Category: Fantasy Publisher: Wildside Press
ISBN-10: 1434441024
Type: Fiction
Pages: 324
Copyright: May 25, 2012
ISBN-13: 9781434441027
An adventure fantasy.
"The child must leave ... immediately ... take the sword ... to the Keepers ... there’s a diamond coming..." A murdered man's last words, a four-bladed dagger set with a huge diamond, and a hidden sword launch Kyth, his brother Alder, and their friend Ellah on a perilous journey from theirhome in the Forestlands to the White Citadel, hidden in the distant mountains. Pursued by Knights of the Holy Star and a Majat Assassin, they are joined by Kara, a young mercenary whose fighting skills help save the three teens from their deadly enemies.
In Tallan Dar, bloodlines determine destiny, and Duke Evan Dorn's line is of the best. Yet the Reverend Haghos wants to put a puppet on the throne -- Duke Evan's rightful throne. Surrounded by spies and held prisoner in his own castle, Duke Evan makes a desperate break for freedom. To save his Kingdom, to prevent the Reverend from usurping his power, he must find two things: the child he gave up so many years ago, and the First Sword...
Excerpt
CHAPTER 1:: MESSENGER
From the hiding place in the thick, crawling patch of tentacle bushes, the Or’halla grass plain beyond the Hedge looked like a giant pool of glimmering water. The lone rider sped across like a bird, the wings of his cloak flying behind. His pursuers’ sleek gray Shandorian lizard-beasts blended in with the grass. They were closing in fast.
Kyth, Alder, and Ellah held their breaths, watching.
“Bet you a copper they’ll overtake him before he reaches the boulder,” Alder said.
Kyth crept a few inches forward and rose on his elbows, peering through the damp, quivering tentacles. The brown shape of the boulder loomed over the carpet of grass no more than a hundred paces ahead of the chase. The rider leaned forward in the saddle and raised a whip, but the tired chestnut couldn’t run any faster.
Kyth judged the narrowing gap.
“You’re on,” he told his brother.
Beside him, Ellah snorted. “How can you make bets on a man’s life!”
“Don’t be silly,” Kyth said, eyes fixed on the chase. “Priests don’t kill.”
“Priests don’t chase people either,” she insisted.
The three exchanged glances. The possibility did cross their minds, yet none of them would say it out loud. Only a desperate man would wear a priest disguise and risk the wrath of the Church. The three lizard-beast riders looked far from desperate as they closed in on their prey.
The rider neared the boulder. From this distance, it was still impossible to make out his features, but his long, flying hair looked dark, almost black in the gleaming sunlight. Black?
The priest in front lifted a crossbow. A high-pitched whistle cut the air.
The first instalment of The Tales of Bowen unfolds a mesmerizing anthology of narratives intricately woven together by a grand overarching storyline, set against the enchanting backdrop of the mystical realms of Dagonfell.
Born of their seeds, kingdom will rise against kingdom, one will hold great mysteries, one will turn the tide and one will not be bound. War is fought, not only on the field but also within the mind. Nothing is what it seems take nothing for granted.
