credit: PJ Fitzpatrick

Currently, I’m taking a word for some sort of “bad guy”, e.g. ruffian or rogue, or alternatively a “rough diamond”, such as  a roughneck, and matching it with a character from my novels.

As in the A Geography Of Haarth series, each entry is accompanied by a relevant passage from the books, which could be drawn from one of the two Wall Of Night series novels currently published, or my Kids/YA standalone, Thornspell.

The definitions are taken from Merriam Webster Online, my current go-to dictionary when writing

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Bully:  a blustering, browbeating person: one habitually cruel to others who are weaker

I’ve been trying for some time to think of the right descriptor for the character, Flor, in Thornspell — but as soon as I juxtaposed his name with “bully”, I knew I’d found the right word. Both aspects of bullying define his character at different times, but this passage focuses on  the second aspect: “one habitually cruel to others who are weaker.”

Flor Langrafon

Balisan frowned when Sigismund told him about the door opening into the herb garden, and the narrow path between the palace walls. “This place is a warren,” he said, but seemed unconcerned when Sigismund mentioned the presence of the serving girl.

It was Flor who raised the subject again. He and Sigismund were sorting through their weapons for the hunt, and Flor had picked up a heavy bladed dagger, turning it this way and that to the light. “About that dumb wench,” he said abruptly, “the one in the garden earlier…You can’t just have servants coming and going as they please in gardens used by the high nobility. The wench needs a lesson, to remind her to keep to her place.”

“I think,” Sigismund said, keeping his voice level, “that’s for me to decide.”

The dark blue eyes widened. “Surely you’re not angry…the girl’s just a serving trollop. She’ll be thick skinned as well as thick headed.”

Sigismund shook his head. “I think you should let me decide when…one of my servants needs to be punished.”

Flor slammed the dagger back into its sheath. ““I can’t believe you’re taking this wench’s part against me!” he said.

~  from © Thornspell, Chapter 6 — In The Royal Palace