Second Excerpt: The Ice Witch

Here’s another excerpt from The Ice Witch of Fang Marsh. This one features Ozlin, the second viewpoint character. Enjoy!

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   “Thief — stop him!”
   Ozlin ducked and darted, weaving between the bystanders. He veered to avoid a snatching hand. The merchant was slow, but his strides were long. A hard fist dug into the tangles of Ozlin’s unkempt hair. He yelped at the pain, kicked and cursed.
   “Let go, you shithole!’
   “Nobody steals from me,” the merchant gloated with grim satisfaction. He started to yank Ozlin back toward the plaza, where the guards were.
   “Pervert! Help!” Ozlin’s voice cracked as he screamed. A few onlookers glanced around, but nobody seemed to came to help him. They were too busy waving and cheering.
   “Shut up, you brat,” growled the merchant.
   Pain tore at Ozlin’s scalp. In an instant, rage replaced his fear. He grabbed the hand that dug into his hair and let the fire roll free. A sizzle, the stink of charring meat. Now it was the merchant who yelled.
   Loose again, Ozlin scrambled away. Sandals slipped on the pavement, and then he was steady. All his thought was to run, run, run!
   “Get back here,” roared the merchant.
   Dead end! It wasn’t Ozlin’s first chase, but somehow he’d come the wrong way. A row of barrels was stacked across the alley. He skidded, looking for a way through, then whirled and tried to race back, but skidded to a halt again. The furious merchant advanced, rubbing at an angry red mark on his wrist.
   “You’ll pay for that, gutter trash,” he rumbled, menacing.
   Ozlin was doomed. They were alone in the alley. Except, one person emerged from the crowd. The woman with the reed hat moved up beside the merchant. For the first time, Ozlin got a good look at her face, the narrow nose and pinched mouth. Cold eyes fixed on him.
   “Can I help?” Her voice was soft and neutral, but with an acid undertone. She knew what he was, just as he recognized her.
   “Mage.” Ozlin couldn’t make the fire go back into his hands, so he made his hands into flaming fists. “Stay away from me!”

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