Today was the first day this week it was quiet and people were not trying to kill themselves with scaffolding. Also I got some funky bloodwork results, and it was causing a bit of anxiety. Long story short, this whole scene was written today. We literally just finished, so it is truly the first draft. We will get it proofread shortly, but we didn’t want to leave you guys hanging.
When we last left the inn, Karat and Bestata were having a practice duel, Orata was trying to find a way to spin Vercia’s betrayal of Kosandion into some sort of positive development, and Dina was preparing for the first elimination ceremony.
The important question is, what wonderful outfit will Gaston wear to the elimination? Will it be red? Will it be blue? Did Bestata get her sneer handed to her? We are about to find out.
Kosandion decided to hold the elimination in the arena.
Outside of the inn, a bright sunny day was in full swing. Inside, a late evening painted the sky above the arena with blues and purples, and in the west, a splash of brilliant pink diluted with gold gently smoldered into night. I had recorded a spectacular Texas sunset and was now projecting it on the ceiling. The air was pleasantly warm. A simulated evening breeze fanned the delegates in their seating sections.
At the south side of the arena, an enormous stone doorway opened to a short passage leading to the portal glowing with pale green light. I stood just inside of it, out of view. Gaston waited next to me. He’d chosen another space musketeer outfit, this one a deep hunter green, and he topped it off with a brimmed hat with a ridiculously fluffy black feather.
At the north end, directly opposite the doorway, a stone crag thrust from the bottom of the arena. It had two small seating sections on each side and a stone staircase that led all the way to the top, crowned with a stone throne. Behind the throne, eleven enormous banners, each representing the remaining delegations, hung from seemingly empty air, stirring gently in the breeze. There was a spot for the twelfth banner, between the second and third banners from the right, but it was obviously missing.
Between the throne and the doorway, in the center of the arena, a raised section of the floor waited, a miniature plateau. Dark mist swirled at its base, sliding around the stone, flowing to the crag and back, like a turbulent sea, hiding the bottom of the arena from view and lapping at the walls of the delegations’ sections. Once in a while, tiny motes of golden light emerged from the mist and floated up slowly until they melted into the evening air.
It was as if the throne crag and the plateau had risen from a bottomless chasm shrouded with mist. In fact, they were only fifty feet off the ground. The mist was barely three feet deep. I bought it from Cookie, and he gave me a slight discount, which made his followers clutch their metaphorical pearls. It was still not cheap, but worth it. Orata had asked for “maximum drama.” No innkeeper would shy from that challenge. We lived for this stuff.
The arena hummed. The last delegation had been seated fifteen minutes ago and they were getting antsy.
There was some minor commotion in the Observer’s section. I pulled a screen up to take a closer look. Cookie’s two helpers dashed about, pretending to spar with two long daggers. Dagorkun looked like someone stomped on his foot, but he had to endure it, so he just let all the pain go to his face. Next to him Karat smiled and clapped her hands.
The smaller of the lees leaped into the air, bringing his dagger down in a sweeping cut. Oh! They were reenacting Karat and Bestata’s bout this morning. They must’ve seen the footage.
I knew Bestata was in trouble when Karat asked me to record their sparring session, because she wanted “an instructional video for Lady Helen.” All vampire Houses prided themselves on their melee skills, but House Krahr had taken personal combat to new heights. Maud explained to me that House Krahr treasured their children. They had known for decades that they would have to send them to battle on Nexus, where anomalies made air warfare impossible, and so they turned Arland and Karat’s generation into expert ground fighters. My sister described her future husband as “a killing machine” and meant it, which Arland would’ve taken as a huge compliment.
This expertise came with a hefty price tag. Concentrating on ground combat meant less time for education in other aspects of warfare. For example, Sean warned me that if Arland ever had to fight a space battle without an admiral to guide him, he would lose. But it did make for remarkable duels.
I split the screen and checked Lady Bestata. The red streak across her face was barely visible now. I had convinced her to spend a couple of hours in the medward, because having a spectacular bruise across one’s face highlighted on the Dominion’s screens would’ve been a bad look. The welt on Bestata’s face could be healed, but the wound to her pride was permanent. Karat had killed her three times during that duel.
“A remarkable woman,” Gaston observed over my shoulder.
“Which one?”
“Both of them. Although Lady Karat is much more engaging.”
Aha. Engaging.
The inn chimed in my head. It was time. I dismissed the screens and grasped the arena with my power. This would require careful timing.
“Go,” I murmured to Gaston.
He touched the brim of his spectacular hat, flashed me a serrated-tooth smile, and marched through the doorway.
I flicked the lights on. Twelve clusters of flood lights, positioned at the end of 100-foot poles along the perimeter of the arena, came on and tilted down, illuminating Gaston in the passage. We had gone full Monday Night Football.
The solid ground ended at the doorway’s threshold, but Gaston didn’t slow down. For a moment his foot in a dark brown boot hovered over the empty air and then the first section of a stone bridge rose out of the mist to meet it. He took a firm step onto the stone. A row of small round lamps ignited in the rail of the bridge like runway lights guiding a plane to safe landing.
A hush fell onto the arena. Gaston kept walking. The light chased him, as if trying to catch up, all the way across the bridge and onto the central platform, where it dashed along the round stone rail, forming a complete circle. Gaston greeted the delegates with an elegant bow and a hand swish that likely required ballet training in childhood.
The arena erupted in stomps, hoots, and applause. Gaston welcomed it all with another bow.
The noise swelled, then began to ebb. Gaston raised his arms and the commotion died. He smiled, the huge screens by each section zooming in on his face, and called out: “Let us begin!”
A massive bell rang through the arena.
At the base of the stone crag Kosandion emerged from under the floor. He wore a brilliant white robe trimmed with deep blue. A long indigo cloak hung off his left shoulder. He looked majestic.
The light in the stone rail in front of Kosandion ignited, and the glow dashed all the way up to the throne. Kosandion started up the stairs. I added a bit of wind, and his cloak flared as he climbed.
The floor of the side sections parted. Nobody paid it any mind, because Kosandion was still ascending, and the entire Arena missed Mirallit, Resven, and Orata emerging on the left and the Holly Ecclesiarch and two of his acolytes on the right. Orata looked in my direction and crossed her palms out. Apparently, the drama was sufficient.
Kosandion sat on his throne. A hundred feet above him, a constellation of the Dominion star systems sparked into light, suspended in midair. The silver radiance spilled over him. He looked like a glowing god ready to sit in judgement of mere mortals.
A hush fell.
Sean stepped out from behind the throne like a shadow in a dark grey robe. It was his turn to babysit.
Gaston turned to Kosandion and waited. The Sovereign moved his hand. Gaston bowed and turned back to the arena, turning to let everyone get a look. His voice boomed.
“Twelve candidates journeyed here for the Final Selection. One candidate obtained glory but her delegation left in disgrace.” He pointed to the missing banner. “Eleven remain. Today we must say good-bye to two more. It is heart-wrenching to part with them, but the Dominion has voted. Their voices guide us tonight.”
Gaston paused, solemn.
“The first delegation to leave us is…”
The arena held its breath.
For a man who grew up without commercial breaks, he definitely had a thing for dramatic pauses.
“The Children of the Silver Star,” Gaston announced.
I highlighted the Donkamin section and extended a ramp from their section to the center of the raised area below. The twenty-one Donkamkins rose, and moved in an orderly line to join Gaston, the ramp folding behind them.
It was hardly a surprise. They had been notified this morning that they had garnered the least amount of votes from the Dominion. They had time to pack and prepare. There was always a chance that they would do something rash as a parting shot; however, it went against the way the Donkamins had conducted themselves so far.
The Donkamins faced the throne.
“Children of the Silver Star,” Kosandion said, his voice clear and strong. “You have honored us with your presence. We are grateful for the precious gift of your time and effort and for a chance to meet your civilization. What do you ask of the Dominion?”
Ah. The minor ask.
One of the Donkamins spoke. “The Silver Star wishes to exchange knowledge with the Dominion. We ask for the establishment of a scientific embassy on Teplaym.”
Teplaym was the Dominion’s most scientifically advanced planet.
“Granted,” the Sovereign said. “May the sharing of knowledge and exchange of ideas benefit both of our societies for centuries to come.”
He rose and bowed to the Donkamins. The Donkamins swiveled back. Their feet remained planted but their heads, necks, and other parts twisted in weird directions. It was a display of respect that no Earthborn person could watch without flinching. I fought a shudder.
“A round of applause for our departing friends,” Gaston requested, and the arena obliged.
Twenty Donkamins turned, swiveled at everyone, and finally started across the bridge toward the portal. The one remaining Donkamin turned to the right. I extended the bridge to the Observer section, and he moved to take his seat there. The Silver Star wanted to see for themselves how the selection would turn out.
The Donkamin banner dropped and vanished into the mist.
The Donkamin delegation reached the doorway. The leading Donkamin’s neck spiraled out and paused six inches in front of me.
“Thank you for your hospitality, Innkeeper. Be well.”
“Gertrude Hunt is honored by your presence. It was my privilege to host you.”
The Donkamins walked into the portal, and I felt their presence leave the inn. As the last of them exited, I held the portal open, and a new group of visitors arrived. Vercia Denoma, flanked by four Capital Guards. She shot me an ugly look.
“And now for our final elimination of the day.” Gaston turned to the throne and held his hand out.
Orata rose and stepped forward. I lit the platform perimeter, and the massive screens zoomed in on the PR chief.
“My name is Orata Tavan. I serve the Dominion as the Sovereign’s Liaison. My left hand touches the Sovereign, my right touches the Dominion’s people, and it is my sacred duty to bring them together.”
