The Sapphire (Tales from the world of the Noble Dead Saga #4; Homeward III)

After fleeing from the small port town of Miiska -- and the threat of a vampire hunter�s blade�Ratboy finds himself alone in the king�s city of Bela, having left his two companions, Rashed and Teesha behind. Lost and lonely at first, he soon realizes that he has a chance to reinvent himself, to take on a new name and a new identity.� Then... he sees a young woman with bright blue eyes, and he falls in love for the first time. p>Unfortunately, he can�t quite see that she�s a gold-digging prostitute.� But love is blind.� He�s determined to make her his own, make her immortal, give her anything she wants, and make her happy.� However, keeping her happy soon proves a daunting task, one that will require desperate measures and all his cunning. [Short Story, ~12k words] About "Tales from the world of the Noble Dead Saga"... No knowledge of the Noble Dead Saga or related works is necessary to read and enjoy these stories. They are written for fantasy enthusiasts in general and not just our established readership. Readers new to this world can step into it through any of these short works. Tales are organized into �collections� where all stories therein share a theme and/or premise. When one or more link together, subsequent stories will mention �sequel to�� on their covers to guide you. Even so, each is self-contained enough to be your first adventure into this world. �Barb & J.C. Hendee ** After fleeing from the small port town of Miiska and the threat of a vampire hunters blade Ratboy finds himself alone in the kings city of Bela, having left his two companions, Rashed and Teesha behind. Lost and lonely at first, he soon realizes that he has a chance to reinvent himself, to take on a new name and a new identity. Then he sees a young woman with bright blue eyes, and he falls in love for the first time. Unfortunately, he cant quite see that shes a gold-digging prostitute. But love is blind. Hes determined to make her his own, make her immortal, give her anything she wants, and make her happy. However, keeping her happy soon proves a daunting task, one that will require desperate measures and all his cunning. About "Tales from the world of the Noble Dead Saga"... No knowledge of the Noble Dead Saga is necessary to read, comprehend, and enjoy any "tale." Readers new to this world can step right into it through any of these short works. They are independent of the saga's main plots/stories, though some minor connections will be apparent to readers of the saga. Tales center upon minor characters, places, and events left along the way in the sagas volumes. As well, there are some new characters, places, and certainly events never before seen in the saga. For those who have read part or all of the saga to date, you may expand what you already know about the world, cultures, times and places, and favorite minor characters left behind. In other words, "tales" can be a little treat straight from us to tide you over in a year's wait for the next volume in the Noble Dead Saga. Barb & J.C.