In this 20,000-word novelette set in the main character through-line of the Door Into... novels, the first man in a thousand years to bear the Blue Flame of Power, Herewiss s'Hearn, is now happily married to King Freelorn of Arlen, their lover the sorceress and swordswoman Segnbora tai-Enraesi, the fire elemental Sunspark, and the dragon Hasai. But Herewiss tells none of them why (at a most delicate moment) he must undertake a clandestine mission to the city of Darthis.
His reasons are secret: his intentions desperate. So why does Herewiss wind up spending his whole visit in a tavern? Only the Stuck Pig's indefatigable bouncer, Iras, can learn the reason why... and finds herself caught up in a kind of tavern brawl that no one's ever imagined.
"The Levin-Gad" is the first of five novelettes spanning the years between Book 3 of the Tale of the Five, The Door Into Sunset, and the forthcoming The Door Into Starlight. Its sequel, Tales of the Five: The Landlady, is also available here at Ebooks DIrect.
Please note that TOTF1: The Levin-Gad will not be available on other online platforms or in print form until Q3 of 2021.