Steven A. McKay's Blog, page 8

THE DRUID on special offer UK and USA!

If you are a Kindle owner you might like to know that the first book in my Warrior Druid of Britain Chronicles, The Druid, is just 99p in the UK all May, and now it’s 99c in the USA for a few days too! If you’ve yet to start this series, why not try it now when it’s so cheap? Remember too, if you buy the Kindle edition, even when it’s on special offer, you get a BIG discount on the Audible version if you’re into audiobooks. It’s also FREE on Prime Reading in the UK just now, and always free with Kindle Unlimited. Bargains galore!

Get your copy at the links below and join Bellicus and his wardogs as they hunt the Saxons who abducted little Princess Catia!

UK LINK

USA LINK

I’m now a full-time author…

After eighteen years as a meter reader (gas and electric) for Accuread, G4S, and Morrison Data Services, I decided it was time to give it up and put all of my efforts into writing. This was an extremely hard decision because, surprising as it might seem, reading meters was an enjoyable job, at least for the first fifteen years or so and then, as all jobs do, it felt like things were getting worse and I wasn’t looking forward to it anymore. It’s a situation probably most of you have been in, and it’s always hard to give something up after so long, especially when it provides a steady wage, but the time seemed right.

No more black meter reader uniform, but perhaps more time to write music for book trailers…? Photo by my daughter.

I first published Wolf’s Head nine years ago, in 2013, and, ever since, my books have continued to sell steadily so I thought I should take this opportunity to live the dream, as it were, and become a full-time writer. I’ll be able to, hopefully, publish more books and concentrate more on marketing and trying to actually “grow my brand”.

Milngavie

I’ll miss meeting colourful characters, driving around Glasgow and the towns and villages that surround it. Not everywhere was beautiful, but many places were (all the photos here were taken by me when I was at work over the years). I always looked forward to reading meters in the likes of Milngavie, Balloch, Strathblane, and, of course, Bearsden. That’s where I was working the day in 2009 when I decided I wanted to try and write a historical novel but I had no idea what, or who, it should be about. The very next electric meter I went to read was in a house named, guess what? “Sherwood”! Well, I just had to write about Robin Hood after that sign from the gods, and it certainly worked out well for me.

The very street in Bearsden I was working in when I decided to try writing a novel back in 2009 (the photo is from 2016). The Erskine street I was working in ten years later in 2019 (I think) when almost the entire plot for Lucia just popped into my head!

So, hopefully this is the start of a very exciting and rewarding new chapter in my life. If you enjoy my books it should mean you get more of them than ever before! Book 5 in my Warrior Druid of Britain Chronicles has a title and is half finished so look out for that being published this summer. And after that, well, I’m planning on branching out into a brand new series, and a new historical era, although the Druid novels will continue too. Like I say, this should be an exciting time and I hope you’ll all stick with me to see where my writing will go next!

I stopped to take this photo after a jaunt to read a handful of meters in Rowardennan.

Thank you to every one of you who has bought, read, and reviewed my books – none of this would be possible without your support and I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it.

Now, I might have quit my job, but the hard work never ends.

Onwards…

High rise flats being torn down in Drumchapel. I remember trying to read a load of meters in those one day, and NOT A SINGLE PERSON answered the door to me! Flats in Bellsmyre (not Soviet Russia). These have all been demolished since I took the photo. A row of standing stones I noticed in a field when I was installing data loggers (similar to smart meters) down in Dalmellington in 2015. You can read more about the stones by clicking the photo. The day I took a quick break from reading meters to pop into the local radio station to record an interview about Wolf’s Head.

New interview with me on The Whispering Bookworm

“I’ve not really thought about it before but I feel a bit guilty now for what I made him go through because he starts out as a good husband, friend, and father!”

Check it out! https://thewhisperingbookworm.blogspot.com/2022/05/an-interview-with-steven-mckay-author.html

THE DRUID just 99p in the UK during May!

Yep, not only is The Druid, book 1 in my Warrior Druid of Britain Chronicles, in the UK Prime Reading program just now, but during May the Kindle edition will only cost 99p! If you haven’t read it yet, now is the best time to give it a go! Click HERE to check it out.

It is, of course, available free to Kindle Unlimited subscribers worldwide, you can find it at your own local Amazon by clicking HERE.