Nicely put.
“When my office vetted the candidates for the selection, we discovered a terrible crime. One of the candidates was not who they claimed to be.”
The arena had gone completely quiet.
“Every delegation brought the best of the best, the exceptional, the honorable, the worthy. But this candidate was the worst of the worst. Dominion, what I am about to show you is horrific. But you must see it for yourself, so you can do your civic duties and render your judgement.”
On the screens, Pivor of the Murder Beaks beheaded a child with a swing of his sword. His skin was a deep lavender, and his hair was long, straight, and dark, but it was unmistakably him. The smile was a dead giveaway.
“Behold, Cumbr Adgi ar’Muterzen,” Orata announced. “The third son of Gar Por ar’Muterzen, and fourth in line to lead the Vagabond Pirate Fleet.”
In the Murder Beak section, Pivor tried to rise, but the floor swallowed his feet. I pulled the floor directly under him up, and his chair carried him fifty feet into the air, above the seats, leaving him seated on top of a stone pillar. He gripped the armrest, trying to pull his feet free, but the inn held him tight.
The screens flashed with strategically selected shots, a gallery of Pivor’s atrocities.
The Murder Beaks screeched. I had interacted enough with them over the years to recognize the specific tone of their shrieks. It wasn’t a protest, it was surprise and outrage. They didn’t know.
The morbid gallery kept rolling. Orata had removed the sound from the footage and watching it in silence made it more horrifying somehow.
“When this vile deception was discovered, we faced the question of how to proceed. It would be a simple matter to reject his candidacy and expel the delegation sponsoring him.”
Technically nothing she said was a lie so far. She just didn’t specify when exactly the deception had been discovered.
Vercia was frowning. Yes, I had no idea where Orata was going with this either, but apparently this was a cue because the guards started marching down the bridge to the central section, Vercia between them.
“However, one courageous member of our team, the one who was responsible for vetting his candidacy, made the decision to permit him to continue. She felt she had a duty to take this chance to expose his atrocities to the entire Galaxy at just the right time, when everyone’s attention would be on the event, so everyone would be aware of exactly what he has done.”
Again, not a lie.
“Dominion, that public servant is Vercia Denoma. She is our hero.”
I directed the nearest spotlight onto the platform. It caught Vercia in its radiance. I zoomed the screens on her face. She was doing a stunning impression of a deer in the headlights. The guards around her snapped to attention. I had seen them do this exact move in Kosandion’s presence. They were her “honor guard.”
“It is thanks to her tireless efforts that we can now stand here, see these crimes for ourselves, and witness justice being done. I brought this to you today to remind you to be vigilant. Evil is insidious. It can worm its way into your inner circle and stab you in the back.”
Oh wow.
“If it wasn’t for Vercia’s efforts, we might have been unaware of the evil that is Cumbr Adgi. She is the reason he has reached this moment and the reason I can now expose him to all of you. Everything that follows is thanks to her. Today we honor you, Vercia Denoma. The Dominion owes you a great debt.”
Orata bowed. Behind her Resven and Miralitt bowed as well.
Pivor’s father indulged his children. He spoiled them, and he was in a business where a terrible reputation was an asset. He couldn’t afford to look weak or suffer disrespect. If anything happened to his offspring, he would retaliate. It was simply good business, and Orata had just told him exactly who was responsible for his son’s downfall. Orata hadn’t just thrown Vercia under the bus. She’d picked the bus up and dropped it on Vercia’s head.
The fear in Vercia’s wide-opened eyes told me that she understood exactly what happened.
Kosandion’s voice echoed through the arena. “Cumbr Adgi ar’Muterzen.”
I spun the stone pillar, so Pivor faced the throne.
“Do you have anything to say?” Kosandion asked.
Pivor grinned and this time it looked psychotic. “Fuck off, you dumb prick. You want a piece of me, be a man and get it yourself.”
Kosandion’s face looked carved out of obsidian. “Cumbr Adgi ar’Muterzen, you are hereby expelled from the selection. Your sponsor is disqualified. Their asks will not be honored.”
The Murder Beak banner fell and vanished.
“I have something to say,” the largest Murder Beak shrieked.
Kosandion nodded.
I moved the lights onto the Murder Beak section and slid Pivor’s pillar toward it, far enough to stay out of reach. The largest bird rose. She was huge with a rust and crimson plumage. Her enormous beak could crack a cow’s femur in half. I had seen it happen, because Orro served them bovine bones when they felt peckish and wanted a fun snack.
The leader of the Murder Beaks took a step forward and stepped onto the rail bordering their section. The wicked spurs on her legs were sheathed in razor-sharp metal and it glinted in the light of the arena. Her talons gripped the stone and squeezed, chipping it. She glazed at Pivor with the unblinking focus of a predator.
“Go back to your father, pirate. Give him my message. Your skulls are soft. Your brains are delicious. We are coming.”
She opened her beak and let out a deafening shriek. Every feather on her body stood erect. Pivor was thirty feet away from her, but he jerked back in his seat.
“The Dominion acknowledges the vow of vengeance,” Kosandion said. “We do not bear the Zinera any ill will and hold them blameless in this affair.”
“Fight me, you fucking asshole!” Pivor howled, twisting in his seat. “Fight me.”
“Sadly, someone else has a prior claim,” Kosandion said. “Innkeeper, we are finished.”
Sean raised his hand and his voice whispered through the arena, quiet but heard by every creature there.
“Your welcome is withdrawn.”
The architecture of the inn folded above the doorway, spinning, collapsing, and a door rushed at us and flung itself wide open, revealing Baha-char’s sunshine. The roots of the inn spilled from the ceiling, yanked Pivor off his chair, and hurled him through the door. It slammed shut.
The feed on the screen showed Pivor landing on the big stone tiles paving the alley. He rolled, stopped, spat into the dirt, and got up, his chin jutting in the air. He adjusted his clothes…
A familiar woman dropped from the upper balcony, wrapped in a shawl.
He squinted at her.
She pulled her shawl back, revealing the faint outline of scales on her face.
“Do you remember me, Cumbr Adgi?”
He laughed.
“You beheaded my father.” Long orange blades slipped into her hand from within the shawl’s folds.
“You starved my mother to death.”
She started toward him.
“You butchered my sister.”
He kept laughing.
“You violated my body.”
“And enjoyed it,” he said.
“Today is the day I cleanse my soul of this blood debt.”
“Bring it on!”
She charged him. He danced out of the way, impossibly quick for a human, and swung at her. She dodged. Pivor’s fist connected with the wall of a building, cracking the stone. That explained why he wanted to fight Kosandion.
He shook the dust off his hand and grinned. “Come on! I’m waiting! Come on, come…”
She slipped close to him with deadly grace and spun her sword over his left forearm. Pivor didn’t even register it until his fist slid off his arm and fell to the ground. He bellowed and charged at her.
It took five minutes for him to die. She painted the alley with his blood, carving pieces off him bit by bit, and when everything was done, she gouged his eyes with her bare hands, cut off his head, pulled her shawl over her face, and walked away, melting into the current of shoppers on the busy street at the mouth of the alley.
Vercia’s honor guard turned as one and exited the stage, heading down the bridge, past me, toward the portal. She looked after them, looked at Kosandion, then back at the screen where pieces of Pivor littered the alley. Desperation twisted her face. She marched to the bridge at a near run. Nobody except me paid her any mind. There was no need to arrest her or charge her with anything. She was a dead woman walking.
Vercia saw me and swallowed. “I want a room.”
“We have no vacancy.”
She spun around and waved at the arena, incredulous.
“We are full, Lady Denoma.” I pointed to the portal. “Please, return to the Dominion.”
She clenched her hands and fled to the portal. The green glow swallowed her.
Good riddance.
I took a moment to savor the cleaner air and turned to the arena. We needed to wish the Murder Beaks good-bye, put everyone else back into their quarters, and prepare for Kosandion’s date this afternoon. He would be having a one on one with Cyanide, and I had no idea how it would go.
Sweet!!
Certified first!
Yippee!
Thank you so very much!!!
Woohoo!!!
Thank you sooo much! We really appreciate it, specially after dealing with house messes and stress
Enjoy the weekend!
Yayyy! I was getting scared that we wouldn’t get one this week
Happy Friday everyone!
Happy Friday night!
Worth the wait every time.
Thank you IA
Thank you!
yes….. the wait is over lol
thanks IA
Yeah Friday!
10th?
❣️
First ?
Oh, yes! So worth the wait and best of luck with the funky test results.
AWESOME! Thanks for an amazing smackdown on Vercia, and a very satisfying end to the evil assassin. Hope next week is less stressful!
So glad you took time from your busy schedule for us! And yes, amazing smackdown on Vercia. And loved the end of the pirate, too!
What a nice surprise! I wasn’t really expecting anything today. Many thanks!
Wonderful. Thank you. I hope your blood work is just an anomaly.
Very Nice! Oo top 10?
Just missed it!
Me at 8:30 pst OK not up yet.
Me at 1100 pst huh, not up yet.
Me at 1:00 pst hope everything is OK.
Me at 3:00 pst everything is OK.
PST or PDT?
Yay!
Okay but that veiled assassin would not be the one from a certain unsellable project would it ?
Sooooooo good!!!
Had to look up the pictures to see which one was Pivor. He didn’t do well in the first Horde voting round. Coincidence? 🤔
A first draft. A masterpiece draft.
+1
Thank you! A spectacular way to greet the weekend!
What you can create, even under such personal stress… amazing. Thank you.
+1
+1 🥰🍀
+1
Oh my I needed the gleeful laughter this chapter inspired. Thank you so much for releasing this today, House Andrews!
