Carthinal spent the next few weeks learning the language of the underworld. The Rooster would not allow him to leave the headquarters until he was reasonably proficient. He must be able to talk with other members of the gang without the Guard understanding.

One day, after he had been with The Beasts for six months, The Rooster called to him. “Fox, you go with Wren. There’ll be lots of punters out in the market. She’ll pick a pocket, then pass it to you. You leave in th’ opposite direction an’ come back ’ere. Don’t run. That’d raise suspicions.”

Carthinal grinned. At last The Rooster trusted him to do a job. His eyes glowed with a seeming inner light, and he jigged on the spot.

“Fox,” The Rooster called as they passed him. “Cover yer ’ead. Yer auburn ’air is too distinctive. Can’t do anything ’bout those eyes, but don’t look straight at anyone. No one else ’as eyes that dark blue.”

Carthinal nodded as he pulled a hood over his hair, and left in the company of The Wren.

The Wren had brown hair and eyes, and was of small stature. They walked to the market, but as soon as they entered The Wren whispered to Carthinal.

“We separate here. Keep me in sight. When you see me bump into a punter, come to me. Don’t stop. I’ll put the stuff into your hand. Keep on going and don’t look at me.”

Carthinal mingled with the crowds, pretending to look at the goods in the market, but always keeping The Wren in sight. She passed many people, and Carthinal wondered how she chose her victim. He saw her stumble and bump into a rich-looking woman.

He walked quickly towards her and heard her say. “I’m sorry ma’am. Caught me foot on summat.” She looked down as if to search for what had tripped her.

Carthinal walked by, close to the woman and The Wren, and felt her hand touch his. He gripped something and continued walking, After a few yards he turned in the direction of the gang headquarters.

“Well done. You’re a natural.” The Wren caught him up.

Carthinal grinned at her. “I did alright, then?”

“Very good for a first time. In fact, I’ve had buddies worse than that after years of practice.”

Carthinal puffed his chest out. He would make sure he was the best in the gang.

The Rooster patted them both on the back. “Looks like you’ll make a good pair. A good haul here, too. There’s even an emperor in the purse.”

He held up a large coin made of platinum. “A few copper royals, ten silver crowns, and three gold monarchs as well.” He grinned and then sent them to get some food at the opposite end of the large room.

Carthinal had been sharing a room with The Cat who hoped to be a cat burglar and had begun his training. Soon, Carthinal and he became firm friends.

“What do you want to do, here?” queried The Cat one day.

Carthinal shrugged. “Not sure.”

“How do you fancy being a burglar? Lots of excitement.”
“No, that doesn’t appeal to me, really.”

“Y’ could be a pick-pocket, like The Wren, or The Rooster could set yer up in a shop in town, an’ you could be a fence.” The Cat’s gaze scanned Carthinal from head to foot. “I don’t think you’d be very good as security, though. We need people built like The Bull for that. Then there’re th’ beggars. They play on people’s sympathy. Usually with an injury or summat. You ain’t got no injury, but you’re pretty enough to make punters feel sorry for yer.”

“I’ve not thought about it, Cat. I suppose I should, really."

It was decided for him, eventually.

The Rooster called him one day. “Fox, yer must earn yer keep. We ain’t a charity. Go over to The Snake and say I told ’im ter teach you ‘ow ter pick a pocket.”

Carthinal began to learn the art of picking pockets under The Snake’s tutelage. The Snake, as his name implies, was a slippery customer. He was tall and slender with thin, brown hair and green eyes.

“I ’ave a pouch in me pocket. I’m gonna walk over there.” He pointed to the opposite side of the room. I want yer t’ get it out of me pocket. Dunna worry ’bout me feelin’ yer at th’ moment Just get it.”

This Carthinal did, In spite of what The Snake said, he tried to get it without the young man feeling him.

“Not bad. Yer technique’s not quite right, but we’ll work on that. Yer did well for a first time.”

So it went on over the next few months. Carthinal became better at picking pockets, until eventually, he was allowed to go out with The Wren again, this time to be the ‘dip’ while she received his stolen goods.

They came to the market, and Carthinal sighted a man with a bulging pocket. He stealthily walked towards him, looking the other way. Then he stumbled and bumped into the man, reaching quickly into his pocket and extracting a full purse. The Wren walked past as if she were looking at the stall, and Carthinal pressed the purse into her hand and walked away in the opposite direction.

The victim put his hand to his pocket to get his money to pay for a purchase. “Hey, I’ve been robbed.” He scanned the marketplace. Turning to the man next to him he said, “Did you see anything?”

The man shook his head.

Carthinal looked back and saw this exchange, but continued wending his way towards the gang’s headquarters. No one noticed the boy weaving between them, but concentrated on what went on at the stall, where the victim stridently called for the guard.

Back at the headquarters, The Wren handed the pouch over to The Rooster.

“Well done, the pair of you. Fox, you’re proving yourself a handy pickpocket."


So Carthinal has become a pickpocket. How will he get on stealing, given his background?
Find out on the first Tuesday of next month.

 If you want to find out more about Carthinal and his later adventures, read The Wolf Pack, Book 1 of The Wolves of Vimar series. You can get it by clicking on the title of the book and you will be taken to Amazon in your own country. The book is available in ebook and paperback formats.

please leave a comment on the comments box. I love hearing from you.

Carthinal's Story Part 3

“I’m not moving from here until I see the lawyer.” Carthinal set his mouth in a straight line.
The woman stood and rounded her desk. She took Carthinal by the arm and tried to propel him to the door. He planted his feet onto the ground and pulled back. The woman slipped and almost fell. She cried out.

A door behind the woman’s desk opened. “What’s all the noise about, Hiroma?” Then he caught sight of Carthinal. His face reddened and his hands formed fists at his side. He iseyes glam]nced from side to side.

“What do you want?” he growled.

Carthinal’s mouth formed a firm line. “I want my house back.”

“What are you talking about, boy? You are, what? thirteen years old? How can an thirteen-year-old have a house? Go back to your parents.”

“I have no parents. And I’m seventeen.”

Gromblo Grimnor laughed. “Seventeen? Seventeen? I’ve seen taller twelve-year-olds than you. Don’t try to kid me. Now, what do you really want? And who sent you? Do you want money? If you’re in some gang, they’ve not done very well with this scam.”

“You know who I am.” Carthinal looked Gromblo in the eye. “I am Carthinal. My Grandfather was Kendo Borlin. He left his house and money to me. He told me so.”

Gromblo narrowed his eyes. “So that’s your game. Trying to impersonate Carthinal. Well, I have to tell you that Carthinal is dead. He died of pneumonia last year. Some say his death was the cause of his Grandfather’s illness. That the old man never recovered from the shock. So,. You see, you can’t be Carthinal.” The lawyer laughed.

“I’m not dead. I’m here. And I want to know why you stole my home.”

Gromblo turned to Hiroma. “Go and call the Guard. We need to get this child out of here.”
As she left, Carthinal felt a tightness in his chest, and a familiar feeling welling up from his stomach. Clenching his fists, he ran at Gromblo and kicked him in the shins. The lawyer yelled, hopped on one leg for a few seconds and lunged at Carthinal, who slipped beneath his arm. Steadying himself on the wall behind the bench where Carthinal had been sitting, he turned and, with a roar, launched himself once more at the child. This time he managed to catch Carthinal’s arm. Carthinal bit the hand holding him, but Gromblo managed to hang on to the boy.

