A.J. Church

“He looks me up and down and I can tell he isn’t impressed. I smile at his reaction.
“Who are you to trespass in my territory and kill one of my men?”
His voice sounds cultured, like he went to some expensive college. Do they have those in Aether, I wonder idly as I step closer. “Rothgrun, isn’t it?” Like I’m not sure.
“It is.”
I nod. “Yeah, well, I’m the guy who’s going to kill you and your men if you don’t get out of my way.”
Treflynn clears his throat behind me; Rothgrun’s eyes widen. I flick a glance down at myself; the glyphs reappear all over my body with a rush of power.
“What manner of beast are you?” Rothgrun murmurs.
“Right now, one that’s in a hurry.” I step over the finally dead Von and the bully backs up. “I really don’t have time for this. There’s a girl out there who needs my help and I have to get to her.”
His eyes search mine. “The Protector. We have heard about you. You may pass.” I motion the others forward and he stops me. “Just you.”
I chuckle, then take another step toward him. “No. All of us pass, or all of you die.”
“I do not believe you can kill all of us before we kill you.”
I flex my fists and let a little of that old demon charm leak into my expression. “You willing to find out? Cause I am. And I’ll start with you.”
― Aesyn Cravery, Trial

“We got your name from a pawnbroker. Mitch Clinton. You know him?”
“Unfortunately. And before you go any further, I’m retired.” He looks at the old man. “Why didn’t you tell ‘em that, Zack?”
The other man shrugs and lowers himself onto a scuffed wooden stool. He pulls out a tobacco tin and shoves a wad in his mouth before answering. “I’m not your secretary.” Kellen rolls his eyes.
“You haven’t heard our offer yet,” Darrius adds.
“Don’t need to. People don’t go see Mitch to pawn their old stereos. You’re looking for a hunter.”
Darrius shrugs. “Yes and no. We’re not looking to hunt someone so much as retrieve them.”
Kellen drains the Nehi and tucks the empty bottle into the wooden crate next to the machine. “Either way, I don’t do it anymore. But just out of curiosity, since you came all this way…” this last he adds with a smirk, “who is it you’re looking to retrieve?”
I grin to myself, vowing to keep my mouth shut. Let’s see if Darrius can reel this one in alone. “My brother. He was…abducted.”
“Abducted, huh? Not really my thing, even if I was interested, which I’m not.”
“Because you’re retired.”
Kellen nods approvingly. “You catch on quick.”
― Aesyn Cravery, Reveal