The Key to the Coward's Spell

This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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This over-before-you-realize-it short story is a welcome dip of the toe back into the world of Eddie LaCrosse, sword jockey (i.e., medieval private eye). Bledsoe's Tufa series is one of the best things around, but man, I enjoy this series so much.

LaCrosse has been hired by a local blacksmith to find his kidnapped son. LaCrosse is sporting a broken arm, so he's going to need a little more help than normal, Jane Argo, for one – and some new faces, too. There's really not a lot to say, here – half of the action takes place before the story starts. LaCrosse gets a little more intel, and then jumps into action.

The action is brief and to the point – with a nice twist or two along the way. Nothing special, but it's a good couple of sequences. And a brief reminder that no matter what you dress it up in – modern time/tech/clothing, generic fantasy tropes, SF, whatever – there are some forms of evil that transcend those details and are just evil that need to be fought in whatever little way we can.

Yeah, it was fun to spend some time in this world and with LaCrosse and everyone. But man, just as you get into it, the story's over. Just not enough to really satisfy, but it was a fun taste. I don't know that this is a good intro to the character (it might be), but it's a good reminder for those who've met him before that they want to read more about him.