Good to know that Kosandion chooses his people wisely. I wondered how Orata was going to pull this off, and I can’t imagine a better recovery. Good appearances and good revenge in one delicious package.
The small mockery of the Merchants recreating Bestata’s defeat by Karat was a nice grace note.
Cyanide’s date: will there be brushing?
And can we have a moment of appreciation for Dina’s “after all the feces that I had to deal with in the past 24 hours, thanks to you, there is no way that you can afford a lifetime stay at MY inn” attitude.
10 moments at the very least!
Although Caldenia would have so much fun verbally tormenting her for years….. and be incredibly frustrated her agreement prevented her from killing the traitorous twit.
+1 mockery indeed. ×10 brushing 🤣
What a perfect solution! Many thanks for another riveting installment, despite your personal challenges. Here’s hoping things smooth out for you soon.
That was insanely good
I think I was holding my breath for most of the read
I hope your blood work turns less funky 🤞🏻
Loved it! Your first drafts are amazingly polished!
Epic sauce. I’m really enjoying this story.
Thank you
That was perfect. One of the best so far.
The way Vercia was handled was superb and subtle. Dina got away with no dead Dushegubs. Gastons wardrobe is sublime. I so wonder where he will end up now that he is not part of George’s entourage. We are down to nine groups. I wonder what will come of Olasards getting a tummy rub. A very enjoyable chapter
whoops I meant Donkamins
And I like the Horror Beaks’ response and Kosandion’s return response! Agree with those who keep indicating a truly superb episode!
Isn’t he still George’s long arm of meddling? He said that whole speech about avoiding the war in the last post (if I remember right).
George is only an Arbitrator for 4 months of the year now. Gaston and Jack were never Arbitrators in their own right, they were just members of his team. At the moment, we know they both have plans of their own (Jack has chosen the solitude in nature path, Gaston is being paid privately by George to be at the inn and has dreams of a shop in Baha-char in the future). However, we can count on the fact that if George needs them, all he has to do is call 🙂
Ooh, fun! I don’t remember Gaston’s dreams of a shop in Baha-char… did he say what kind?
“George is paying me a hefty sum to help you with this affair. Once that’s done with, who knows? Perhaps I’ll open a shop at Baha-char next to that old werewolf we all are trying to save.” from Chapter 9 Part 2 🙂 https://www.ilona-andrews.com/2022/chapter-9-part-2-2/
Thank you!!
(*snort*) This is George and Gaston-you only mentioned two or three of the plans- and some of the maybes- there are a hundred other plans enmeshed and waiting for the spark to begin, influence, create or be the nuance that will be the force behind something a hundred years from now. Such a fascinating bunch of people! I love this series!
No dead Dushegubs SO FAR.
😅 Now that Dina has made it a goal, they may all survive this in spite of themselves. 😅
😂 It will hurt her more than it hurts them
Kitty time is next!
Thank you.!!!!I was starting to hyperventilate! I been checking all day at work waiting for my fix. Truly appreciate you thinking of us in the middle of all the craziness.
This part was awesome! Thank you.
On another note: I hope that your health will be OK.
Twas a-mazing. I’m now going to reread it several times. Thank you so much HA for this lovely topper after a lovely day with a friend.
Also, I hope that your blood work was simply wonky and that you are of hale and healthy.
Context is important: if I yell “woohoo” when I see a bloody hand, it’s only because of seeing today’s post, not because I’m ghoulish, right?
That was my reaction too! I saw the bloody hand and did a happy dance. 🤣 I knew someone was about to meet their fate!
“Saw a bloody hand, did a happy dance” should be a BDH sea shanty 😂. Our bloodthirst knows no bounds!
At first glance, it looked like a child’s hand (the fingers look stubby and the palm looks chubby to me) , so i was kinda disturbed and while reading thought it was the hand of the child victims. it wasnt till later when i read pivor’s ending that i realized it was suppose to be his
+1
We can’t have a sea shanty.
It’ll start with: There once was a ship …
And then everything will fracture because there are too many ships.
😀 No truer words…
But we have a Kalinda shore and an orange sky.
🎶On the orange seas of Kolinda
Sean slays the pirate ship
With a hip hip here and a hip hip there
No more pirates in Dina’s hair!🎶
😂
LOLROF
Thank you, with all that’s going on with your home, this is truly appreciated! You spoil us! Enjoy your weekend!
Thanks for making time in the midst of all your crazy to get words to the BDH.
I continue to adore the recaps. . . And the questions! (I am reminded more and more of Pigs in Space — in the best possible way.)
We get Gaston in all his swashbuckling glory!
Love the outcome of the duel — and that is was recorded as a training video. *snicker*
‘Woah, Woah, Woah, Woah, Woah, Woah, WOAH!
Thank you so much for the heroic effort it must have taken to get this to us. Best wishes on the blood tests. I hope all goes well.
Thanks. Thank you very much. I really look forward to Fridays and the next installment. It would have been very understandable if you had skipped a week. I’m glad that you didn’t, but your health and happiness should take priority for you. I get that. I’m grateful for this wonderful section, despite the trials of the past week. Thanks again.
+1
Thank you!
Thank you so much for the chapter! So satisfying even without the roses. Looking forward to the talent competition too.
Fingers crossed you receive good explanations of the blood work and can finally have a relaxing and peaceful weekend in a clean quiet cool house and can enjoy the refinished pool.
Will Cyanide bring a brush to the date???
I hope it all goes well so Dina and Sean can get a good night’s rest. They must be utterly spent.
I re-read today and finally realized Chapters 13 to 18 cover one day! It is amazing all that Dina & Sean did and survived and are still able to function after:
strategy breakfast session,
debate,
dushegub smackdown,
koo-ko room creation,
scaled victim’s assassin warning,
corrupted ad-hal fight,
first date,
attack on the Holy Ecclesiarch,
confrontation with Odikas,
pirate attack.
Then the next day starts only 30 minutes later!
Caldenia retrieval
Kosandion report
Verica confrontation & arrest
2nd dushegub smackdown
Paparazzi expelled
Breakfast. . .
I’m exhausted for our hosts and glad they have Tony, Gaston, and Orro to help along with sustaining inn magic and werewolf genes.
Hoping the date goes purrrrrrfectly well.
Yep, haha, I put together the timeline last week and had the same reaction! Quite a day hehe.
You know that was my thought too. Is cyanide going to ask to be brushed lol.
Masterful.
I could not anticipate better handling of this crisis.
This book is proving to be so exciting.
Oh I do so LOVE Gaston! I may go reread The Edge Series as the little “snacks” of the characters from there are so delicious. Sean is withdrawing welcomes ! I love it! Thanks so much for not making us wait for editing. I saw no mistakes! ( ok I am a lousy proofreader my brain just tries to fix it as read and so I don’t really notice lol)
Love Gaston! I am reading the Edge series for the first time now and am loving every moment.
I was (previous work life) a professional editor and found no mistakes. There aren’t any! Yay!
Also, “Your skulls are soft. Your brains are delicious. We are coming.” made my whole weekend.
+1
Another BDH T-shirt?
My brain does the same thing.
I just finished rereading the Edge and found that Gaston’s abilities include holding up a cow! The Edge is my favorite followed by whichever I’m reading at the time.
Thank you!
Woohoo!
Satisfying! Thank you.
Thank you so much for this. Best wishes, luck and prayers to House Andrew’s.
Great minds (or possibly not-so-great minds) wonder: Is Gaston going to give Dagorkun a run for his money? Is Karakun in danger of sinking?
And hope the health issues work out…
Wow!!!
Totally didn’t see what Orata would do!
Well the first debate question certainly nailed those two characters. Ellenda: Duty trumps happiness. Pivor: Happiness trumps duty. I’m sure the smarmy git (Pivor) believed what he was saying, too…
Deliberate foreshadowing by HA.
I thought I might have a chance to break…the top 100? So excited to read.
I changed my mind: I vote for the scaled Baha-char lady to win. She’s awesome!
Ahhhhh! That was awesome! AWESOME! I have no other words (except please show us Maud’s wedding…) Please…. Please… Please… Please…
+1
I’m also so keen for happens for Maud’s wedding … do they have the reception at Gertrude Hunt so that Dina and Sean can attend … or is that where the new doorway of the Inn is going, so that Dina can attend at the Krahr stronghold and still be only a step away from the Inn?
Friday’s installment was great … looking fwd to next week….
Probably is going to be on Arlan’s planet but would be so cool to have a destination wedding at the inn
I currently live in New Zealand and with the time difference the Innkeeper update usually comes in on Saturday mornings. It’s my favorite way to savor the end of a full-on – – and often hectic – – teaching week. This week is school break, and I’ve kept checking the blog at regular intervals for the update only to realize that it’s still not Saturday yet. Then, when it finally was Saturday morning and with no Innkeeper update, I was seriously thrown off my rocker and I started questioning my reality ^^. “Is it really Saturday? Did I remember the days wrong? Wait! How much of what I still need to do before the new Term starts have I forgotten? Did I miss the start of the school Term? Am I late for work?!?” Ahahahaha 😆 Such is the importance of Innkeeper in my life that my very understanding of time orbits securely around it.
Thank you so much House Andrews for this amazing chapter, for your generous creative gifts to us readers, and for bringing light and joy into our hectic and intense lives!
Sending many positive thoughts to you and yours!
I feel sad for the Murder Beaks because they didn’t know. I’m also really glad to see a Child of the Silver Sun stay so we can learn more of them.
Huzzah for her revenge.
They might not have gotten their minor ask, but they were at least absolved of any wrong doing. And approval to crack skulls…literally.😈
Oh! Gaston in a hat with a ridiculously fluffy black feather. Yum!!!