The fifth book in the series now has a title which I’ll reveal soon. I’ve come up with an idea for the cover and I’ll share that too as soon as my usual designers complete the artwork. I’m sure it will be as stunning as all the others they’ve made for me! The book is about half finished so still on track to come out mid/late summer.

Then, after that, well, I have some pretty big news to share with you all on my next project….Thank you again for your support, none of this would be possible without everyone buying, reading, and reviewing my books!

The Druid – FREE with Prime Reading UK!

Amazon UK have very kindly included The Druid, book 1 in my Warrior Druid of Britain Chronicles, in their Prime Reading Program which means anyone with a Prime account can read it for FREE! Tell your friends and family, even your mortal enemies and your nemesis if you have one – it would be great to see the book climbing the charts again and more readers discovering my work. And don’t forget, if you don’t have Prime, it’s free with Kindle Unlimited (all my books are)! That means you could spend just £7.99 for a month’s Kindle Unlimited and read ALL of my books for that single payment, what’s not to love? If you prefer “real” books, send me a message and you can buy a signed copy of The Druid directly from me.

Get the Kindle edition on Prime or KU HERE or click the cover image below to go straight to to Amazon.

Northern Britain, AD430

A land in turmoil. A village ablaze. A king’s daughter abducted.

In the aftermath of a surprise attack Dun Buic lies in smoking ruins and many innocent villagers are dead. As the survivors try to make sense of the night’s events the giant warrior-druid, Bellicus, is tasked with hunting down the raiders and thwarting their dark purpose.

With years of training in the old ways, two war-dogs at his side, and unsurpassed skill with a longsword, Bellicus’s quest will take him on a perilous journey through lands still struggling to cope with the departure of the Roman legions.

Meanwhile, amongst her brutal captors the little princess Catia finds an unlikely ally, but even he may not be able to avert the terrible fate King Hengist has in store for her.

This, the first volume in a stunning new series from the bestselling author of Wolf’s Head, explores the rich folklore and culture of post-Roman Britain, where blood-sacrifice, superstition and warfare were as much a part of everyday life as love, laughter and song.

As Saxon invaders and the new Christian religion seek to mould the country for their own ends one man will change the course of Britain’s history forever. . .

. . . THE DRUID.

“Steven A. McKay’s archetypal villains and heroes step vividly onto the page from a mist-veiled past of legend to battle for the life of a princess and the fate of Britain.
Dark age adventure at its gripping best.” – MATTHEW HARFFY, author of The Bernicia Chronicles

“The Druid is richly imagined, confident and gripping, full of memorable characters that fair leap from the page, and with a protagonist who, despite his calling, is written with just the right mix of the earthly and the unearthly, the spiritual and the realistic… instantly engaging storytelling on a par with anything you’ve read before by him there Cornwell, or Kane, or Kristian…a triumph, an honest to goodness, self-assured triumph.” – STEVE DENTON/SPEESH READS

“The Druid tells a story as stunning as the cover art suggests.” – SHARON BENNETT CONNOLLY, author of Heroines Of The Medieval World

“…the historical detail is seamlessly melded into a plot bursting with adrenaline and suspense…To my mind this novel is everything historical fiction should be and more.” – JAMES VELLA-BARDON, author of The Sheriff’s Catch

Shadow of the Eagle by Damion Hunter – Book Review

You might be familiar with Damion Hunter (actually a pen name for Amanda Cockrell) – their books regularly show on my Amazon page as “suggested reading” and, with great titles and cover art, I’ve always wondered what they were like. Until now, I had no idea.

I was very kindly sent an advance copy of Hunter’s new novel, Shadow of the Eagle, by the publisher Canelo and told this was to be that publishing house’s first ever historical fiction hardback. That’s how much they believe in the book so I thought it better be good! Canelo publish fantastic authors like Glyn Iliffe, Robert Low, Simon Turney, and Angus Donald, yet they’ve chosen Shadow of the Eagle to be their first hardback in this genre. Does it live up to and deserve that distinction? Conn Iggulden, Simon Scarrow and Gordon Doherty have all endorsed it, but did I enjoy it? Read on…

First off, the book is set in Roman Britain which is probably my favourite “fictional” place so that’s a good start. And we follow the adventures of a young centurion, Faustus, learning his trade which, again, is something I really enjoy in a book. There’s battles, moments of tenderness with the girls our hero meets (Eirian was my favourite, she totally kicks arse!), and some politics (not too much though). Sounds like your typical historical romp, doesn’t it? Well, not quite. It’s certainly got enough elements of that kind of fiction so if you love, say, Simon Scarrow’s work you’ll enjoy this too, but there’s more than that here.

