Meredith Mansfield, Author

First, new chapters of FIRE AND EARTH and BLOOD WILL TELL are available on wattpad.

The files for the print version of FIRE AND EARTH, to be released along with the e-book version on the 21st, are finally ready. That was an interesting process. So, in honor of that, here is one more deleted scene:

The northern scouts had nothing to report and the southern scouts had not yet returned. Casora worked out her impatience by taking the berserkers for a training drill. The horses tended to be restive after the long winter and they were even worse with a berserker on their backs. It was almost like learning to ride all over again and they had to be able to fight from horseback as well as on foot.

They were executing a wheeling maneuver, more raggedly than Casora liked, when she spotted the riders. The flash of flying red hair was all she needed to identify her returning scouts and the dust cloud behind them explained their hurry. At her signal, Casora’s berserkers formed up into a flying wedge and galloped into place behind the fleeing scouts, covering their retreat.

Casora’s unit slowed, letting the lightly-armed scouts outpace them, and turned to hold the road. They waited while twice their number of Yriri became visible through the dust of their headlong gallop. As she braced herself for the conflict, Casora took a hard look at the Yriri’s mounts. Skeletal faces were topped by one, two, or three horns. What kind of beasts did these Yriri ride? She took a deep breath. Whatever they looked like, they smelled like horses. Narrowing her eyes, she took a closer look. Masks. The Yriri’s bridles were attached to fanciful masks. She sat back. Horses that had become accustomed to berserker riders weren’t likely to be spooked by that.

The Yriri pursuers shouted their war cry “Yririri” and clashed their weapons, eager for battle. Casora smiled. They thought their superior numbers would carry the day. They were in for a surprise. She gave the signal and the berserkers spurred forward.

The skirmish was mercifully short. Only two of the berserkers Changed, although all the others were caught mid-Change when the last opponent fell.

They’d have to stay out here until the berserker madness passed off for at least most of them. Casora did lead them half-way back to camp, though. The Change would be quicker from here, away from the overpowering smell of blood and shit and battle. Eager as she was for the news, she’d have to wait to get the scouts’ report.

Most of the berserkers were well on their way to being human again by the time Derian rode up with a relief force. Totally unnecessary, but she appreciated that Varana had kept her head and her priorities straight. Make sure of the battle first.

“Good,” she said to Derian. “There are enough of us now to keep the berserkers under control. Let’s get back to camp. I want to hear what the scouts have to say.”

“It looks like Artria,” Varana said as soon as they rode back into camp, not even waiting for Casora to dismount.

Casora smiled. The Deathless had a direction and a purpose again. “Derian, oversee the breaking of camp. The Deathless are going south.”

“What about Lord Haver? He’ll come back and find nothing but hard-packed ground,” Varana said.

“Serves him and Feloria right. It’s all they deserve from us, now.”