What happens when you throw together a human vessel for a dangerous fire spirit and a thief with a talisman that allows him to be immortal for a minute a day? They attract trouble. A lot of trouble.

In the forthcoming Smoke & Summons by Charlie N. Holmberg, Sandis is a slave who has somewhat convinced herself that her current situation isn’t all that bad if you ignore all the times when her master Kazen uses her body to unleash a fire horse spirit named Ireth that shouldn’t even exist on the mortal plane. Or at least she’s able to until she witnesses him murder her friend by trying to summon an even stronger spirit and failing. She escapes and runs headlong into Rone, a thief who’s doing his best to survive and take care of his mother. With Kazen hell bent on hunting down Sandis and Rone in a boat-load of trouble of his own, their flight through the city takes them on a journey neither could have ever imagined. Continue reading →