Hunter brings in mild fantasy elements which I know some readers might find off-putting but please don’t be, as, for me, it added an extra dimension to the story. There’s two things in particular which I was surprised by at first, but one in particular I found myself wanting to read more about. First, Faustus meets his dead father on quite a few occasions – I was never sure whether this was a ghost, a hallucination, or merely some kind of daydream the young centurion was having. It came across to me as if it was a ghost, which did jar the first time I realised what was going on, but no-one else ever sees this ghost, so it’s quite possible the whole thing is in Faustus’s head, keeping the book safely in the historical fiction realm rather than moving into fantasy. I’m interested to see how this idea develops in future books, as it does give us an idea of the hero’s internal struggles, and how he’s dealing with the fact he sold his family’s farm to leave it all behind and become a soldier.

Secondly, during Faustus’s travels through Britain with the legion he meets “small, dark people” who are almost magical, faery-like beings. Now, as the author says in the note at the end, these characters are not based on any real, historical, people who were around at that time – in fact, there may well have NEVER been anyone like it. And that, I imagine, will upset historical purists who view novels of this type as a history lesson as well as a story. I understand that mindset, but, to me, a book should be a great tale first and foremost and, if the addition of some very minor “mystical” elements adds something to the overall flavour I’m all for it. And, in this case, it really does. I found myself being greatly intrigued by these little folk who remain on the periphery of the story without ever really coming that much into it, and that just added nicely to their mystique. Again, I’m interested to see how this idea develops as the series goes on as it added something a little different to the book and, given how congested – and often rather dryly written – this Roman subgenre is nowadays, I thought it elevated Shadow of the Eagle from the pack.

There’s not a huge amount of action but there’s enough to keep readers entertained, and the whole thing barrels along at a good pace. I’ve mentioned the fantastical themes, but there’s also quite a bit about Agricola and the history of the legions in Britain at this time, along with the various native tribes – one scene in particular, a fight between a couple of rival Caledonian chiefs, is superbly written and really gets the reader’s adrenaline going, true edge-of-the-seat stuff! Overall, the story never feels at all lightweight – this is a well-researched historical epic with various ingredients adding up to a very tasty dish and it covers a LOT of ground, right up to the Orcades in the far north, really bringing Britain to life along the way.

Shadow of the Eagle is the first book in the Borderlands series which, given all the various themes running through it, will surely become a real fan favourite for years to come. It’s a riveting, rich, and rewarding novel that every historical fiction lover needs to read. Due to be published on May 22, 2022 in hardback and ebook, you can click the link HERE to go to the publisher’s page where you can find buy/pre-order links and more info!

P.S. – In my review I mentioned the distinction between historical fiction and historical fantasy. I wrote a blog post about that a few years ago which now seems even more relevant as, when my agent was trying to find a publisher for The Druid, he said the editors he was submitting it to weren’t sure if it was fiction or fantasy and some even wanted me to add a load of magic and stuff to it which I was dead against. You can find my blog about it HERE.

THE RESCUE

Yorkshire, 1325 AD

“Your brother ain’t here lass,” the man spat, stepping towards her. “And this time you are going for a swim.”

There was a snap and a shocking blur of motion as an arrow tore from the thick summer foliage behind the girl and hit the approaching man’s thigh. The missile buried itself in the muscle so hard that it knocked him off his feet and he screamed in agony as the excited dogs began barking and straining at the ropes that tethered them to the cart. In contrast, the great brown bear in the cage looked on in silence.

“My brother IS here, lad,” Marjorie hissed, eyes moving from the fallen man to his stunned companions. “And so are his friends.”

“The Rescue” is a Forest Lord short story. To read it for FREE, and to keep up to date with my new books please join my mailing list. You’ll also get exclusive VIP content, giveaways and freebies you can’t get anywhere else!

Just click the red button to register and you’ll get “The Rescue” ebook completely FREE :

Book Corner: The House in the Marsh by Steven A. McKay

“a story full of suspense, adventure and the threat of sudden, unrestrained violence.” Check out this wonderful review of my latest book by historian Sharon Bennett Connolly!