Carthinal screamed at the man. “I’m not dead. I’m here, and you’ve stolen my home and my money.”

The door opened and Hiroma appeared with a guard.

“What’s going on here?” the guard asked.

“This little rat is trying to say he’s Kendo Borlin’s grandson. You know, the head of the guilds, who died last year. I think he’s trying to get money from me.”

“Too right I am. You owe me a fortune.”

Gromblo turned to the guard. “See what I mean? I grant you he looks a bit like Carthinal, with the red hair and blue eyes, but that child is dead.”

“Do you have proof of the child’s death?”

Carthinal looked at the guard. He had not thought of that. There could not be anything to prove the demise of Carthinal. He stood right here in front of them, very much alive.
Gromblo turned to Hiroma. “Go and get the Borlin file.”

The young woman left, to return a few minutes later with a thick file. Gromblo took it and laid it on his secretary’s desk.

He fumbled through a lot of papers then pulled one out. “I did a lot of work for Kendo Borlin “Aah! Here’s the paper giving details of Carthinal’s death. Very sad it was. A lovely little boy. Such a sweet nature.”

Carthinal frowned. He had hardly seen Gromblo when he visited. Neither had he ever heard himself described as having a ‘sweet nature’. He had been too much of a rebel and short-tempered for that epithet to be applied.

The guard looked at the paper. He frowned. “Looks as if the name could have been scrubbed out.”

Gromblo paled. “Well, you know how it is. Secretaries aren’t like they used to be.” He flashed a look at Hiroma who started tapping her feet. “I expect she made a spelling mistake or something.”

The guard grunted. Carthinal thought he saw something pass between the guard and Gromblo as the guard passed the paper back, but he could not be sure. Then the guard grabbed him and propelled him towards the door, pushing him so that Carthinal rolled over in the dust in the road.

“Get out of here.” The guard gave him another push, but more gently this time. “I don’t want to see you anywhere near here in future. That lawyer’s sneaky, not like the old man who used to be there. He’ll try to do you harm if I’m not mistaken.”

With that, the guard stomped away, looking at something in his hand.

Carthinal watched as the guard disappeared round the corner of a building. What did he mean? Did he mean he believed Carthinal and not Gromlo? He made his way back to the park where he had slept. He sat on the grass and pulled out what money he had left. As he counted it, a shadow loomed over him. Carthinal looked up. A boy of about fifteen stood over him, with another standing just behind.

“Hand over your money.”

Carthinal jumped to his feet, stuffing the coins back into his pocket. “No! Why should I?”
The boy was much bigger than Carthinal. In fact, he stood a head taller, and he was broad-shouldered. His friend was a little smaller, but not by much.

“Because if you don’t, we’ll punch you until you drop it, then we’ll get it anyway. Your choice.”

Carthinal backed away, keeping his eyes on both boys as best he could, and his hand on the coins in his pocket. If he gave these thugs his money, he would have nothing to buy food with. He would starve.

They both came at him at once. Being smaller, Carthinal managed to duck under both their hands, but then he felt a blow on the back of his head. He went down, but kicked out his feet as he did so. The second boy, as luck would have it, happened to be coming in for another blow and Carthinal’s kick took both his legs from under him. He crashed down on top of his victim.

The first boy dragged his friend off but the blow Carthinal expected did not happen. He looked up to see his assailant held in a firm grip by another, even larger boy, while a smaller one pummeled the second.

Carthinal’s nostrils flared and he clenched his fists. How dare these young thugs try to steal his money. Taking advantage of the fact that he was held, he bunched his fist and slammed it into the midriff of the larger of his two assailants. The boy holding him swung him round and punched him as well. Gasping for breath, he took off, running as fast as his legs could carry him.

The smaller of the two new arrivals dipped and dodged and got in quite a lot of blow without being hit himself, but as soon as his opponent saw his friend running, he, too, turned on his heels and fled.

Panting, the smaller of his rescuers turned to Carthinal. “Right. ’oo are yer and what’re yer doin’ on our patch?”

Carthinal frowned. “Patch? I don’t understand.”

“Yer not part o’ our gang, and yer not part o’ Th’ Green Fish, either. So oo are yer?”

“Green Fish?”

The boy frowned and ran his fingers through his dark hair. “Start by tellin’ me oo yer are. Bull,’old ’im t’ make sure ’e don’t run for it. Right. We’ve never seen you ’ere before. Tell me oo yer are.”

“I’m Carthinal Borlin. I live, or rather used to live, up on the hill.”

“A rich kid,” growled Bull. “Let’s kick ’im.”

“I’m not a rich kid anymore.”

The smaller boy put his head on one side. “What d’yer mean, ‘anymore’?”

“The lawyer has taken my home and said I’m dead. He had a paper to prove it.”
Bull released Carthinal’s arms. “What d’yer think, Cat? Let him go?”

Cat shook his head. “’e’s not part o’ Green Fish. We can’t ’ave ’im wanderin’ round operatin’ on ’is own. We’ll take ’im to ’eadquarters.”

Carthinal did not know what they were talking about, but as he had no other ideas as to what he could do, he followed the pair.

They led him to an area Carthinal had never been before. Near to the docks, it was very run down. He wrinkled his nose at the smell of rotting food lying in the gutters, and carefully skirted other unmentionable things. A skinny dog barked at them as they passed, and half-starved cats jumped onto walls. Dirty children ran wild in the streets, and people looked suspiciously at Carthinal’s expensive, if dirty, clothes.

They came to a dark alley where his escorts turned off the main road and arrived at a door whose paint had mostly peeled off. Cat knocked a complex pattern and the door opened a crack. Just enough for Carthinal to see a grey eye peering out.

“Oh, it’s you.” The voice was female. Carthinal saw the eye turn to him. “Oo’s this?”

“Someone oo might want ter join us. Come on, Shrew. Open up. We need to see Rooster.”

The door creaked on its hinges as Shrew swung it back. The three entered into a long corridor.

Carthinal looked around. Inside it appeared cleaner than outside. The wooden planks on the floor had been polished and the walls looked clean and painted.

“Come on. Rooster’ll want ter see yer.” Shrew beckoned them towards a door at the end of the corridor.

Carthinal followed and found himself in a large room. Several small tables scattered around with a few people sitting at them. Some played Rond, a card game popular on Vimar. Others sat around talking or mending clothes and tools.

Light streamed in through two large windows opposite the door. As with everything else, they were clean and polished. A large table stood under one of the windows, and a man sat on a large chair behind it.

He stood as the three entered the room. He was dressed in a tunic of red and blue, with green trousers. He had his hair dyed red and it stood up. His nose was long and he craned his neck forward as he looked at them.

“What’s this you’ve brought?”

“We found ’im. Green Fish attacked ’im,” the boy known as The Cat replied. “Well, a couple of ’em, anyway. They were on our patch, so we saw ’em off.”

“Why bring ’im ’ere? ’e looks like one o’ them rich bods.”

“’e was, but ’e was cheated of ’is ’ouse, ’e sez.”

The Rooster came round the table. He walked all round Carthinal, looking him up and down. Carthinal shuffled his feet as he watched the man.

He does look like a rooster, Carthinal thought. He even walks like one.

