Welcome to another round of Weekend Writing Warriors. And I do feel like a warrior today, having done battle with a failing hard drive, wonky internet, and worst of all…a full time job.  Sigh.  But I have vanquished my enemies and managed to get this post up in time.

Prince Dezra is also doing battle, and fairing rather poorly.  This excerpt continues from last week and for continuity’s sake, I’ve included the final sentence from last week.

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

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Dezra shuddered but not from fear. He wanted to be played with. In this moment of distraction, Nevar whipped out his shibar and knocked Dezra’s left leg out from under him. He lunged forward, smacked Dezra in the chest, and before he knew it, Dezra was flat on his back with the dull tip of the blade brushing his neck. Nevar’s expression was lost in the sun, but sweat from his face and hair dripped on Dezra’s exposed skin. Instead of being mortified by his defeat, Dezra concentrated on the feel of the hot beads of sweat sliding down his neck.

“Game to Captain Nevar,” Lanz called out in a tremulous voice. There was no applause, only murmurs and shuffling. Dezra knocked the captain’s shibar aside and jumped to his feet.

“Thank you, Captain- would you like to go again?”

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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