Free First Job (Chronicles of the Moonshine Wizard) by Phillip Drayer Duncan

Cover Photography by: Phillip Drayer Duncan
    Inne r Illustration by: Tammy Hawkins
    Book Design and layout by : Phillip Drayer Duncan
     
     
    Copyright©2013 Phillip Drayer Duncan
     
    All Rights Reserved.
                 
    This publication may not be reproduced in any way or by any means without expressed permission from the copyright holder.
     
    This book is a work of fiction. All of the events and characters are made up.
     
    For information about the author and copyright holder…
     
    PhillipDrayerDuncan.com
     
     
    This story of the Moonshine Wizard takes place approximately four years before the events in the novel, A Fist of Thorns.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    A Chronicle of the Moonshine Wizard
    First Job
    by
    Phillip Drayer Duncan
     
     
     
     

     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    His hands shook with nervous excitement. This was the first time that the bounty hunters had agreed to allow him to come on a hunt. The Boss had given him specific instructions to stay in the back and not get in the way. Bert had every intention of doing just that. He had been through rigorous combat training, but he was smart enough to know that it wouldn't amount to much when faced with the real thing. Despite the fact that he was a wizard, his small amount of power couldn't match up to the actual combat experience of the human bounty hunters.
                  The old abandoned farm house sat alone in the middle of the woods. It was miles from anything a person might consider civilized. As the breeze swayed the tall grass around the house, it groaned painfully. The old gray boards cried, as though they would give out and cause the whole house to come crashing to the ground. Every window was boarded up, allowing absolutely no daylight to creep inside. Only the doors remained uncovered. It was quite obvious that no human had lived there for a very long time.
                  “Looks like a perfect place for the target to hide.” said the female voice of Rogue.
                  Rogue was the second in command of the nameless band of bounty hunters. She was cold, calculating, and stunningly attractive. She was short and skinny, but packed some serious mean, as Bert had learned. She wore full combat fatigues that hid her figure, and her hair was cut in short pile of various reds, blacks, and blondes. Her eyes were covered with dark sunglasses, and on her hip was the giant .44 mag hand cannon she always carried.
                  “Looks like a perfect place for several to hide.” said the Boss, while looking the house over carefully, “I want everyone on their toes.”
                  If the Boss had a different name, Bert apparently hadn’t earned the right to know it yet. Bert guessed he was fifty something. His steel gray hair, cropped short in a military style made Bert think grizzled veteran, like you only hear about in the movies. He was tall, broad shouldered and his face hosted faded battle scars and a set of terrifying eyes. He demanded respect, and didn’t accept any mistakes. His team was fiercely loyal to him.
    The bounty hunters took jobs hunting supernatural creatures that didn't follow the laws of the Hand of Magic. The Hand of Ma gic is the ruling body of all things supernatural, and they enforce their laws with an iron fist. Bert's official training had been done through the Hand. It was the only way. Practicing magic outside of their approval was a quick way to get in a lot of trouble.
                  The Boss turned to Bert, and said, “Waylon. I want you to bring up the rear. Stay right behind Rogue and myself. I don't want you trying to do anything stupid.”
                  Bert nodded. He wondered idly if the Boss, Rogue, or anyone else on the team would ever call him Bert like his friends did. Probably not, he figured. None of them seemed to like him much. In fact, other than the Boss and Rogue,