When he returned to face Carthinal, The Rooster turned to him. “The Cat says you might want t’join us. What d’you say?”

Carthinal looked around the room. All eyes looked in his direction, and a few people had left their places and now stood around looking at him.

He turned his eyes at the person referred to as The Cat. “I never said that!”

The small, dark-haired boy grinned. “Not in so many words, no. But you were on our patch. You’ll be stealin’ soon. You steal on our patch, you better be in The Beasts or we’ll deal wi’ you like we did Green Fish”

“Who says I’ll steal? Stealing’s wrong.”

The Rooster stood up from the table and approached. “’ow much money ‘ave you, boy? You say you got no ’ome. Your money’ll run out soon. Then you’ll steal to live. You can join us or not. Up to you, but if you don’t, expect us to sort you out like we sorted Green Fish. You’ll not survive long. Green Fish’ll be after you, too. You join The Beasts and we’ll give you food, protection and a ’ome.”

Carthinal stood looking at the young man in front of him. What he said was true. He closed his eyes as he thought.

“Oh, I forgot to tell you.” The Rooster interrupted his thoughts. “We hold everything in common. You have to give us what you have.”

Carthinal stepped back. “I only have a little money left. You can’t take that.”

The Rooster shrugged. “Have it your own way.” He turned to go back to his chair. Then he stopped and looked back at Carthinal. “We’ll get th’ money anyway. One of us’ll catch you and take it. Pr’ob’ly beat you a bit, too, ’cos you’ll be on or patch, see. So you lose it anyway.”

“All right.” Carthinal felt in his pocket and pulled out his few royals, He handed it to The Rooster.

“Sensible lad.” The Rooster took the money and called to a young man sitting by the window. “Tiger, bring th’ money pot. We’ve a bit more ter put in it.”

Tiger lifted a pot from one of the shelves and carried it carefully over to The Rooster, who dropped Carthinal’s money into it.

“You need a name,” one of the girls said.

“I’m called Carthinal”

“No, a gang name. We don’t use our given names here. As we’re the Beasts, we all have animal names. I’m The Porcupine.”

Another boy chimed up, “I know. ’e’s got red ’air. 'e can be The Fox.”

So Carthinal has joined a street gang! Will he be able to fit in? What will he think about committing crimes?

Find out on the first Tuesday of August.

Are you enjoying the story of Carthinal's early life? Please let me know what you think in the comments.

If you want to know more about Carthinal, you can find out by reading The Wolf Pack. You can buy by clicking here.

Carthinal's Story

I've posted something about the people in by Wolves of Vimar series. I have now started writing about Carthinal. At the beginning of The Wolf Pack, Book 1 in The Wolves of Vimar series, he is an apprentice mage. During that book, he becomes a full mage, having taken his tests that ended his apprenticeship.

He is a good-looking half-elf, with auburn hair and incredibly deep blue eyes, almost indigo. He is ambitious in magic, and with his good looks, females of all ages tend to pursue him. He does not discourage them.

In this, part 1, of his story, he is sixteen, but, being a half-elf, his development, both physical and mental, are more that of a boy of twelve.

So let's begin his story.

Carthinal dragged his feet as he entered the house accompanied by his nanny, Blendin.
He had just returned from his grandfather’s funeral. The old man had passed away suddenly the previous week. Before that, he had seemed full of life. Carthinal could not understand what had happened. His grandfather was the only relative he had in Bluehaven, his parents and his grandmother having died.

His father had been an elf, and so, although sixteen and nominally now of age, Carthinal’s development was slower than true humans and he appeared in both physical and mental development to be a young boy of eleven years old.

The house felt empty, devoid of life. Carthinal went into the garden at the back of the house. He sat on his swing and swung idly back and forwards. What would happen to him now? Would they send him to his father’s people in Rindisillaron? It was a long way away, and he had no recollection of his paternal grandparents, although they had been in Bluehaven when he had been born.

He looked at the house. He heard the laughter of his grandmother, and his grandfather’s deep voice. He even thought he heard his mother calling to him, although both his parents had been dead for the past eight years. He jumped off the swing and picked up a stick.

Slashing at the plants in the garden gave him a little satisfaction. “Why did they all die and leave me?”

Blendin came out and found him still destroying the garden. “Come, master Carthinal. This won’t help. You need to come in and have something to eat.”

“Shan’t! I’m not hungry” He slashed at a tulip.

“What have those poor flowers done to you? You know you’ll be sorry once you’ve calmed down a bit.”

“I don’t want to go back into the house. There’s no one there. It ‘s dead. Just like Mother and Father, Grandmother and Grandfather.”

Blendin sat down on a bench and pulled the boy towards her, holding him tight. “This is now your house, Carthinal. Your grandfather left it to you in his will. You are a rich young man. If you no longer want to live here, you can sell it, I suppose, and buy somewhere else.”

Looking into the boy’s indigo eyes, Blendin saw the deep hurt he felt. She brushed his auburn hair from his face and gently led him back to the house.

The servants worked as usual. Carthinal’s grandfather had arranged that money should be sent to Promin, the butler, who then paid the other servants. Carthinal had his meals in the nursery with Blendin, although Premin had said that as the master of the house he should eat in the dining room. Carthinal could not bring himself to eat alone in that large room.

The days passed. Gromblo Grimnor, the lawyer who dealt with his grandfather’s affairs, appeared frequently at the house.

Carthinal found him snooping around in his grandfather’s study one day.

“What are you doing?” the boy asked him, frowning. “Why are you here? You’ve been coming a lot recently.”

Gromblo Grimnor smiled. With his mouth, anyway. He looked Carthinal up and down. “There are a lot of loose ends to tidy up, child. I need to come here to find things out.”

Although sixteen, Carthinal had always been treated as a child, and so he turned and left the lawyer to do what he needed to do. The law did not know what to do about a boy whose chronological age said he was an adult, but whose development said he was a child.

Eventually, he went out every day to walk around the town. Sometimes he stayed out all day. He hated being in the house. He felt so alone. He considered going back to the school his grandfather had sent him, but they, like everyone else, did not want a sixteen-year-old who looked and behaved like and eleven-year-old. His grandfather’s money had kept him there, but now, they didn’t want him.

Visits by Gromblo Grimnor increased. Carthinal asked Promin why the lawyer was there so often. The butler shrugged and shook his head.

Blendin had no idea either. “I don’t know the workings of the law,” she told him. “Perhaps it’s because your grandfather died so suddenly, or perhaps because he was so well off. Or it might even be because of you. You are an adult in Grosmer law, but still a child, really. That’s a bit confusing for the lawyers.”

What was Gromblo doing? Will Carthinal find out? Come back on the first Tuesday of June to find out.

Leave a comment to say whether you liked this story or not, and what you did or did not enjoy. It is helpful to me.

Free, Free, Free.

Did you get your FREE copy of The Never-Dying Man? Now you can get Book 3, Wolf Moon free from today. 24th April until Sunday 28th April.

Don't miss this opportunity to find out what happens to the other members of Wolf who escaped in The Never-Dying Man.

The group called Wolf have been enlisted into the Erian Army against their will, and they soon learn that an invasion is planned into their homeland of Grosmer.

As the heroes make their escape, they accidentally stumble upon an old Dwarven city, and become friends with them.

