A Handful of Dust

This week's entry on the Western Baronies is a piece of fiction, entitled "A Handful of Dust." I hope you enjoy it!

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"A Handful of Dust"
a tale of the Western Baronies


“How many of ‘em do you figure there are?” the wiry, dark-haired man asked the tall blonde man crouching next to him in the dust. The blonde said nothing for long moments, simply counting the silhouettes of men in the moonlight, looking at their shabby armor and underfed horses. The dark-haired one did not prod him, knowing that patience was a virtue out on the flats, and that their quarry wouldn’t be leaving any time soon.

After long moments of listening to the sounds of the desert—distant coyote yowls, the swirling wind, the voices of the soon-to-be dead—the blonde man replied. “I count thirty men. Give or take five. Firelight makes it easy to pick them out, but hard to tell how close packed they are. Most of them have shortblades and crossbows.”

Exalted Fiction Contest

For anyone who cares about Exalted or my writing career, apparently the Exalted team is hiring writers. They are having a short fiction contest on their forum, to which I have submitted an entry. If you have time, please take a moment to go to their forums, read my piece (which is only about 800 words), and make a forum account to thank the post. The more thanks I get, the more likely that I'll be considered for the position.

I appreciate any help!

My entry on the forum thread.