Amber Kell's Birthday Bash Visits Here Today!!

Today I'm helping Amber Kell celebrate her birthday month with massive giveaways and her continuing blog post, Wandmaker. Welcome Amber!!

Don't forget to pop over to Amber's blog to read my take on birthdays, and comment there for a chance to win my latest release, Locke, Stock and Barrel.

Here's today's installment. Be sure to leave a comment below for a chance to win! Good luck! :)

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Cebrus watched for a moment as the guard struggled to decide their next move. Legally they couldn’t physically restrain a wand maker and magic wouldn’t work on Cebrus. He gave the closest guard a sympathetic pat on the back before walking between them and going in the direction he saw Silvan go.

He’d heard of chimeras his entire life but he’d never seen one before and he had no idea they were in this part of the world. They were the type of creature other people always claimed to see but could never prove.

Excitement thrummed through Cebrus’ s body. He loved finding fantastical creatures.

“Where is the chimera at?” He asked the guard.

“A mile from the castle, we’ll take you in the carriage.”

Cebrus frowned but didn’t argue as they bundled him into the death trap and got him on his way. His fingers bit into the wood. He didn’t trust horses. They were sly creatures eager to kick you in the head if you turned your back on them. He’d learned the hard way the animals couldn’t be trusted.

At least in a carriage, despite its jolting and jumping he was far removed from the rabid beasts.

Finally, when Cebrus thought every bone had surely been shaken, the carriage pulled to a halt.

The door to the vehicle opened and the driver held out a hand to help Cebrus out. He graciously accepted the assistance wishing he were back on the road walking everywhere. You never felt like you were spun in a whirlwind when traveling on your own two feet.

After he emerged he gave the two guards a shaky nod and received amused grins in return.

He almost asked where the damned beast could be when a loud roar had him walking around the carriage.

“Oh my gods and goddesses,” Cebrus whispered as he caught sight of the creature. Maybe he’d been wrong—maybe he didn’t want to see the beast at all.

Before his shocked gaze the chimera’s snake tail snapped at one of the knights causing the man to stumble back and tumble down a low hill. With his armor he’d need three people to help him back up.

Cebrus scanned the crowd of knights. There had to be at least a dozen surrounding the beast. The chimera stood taller than the carriage Cebrus just exited from. Its entire body was covered with the fur of a goat and had the structure of one too. Every few minutes it would turn its head and blast out a burst of flame, causing the knights to jump back to avoid the fire.

The outing to see the beast went from amusing to horrifying. Cebrus’s hands shook as he watched Silvan step forward and confront the beast with his sword.

“Where in the fifteen hells is your wand!” Cebrus demanded.

“He doesn’t have one,” a deep voice answered beside him.

Cebrus pulled his attention away from the battle to confront the guard. “What do you mean?”

“He doesn’t like them. He says he’s never had a wand that suited him. He’d rather do without than try to use a bad one.”

Cebrus turned back to the battle. He couldn’t help wonder, even as his heart leapt in his throat, if Silvan had only wanted Cebrus for his abilities.