Knight of Runes
Blurb
When Lord Arik,
a druid knight, finds Rebeka Tyler wandering his lands without protection, he
swears to keep her safe. But Rebeka can take care of herself. When Arik sees
her clash with a group of attackers using a strange fighting style, he's
intrigued.
Rebeka is no
ordinary seventeenth-century woman—she's travelled back from the year 2011, and
she desperately wants to return to her own time. She poses as a scholar sent by
the king to find out what's killing Arik's land. But as she works to decode the
ancient runes that are the key to solving this mystery and sending her home,
she finds herself drawn to the charismatic and powerful Arik.
As Arik and Rebeka fall in love, someone in Arik's household
schemes to keep them apart, and a dark druid with a grudge prepares his
revenge. Soon Rebeka will have to decide whether to return to the future or
trust Arik with the secret of her time travel and her heart.
Buy links:Amazon
Excerpt
England ~ May,
1605
I should not
have stayed away from the Manor so long. Something stirs. Lord Arik’s eyes
swept the surrounding area as he and his three riders escorted the wagon with
the old tinker and the woman. They sped through the forest as fast as the
rain-slicked trail would allow. Unable to shake the ominous feeling of being
watched, Arik remained alert. At length, the horses winded, he slowed the pace
as they neared the Stone River.
“The forest is
flooded. I suspect the Stone will be as well. Willem, ride on ahead and let me
know what we face at the crossing.”
Willem did his
lord’s bidding and quickly returned with his report. “The river ahead runs
fast, m’lord. The bridge is in disrepair and cannot be crossed.”
Arik raised his
hand and brought the group to a halt. “Doward,” he said to the old tinker. “We
must make repairs. There’s no room for the wagon at the river’s edge. You and
the woman stay here and set up camp. Be ready to join us at the bridge when I
send word.”
Logan, Arik’s
brother, spoke up. “I’ll keep watch here and help Doward and Rebeka.”
Arik nodded
and, with the others, continued the half mile to the bridge.
“I am not
pleased with this new delay.”
“It can’t be
helped, m’lord. We would make better time without the wagon,” said Simon.
“I’ll not leave
Doward and the woman unescorted through the forest, not with what we’ve heard
lately. We’ll have to drive hard to make up the lost time.”
The frame of
the bridge stood solid, the planks scattered everywhere, clogging the banks and
shallows. Arik leaped from his horse onto the frame to begin the repairs.
“Hand me that
planking.” Arik pointed to the nearest board.
Simon grabbed
the plank and examined it. “Sir, these boards have been deliberately removed.”
Arik took the
board and lifted it before him. An arrow whooshed out of the trees, and slammed
into the plank’s edge. Willem pulled his axe from his belt as Arik and Simon
drew their swords. In a fluid, practiced movement, Willem spun and found his
mark. He sent his axe flying. The archer fell into the river and was swept
downstream, Willem’s axe still lodged in his forehead. A dozen or more
attackers broke through the stand of trees.
Arik tossed the
board into the river and readied his sword. The enemy was poorly dressed
carrying clubs and knives. There was only one sword among them. The
leader.Arik’s target.
“They plan to
pin us here at the river’s edge. Come, we’ll take the offensive before they
form up.” They moved forward, driving a wedge through the enemy’s ragged line,
forcing what little formation they had to scatter and fight, each man for
himself.
A man, club in
hand, rushed at Arik. Before the attacker could bring his weapon into play,
Arik pivoted around him. He raised his sword high, and slammed the hilt’s steel
pommel squarely on the man’s head. Arik moved on before the man’s lifeless body
dropped to the ground.
Willem and
Simon, on either side of Arik, advanced through the melee. Their swift
continuous swordplay moved smoothly from one stroke to the next, whipping
through the air. They slashed on the downswing and again on the backswing,
sweeping their weapons back into position to repeat the killing sequence. The
knight and his soldiers steadily advanced, punishing any man who dared to come
near them.
“For Honor!”
Logan’s war cry carried from the small camp to Arik’s ears.
Arik stiffened.
Both camps were now under attack. He pulled his blade from an attacker’s chest.
The body crumpled to the blood-soaked ground. Arik breathed deeply, the coppery
taste of blood in the air. “For Honor!” he bellowed in answer. His men echoed
his call, arms thrown wide, muscles quivering, the berserker’s rage overtaking
them.
The remaining
attackers paled and fled headlong into the forest.
Motioning to
his men to follow, Arik raced toward the camp. He could hear the shouts, and
cursed himself for not seeing the danger. He crested the hill and came to an
abrupt halt.
Logan’s sword
ripped through the air as he protected Doward. The tinker drew his short blade
and did as much damage as he could. But it was the woman Arik noticed. Her
skirt hiked up, she twirled her walking stick like a weapon with an expertise
that left him slack-jawed. She dispatched the attackers, one by one, in a
deadly well-practiced dance. A man rushed toward her, knife in hand. The sneer
on his face didn’t match the fear in his eyes. She stepped out of his line of
attack, extended her stick to her side, and holding it with both hands swept
the weapon forward, striking the attacker across the bridge of his nose. Blood
exploded from his face in an arc of fine spray as his head snapped back.
Droplets dusted her face creating an illusion of bright red freckles. As he
fell, she reversed her swing and caught him hard behind his knees. He went down
on his back, spread-eagled. She swung her stick over her head and landed a
precise and disabling blow to his forehead that knocked him unconscious.
As she spun to
face the next threat her eyes captured Arik’s and held. In the space of an
instant, time slowed to a crawl. Her hair slowly loosened from its pins and
swirled out around her. His breath caught and his heartbeat quickened as a
rapturous surge raced through his body. Something eternal and familiar, with a
sense of longing, unsettled him. In the next heartbeat, she tore her eyes away,
leaving him empty. Time resumed its normal pace. Another attacker lay at her
feet.
Arik joined the
fight.
Here's a trailer including all the covers of the books on this tour:
You can find the other lovely participants and their captivating books here:
https://jennajaxon.wordpress.com/http://www.bambilynn.net/
I love action packed books set in medieval times, especially where feisty heroines join in the fighting. I like the time travel aspect too.
ReplyDeleteThe same do I. It's a perfect combination for a captivating story!
DeleteThanks for visiting!
I'm glad this is your type of story. I had so much fun writing it. Thanks for stopping by and commenting!
DeleteOoh, a time travel romance! I'm always a sucker for those :)
ReplyDeleteI am too! Such stories are always full of unexpected, captivating events, Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteCarmen, thanks so much for hosting me today.
ReplyDeleteYou are most welcome, Ruth! I always like to meet new fellow authors from all over the world and read their stories.
DeleteI love time-travel and druids, Ruth! Your book sounds fascinating!
ReplyDeleteThank you for stopping by, Mary!
ReplyDeleteYes, Druids, another mystery of ancient civilization! Ruth has chosen a great topic for her story.