Description:

Horror and fantasy mix as the wanderer Tzu Lung discovers in a remote province evidence of an ancient, inhuman power that has brought whole kingdoms under a terrible sway.

This 7300 word short story is complete to itself, but part of a cycle that starts with "Sweet as Blood, Biting as a Sword" and continues with "Pacts of the River Gods" and then "Shadow of Heaven". As an author, I attempt to write characters caught up in worlds of mystery and horror, keeping an eye to verismilitude and psychological depth. I try to avoid most of the tedious cliches of fantasy fiction, writing for adults, mixing exoticism with gripping characterization and strong plots. My influences in fiction include H. P. Lovecraft, Robert Howard, George R. R. Martin, Roger Zelazny and Michael Moorcook.