Love the Vercia solution so very much. Also the end of Pivor/Cumbr was awesome.
Thank you for supplying our jones through the painting and testing teauma. It is truly appreciated! Hope all is/will be well soon.
Trauma…painting and testing trauma. Yikes!!!
Yeah. Total satisfaction. Thank you.
How exciting! Very vivid.
That.Was.AWESOME! Thank you!
Each chapter is better than the prior one!!!
I hope the funky bloodwork turns out fine.
Wow. You just knocked that out today? Amazing. We are not worthy. 🙂
So satisfying. I didn’t trust Pivor from the beginning and the first debate was certainly telling of his character. So much drama already, and there are still 9 candidates left! I think things will get very tense as we get closer to selection. *Rubs hands in anticipation*
I KNEW IT!! I KNEW IT! Ahhhh! I was so satisfied to finally find out who was the pirate and it was great! BUT then you threw in that bit of bait about Cyanide’s date and now I’m amped up and anxious again!!! EVIL I need to see what she does!
Went back to see who the bad guy was, and found the post where we voted. Yeah that he was in the bottom three! This was such an entertaining episode! Thanks, and yeah that the chaos of the household is dying down!
Thanks for a wonderful break from reality. I hope you have a lovely weekend.
So, you only get a date if you are still in the competition when Kosandion get to you? That takes some of the pressure off. Except we still don’t know if there is another (or other) assassins.
I think there is still an assasin lurking, the pirate was left field but an assasin was someone they were actively looking for from the start
Yes I Kosandian said there was an assassin in the field. And that there was a bounty on this assassination that would buy a pleasure planet. I think Pivor wanted that bounty but that wasn’t the only reason he was gunning for Kosandian. I don’t think Pivor was an assassin, per se. He was a pirate looking to increase his standing with the Pirate Fleet.
So my thinking is yes there is still an assassin in the mix. I have doubts about it being any of the candidates. But there are 20 beings as entourage for each candidate AND we have observers.
Thank you.
Thank you!! You guys are so generous to the BDH. I love seeing what Dina and GH come up with. The arena description was Wow!
Wow! My heart is pounding from this chapter. Excellent!
Wow, that was fun. Maximum drama was achieved.
Yeah. A new chapter
SOOOOOOO AWESOME!!!!!!!!! SQUEEEEEEEEE!!!!!
+1
I am enjoying this story very much. Your descriptions are so vivid and make great visuals for me. I love your writing style. I’m happy we are getting to know more about Kosandion who is an intriguing character. I’m looking very forward to the next installment.
I hope your medical tests aren’t too worrisome. Wishing you good health!
Yes !!!
💕🤣🌸😊
Holy Smokes! Awesomeness.
Thank you for another delightful read.
Also hoping for good test results for you!
Wow, that was a good one, thank you very much for your work as always, we are grateful,
I hope you are doing better, take care ~~
I hope your real life gets resolved as nicely and satisfyingly to you as what you wrote was to me.
First draft? I have see an awful lot of drek masquerading as finished work published by major publishers that doesn’t come close to this quality.
Agreed.
I just re–read the story about how Dina’s parent meet.
It is such a fantastic story! I would so love to hear the rest of the story. I hope this story gets printed in one of the Innkeeper books somewhere along the way. Maybe a book of Innkeeper short stories. The story leaves me wanting to hear more about how Dina’s father gets released and a bit about the romance. So great!
Thank you, this was incredibly satisfying
Seen.
I wish that every book I have purchased for pleasure and entertainment was presented and as well written as this first draft. Thank you
Amen, Brother!
Thank you so much for posting this today! I thoroughly enjoyed how Vercia got her comupance! I pray that whatever is causing the funkiness in your bloodwork goes away and never comes back. I enjoy reading all your books and especially like the Innkeeper series! It is so hard to wait a week, but well worth it! Thank you again!
OMG! I got chills reading this. So well done!
Love it! Well played by Orata. I am looking forward to the date with Cyanide 😺😺😺
Thank you for the first draft. Karat, Arland’s favorite cousin, making a training video for Helen. 😁 I’m surprised no one asked for coffee after the session.
The rest of the reading…whoa! 👏👏👏
Thank you! Thank you! Brilliant as always!
Loved this quote:
“Go back to your father, pirate. Give him my message. Your skulls are soft. Your brains are delicious. We are coming.”
The BDH isn’t bloodthirsty at all….
I had to practice that line out loud 😂 #BDHconfession
So is the phrase “Two birds, one stone” appropriate here?
Love it!!!
Hahaha! Dead!
Possibly the best lines ever.
Me too. It’s a great line.
Did I miss the date with Amphie that was supposed to occur after Ellenda was switched to first up?
Also do comments on recent posts close when the next post is up? I was going to address the movie vs book debate but couldn’t figure out how.
Regarding exposure bringing in more readers, I am only here because the choice was made to release the Innkeeper 3 pack cheaply during the lockdown. Finishing that, I scarfed up the remaining Innkeeper, Hidden Legacy, and am making gradual inroads on the others. Don’t know if it wasn’t marketed in a way that appealed or just had too many hard-boiled paranormal detective at the time but never latched on to Kate Daniels when released.
1. Amphie’s date hasn’t taken place yet.
2. Comments were closed on the previous post (Pop!) as speculation was starting on other author’s private lives and events or choices that made them allow or not allow adaptations or continuing to write on series etc and this blog is not the place for that. A post’s comment section is also automatically closed after a certain number of days, I think 20 🙂
3. Welcome to the BDH! 🙂
Thanks for the explanation. I wondered at the addendum to the post and the closed posts. It was an interesting discussion.
Welcome Bookwyrm!
If you haven’t gotten to The Edge series, that’s where we first meet young George, Jack, and Gaston.
So many adventures still ahead.
Thanks. I’ve read the sample for that one but haven’t buckled down and bought it. Goes higher in standings now that I know there is some overlap with Innkeeper characters.
Wow! I just learned a valuable lesson. Sometimes revenge needn’t involve a single knife stroke from one side of a wrongdoing, especially if the other side has a skilled swords woman! Best comeuppance ever!
Wows. Thanks so much for this installment with everything you have going on.
Sooooo goooooooooodddd 🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩❤️
I predict the inn will soon be a major vampire tourist destination, as they all come to spar with the Holy Weapons and leave with their own personal duel keepsake videos.
Omg! Weapons pilgrimage- so on brand for the vampires 😀
How about pairing weapons-pilgrimage with excursion to Kolinda for ‘sports-fishing’ and ecological survey [to prevent over-fishing] and Texas style barbeque.
Love these ideas!
Yup. Orro can have the water drake sushi as a signature dish, as a add-on value to the sport-fishing.
“Turn off the lights, The party’s over” in keeping with the Monday night football theme. Loved the larger then life show. Wow! Don’t mess with the Dominion.
Have a great weekend everyone
Wow! Thank you!
Lol, I’m bad, thinking scales lady and Gaston, or maybe even Jack should be shipped. Oh well, just want everyone I like to get HEA. Could picture Gaston and her working as back up at the inn, too.
Am I the only one who wants Gaston and Kosandion to be a thing?
Not at all hehe, he has been the BDH vote-in contender from the beginning! 🙂
He does have class and that little something genetic extra that the Dominion seems to like
chiichiiichiiiiiiiiiii! much respect Orata!
The Dominion needs to give GH a bonus for the exceptional pomp and circumstance!
Aaaaaaah! Thank you.
What a fine installment, thank you.
I was a bit surprised when Dina said that the inn was full and there was no vacancy. For one thing, I thought that the inn was (almost) infinitely flexible, but for another, the Donkamins had just left.
I would have been happier had Dina simply refused or said something like she had no room for Vercia Denoma. That, to me at least, would have communicated Dina’s exercise of her own power and volition. A minor quibble about an excellent chapter.
The Dominion is putting forward the spin that Vercia is a hero. Of course, those who have ears to hear understand what is going on, but the façade is still that.
Why would Dina work against that and dispel Orata’s efforts? Obviously she has the room, but she chose an equally PR way of sending the message that the “hero” (traitor) is unwelcome, only for those in the know 🙂 , whilst everyone else just hears an Innkeeper saying there are no vacancies. The Dominion is not in Dina’s booking system or fully aware of the intricacies of an inn’s workings. It’s subtle and layered.
I hope this helped.
That makes perfect sense to me. Everything is being recorded and broadcasted, too, so they all have to be very careful about their word choice. The other innkeepers watching the event will know what Dina meant.
It helped tremendously, thank you.
Speaking of layered Verica is a “hero” to the Dominion public but I bet the Murder Birds don’t see her that way. After all because she chose a public exposure the Murder Birds lost their chance at any boon. So on one hand she has to hope that the Birds get the pirates before the pirates get her. Or better yet that the Birds and pirates wipe each other out. Causes I bet the Birds would like to eat her brains if they thought they figured out how to get away with it.
It was pointed out in earlier chapters that the pirates & Vercia didn’t understand how Inns operate. Had she planned & researched the Inns & Innkeepers better, she would have known the specific language she needed to use to force Dina to grant her sanctuary like Arland did in the 1st Innkeeper book.
Although, even if she was granted sanctuary at Gertrude Hunt, she probably wouldn’t have lasted long under the same roof as Caldenia. Her Grace might not be able to directly harm Vercia but by the time Caldenia got through toying with her, Vercia might consider the pirates & Murder Birds to be the more merciful options.
+1
Wow! And you call that a first draft.
Thank you so much!! Wishing you best of health and much diminished stress!!
Thank you for the wonderful chapter. In bed with Covid feeling crappy and this was the best thing all day.
