The Scout and the Serpent

The Scout and the Serpent is a novella-length story from Annals of the Nameless Dwarf Book 4: Land of NightmareWhen the wolf-men attack and the companions are split up, Nameless and Ilesa find themselves marooned on an island at the center of a newly formed lake. With the dwarf unable to swim, and a monstrous serpent patrolling the water, it's down to Ilesa to get them back to shore. But can she be trusted, what with the bounty on Nameless' head and her long history of betrayal?Nils's cat burgling past comes in handy when he takes to the trees to avoid being eaten, but it soon becomes apparent the wolf-men are the least of his worries. Someone, or something, is watching him from the depths of the forest …Meanwhile, Silas hides below ground in a giant burrow and draws upon the dark knowledge of the Liche Lord's grimoire to keep him safe. But how much credence should he give a book that promises everything? "Derek Prior always produces masterpieces of storytelling, with great characters full of life, relentless plots, and gripping and intense fight scenes." Mitchell Hogan"Like Bernard Cornwell on 'shrooms!" Dinorah WilsonInternationally bestselling and award winning author Derek Prior excels in fast-paced, high stakes epic fantasy adventure stories in which good ultimately triumphs, but always at a cost.Taking familiar fantasy tropes as a point of departure, Prior expands upon them to explore friendship, betrayal, loyalty and heroism in worlds where evil is an ever-present reality, magic is both a curse and a blessing, and characters are tempered in battle.Winner of best fantasy novel 2012 (The Nameless Dwarf: The Complete Chronicles)Fantasy Faction semifinalist for the SPFBO 2018 (Ravine of Blood and Shadow) First editions of the 5 novellas that made up the original Nameless Dwarf series.