[Homeward 08] • The Sleeping Curse · Homeward VIII

Julianna, along with Jan’s entire Móndyalítko family, arrives at the capitol city of Kéonsk for the grand autumn fair. Having grown up in a small village, she’s never seen anything like this vast array of stalls, wagons, and people gathered for a yearly festival market. Almost immediately, the family launches into a series of well planned shows to entertain visitors from near and far—and to earn money. Julianna joins them in playing the tambourine as Jan plays his violin, and even Jan is surprised by how much she enjoys this. Unfortunately, any joy in this new life is soon cut short for both of them when a curse is set upon one family member by a power-hungry witch. To break the curse, Jan is told that he must complete a task. Though he intends to do so alone, Julianna has other ideas. As the pair rush headlong into saving a family member, neither realize the remedy may be more dangerous than the curse itself. **About "Tales from the world of the Noble Dead Saga"...** No knowledge of the Noble Dead Saga or related works is necessary to read and enjoy these stories. They are written for fantasy enthusiasts in general and not just our established readership. Readers new to this world can step into it through any of these short works. Tales are organized into “collections” where all stories therein share a theme and/or premise. When one or more link together, subsequent stories will mention “sequel to…” on their covers to guide you. Even so, each is self-contained enough to be your first adventure into this world. —Barb & J.C. Hendee