Facing enemies on all sides, the five must find where their loyalties lie, and save their homeland from certain destruction.

You can get Wolf Moon by clicking here, or on the picture.

If you want to buy the other books in the series click here for The Wolf Pack (book 1)

or here to buy The Never-Dying Man (Book 2)

If you buy any of these books, I would be very grateful if you would post a review on Amazon or Goodreads. Reviews are important to both authors and readers as they help authors get visibility and readers to find out if they think they would like the book.

With thousands of books being published each day, you can see it might be a problem to get people to know the book exists.

Please leave a comment in the comments box. 

Another chance at a Freebie

From tomorrow, April 15th, the second book in The Wolves of Vimar Series, The Never-Dying Man, is FREE for 5 days only. The offer ends on Friday 19th April.

Hurry and get your copy before it’s too late. You can get it by clicking on the title or the book cover. You will be taken to its Amazon page where you are.

You can also get Book 1, The Wolf Pack, by clicking here,

and Book 3, Wolf Moon, here.

On Tuesday, I will be hosting a new member of the Creativia family. Sean Robbins has his very first book on pre-order. Don’t forget to come around and find out more about Sean and his book. It sound interesting.

FREE! FREE! FREE!

From now until 20th January, The Never-Dying Man, book 2 in The Wolves of Vimar Series, is FREE. Get your copy before it's too late. Click here to go to Amazon where you are.

In this book, the friends who call themselves Wolf go to rescue a friend's kidnapped child and find themselves captauredby the Erian Army and taken to the capital city, Frelli. Here they meet The Master of Erian and discover some disturbing truths. They have to escape in order to deliver their information to the government in Grosmer, but this is not as easy as it sounds, and Carthinal has to face some unpleasant truths about himself.

Free Book

Book 1 of The Wolves of Vimar is FREE from today until 22nd. Don't miss your chance to get your copy. You can also buy the paperback version. Visit Amazon's website at http://mybook.to/TheWolfPack

Free Book

From today, October 18th, The Never-Dying Man, Book 2 of The Wolves of Vimar Series, is FREE on Amazon.

It is only available for 5 days, until 22nd October, so hurry and get your copy.

Here is a bit about it.

After finding Sauvern's Sword, the companions set off to help a friend rescue his child from kidnappers. Instead, they stray into Erian and find preparations for war. They are drafted into the Erian army but are recognized by an old enemy, who arrests some of them and takes them to Frelli, the capital of Erian, where they are put in jail.

The Master of Erian frees them and offers them work. Meanwhile, Carthinal has to face some unpleasant truths about himself. Is his desire to further his magical career more important than his friends and country? After they discover terrible truths about the Master and his magical research, they will need to escape in order to tell the leaders of Grosmer about the plans for war.

Why not get a copy of Books 1 and 2 as well? Click on the links to buy.

The Wolf Pack. Book 1

The Never-Dying Man. Book 2

Wolf Moon. Book 3

An Interview with Basalt Strongarm from The Wolf Pack

After much persuasion, I managed to get an interview with Basalt, the dwarf friend of Carthinal.

Me: Good morning, Basalt. Thank you for giving me your time.

Basalt: Hmm! I'm very busy. I hope you don't intend to be too long.

Me. No, this shouldn't take more than a few minutes. Just trying to find a bit about you.

Basalt: Well, what do you want to know?

Me: You've lived in Grosmer for a long time, but you weren't born here, were you?

Basalt: No, I was born in the Dwarven homeland of Graal. It's at the southern end of the Western Mountains, you know. As far away from those flighty elves as we can get.

Me: But one of your friends is an elf, and another a half elf. Surely you can't think all of them are flighty.

Basalt: Did I say I thought of them all as flighty? Of course not. Asphodel and Carthinal are just normal folks. So is Yssa. But they will give their children such unpronounceable names.

Me, smiling: So you are not against all elves, then?

Basalt: It's not me you should be worrying about, but the other dwarves who still think like that. I'm willing to accept that elves, like dwarves and people, have all kinds of folk.

Me: Tell me about your early life,

Basalt: I was my parents' second child. My brother, Schist, is much older than I am. My parents, Granite and Emerald, had given up hope of another child, then I came along. I guess they spoiled me because of it.

Me: How did Schist react to your birth.

Basalt: He was very good to me. He played with me, looked after me when my parents were down the mine and we got on very well.

Me: Why did you leave Graal then?

Basalt: Everything was fine until my parents were killed in a mine collapse. Then Schist took over the running of the mine. (It belonged to my parents, see). We were supposed to be joint owners, but then she came along.

Me: She?

Basalt: Opal. She set her sights at him when she realised he would be part owner of the mine and rich. They got married, and gradually she poisoned him against me. They gave me all the worst and most dangerous jobs.

Me: But if Schist was so fond of you, how could she manage to turn him.

Basalt: Well, when our parents died, I was still only a little whippersnapper. I'd only just started my apprenticeship. Opal argued that as I was not a qualified miner, and had not worked to build up the mine as had Schist, then it was unfair that I should have equal shares with him. Somehow she managed to convince him. I think she hoped that by giving me dangerous jobs she hoped I'd be killed. So I left.

Me: And made your way to Grosmer where, I believe, you learned the trade of metalworking.

Basalt nodded: And I've never regretted it. I love working with metal--making beautiful things as well as useful ones. I also taught myself to carve wood, I make toys for my friends' children, and I made an amulet for each member of The Wolf Pack, indicating their character as well as showing they are members.

Me: Well, I'll let you get back to your work. Thank you for agreeing to this interview.

Basalt: Well, I'll be off. Work to finish. Goodbye.

Free Book

 

 

From tomorrow, 19th August, The Wolf Pack will be free on Amazon until 23rd. Just log in to http://mybook.to/TheWolfPack for your copy.

Whle you're there, why not buy books 2 and 3, The Never-Dying Man http://mybook.to/NeverDying and Wolf Moon, http://mybook.to/WolfMoonVM

 

Little does Carthinal know that the journey to Hambara for him to take his mage tests will lead to a great adventure and the making of new friends.

 

But when he is asked to go to find a long-lost artifact, he and five others set off on the quest. This group is made up of a very disparate bunch of people who need to learn to get on with each other before they can complete the task. There is the threat of fireworks erupting between them due to their different characters.

 

The quest leads then through many dangers and their lives are threatened in many ways. Each of them needs to face their own personal fears, and none of them returns unchanged.

 

Release of Wolf Moon

At last the wait is over. You can now buy Book 3 of The Wolves of Vimar, Wolf Moon.


The group called Wolf have been enlisted into the Erian Army against their will, and they soon learn that an invasion is planned into their homeland of Grosmer.
As the heroes make their escape, they accidentally stumble upon an old Dwarven city, and become friends with them.
Facing enemies on all sides, the five must find where their loyalties lie, and save their homeland from certain destruction.

This part follows the 5 members of Wolf who were not arrested and taken to Frelli. Their adventures and discoveries are no less astounding than those taken prisoner. Strange people and impossible creatures cross their path, and they need to use their wit and imagination to get home.

You can buy your copy of Wolf Moon by clicking on the picture above, or on this link.



If you haven’t already purchased books 1 and 2, you can get them by clicking on the links below, on the book image here or on My Books page.