Feel better soon!
Seconded!
Great chapter! I’m still waiting on my blood work nerviously. Hopefully everything will check out.
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ Thank you, House Andrews!
Wonderful! With everything on your plate, an amazingly gripping and wonderfully visual first draft. Thank you!
The scaled avenger said there was a bounty on Kosandion’s head large enough to buy a pirate fleet. Since Pivor/Cumbr Adgi failed, I assume the assassination contract is going back on the market. Will we find out who is sponsoring the bounty?
From Caldenia’s bounty list at least one of the bounty contact sponsors was known (Cai Pa)
So good. Hope with the workers gone you can be take a breath and get back into regular swing of things. Thank you!!
Thank you, even a week of the crazy painters and funky test results, you still create wonder. I hope all goes well.
I have enjoyed every installment so far. I can hardly wait for the next. Thank you House Andrews.
Thank you! Sending good wishes for completion of the renovations and that the wonky bloodwork thing is an easy fix.
Ah, thank you! Such fun!!! Next……..
So eminently satisfying! I loved that Bestata was “killed” by Karat 3 times. And the Lees acting it out. ROFL. Y’all have such imaginations!
Pivor and Vercia got their just desserts. Delicious revenge.
Thanks so much for this! Especially given the week you’ve had.
Hey, hope bloodwork is not an issue. I went through a similar experience where the technician said to me Friday afternoon at 4:00 PM – yeah they are gonna wanna see you on Monday – yikes. I sat around all weekend in anxiety land.
Sometimes results get distributed too early through automated info and sometimes it may not be great news but can be solved.
Wishing you all the best always!
Did I mention how much I love this book and today’s episode. I am aquiver to get the next install.
Finally, can I get an inn please?
Thank you!!! Too good! Nice to hear about maud arland and helen!
Awesome!!!!! It was a thrilling read- thank you, thank you, thank you.
I look forward to these every week. Thanks for getting this one out, especially with all the chaos.
I’m so impressed. I loved the way all the loose ends were tied up on the ex-girlfriend-Dominion revolt.
Wow! That was a wild trip! Me eyes are crossed trying to follow all the happenings. Well done. (And a beautiful topping to my re-read of Kate Daniels, which has been my comfort this week as my bro, SIL, mother and I have all caught Covid one on top of the other. Mild cases, but I am so enjoying KD!)
Hope you all feel better soon!
I cant wait for the date with cyanide!!!!
You never disappoint. I savor this.
For some reason I expect some laser pointer shenanigans to ensue on this date with the large feline species, Cyanide.
Or a nice brush
I just realized, the inn is named “the Gertrude Hunt”. What if “Sebastian North” isn’t a PERSON’s name, but an INN’s name, either a corrupted regular inn or an evil twin/mirror world version of an inn, and that’s why the corruption is specifically ad-hal and innkeeper based awfulness? And it’s either corrupting or trying to corrupt the missing parents, or using their power to fuel the corruption?!
O.o
Interesting theory! I suspect there’s some kind of connection between the corruption, S. North, and Dina’s missing parents & their inn, but that it won’t be in any way we expect or have guessed at yet. I can’t wait to find out someday. This is such a fun series.
Ooooh! Beautiful concept.
I’m still trying to figure out just what Gerard DeMille called home, origin wise.
He was a guest at an Inn.
Thin odds that a fellow described as a fine con man before he chose to defend an Innkeeper and her family makes me think he wasn’t a native to Dina’s Earth.
The world of The Edge series maybe?
Gerard Demille is a human from Dina’s Earth. Humans who are in the know can stay at inns 🙂 https://www.ilona-andrews.com/2021/innkeeper-questions-part-1/
OMG! I absolutely for these chapters and they just keep getting better! Thank you all so much!!
That was fantastic. So enjoyable, so many threads coming together. Ilona Andrews you are truly storytellers of the first order.
Thank you and good luck with your results.
Thank you for this chapter/part! I hope everything turns out okay with the health stuff, lab results. I can relate to that anxiety.
I have no words… Ok I do. It’s so good and it keeps getting better. Loved it, loved it, loved it!
Oooooooo! That was slick!! Heehee!
Squealing over here.
And sending my best wishes for your good health, my dears.
Happy Dance! Thank you – I have to work tomorrow/Saturday, but you just made my weekend!
You know you’re doing bad when you get eliminated before the Dushegubs. I’m glad too see some come-uppins in this Chapter, I was feeling sad for Kosandion.
Simply put,. WOW;;
Lovely; thank you!
Thank you for today’s InnKeeper posting. Your generosity to your fans is above and beyond. I hope your health issues prove manageable. Your writing has been a source of delight and encouragement and energy these past years.
Fantastic! Thank you so much ❤️
So worth the wait for this one
Exceptionally well crafted!
Be still, my beating heart…that was freaking awesome! I’ll be reading this every day til our next installment. Thank you!
Thanks for letting us read the raw draft – it was awesome!
“Orata hadn’t just thrown Vercia under the bus. She’d picked the bus up and dropped it on Vercia’s head.” 🤣
First off, I want to say that you can *absolutely* leave us hanging when you need to! You have lives, and your life and health are much more important than satisfying our rabid demands for another chapter.
Secondly, HOLY COW! I was on the edge of my seat, and read it twice back to back. When Orata said she would fix it, I was skeptical, but she F I X ED it. I bow to her cunning.
The entire thing was so satisfying. I’m dying to know how the murder beaks were tricked, and looking forward to a throwaway line in the future about a pirate takedown.
Also, can we talk about Gaston’s feather? I just love his swashbuckling style.
Thank you for a great chapter.
WOW! That was diabolical.
That was 🤬😎!!! I loved it!🤣😋🤣
Thanks for the chappy!!!😋
Brilliant, thank you HA. Hope you have a wonderful (and peaceful) weekend!
I’m adding my thanks for a great chapter!
So once this is all over is Gertrude Hunt going to the be “it” place for dominion citizens to vacation? Will people want to stay in the Sovereign Suite? LOL. The inn better be 5 stars by the end of this is all I’m saying.
So loving this one. Can’t wait til it is finished so I can binge read but also don’t want it to be over.
So delicious! I love your revenge/come uppance dishes. Thank you for pulling this out. I enjoyed this chapter so much, as I’ve been through a crazy last week of just life stuff.
You’ve had a stressful last few weeks – I hope you get some good R and R this weekend.
This made my day 🙂
Or is it ” one ” of the evil assassins ?
I’m not sure myself.
Oh wow. That was good
Thank you, truly wasn’t expecting it with all the drama and stress you’re dealing with.
Lovely surprise
THAT WAS AMAZING!!!!
thank you!!!
Thank you very much – and best of luck with the blood results!
Wonderful end to a hard day. I hope your test results are just wonky not truly a problem. Just spent 6 hrs taking my mom to the ER. Thankfully just a medication mixup.
I agree that many “published” books are not nearly so finished as your first draft.
Thank you for the new post
With everything the authors have going on they still manage to produce a new installment. I really love it.
Each post is like a little sample course in a twenty course royal meal.
I look forward to the publishing of the full royal “meal”.(it’s the only royal meal I’ll ever afford)😂
I’m sure that I’ll love it too.
If Vercia’d asked for sanctuary like Sean in book 1 or like Caldenia, Dina would have been in an awkward position
Good point. Her lack of knowledge of inns was a factor of her fail
First of all amazing!!! The drama!!! Ooooo! I loved it! Also my prediction for the date with cyanide is she’s going to ask him to pet her or brush her fur or some other really feline thing that she got really distracted by when she saw Dina’s cat.
Ilona, I hope your test results come quickly and are all clean. Waiting for lab work looking into “funky” results is the worst.
Great chapter. You two do amazing work. Thank you.
Mic drop
Chef’s kiss
Checkmate
…And all the other words for a masterfully executed tactic. Orata is amazing.
Why was Dagorkun so irritated with the lees re-enactment? Methinks that if he doesn’t have a sense of humor, he won’t end up as a good partner for Karat.
Wasn’t Meer the House that skipped its turn on Nexus? Perhaps their on the ground training was not as rigorous as the training of House Krahr and it showed. Either way, glad Bestata was smacked down.
I can see Kaldar’s influence in Gaston’s showmanship. Similar to how I see a lot of Declan and Richard in George’s demeanor.
A little confused…was Ellenda sent away in disgrace? I thought she wanted to get home.
Finally, I saw Inu-yasha mentioned somewhere today and it made me think of young George and Jack. I think they would have liked this figure
https://shop.bandai.com/sesshomaru-ver-a-inuyasha-bandai-spirits-q-posket.html
Vampire House Meer trained in Space Combat. The husband to be (cant remember his name) trained for 3000 (?) hours in flying a small highly maneuverable combat craft. He buzzed his bride on her walk to the Vala Tree (that was really a Mukama Roost).
Yes they skipped out on their obligation to fight on Nexus which meant that House Krahr had to go back months sooner to fight and be weakened by loss of life on Nexus.
House Meer is in disgrace in the Vampire Union.
Sorry, but you are getting your vampire houses mixed up.
House Meer is from Sweep in Peace. They refused to fight on Nexus and tried to assassinate Sean during the banquet when he was the merchants mercenary leader.
Houses Serak and Kozor are from Sweep of the Blade and were the vampires that were also pirates. Lord Tellis Serak was the groom that logged over 3000 hours in a small attack craft.
I agree with wingednike, it looks like House Meer did not train in ground combat as much as House Krahr. Perhaps that is why they refused to fight on Nexus?
No, Kozor and Serak were the pirate houses and they wanted to swipe Krahr’s new station. They were the space combat/wedding/etc people.
