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Brendan Carroll's Blog
Category:
Fantasy
Publisher: Brendan Carroll
ISBN-10: 1452802912
Pages: 304
Copyright: Apr 16, 2010
ISBN-13: 9781452802916
Price: $3.99 (eBook)
The Chevalier du Morte is forced to retain his control of the Order as Grand Master when Edgard d'Brouchart is forced into exile after the Order's headquarters is buried by a volcanic eruption.
Ramsay moves the Order to Scotland and tries to restore spiritual strength of purpose to the rapidly changing face of the poor Knights of Solomon's Temple. A few precious years of respite leads to many changes as Mark asserts his own management style over the Order that he considers 'Out of Order'. What starts out as a quick foray into the Underworld in search of Annoni turns disasterous when Lavon accidentally releases Yasmin from a magick amulet. On the domestic front, Meredith's relationship with her children deteriorates just as love blossoms between two unlikely pairs within the Order. The Djinn's children prove to be surprising anomalies and Simon's boys begin their education under Sir Barry's tutelage. John Paul, the prophet takes up his father's old habits much to everyone's chagrin and insists that he is ready to retire as a Knight of the Council, something unprecedented in the Order's history. The Djinni wreaks havoc on the Golden Eagle's love life as the Italian Knight learns that there is much more to his Egyptian Mysteries than he had ever assumed. After much meditation, studying and thinking, Mark Ramsay receives divine assistance in his struggle to relocate the missing dragon.
Excerpt
Mark Andrew climbed the stairs to Lucio’s apartment. Several motley cats met him at the door and rubbed against his dirty boots, hoping for a meal. Several small plastic containers licked spotlessly clean littered the tile in front of Dambretti’s door. One of the cats, a black female with emerald green eyes stretched luxuriously and growled seductively. Cats! Ramsay preferred dogs. The bigger, the better. Cats reminded him of the slinky belly dancers that once populated the marketplaces and opium dens in the Middle East. Trouble. Women were nothing, but trouble. Worse still were the men who allowed themselves to become entangled with them. He had plenty of experience on which to base his opinion, having been an idiot more times than he could count.
He knocked on the door and got no answer. Lucio was not home. He was with the ‘female trouble’ as Simon had called it. Damn the Italian! He used his ‘key’ to open the door and let himself inside. He took a quick shower and helped himself to a suit of clean clothes. The apartment was much changed from when he’d last seen it. Cleaner, less cluttered. He took a bottle of wine from the refrigerator and half a loaf of stale bread from the counter before sitting down in Lucio’s leather sofa.
He set the open bottle on the table in front of the sofa and stuffed some of the dry bread in his mouth before flipping open the ring.
“Lord Adar?” Lemarik’s musical voice called to him from Lucio’s bedroom. “Where are you?”
“In here!” Mark Andrew shouted and shook his head. The Djinn was a real piece of work, but pleasant enough considering his current position as slave.
“Ahhhh. Ohhhh!” The Djinn swayed into the living room and turned about several times. “The Eagle’s nest. I know this place!”
“I’m sure you do.”
Mark Andrew laid his head on the back of the sofa. “I need you to find the Golden Eagle and bring him home.”
“Ohhh. He is with Ruth! You said I could not see Ruth again,” Lemarik objected and shook one long finger in the Knight’s face.
“Keep your eyes closed!” Mark Andrew told him without looking up.
“You are irritable, Adar,” Lemarik commented gloomily and leaned toward him. “You are being rude to your most humble servant.”
“I need to see him, my friend,” Mark Andrew said tiredly and raised his head, reaching for the wine. The wizard retrieved the bottle for him, producing a sparkling crystal goblet from one sleeve to put it in.
“You are weary. You need to rest. Allow me to bring you something to eat.”
“No. Just find Lucio,” Mark Andrew said as he broke off another bit of bread. “This is fine for now. Would you care for some?” He had to remember the rules. He had to offer the Djinn a meal.
Lemarik wrinkled his long, thin nose at the stale bread.
“I am not that hungry, but I will take a glass of wine.” He seemed to flow into the kitchen and came back directly with a glass. He filled the glass and turned it up. “Yes. Yes. The Golden Eagle has very good taste in wines.”
“So I’m told.”
“Now I must tell you something about Ruth,” Lemarik said and seemed to shrink a bit.
“What?” ark Andrew frowned. He was not in the mood for conversation.
“She is in love with me,” the Djinn told him with a hint of sadness in his voice.
“She is in love with Lucio! She doesn’t even know you.”
“Ahhh. But you are wrong. She does not know Lucio.”
“What difference does it make? She thinks she is in love with Lucio.”
“No! She thinks she is in love with Lucio. She is in love with me.”
“That makes no sense.”
“In her mind, she is in love with me. In the physical sense she is in love with Lucio.”
“Ahhh!” Mark Andrew nodded. It still made no sense.
“When she sees me, she will know,” Lemarik shrugged and turned up his wine.
“Then don’t let her see you!” Mark Andrew growled, aggravation sneaking into his voice.
“I was afraid you would say that,” Lemarik sighed and his shoulders drooped momentarily. Then he drew himself up, shook his head and sparks erupted from his long, dark hair. “Have you seen my children?”
“No. But I had news of them. They are safe for now,” Mark told him.
“That is not true,” Lemarik countered and shook his head again. More colorful sparks flew from his hair and floated up to circle his head. “They are not safe. You must get them back from that dark Knight.”
“Do not read my mind!” Mark Andrew told him adamantly.
“As you wish. But it is much easier than talking to you.” Lemarik folded himself down on the table beside the wine bottle.
“Don’t get comfortable! I want you to go now and bring Lucio home.”
“I’m doing that as we speak,” Lemarik explained and frowned at him. “Do not interrupt me while I am working, I beg you, my Lord.”
Mark Andrew sat up and blinked at him in consternation. The sparks swirled around his head and flew away toward the kitchen. The Djinn sat perfectly still on the table. Unblinking. Unmoving. Mark Andrew got up slowly and waved one hand in front of the wizard’s face. He was gone. Only his body remained.
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