Hey there, Maldene fans, Mark Anthony Tierno here with another Snippet from Maldene.

This little snippet is a big one! Miro is the Big Bad of the entire series, the dark cloud behind every silver lining.  A figure cloaked in shadows (literally), who’s past is as unknown as are the limits of his power.  In short, he is the single most pivotal figure in the entire 13-book series.

However, we do not get to see much of him at the beginning, but rather gradually build up for a few books before we finally get to see him really cut loose.  The early scenes directly involving Miro are therefor few but significant.  So, I gave it some thought on if I should dangle this little snippet before your nose or not and I finally decided… well, we’re here, aren’t we?

This is taken from one of the very few behind the scenes bits involving Miro, in this case where two of Miro’s flunkies have the unenviable job of reporting to their master…

They stopped at the door, paused to regain their composure, and then knocked three times.

“Enter!” came ringing out loud, deep, and evil.

“That doesn’t sound all that happy to me!” the first one observed.

“QUIET!”

The door opened of itself to reveal a room, a cloak of darkness hiding its true size. Black satin drapes hung all around, with the only other furnishing peering out through the enwrapping darkness being a large dark ball of crystal at the edge of the darkness, resting atop a small round grey stone table, a layer of red silk spread out beneath the crystal. To one side of the crystal’s table stood the dark shadowy outline of a man. Shadows wrapped around him like an extra cloak, hiding all but the most general of features from view. What little could be seen of him suggested one of a tall and well-muscled bearing. A suggestion of a small trim triangular beard peered out from his deeply shadowed face, but of no other facial features could the two cowering before him discern. Scintillating flashes of color occasionally flashed off from the contours of his robe, the suggestive shape of a turban-like hat atop his head in the shadowed darkness. A single tanned hand could be clearly seen, various rings and pieces of jewelry adorning his fingers as they wrapped around the tall staff which he carried; a staff heavy with magical runes and a skull on its top.

The second one stepped up to speak.

“Master, there is a-”

“What!  How could you be so inept as to let them through?!”

The voice rang like a long claw, dragging itself through their souls. The second one, scared already, was now puzzled at his question being answered before it had been asked. Nervous, he began to think of his next question.

“Don’t even ask it. Your mind is as easy to pick as the rind off a piece of fruit. Your task was to keep all dangerous visitors away from there. Such a simple task and you failed!”

“But Master, they-” began the second one.

“Silence!  I know your excuses before you even think them,” the shadowed one said in a cool, crisp voice. “Come here.”

The second one, who was by now a pale white and kind of twitchy, came up to the Master while the first one, who by this time was a total mental and physical wreck, looked on.

The Master grabbed him by the chin with just two fingers and slowly lifted him off of the floor, until the unfortunate one was a couple of feet above the Master’s head.

“You are inept, and I don’t like inept servants,” he said calmly, his voice softly resonating throughout the room.

The first one watched, and hadn’t even batted an eyelash when he saw that, instead of his companion, the Master was now examining a plump juicy piece of fruit in his hand. He then brought it to his mouth and slowly took a bite out of it, teeth biting through the soft fruit that was once a man. He chewed a short while before he once again spoke.

“I trust that you can do a lot better job than your tasty companion here.”

He took another bite.

“Uh, . . . yes,” the first one swallowed nervously, “Definitely. No more mistakes.”

“Good,” the Master said calmly, his voice a practice in measured serenity, “then leave me while I finish my snack.”