Meer skipped out on Nexus to weaken House Krahr, yes. Dishonorable, but different problem.
Yes, ELLENDA, the candidate, didn’t want to be there and had been forced into it – by the delegation she “represented”, Team Frowns. She got her personal wish and went home with grace and dignity with Kosandion’s personal assurance that her people and planet would not be bothered further by anyone from the Dominion. “Her” DELEGATION then tried to murder the Ecclesiarch and got canned in total disgrace.
Loved this! You spoil us; thank you so much!
Hope the construction, health, and all other concerns get resolved quickly and positively.
I loved Orata’s solution. I can’t wait for the next chapter. Thank you for the weekly chapters they are a little slice of heaven every week
WOW!
I hope the bloodwork results are okay once they check it out.
Thank you for the story today even with all of the (sounds like) crazy stress today.
Wohoo! What a nice spin! Thank you!
WOW!
I love this chapter! Thank you so much for writing it this week with everything that’s going on!
I wonder if Donkamins are as creeped out by the way humans move and look as we are them? It’s all what you are used to. Otherwise they seemed like polite, good inn guests
“Your welcome is withdrawn” is the best line ever.
I like the Sebastien North might be the name of an inn theory in the comments above. Also glad I wasn’t the only one refreshing and checking whether it really was Friday or not!
Wow. Excellent resolution of Special Snowflake’s betrayal. As usual excellent writing.
Thank you for another great chapter. It satisfied my BDH craving!
Good luck with the test results and I hope you both can have a calmer week next week, (apart from waiting for result clarification. )
Karma surely is a ……………thanks. Karat bringing something new to Helen awesome. Waiting with bated breath for next installment.
Given your week and funky test results I really appreciate this installment. Awesome episode!
Wow, your first drafts are better than most author’s fifths. You wrote this under duress which makes it even more incredible. As a proofreader , only a tiny thing here or there.
And talk about the punishment fitting the crime, this was darn near perfect.
Brutal. I love it.
The Murder Beak’s vow of vengeance “Your skulls are soft. Your brains are delicious. We are coming.”
Gave me shivers.
I want to use it as a GM. LoL just to see the players pale
Thank you! I don’t think the Pivor ship is looking so good now. GO TEAM FISH.
Amazing! Thank You.
To use a really old fashioned phrase this story is warming the cockles of my heart. Thank you both 🙂
Oh, wow! Feel bad for Vercia, tho!
That was an awesome chapter!! I read it twice!
Wonderful
Hello!
I’ve been reading your stories for years. Love your worlds!
Enjoying this sweep as well. Episodes like this are good clean fun!
Lastly, every group has a wombat, and I’m afraid that’s me. I can’t work out what BDH stands for?
Thank you for the chance to tag along.
Hi Delicia 🤗,
BDH stands for Book Devouring Horde- the Ilona Andrews fans. We named ourselves after the Hope Crushing Horde in Sweep in Peace hehe.
We need ‘Proud Member of the BDH’ t-shirts! 😁
Artwork: terrified books fleeing the BDH.
Yes. And second the artwork proposal as well.
Tu hanks for asking this. I’ve been trying to figure out the meaning of BDH as well!
Such an enjoyable chapter!
When does Dina get to list the inn as a conference centre in the directory?
Wow. I was completely wrong about the imposter!
Thanks for the chapter.
I don’t believe we are resolved of all candidates being free of malice; Cookie still gets to remove one.
I think you misunderstood. Cookie does not magically get to remove a random candidate.
Dina asked Cookie to gather the background on Pivor, who was then removed as a prospective candidate. This benefits Cookie because presumably he is backing Lady Wexyn and the less competitors she has the better.
Wow,
Please forgive me being an airhead,
Feeling silly now,
Thank you for being so awesome, and your talent is inspiring,
I’m so glad you brought this up. I misinterpreted that part too and was wondering how Dina was going to keep that hefty promise to Cookie. My revised understanding is that Dina was pointing out the fact that doing the favor/background check benefited Cookie’s canidate because providing the damning information would romove one of their competitors.
What I wanted to say/inquire is….
I wonder still who will be removed/resolved by Cookie?
Please forgive my fevered/Covid first attempt post.
Delish! Thank you.
as much as the old man fan loves everything you write, this, this right here at the Inn is what I look forward to the most. exceptional entertainment.
1. I adore the chapter. House Andrews is the best.
2. Vercia’s punishment is *chef’s kiss*
The part where Dina informs her that there is no vacancy was especially chilling, in the best way possible.
3. (I thought this chapter would be about the vampire fight so when I saw the image you picked, I kinda accepted that the spar between Karat and Bestata had turned an unexpected and very lethal turn. Whoopsie.)
OMG!!! When Vercia was hailed as a hero, I almost lost my mind. As always, I should have trusted the GREAT AND GLORIOUS HA (borrowing from Wizard of Oz) to pull this off. Oh, so wonderful and so satisfying a first elimination conclusion. Thanks so much! Can’t wait to read the whole thing each week and then when it’s published!
“Your skulls are soft. Your brains are delicious. We are coming.” I love this line.
I definitely think we need a page on the House Andrews website called “The Shop @ Baha-Char” where we can buy merchandise with
“Proud member of the BDH”
“Your skulls are soft. Your brains are delicious. We are coming.”
“There will be ripper-cushions”
and plush versions of Oro, Cookie, Beast, Olasard (the cat) and Curan’s beast form.
Especially if Beast turns inside out for her chi form.
💕 +1000
As always, amazing!
Wow!! GREAT episode. HA has been my very favorite authors since I discovered them about 10? years ago.
OMG……every installment tops the one before how do you all do this???? Kudos
HOLY SH*T. that is all i can say. Sorry for the salty language
I liked how they turned that around on her. And good riddance to the pirate! I’m sad I didn’t get to see the vampire fight, but I’m happy Karat won. Thanks! I’m enjoying this a lot!
Fantastic! Thank you! I’m at my 20 year wedding anniversary party, reading chapter 20. Perfect! Can’ wait for the next installment.
Wow. Just wow. Thank you.
Glorious!!
holy mother of wow. That was amazing, thanking her and throwing her to the meat grinder at the same time, all the while yanking her fangs was amazing. LOVE the writing, as always
First, amazing as always!
Second, I need to take a moment to acknowledge the huge pool of anxiety I am now floundering in.
I relish these Friday chapter releases, and on some level I heard when HA said they were working on this project as they presented it…BUT…and here is where I am reminded of my mother (and Caldenia ) saying “you’ve heard, but you haven’t listened”…they are really writing it as they go?!?!
I blithely assumed the story was finished, and they were doling it out in increments as part of a brilliant marketing scheme…seriously…
They’re writing it as they go?!?!?
What if there is infestation of scorpions, writers block, or painters on scaffolding?
On Friday, I must have refreshed my browser 50 times, looking for the latest offering…blissfully unaware that they were frantically trying to finish so as not to disappoint the BDH. I was starting to stress, thinking that somehow I had been blocked, accidentally deleted the blog, or forgotten to pay my internet service.
Then it magically appeared, with an apology for having just been finished…THEY JUST FINISHED IT! (Did you know they were writing it as they go?)
Omg, and it was SO good!!!!
I greatly anticipate each release, and feel it’s my duty to read it instantly, and acknowledge its brilliance. Either by the blog or in discussion with friends who are also members of the BDH. (I assume HA can feel the adulation in the ether) It’s as if I need to pay for the gift of their work, and rapidly consuming it is the best that I can offer. My anxiety has stemmed from this idea that they might somehow feel unappreciated and decide to withhold future installments. I can just hear one of the mods telling Gordon & Ilona:“I just looked, only 6 people clicked on the link…If they want to read it, they can wait till it’s properly published!” (Which I promise I will!!!).
But, it NEVER occurred to me that they might be stressed with completing the next chapter…and now, I’m stressed that they’re stressed and feel the pressure of all of our fingers hovering over the blog button, mid morning, on a Friday…and they live in Texas! There might be a rattler in the dryer, a coyote in the blue bonnets, or a cat playing with a snow globe.
I’ve gone back and read intros and blog posts with new eyes…I imagined HA in the porch swing saying “you know what would be fun…if we just gave them the taste of a chapter, and then slammed them with a double installment next week! They won’t know what hit them!”, and now I realize they’re juggling life and work trying not to disappoint us.
HA, please don’t stress about finishing installments in a timely manner! (I’m stressed enough for all of us)
Thank you, thank you, thank you, for sharing your gifts, and insights (which I’ve come to enjoy as much as the books!)
Until next week…
Heh 😸. No worries, I don’t want to give out blog statistics secrets, but I can assure you that there are tens of thousands of clicks on Fridays. Quite a few tens of thousands hehe.
And yes, indeed- there is an outline for the story but the chapters are written week by week! It’s House Andrews magic- I’ve been a fan for over a decade and worked with them for over a year- I’ve stopped questioning the awesomeness all together. It’s just magic 🤩
Mod R, has it really been less than two years??? You have brilliantly organized the armada, channeled the BDH, and run excellent interference on behalf of HA.
Thank you!
That’s so sweet of you to say! 🙂
I am so enjoying this story! I look forward to each new chapter as a reward for making it through the week. And like the other Innkeeper books, I will buy the ebook so I can read it all in one go after you’ve edited it. Thank you!
TOTALLY COOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
*dances with delight*
Thank you
first, sincere hopes for just a glitch with the blood work and less chaos chez vous
second, loved the little ‘summary’ that started the chapter; super helpful info and very fun phrasing (‘when last seen…’)
thank you for persisting in the face of too much and giving the BDH something to devour!!