The Wolf Pack

The Never-Dying Man

If you have read any of The Wolves of Vimar series, please would you leave a review. Reviews are important to authors and readers alike, as they help readers find the kind of books they like, and authors to connect with their readers. Thank you.

Please leave a comment and I’ll get back to you.

Book Launch

I've just received copies of Wolf Moon, Boook 3 of The Wolves of Vimar Series, for approval. As soon as I give the go ahead, it will be on sale.

This book follows the half of Wolf not arrested and taken to Frelli, the capital of Erian. They must escape and take news of the war preparations being made by Erian. During their escape, they have many adventures and surprises.

I will let you know as soon as it is with Amazon.

The Finding of the Prophecy from The Wolf Pack. A never-before seen part of the story.

I originally wrote this as the first chapter of The Wolf Pack, but I had a comment from someone who read the book that it was too slow to start and so I eliminated the first few chapters. It has not been published before and so you will be getting a very first glimpse of the earlier time. before the actual story starts. I hope you enjoy it.

The half-elf leafed through the book he was studying. He was due to take the tests to end his apprenticeship soon. Mabryl, his master and adopted father had sent off to the Mage Tower in Hambara asking for the young man to be considered for the tests at the next opportunity.

He was a tall, handsome young man, just over six feet with shoulder-length auburn hair, a closely trimmed beard and eyes of an intense blue. He was sitting in the study at the home of Mabryl in Bluehaven, which was situated on the south coast of the land of Grosmer. With him were Mabryl's other two apprentices, 14 year old Tomac and 16 year old Emmienne. Tomac pushed a lock of his unruly dark hair out of his eyes.

'I think that's the Master coming in now, Carthinal,' he said. 'You'd better look as though you've been doing something instead of moping around waiting for that letter or you'll be in trouble.'

Just as he said this, the door opened and Mabryl entered shaking his cloak out as he did so.

'It's cold out there,' he said, 'and it's turning to snow if I'm not much mistaken. Unusual this far south.'

He turned to his three apprentices. 'Have you finished the tasks I set you?' he asked as he hung his cloak on a stand by the door. Carthinal stood up and walked over to the fire, putting a fresh log on to the flames.

'Come and get warm, and, no I've not finished. I can't seem to settle down to anything until I hear about whether I can take the tests soon. I think Emmienne has finished though. I can't say about Tomac.'

'Nearly,' replied Tomac, jumping down from his chair and carrying his workbook to his master. 'I was a little stuck on the moon phases though. It's complicated trying to work out both moons at the same time.'

'Stick to it, youngster,' Emmienne said from the window seat. She grinned across at the younger boy, the grin lighting up her otherwise rather plain face. 'I had problems too, but it comes eventually.'
Tomac groaned and went back to his seat.

'I've finished though, Sir,' she said. 'I've learned that new spell you gave me and am sure I can make it work. When can I try it?'

Mabryl laughed. 'Such enthusiasm. We'll try it out tomorrow, I think. In the meantime, I've made what I think may be a big discovery. Perhaps the most important one for many, many years. Look,' and he put an ancient looking book on the table. The three apprentices gathered round.

'I think it may be a spell book from before the Forbidding,' he went on.

Emmienne gasped. 'That is old, and if it is, we'll be able to find lost spells. You'll be famous, Sir.'

'Calm down, Emm. It may not be the spell-book of a magister, or even an arch-mage,' smiled Carthinal. 'It may have just the spells we already know and not any of the lost ones.'

Just over seven hundred years previously there had been a war between conflicting mages. It had caused such devastation and hardship to everyone that the king had forbidden the use of magic on pain of death and all spell books were ordered to be burned. Some, however, had been rescued and these came to light occasionally. During the time of the Fobidding, as it came to be known, much knowledge had been lost and there were currently mages working to try to re-discover the lost spells. If this book were to be of use, it would need to be taken to one of these mages.

Just then the door opened and Lillora, Mabryl's housekeeper entered.

'Sorry to disturb you, sir,' she said, 'but a bird arrived a few minutes ago. I thought you should know.'

'I'll come and look then,' replied the mage and left the three apprentices to their own devices.

Carthinal picked up the book that Mabryl had bought and began to leaf through it. He could understand little of what was written there. Firstly it was in an archaic script and language and secondly he was as yet only an apprentice and had not the knowledge to understand more than a limited number of spells.

 He frowned as he tried to read the words on the page. He lifted the book from the table to take it nearer to the light when a loose page fell onto the floor. He stooped to pick it up and realised that he could read it, unlike the rest of the book, and that it was not a page that had fallen out, but a note that had been inserted. He took it to the window seat and sat down by Emmienne to read it.

'What's that?' asked the brown-haired girl, straining to read it upside down.

'I'm not sure,' replied Carthinal, wrinkling his brow. 'It fell out of this book that Mabryl has bought but it doesn't seem to be the same writing, nor is it in the same archaic script. It's a note of some kind.' He paused to read it.

Just then, Mabryl came back holding a piece of paper in his hand.

'It's good news, Carthinal,' he told the young man. 'There is a space for you to take your tests in the next batch, which takes place just before Grillon's Day. That's in about five sixdays time so we'll need to leave here in three sixdays to allow us time to settle in before your ordeal.' He saw that Carthinal was holding a paper. 'What's that you've got there?' he queried.

'It fell out of the book you bought,' replied Carthinal. 'It doesn't seem to be by the author of the book though. It's in a more modern script that I can read. It doesn't make much sense though.' He handed it to the other man who read it, then read it again, this time out loud.

'“When Kalhera descends from the mountains, and orcs once more roam the land,
When impossible beasts occur and the Never-Dying man is once more at hand,
Then the Sword that was lost must once more be found; only it can destroy the threat
And kill the immortal mortal to balance out his debt.”

Well,' he continued, 'it seems a rather strange thing to write and it doesn't make a lot of sense. How can Kalhera descend from the mountains? She's a god and the gods don't come down to Vimar.'

He turned the page in his hand and saw some more writing on the back. 'This says that it is a quotation from something that the writer heard and wrote down. The author says he visited the Oracle on the Holy Island and this was what he was told the oracle had said earlier in the day, but to no one in particular. Only the attendants were present it seems.'

He replaced the paper in the book on the table and turned to Carthinal.

'We must take this to a colleague of mine in the Mage Tower when we go,' he continued. 'She is working on finding the old spells, I believe, and this may be of use to her. The loose note may be a prophecy if it came from the Oracle, but who knows when it was made? It could be that it was centuries ago, or yesterday; and it could be referring to a time well in the future or even in the past. I think we should ignore it for now. Lillora says that our lunch is almost ready, so I suggest we go to the table before she gets mad.'

So the three apprentices forgot all about the book and the note as they enjoyed Mabryl's housekeeper's excellent cooking. After the meal they returned to their studies. Mabryl gave them all tasks to complete and then went out again to visit the Duke of Bluehaven, who was an old friend of his, taking the book with him.

Duke Danu of Bluehaven had trained at the Mage Tower in his youth. He had some talent for magic, but with the death of his elder brother in an epidemic, he had to take over the duties and prepare to become the Duke one day. He had never taken the tests to end his apprenticeship, but he retained an interest in magic and still practiced it in a small way. 'To keep my hand in.' he told people.
Today he was sitting in his study going over the accounts of the duchy when a knock came at the door.

