Death Under The Stairs: Book 11 in the Bandworld Series

Having just defeated combined assassination attempts by Pfnaravin AND Auro, John Lyon is once again fully in charge of Stil-de-grain. His dearest wish now, to return home to Nyeia. However, there is a problem. Every time he attempts to leave Xanthin Island ... there is no available ship for him. Or, there is some (timely) crisis that only he can fix ... Is John Lyon becoming paranoid? Or are his closest friends purposely detaining him on the island? John eventually learns the truth with the help of a "truth-telling" device borrowed from the Middle Ages.

John then engages in a dangerous race to Hero Castle. Who is he racing against? None other than the Malachite Mage, Pfnaravin! Just how does Pfnaravin seem to know John's every move before he makes it? It is as if someone in his party is in constant communication with the evil mage ...

During the trek to Hero Castle, John experiments with his crystal, and comes to the conclusion (yet again) that it is far too dangerous to wield, ever ... except in an emergency. John having several "emergencies" on his trip to the castle.

In this story, one of the main characters in the Bandworld series is killed in a most grisly way. Can you guess who dies in, Death Under The Stairs? The lxlop on the cover of the book sure looks hungry ...

NOTE: This is a full-length novel (60,000 words)