Again, so much fun. This was a very satisfying chapter. I love when the bad guys get their just rewards.
Wow, I am absolutely awestruck at your creativity and cleverness. Thank you for my weekly mind-boggling! This is such a delight!
Thanks for an awesome chapter. I was a little surprised by whom the pirate turned out to be. In the comments It was suggested that Sebastian North might be the name of an Inn. It made me wonder, what was the name of Dina’s parent’s Inn? She displays a picture of her parents for all guests to see, but does she have a picture of the Inn? I don’t remember reading what the name of the Inn was. Can anyone tell me? Thanks.
We know that it was in Georgia, but I don’t believe we have ever been told the name of Dina’s parents’ inn. 😊
SN was on the cat’s collar, wasn’t it?
*Only* SN, the initials, and not “Sebastien North” as everyone seems to remember. SN can stand for many things 🙂
Great job! Thank you again, and hope the house gets completed. Stay cool!
This is fine and doesn’t need editing! I just finished 2 books and wondered if the authors’ publishing houses employed any copy editors at all. The stories were good but the mistakes in both plot and grammar were so sloppy and could have easily been fixed with just a little editing.
The solution to the problem of the traitors was brilliant! no one could have seen that coming. I love how you are always able to balance the drama with humor. It is a rare talent.
“Innkeeper” is my favorite series and each new book becomes my favorite so far, until I reread them and then the last one read is my favorite until I read the next.
WOWSA!
“Twelve candidates journeyed here for the Final Selection. One left in disgrace.”
The phrasing says Ellenda was the one disgraced. But it wasn’t her, it was her sponsors. Unless I missed something completely?
Also, how did the Murder Beaks not know Pivor wasn’t a real candidate? At the beginning it was discussed that some species had genetically engineered their candidates to look human. How was Pivor able to become their candidate? Wouldn’t the Murder Beaks have known that they didn’t make him? I would have controlled my created candidate from the moment the idea hit to create one. Or am I again missing something big?
It doesn’t say that 🙂. It says that some of the non-humanoid species have brought humanoid candidates.
I hope this helps.
It does indeed. Thank you.
Thank you for yet another exciting and rewarding chapter! (Honestly, an unedited chapter by HA is light years better than anything written by anyone else!) 😍.
Good luck with your test results Ilona. I can sympathize: I had some wonky results a couple of months ago, but luckily yesterday’s retest was normal. Hope your results unwonkify soon…fingers crossed for you and kind thoughts being sent your way! 💕
Loving the expert smack down of Vercia and Pivor. So expertly plotted. Worthy of Caldenia I say. I wonder if she was consulted slyly on the side for this. Hmm did the. AL come up with the name Pivor because it semi-alliterates? (Pivor the Pirate).
I hope the blood work resolves itself with no negative results. I hate tests that need more tests. Easier to deal with a positive or negative than a we need more info. Our minds always go down a dark rabbit hole. I love this excerpt. It definitely put an end to some problems and intrigues me as to which candidate will make it through. Prayers all goes well, and if not, prayers for the strength to get through it. Pulling on big girl panties isn’t as easy as folks think. Been there with uterine cancer. Scary but made it out the other side. You take care of you and get some rest. BDH can hold its’ horses and wait if necessary. You are more important than any story. I love your generosity, but don’t deplete yourself.
Lovely note! You are also absolutely correct about the panties. They can get stuck somewhere between up and down no matter your best efforts. Have learned the most important thing is they stay dry…! Or at least get wet from the outside in. Glad you are looking at cancer from the rear-view mirror. Wishing you the best of health and life.
That is unedited??? I knew you guys rock, but that is freaking amazing!!!!!!!!
Whew… your books are the best ride EVER
More great fun terrific first draft
I am sure now, you two are actually The Innkeepers!
wow *blinks* is this how you write after such a stressful week? I mean wow, this was absolutely perfect, thank you so much
Definitely needs to be a door from the inn to Daesyn. Everyone will want to visit and a dedicated vampire door would make sense. It would save on interplanetary travel.
It could be a Tour History Package
Hunt the Mukama, then visit a Dominion famous inn to battle with Holy Relics, dining on food created by a Three Cleaver Chef. You can even do a spot of shopping at Ba-ha Char before taking the door back home. If you don’t want to shop you could visit Kolinda to battle prehistoric sea creatures without your armour. Of course for a small fee your entire vacation can be filmed and publicized. The merchants could partner up with Dina to offer different vacation packages.
and GH gets a steady stream of guests that have robust magic….this is a nice alternative.
On the other hand, Dina mentioned that some inns specialize in hosting high risk guests…seems that what GH is getting known for?
Hah!! I love it!!
Bravo to all the major protagonists, and just desserts to the antagonists! Well done!!
These reads are an enjoyable addition to my weekend. Thanks for taking the time to write it!
Yes, I need the book. I can’t keep up going week to week although I enjoy it.
Thank you for the worlds you have created which have helped to expand mine. Your new works feel like welcome additions to the family of characters you have created. Old favorites, such as Kate & Curran, are a welcome oasis where the pain/sickness of chronic illness I experience in this world, is blunted as I immerse in theirs. Looking forward to more of your well-crafted tomes, and hoping to explore more of the path Maud & Arland are treading.
Wow. A first draft. Well done!! We’re hoping the news is good when you get the updated blood test results.
Thank you!!!
The way they dealt with Vercia is genius. I do have a question though, if this is being televised/broadcasted on intergalactic cable, wouldn’t that be giving away Caldenia’s location? What’s to stop the bounty hunters from trying their luck in killing her? I mean the Draziri tried to get the Hiru even though they knew that the inn was where Dina was the strongest. And for sure, some of these bounty hunters are as stupid as the pirate fleet. 😁
I think Caldenia’s location is already known. She is not hiding at the inn; she can’t leave the inn and is under GH protection for the duration of her stay (i.e., the rest of her life). That’s why she wasn’t executed.
Caldenia is not a prisoner at the inn 🙂.
She has sanctuary at Gertrude Hunt and doesn’t leave the premises because Dina cannot protect her beyond them, but this is of her own volition (if not always her own pleasure). It’s not a condition of her house arrest or a mandate of the Dominion.
We are told that several assassination attempts have taken place (and ofc we see one of them in Sweep of the Blade), so I don’t believe secrecy is what protects her, but rather the fact that on inn grounds, innkeepers are omnipotent and nothing can breach an inn unless the innkeeper allows it😊
Yey! Thanks for the clarification! 🙂 for some reason, it got stuck in my mind that Caldenia was hiding at the inn and her location was a secret. Maybe we’ll get a short story on how she came to stay at the inn? *hint *hint Thanks, Mod R! 😍
Isn’t it also true that there are laws in place that make Inns a type of sanctuary as well? Like if someone attacks an inn (such as the case with the Draziri) they will not be welcome in the inns in the future and depending on the attack (or attack pervasiveness, I suppose) may even cause their species to be banned. It doesn’t help with cases where someone violates the laws but for bounty hunters, the cost may not be worth the potential impacts.
I am amazed and delighted, as always. Awed that HA can deliver such electrifying segments-with no editing!- despite chaos and blood wonkiness. I agree with everyone else-your health and wellness should be your top priority. We will wait for you! Love, hugs, and healing thoughts headed for you and your family.
Yay! Murder Beaks rule! Skulls soft, indeed.
Ta-ta, Special Snowflake! (🎵And another one’s gone, another one’s gone,hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm🎵)
Orata earned her place and knows how to keep it — by being good at her job.
And there was blood and mayhem at the end. Delicious!
Emily,
I had to laugh at your musical reference because that us the second time I’ve encountered it today. The first was in “Gather Her Round” by Alex Bledsoe. Recurring character Bronwyn Hyatt-Chess was humming that to her self as she kept reloading her compound bow and taking out feral hogs. 😆
I’m amusing myself by imaging that the comments in the Dominion are similar to the BDH . Along the lines of “ this is so exciting” “best spousal selection ever”. “I never liked that Pivor”. “Poor Ellenda”. “The Gaston’s a snappy dresser.” “We must book our next vacation at that wonderful Inn”.
Mmm! Delicious!
Novel “Wants full drama” me “cue old western showdown music and random tumbleweed and grab popcorn with front row seats
Did not disappoint. Got a Little thrill with the Magic of the Inn.
1) Wishing the Andrews family good health and a peaceful home
2) I love reading the BDH comments almost as much as the story
3)wow! That sure didn’t read like a first draft. Wonderful wonderful.
4)Innkeeper would make a spectacular anime or fantasy series. Just think of how much got spent on wheel of time, LOTR the prequel, Game of Thrones and the list goes on. Innkeeper is beautifully set up for in between stories while the main plot is still being written by our fave authors
5) Love all your series whether dark or action packed but there is something about Innkeeper that is just so joyous
*lol* I really hope when this comes out in book format, Graphic Audio will do this one too. 🙂
Wonderful, but now I want to see that training video.
Oh, well. I can always look at the sword fight in The Princess Bride.
Wow – just recently discovered your serial story, having read an early innkeeper book years ago and always remembered it. Completely enthusiastically enjoying it! Makes me think of Charles Dickens serialization – bet your stories last like his!
I will keep watching! Bibi
The suspense. It’s mounting with each entry. Beautiful. Can’t wait for the next installment.
Wow
Wow!
I wouldn’t have known it was a first draft, this was a very good read and just goes to show how good you both are as authors 😁
Absolutely brilliant
Wonderful read.
Hoping for a swift and simple resolution of your health worries!
I have to agree with Pakster and Travin re the scaled Lady of Baha-Char. Do the citizens of the Dominions have a “write in” spot on their ballots?