'Arch-mage Mabryl to see you, sir,' said his butler.

'Send him in, then,' replied Danu, rising from his seat and walking over to clasp Mabryl in a hug. 'You've not been to visit in some while, my friend,' he scolded the other man. 'Busy with your three apprentices, I suppose.'

Mabryl smiled at the Duke. 'Yes, they do keep me busy. Carthinal is ready to take his tests and become a full mage now.'

'Is that so?' Duke Danu raised an eyebrow. 'Hardly seems any time at all when you took that scruffy little urchin in off the streets. Everyone thought you were mad, you know. Taking a street child to be your apprentice; and then adopting him. Well, it seems we were wrong. He's turning out all right.'

'Considering his background, yes. He still has his faults and I can't say there weren't times when I agreed with you that I'd done the wrong thing. But I didn't come here to talk about Carthinal. I've made a discovery and I want your opinion.' He pulled the spell-book out of a bag at his side. 'I'm going to take this to Yssa at the Mage Tower when I take Carthinal. She will be the best to decide how important it is.' He handed the book to Danu.

The Duke whistled. 'This is important, Mabryl. I can't read it, but it certainly looks like a spell-book to me. It's old and could easily date to before the Forbidding.' He picked up the note that was still between its pages. 'What's this?' he asked.

'A little note that was in the book. Carthinal found it. It doesn't seem to belong to the book though, and I've thought it could be a hoax. Someone putting a seeming prophecy in an important old book.'

'Maybe, but I don't think so. Some research I've been doing suggests that Grosmer is about to face some danger. This may be a prophecy about that. I would suggest you take it to Rollo in Hambara when you go. His library is much more extensive than mine is and he can find out more. I've been in touch with him about this possible danger so he knows a little of what I suspect.'

'I don't know Duke Rollo,' Mabryl replied. 'He may not believe me. I've heard he's a suspicious man. I think that this note maybe a hoax even if you don't. I'll need to prove that I've come from you.'

'I'll write you a letter to give to him,' Danu said going over to his desk and picking up his pen. 'I'll also give you this.' He picked up a small statuette of a trotting horse about three inches long and two high that sat on his desk. 'It’s one of a pair that we found in our adventuring days. He has the other. He'll know that I've sent you when he sees that, especially if you ask him about the other one. Now, sit down and I'll get some wine for us to drink while we talk about other things.'

So the two old friends passed the afternoon remembering past times and gossiping about the goings on in the city of Bluehaven as the afternoon passed into evening and the Duke's work lay unfinished on the desk.


Follow this link to buy your copy of The Wolf Pack.

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Horselords 8

One day, as the couple was travelling through wooded country and it was getting dusk, they found themselves in a clearing and decided to rest for the night. It was the last night of Majordar, and bitterly cold. An easterly wind was blowing from the Mountains of Doom, bringing the promise of a freezing night.

There was a spring in the clearing, turning into a small stream which gurgled its way through the trees on its way to join the Avrimar, the river that passed close to Eribor, and hence to the Inner Sea by way of the Mistmere. They lit a fire to try to keep some of the cold at bay and to cook the last of their provisions bought from a friendly farmer the previous day, then they settled down close to the fire to rest.

Suddenly, Kimi became aware of a growing light in the clearing. She opened her eyes, thinking that it could not possible be dawn yet as they had only just got to sleep. The clearing seemed to be filled with a soft golden light, and a feeling of peace and calm stole over her. She felt Davrael stir at her side, and then sit up and look around. The voice came then, soft and gentle.

It was a deep male voice, and it said, ‘Kimi, Davrael, my children. Do not be afraid, but approach the spring.’

They looked at each other and stood. The voice, although kind and gentle seemed to command their obedience as they walked hand in hand to the spring, which now seemed to look more like a beautiful fountain to their eyes. They did not see the figure at first, but then he spoke again.

‘You are blessed, my children. Love such as yours is a wonderful and rare thing. You have both given up much to be together, and you will be rewarded. I believe you wish to be committed to each other for the rest of your lives?’

‘Who are you?’ they both said at once. ‘And how do you know who we are?’ Kimi added.

‘That matters not,’ the voice replied. ‘Do you wish to vow to each other eternal love and fidelity?’

The shadowy figure stepped forward and they saw a man dressed as a scribe, carrying a scroll and a pen. He had white hair, but his face did not look old, and he was wearing a purple robe, the colour worn by the clerics of Zol, the god of learning and the consort of Kassilla, the chief deity.

After exchanging a brief look, the young couple replied in the affirmative.

‘Step forward to the spring,’ commanded the cleric.

This they did, and he asked them to speak their promises to each other.

‘Say whatever is in your heart,’ he told them, and I will record it on the scroll. Davrael began. He looked deep into Kimi’s eyes and said, ‘Kimi, my little Mouse, I promise you that I will always love you. I will give my life for you if that is necessary. I will never love another. You are my reason for living, and without you I am incomplete. This I swear before the gods themselves.’

Then Kimi replied, ‘Davrael, my one and only love, I swear before all the gods that I have never loved anyone else the way I love you. I will remain faithful to you for my entire life. Even if you should die before me, I will remain faithful to your memory, and if I should die before you, I will wait for you beyond the veil until we can go on or be reborn together.’

Their promises made, the strange man then said, ‘Enter the fountain together, and be bathed in its waters.’

After they had done so, the scribe smiled at them both, then became more serious. ‘Your promises have been noted and are irrevocable. You can now consider yourselves married. Your lives will not be easy my children.’ he went on. ‘You will face tragedy, but you will also know great happiness, and as you share your great love, you will also come to know great friendship too. You have a task before you. It will not be easy, but you have each other’s love to aid you. Go in peace, my children.’

With that, the figure disappeared. Kimi thought she heard glorious music for a while, but then that too faded. The pair looked around and to their surprise, the winter glade had become transformed by a profusion of spring flowers that were definitely not there before. The newly married couple then returned to their bed by the fire, silently wondering exactly what had just happened.

The next morning, when they awoke, Kimi related a strange and beautiful dream to Davrael. Oddly, he too seemed to have had the same dream. They rose and went to wash in the stream. Half way there, Kimi stopped and silently pointed to their surroundings. There in the glade were hundreds of spring flowers.

‘Could it have been real, Davrael?’ she whispered. ‘Who was that man?’

Her new husband put his arm around her and hugged her to him. ‘I think, my little Mouse, we have been in the presence of one of the gods. I think that Zol himself has married us.’


Has Zol married the lovers? What did his words mean?

If you want to find out more about Kimi and Davrael, read The Wolf Pack, Book 1  in The wolves of Vimar Series.
Follow this link. http://mybook.to/thewolfpack

A Special Offer

On March 5th and 6th The Wolf Pack will be available on Amazon on special offer.

Hurry. don't miss this opportunity to get Book 1 of The Wolves of Vimar Series for only $0.99, £0.99.
Two days only.

You can get it by clicking on this link. It will take you to the book's page on Amazon in your country, or you can click the book image in the sidebar,

http://mybook.to/The WolfPack

About the book.

When Carthinal leaves Bluehaven to go to take the tests that would end his apprenticeship and make him a full mage, little does he realize the changes that are about to take place in his life. Strange prophecies dog his footsteps and he meets new friends. They are sent on a quest to discover a long lost artifact. On their journey they meet with sorrow and pleasure as well as many dangers. Help is found in the most unexpected places, they face their innermost fears and have great surprises. None of them returns unchanged.

