimate sacrifice.

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This post is part of an ongoing blog hop hosted by Weekend Writing Warriors. Every Sunday, participating authors post eight to ten sentences from a published work or perhaps their current work in progress. Then we hop to our fellow warriors’ blogs and check out all the fabulous fiction that’s happening! I heartily invite you to participate as a reader, writer, or both. It’s a great way to discover your next favorite book. Click here or use the address: http://www.wewriwa.com