This was such a satisfying installment! Two villains got their comeuppance and we got to see some of the beauty and majesty that Dina can create in the inn. Thank you!
Loads of fun. Thanks so much for feeding the BDH. The new mural is stunning btw.
Holy plot twist! I don’t know how you keep doing it. Just WOW.
This section was awesome. I checked various times yesterday and didn’t see a post, so missed it until today. Great way to end my Saturday night. Hope your health issues work out and I like the mural. Very relaxing and inspiring at the same time.
Fantastic installment, I love all the drama.
Magnificent end to a murderous scum of a Pirate, written so well I cheered!
The comeuppance Lady Vercia Denoma received was Just and Dina say there was No room at thr Inn too classic.
Sorry to hear about the concerning bloodwork results; hopefully, it’s a false alarm.
Thank you for the action-packed installment, where everyone gets their just rewards. Helen is going to have the most amazing training library, ha ha!
Gaston’s new goal in life is to apprentice to Caldenia. She said not currently. Want to bet he offers his services to the inn as a permanent master of ceremonies?
Is the werewolf woman still in the med ward?
It’s been less than 24 hours since she was put there and she was in a very bad way 🙂- since we’re not told yet that she recovered we have to assume yes for now.
This was amazing.
AWESOME!
OK. Good. Yeah, good. So… nope. I can’t think of anything better than that.
Although, my device keeps trying to spell Caldenia’s name as Caledonia. [I tried to correct in another post, but I apparently don’t have that option and I accidentally hit the “post comment” button before I realized I’d monumentally messed up the spelling.]
Now, I just have to get through Sunday. Then Moan-day. Then there’s Tuesday; and W, T, and — finally!— FRIDAY!
Yep. Coffee, toast with honey and reading the Innkeeper Chronicles blog post has become my FAVORITE thing to do every week. (I will cry when it’s done and dusted… until the next blog series, of course.)
I hope it goes on forever and ever… “Nancy Drew” anyone? Or, perhaps, a more modern twist, “Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan”? (Okay, no one else would write it like House Andrews, so wash out my mind with soap for even saying that.)
Besides my somewhat rambling comments, I really enjoy House Andrew’s Innkeeper Chronicles and I will read them until they are no more.
Thank you!
Thank you
Completely enthralled by this story!
Hubby passed away after a long illness last week, and I really, REALLY needed this fix.
My humble thanks.
I am so sorry for your loss.
I hope you find many small comforts, including good books, to soothe you.
They are my solice right now. This was the first installment since I lost him. Thank you.
Revenge is best served cold as they say.
I am confused about what “crossed her palms” means? What is the gesture she’s making?
“ On my screen Orata crossed her hands, palms out, the Dominion’s equivalent of a thumbs up, and went back into the portal.” from Chapter 15 https://www.ilona-andrews.com/2022/chapter-15/
The Dominion, as any individual civilisation, have their own gestures to convey common meanings 🙂
Hope this helps.
Sweet!
Nice!
I just wanted to send out a big THANK YOU to House Andrews! This is such a great book. I just re-read it from the beginning and it is great! Thank you both for all the great fun!
Thank you, I kept checking for this little piece if gold to appear and I wondered just how hard this is for the two of you. I have enjoyed every thing you have written. Some obviously more than others but all of it was a plus. You produce so much content and the things you put in the stories are very attractive to me. That being said I hope that if you ever feel pressured by your fans to produce over your comfort level you can breath deeply and chant “I owe you nothing, I owe myself bright sunshine and a blue sky” Or what ever floats the boat. I was going to say the phrase F. off. but I think that could add more anxiety. May the world treat you kindly this time.
OMG! I want the assassin lay’s story. I bet it would be epic on how she overcome the odds to escape and then finally have her revenge OO
Oooohhhh, brutal! A worthy repartee.
I have no complaints about the story, which I am enjoying…but I keep feeling surprised that this is so dark. I got used to the homey, protective Gertrude Hunt, Orro sweeping by with delectable plates, Caldenia scheming on the sidelines, Dina wrestling with the challenges of balancing her books, her inn rating, and her guests’ demands. I mean, these are the books I read when I need to settle down to sleep for the night.
Now chapters are starting with a bloody severed hand photo…! We’ve got multiple complex plans of revenge, from good guys and from bad guys. Future death threats. Aliens that are murderous or hideous. Wilmos is still kidnapped. I’ve lost track of all the times Dina has had to use her powers to restrain guests who are up to no good.
Whew!
Also, nth the request that the date with Cyanide involves brushing 🙂
How long has it been since you’ve read One Fell Sweep? 🙂 The body count in that book is crazy, Dina’s brother’s childhood friend is a corrupted corpse that tries to kill her, and then Dina’s baby inn dies. But it always ends well so it leaves us with a nice warm feeling and that’s what we remember rather than all the scary darkness.
I am honored by your reply!
I absolutely see your point about One Fell Sweep’s body count. And the book is definitely darker than the first two. The difference for me as a reader is that I experienced that in a “but it’s not ok” context. Genocide: Dina protects the Hiru. Corrupted innkeeper who was a childhood friend: everyone is horrified and sad. Dina is traumatized by losing the baby inn: her family, friends, and Gertrude Hunt are sad and care for her, and protect the Hiru in her stead. Even the massive brawl where our main characters kill a bunch of vampires: really the point was to evac Maud and Helen, and the vampires were all exiled criminals, and they started it. It was only Arland who was there for the violence, everyone else was ready to gtfo.
When I see a “good guy” character like the scaled woman spend 5 minutes cutting a guy apart until he dies, and this is presented like a good thing…I do get her reasons for doing it, and it does seem justified, but I also feel like I’m in Kate’s world of violence and vengeance instead the Innkeeper world.
Anyway! I’m enjoying this book. I don’t mean to complain, after all Iron and Magic is one of my favorites, just wanted to mention the very different feel of this Innkeeper book.
One thing that bothered me was that the murder beaks didn’t get their minor ask. Because to an outsider it sure looks like the Dominion deliberately sabotaged their candidacy.
They didn’t vet their candidate properly in the best of cases or deliberately presented a monstrous creature as their candidate as the worst scenario. Either way, not deserving a reward. Plus, it’s sure to ensure their anger against the enemies of the Dominion, which are the pirates and the Snowflake 🙂
Thank you!!
I have to think Sean was a little bit excited to utter “Your welcome is withdrawn” since Dina kicked him out of the inn in the first book when he kept trying to get in to get her to tell him what she knew about the alien stalkers. He’s probably been dying to try it since he became an innkeeper lol.
Loved the installment and thank you for posting it despite just having written it. Please do not feel pressured to post though if you are too busy/exhausted! I think most of your readers will be understanding. 🙂
Wow! Oh wow! All the drama you can stand! Talk about tidying up loose ends. That was a breathtaking chapter. Never a dull moment.
That was the best threat ever, and you’ve got the art of the threat perfected.
Murder Beak – heh heh.
Great picture!
Thanks – it’s a Shoebill. Very similar to the murder beaks, aggressive and can break bones. And looks like an alien.
❤️
Ok, so there is no happiness nor duty. It makes sense in a weird kind of way.
This is excellent. Thank you! I know that being first to post is a thing, I learned from this blog, is last a thing too?😉 I try to read your posts daily but, unfortunately, stuff interferes. Your stories are well worth the delay and I know that I will have something enjoyable to read when I finally get here.
Again, thank you for an enjoyable evening. That was lots of fun. Thank you for taking the time for it. You are awesome.
Understand how you feel reading stories with happy endings to de- stress….been doing that for 30years.
So…. this is why you two are a best-selling author team. Your ability to craft a totally believable universe that excites, amuses and enthralls your readership. Honestly, some of the solutions you have to the problems your characters have are just so totally unexpected. I would never in a million years have thought of turning “Special Snowflake’s” malice upside down and backwards to the audience. She was helpless to change the outcome in any way. Protesting that she had deliberately inserted a psychopath into the bachelor line-up to make Kosandion look stupid would have back-fired on her rather horribly. I’m reasonably sure the Dominion audience would NOT have admired her for it.
So – a brilliant bit of writing. I loved it and was totally unprepared for it.
Also – If you had the budget (and the fantasy abilities shown here) Superbowl Half-time in your hands would be AWESOME! “Maximum drama,” indeed! Your set designs are inspired. 🙂
Oh! And the phrase, “We had gone full Monday Night Football” made me laugh quite loudly. 😀
Thank you
This! The Innkeeper Chronicles. This is why I love your books. The compelling and empathic protagonists. The story lines. Thank-you.
Vercia doing bad vetting and trading with the Pirates’ prince is bad enough; revenge against her is appropriate, but who talked the Zinera into having Pivor as their candidate? Is all of Vercia’s family going to die?
This venue was awesome! What to do to top it for next time? Chinese opera? Tour boat on Kalinda? Safari? Holiday ballroom? The mind boggles!
You have made my day! Thank you!!
Can’t wait for next chapter end up reading from beginning with each new one. LOVE THIS ❤ can’t wait till comes out in print
Thank you, Ilona Andrews for the snippet.
Truly enjoy all of your stories.
Whoa! Wonderful. ❤️👍
Can you put up the short short about house Piney? Arabella and Catalina.
I loved it.
Hey Donald, you can find it here, under the Pay me link 🙂 + a bunch of other goodies 🙂 https://ilona-andrews.com/2019/deleted-scene-appearances-and-signed-books/
Such amazing writers!!! When you read how it all started for Ilona and then look at what HA accomplishes in a day, it is …. What is a synonym for amazing that is not overused?!?!?
Such a joy to read! What fun! An absolute delight!