Horselords 6

Kimi rode her own piebald horse as they trotted out of the camp, waved off by Andrid. Kimi felt happy and began to hum a tune. She was going home at last, and her longing to see her family made her excited.

But it was a long way. The Swooping Hawks held a large territory, and it would take nearly a sixday to get back to Kimi's father's farm.

Each evening, Davrael came to talk with Kimi in her tent. Mimola sat at the back sewing so the two young people could talk without her presence disturbing them. At first, Kimi asked her to join them, but she declined saying she had sewing to do. She was embroidering a tunic for Andrid. It was a surprise for him and this was an ideal opportunity for her to be able to get on with it without him knowing.

During the journey, the pair got to know each other better. Kimi liked what she saw of the young warrior.

One evening, Davrael said, 'You remind me of a little mouse, Kimi.'

Kimi frowned. 'A mouse?' she said.

'Yes, a mouse. Not because you're timid. You are definitely not that, but you are small and brown, and very sweet. Your hair is brown and your eyes are brown, and you are very tiny.'

Kimi was not sure quite how to take this comparison, but she decided to accept it as a compliment. She smiled at the man opposite her. He looked into her eyes with his paler brown ones and she felt as though an electric shock passed through her. He seemed to jerk back slightly himself, as if he, too. had felt something. She saw a slight frown pass across his face, then he was back to normal.

Each evening passed in a similar way until they reached the edge of the lands claimed by Kimi's family. Then, Davrael gave orders for his men to stay where they were with the horses and he and Kimi rode on towards the homestead.

The sun had just begun to set when they arrived at the farm. They reined in their horses just as Kimi's mother came out of the house. She carried a bucket towards the well when she noticed them.

Giving a scream of delight and surprise, she dropped the bucket and ran towards the pair. Kimi slid off her horse and ran towards her mother, falling into her arms.

'Kimi, you're back, you're back,' said her mother, over and over again.

Her father came out of the barn at that moment and saw Kimi. He dropped the bucket he carried and ran to where the girl and her mother stood, still hugging each other.

'Kimi,' he said, tearing her away from his wife and hugging her to him. 'We thought you lost, perhaps even dead, and here you are returned to us. Praise to Kassilla.'

Kimi extricated herself from her father and turned towards where Davrael sat on his horse a little way away. She beckoned him to come forward and he dismounted and led his horse to where the family stood. Before Kimi could say a word, her father's face darkened.

'I suppose you've come for a reward. Taking our little girl and then bringing her back. Not to mention the horses. Where are they? I expect you've kept them.'

Kimi's face fell. She turned to her father. 'It wasn't like that, father. Davrael did not capture me.'

'Hmm. Then how come you're with him now?'

'Father, he rescued me. I was captured by the Prowling Lynx. Davrael's from the Swooping Hawks. The Lynx were the ones who stole our horses, and me. They wanted fresh blood in the tribe and were going to make me marry the son of their chief. He was horrible. He's a cruel young man.'

'They're all the same, the Tribes. Thieves all. If it hadn't been the Lynx it would have been the Hawks no doubt.'

Kimi's eyes filled with tears. 'Father, the Swooping Hawks are honest and they've punished the Lynx, including their chief. They would never have done the things the Lynx did.'

'Perhaps they didn't steal the horses, but where are they now? Tell me that.'

Davrael held up his hand and whistled. From out of a stand of trees, three warriors drove the missing horses. Kimi rushed to the gate of the paddock and opened it as the men drove the animals in.

'But you want a reward, don't you? Your kind never do anything for nothing. What do you want?'

'I'm just happy that Kimi is back with her family. and safe. I want nothing more.'

'Well go, then. You've brought our daughter back. There's nothing more for you here. I won't pander to the greed of the Tribes. It'd only encourage more theft and kidnapping.'

Davrael leaped onto his horse's back and, calling to his men, he galloped ioff into the distance.

Kimi rounded on her father, tears in her eyes.

'How could you, Father? Davrael was so kind to me. You were rude and now he's gone.' She burst into tears without quite knowing why.

'Come in, dear,' her mother said. 'You must have something to eat and a nice hot drink,' and she led her daughter towards the house. Kimi turned to look at her father.

'I didn't think you could be so hard, father,' she said. 'Davrael is a nice, decent human being,'

'Of course he is. He wants you to think that, then you'll be able to get round me to provide a reward. Or so he thinks.'

He turned and went back to his work.

Kimi was glad to be home with her family, of course she was, but she did miss Davrael. This surprised her as they'd not known one another very long. then one day, about a sixday later, as she rode along past some trees, a rider came out, She screamed, but then recognised Davrael.

Riding up to him, with a huge smile on her face, she said, 'Davrael, what are you doing here?'

'I came to see you. I needed to see you. Kimi, I missed you.'

'And I you, Davrael. I'm sorry my father was so horrid.'

'Kimi, in the time we've been apart, I realised I wanted to see you more and more. My tribe had moved near to the border of your land, following the horses and so, if you wish, we can meet a few times each sixday.'

He looked so anxious that Kimi almost laughed, but she smiled and said. 'Of course I want to see you, Davrael.'

During the next few months, the couple met as often as they could until one day, Davrael said he wanted to marry Kimi. He had told his father, but he had forbidden marriage with one of the Settlers. The Tribes view of the Settlers was not much better than that of the Settlers for the Tribes. Davrael's father had also arranged for a young woman to visit to see if Davrael liked her, so they could marry. It would be a disgrace and a dishonour if Davrael were to reject her out of hand. The young man told Kimi he would be prepared to give up his place in the Tribe and settle down in one place, if that was what was needed.

Later, Kimi spoke to her mother and told her of Davrael's promise.

'Your father will never agree, even if Davrael does settle down, although I can't see him doing so, The Tribes are wanderers.

'Mother, once our ancestors were wanderers, too, and they settled. I'm sure Davrael can do it.'

Of course, her mother was right. Her father adamantly put down his foot. No daughter of his would marry a Tribesman. He would find her a nice, steady young man to marry, and give them six of his best horses for a wedding present as well as some land.

The pair met in secret then, hoping against hope something would change.

Will Davrael and Kimi manage to change their parents' minds to allow them to marry? Read next month's instalment to find out.

Please leave any comments on this episode in the comments box below.

If you want to know more about Davrael and Kimi, read The Wolf Pack.

http://mybook.to/TheWolfPack

Another Offer.

First, a reminder that tomorrow is the last day for you to get The Wolf Pack, Book 1 of The Wolves of Vimar, for a mere £0.99/$0.99. If you've not got your copy yet, hurry an follow this link to find out more about the people you've been reading about in my serialised stories, and in the interviews..

http://mybook.to/TheWolfPack

Now to the next offer. Do you have a present to buy for a fantasy lover? Then The Stones of Earth and Air is on offer for a mere £0.99/$0.99 from today until next Sunday, 10th December. Don't miss this fantastic opportunity to buy. Follow the link to the Amazon store where you are.

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An apology

I just realised I've not given you a link to get The Wolf Pack at the special price of £0.99 or $0.99.

This link will take you to the book's page on Amazon in the country where you are.

