City of Light
By: Greg M. Hall
Smashwords Edition
Copyright 2011 by Greg M. Hall
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This book may be reproduced, copied, and distributed for non-commercial purposes, provided this book remains in its complete original form and proper attribution is given the author.
This is a work of fiction. All characters, places, and events portrayed in this novel are products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to persons living or dead, locales, or events is entirely coincidental.
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Other Smashwords Ebooks by Greg M. Hall
Traffic Control (Action)
Closure (Fantasy)
Rick’s Hostage (Horror)
The Gig (Horror)
My Pal The Bug #1: For They Know Not… (Sci-Fi)
My Pal The Bug #2: The Haunted Drug Lab (Sci-Fi)
That Stupid Kid (Literary)
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A cheer washed over the military supply train that trundled me into the city of Benshma, one of six created by the Andrian Empire to support their siege of Pingwot. Ruddy faces, normally lathered in the sweat of hard labor, glowed in the sheen of heavy afternoon drinking. Giggling children weaved and dodged the draft horses and carts, lobbing flowers at anything that moved.
They appear happy to see us,
I told the teamster next to me. To be heard over the cacophony I had to use my Homily voice, the one that carried to the back corners of the Cathedral when it was my turn to preside over mass.
It’s a tradition,
the battle-scarred Andrian replied. The supply train’s arrival is the high point of their year. It’s a waste of time and money—these towns have been self-sufficient for years—but High Command has never gotten around to pulling the requisition.
A middle-aged man with a missing tooth limped up to pass a tankard to the teamster, who hoisted it above his head in thanks. "Doesn’t mean I’m not going to