Don't forget this offer is only until 5th December, so hurry and don't miss it.

Here's the link.

http://mybook.to/thewolfpack

A Thrilling Offer

Starting tomorrow, November 29th and continuing until 5th December, you can get The Wolf Pack, Book 1 of The Wolves of Vimar series for only $0.99 or £0.99;
Don't miss out on this exciting offer.

The Wolf Pack

To end his apprenticeship and be admitted to the ranks of the mages is all Carthinal wants, so he is excited to travel from Bluehaven to Hambara, where the tests will take place. He did not expect to end up travelling far beyond Hambara on a quest to find the long lost sword of the legendary King Sauvern.

Along with three strangers he met on his journey, the beautiful but headstrong elven cleric, Asphodel, Fero, a dark foreigner from lands far to the south, and a fearless dwarf, Basalt, Carthinal reluctantly sets out on this seemingly impossible quest.

Followed by Randa, the snooty aristocratic daughter of the Duke of Hambara and a very young runaway thief, known as Thad, Carthinal has to decide whether to send them back or allow them to continue on this dangerous quest. There will certainly be fireworks as Randa will try to take over the leadership of the group.

Faced with wolf attacks and near death in the mountains, Carthinal and his friends have to accept help from the least likely sources and face their innermost fears.

But this is more than a simple adventure. The fate of a nation hangs in the balance.

Horselords 5

They rode into the camp to be greeted by Chief Andrid, Davrael’s father.

‘You were gone a long time, son,’ he said.

Davrael slid from his horse and embraced his father.

‘We had some problems,’ he replied. ‘We found some of the Prowling Lynx on our territory. We followd them for a while, then approached. They attacked us, so we had to retaliate.’
‘Were any of our men hurt?’

Davrael shook his head.

‘Those Lynx are no match for the Swooping Hawks. We easily defeated them. But they had stolen some horses from the settlers at the far side of our territory. What’s more, when the settlers tried to regain their horses, the Lynx took a young woman captive. We rescued her.’

‘Well done, son,’ Andrid said. ‘That’s typical of the Lynx. What were they going to do with the girl? Ask for ransom?’

‘No. The chief was going to make her marry his son.’

Andrid’s face grew red and he clenched his fists at his side.

‘What!’ he exclaimed. ‘That is against all our laws and customs. The Tribes do not force marriage on anyone.’

Davrael then brought Kimi forward and introduced her to his father.

He smiled at her and said, ‘We will make sure you are returned to your family, but we need you as a witness to what these men have done. We will begin the trial tomorrow.’

Davrael gave Kimi into the hands of his mother. She smiled warmly at the girl and told her to call her Mimola. Kimi smiled back and soon found herself telling Mimola all about her ordeal with the Prowling Lynx. That night she slept in Mimola’s tent. the best night’s sleep she had since her capture.
The following morning, true to his word, Andrid sat on the only chair in the camp, on a raised dais made of wooden planks laid across tree trunks.

‘Bring the prisoners forward,’ he commanded, and half a dozen of the Swooping Hawks led the Prowling Lynx warriors to the space before the chief.

Around this space stood the rest of the Swooping Hawk tribe, all agog to see what was happening.

All kind of rumours had been circulating during the previous evening and night, and the people wanted to know what was going on.

Kimi stood to one side, with Davrael. His presence reassured her as she did not know what was going to happen.

As soon as the Prowing Lynx arrived, they stood, hands tied, before Andrid.

‘You have been accused of trespass and stealing horses,’ he said, ‘but what is worse, of kidnapping a young woman with the intention of making a forced marriage. This is against our laws, as you know, and so you must face this court.’
The chief of the Prowling Lynx stepped forward.

‘I do not recognise this court,’ he said, and stepped back.

Andrid laughed. ‘You may not recognise it, but it is perfectly legal. You are a chief and are being tried by a chief, as the law insists. Your men should be tried by your own chief, by rights, but as you are on trial, too, for the same crime, then that is not possible. I will try them also.

‘What do you have to say?’

The Prowling Lynx Chief said nothing.

‘Then I will ask a witness to come forward. Davrael, what have you to say?’

Davrael stepped forward and gave an account of how he and his men had been patrolling their territory when they came across the Prowling Lynx men. They challenged them, but were met with an attack. When they finally beat the Lynx, they found Kimi in one of the tents.’

The young man who Kimi understood to be the Prowling Lynx chief’s son shouted out.

‘We were not trespassing. We were just on our way back to our own lands. We had to cross yours. We had no intention of doing any harm, notr interfering in any way with your horses.’

His father gave him a stony stare, but he continued.

‘We only took horses from the settlers. Everyone knows they’re not proper Horselords. and ;the girl asked to be taken. She came after us and attacked. What were we supposed to do?’

Davrael stepped forward.

‘You should not have stolen their horses in the first place. Then she and her family would not have followed.’

‘They’re settlers for the gods’ sake. They aren’t proper horselords.’

Andrid scowled at the young man.

‘Settlers or not, true horselords or not, although on that point I agree, we do not steal.’

Andrid then turned to Kimi.

‘Kimi, come forward and tell me what happened.’

Then it was Kimi’s turn. She told how she had been captured and how the chief had told her she would be taken to their camp and married to his son. She told of the abuse she had received at the hands of that son, and how frightened she was. then, with a smile at Davrael, she told how he and his men had rescued her.’

The trial continued and lasted all day. Each of Davrael’s men gave evidence, as did the Prowling Lynx men, and eventually, their chief.

As the sun began to set over the plans, Andrid gave his verdict and sentence.

‘You are all guilty because not one of you stood up to say what happened is wrong. However, I accept it is difficult for warriors to go against their chief. Therefore, you warriors I am going to allow to return to your territory. However, if any of my men see you within five miles of our territory, then you will be recaptured.’

He turned to the chief and his son.

‘As chief and probable next chief, you have more responsibility for what happened. I cannot allow you both to go in the same way I did your men.’ He turned to the chief. ‘You hold great responsibility as chief of your people. You uphold the law and are responsible fora keeping it. Therefore it is doubly worse for you to have taken part in this theft and kidnapping. I sentence you to be beaten and kept in custody for two full years. Every day you will receive four lashes.’

There was an intake of breath from the crowd at the severity of this sentence. Andrid then turned to the chief’s son.

‘You were fully complicit in this. You could have had some influence over your father. but instead, you used the situation to frighten and abuse a young girl. You I sentence to be kept in custody for only one year, but because of the way you treated a young and frightened girl, each day you will receive six lashes.’

Andrid then dismissed the court and the Prowling Lynx warriors mounted their horses and rode off.
As he as taken away, the chief of the Lynx shouted, ‘What is going to happen to my tribe? They will be without a chief for two years.’

Andrid turned and said, ‘Your problem. With any luck, they’ll decide to reject you and choose a better leader.’

That evening, Kimi and Davrael talked long into the night. The next morning, his father had told him he was to accompany Kimi to her home. He chose a few warriors to accompany them in order to drive the horses, and his mother to act as chaperone.

How will Kimi’s family respond to her return?
Find out on the first Tuesday of December.
Please add a comment to this episode. I like hearing what you think.

You can find out more about Kimi and Davrael in their adventures with The Wolf Pack;

Follow this link to buy, or click on the book image at the side of the page.
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http://myBook.to/NeverDying.