History... the interesting bits!

For generations, stories have been told about the ruined old house in the marsh outside Wakefield. Stories of hidden treasure, sinister night-time cries, and ghostly figures doomed to haunt the lonely estate for all eternity as punishment for some terrible crime.
This winter, it seems the old talesmight just turn out to be true…

England, AD 1330
John Little, a bailiff living in Yorkshire, has little interest in ghost stories, having seen enough horrors among the living to bother much about the dead. The strange accounts from his fellow villagers have everyone talking though, and it’s not long before he’s asked to accompany a group of curious locals on nocturnal visits to the house in the marsh.
There are more worrying concerns in northern England however, as autumn gives way to winter and rumours of rogue bailiffs attacking, and even murdering people in their own homes, begin to circulate.

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Book review – Fathers, Brothers, And Sons by Frank Bello with Joel McIver

I don’t usually post things on here if they’re not related to historical fiction, but I wrote this long review for Amazon about a book I read recently and thought more people might want to read it. So…This is a review of a book by Frank Bello, bass player in the metal band Anthrax. Check it out, or, if you hate metal, apologies, normal service will return soon!

As a youngster trying to discover myself, and my musical tastes, I was listening to things like Dire Straits, Bon Jovi and even some Def Leppard. Edgy stuff, eh? And then I saw Anthrax covering, “Antisocial” on the UK Chart Show and that was it. I was a thrash metal fan from that moment on! It wasn’t just the music – melodic, skillfully played, fun yet HEAVY – it was also the guys playing the music. They were having so much fun, especially the bassist who never stood still for a second. He was the coolest guy on that stage and still is, to this day. The members of Anthrax might not like the album that song was taken from, State of Euphoria, but it will always be my favourite – my only regret is selling the picture disc in order to get bus fare to see Sepultura on the Arise tour. Worth it, but I still wish I had that record!
Anyway, Fathers, Brothers, and Sons, is all about the life of that manic bass player, Frank Bello. You probably know who he is, if you’re reading this, but you may not know his co-author, Joel McIver. Well, let me say Joel really knows how to write a book and I heartily recommend the recent one he did with metal royalty David Vincent. Trust me, this is a page-turner of a read and I have no doubt Joel played a massive part in that.

Joel was kind enough to sign my copy!

Of course, it helps when your subject is as interesting and downright likeable as Mr Bello! You’ve likely read some interviews with him, seen him talking on Youtube, and watched him own every stage he plays on with that huge grin, and that all comes across in this book.
Obviously he talks about his childhood, the struggles with his father leaving the family early (something lots of us can identify with), being bullied, finding his calling with his legendary uncle Charlie in Anthrax, and plenty more. All of it engrossing and entertaining.
I really enjoyed the parts where he talks about “stalking” Gene Simmons, sharing a beer with Ronnie Dio, or hanging out with Lemmy – Frank just comes across as a a massive fan of music. If you’re looking for lurid and probably made-up stories about groupies, or overdosing on drugs, or other “rock and roll” garbage, look for the dirt elsewhere, cos this, like McIver’s fantastic collaboration with David Vincent (my review HERE), is not that kind of book. This is about a musician who loves life and loves to make music. His favourite memories don’t include a red snapper and tossing a TV out a window, instead he comes over all giddy because he got to play Steve Harris’s bass rig! As a musician myself I really loved how much he enjoyed things like that, like a kid in a sweet shop.
Now, I must admit, I had hoped for some more detail on certain things – Frank’s feelings on Anthrax’s singers over the years for example. How did he feel when Joey was kicked out? What about John Bush leaving? And, of course, Dan Nelson who didn’t even manage to record an album with the band? None of that is covered, Frank just says Joey and John are great guys and that’s it (Nelson isn’t mentioned at all). But this is Frank’s story, told his way, and you have to respect him for avoiding creating any drama by possibly saying something people – either John or Joey – might get offended by, especially if certain metal websites were to report it in true clickbait fashion.
Still, there’s plenty here to keep you interested, and there’s more personal sections where Frank talks about being a father and how badly he wants to be a good one, and, of course, the murder of his brother, Anthony.

Frank Bello on stage

I distinctly remember listening to Anthrax’s new album, Vol. 8 – The Threat is Real, way back around 1998. I was 21 and and I’d had a few beers, feeling a bit depressed about things, but I’d enjoyed the metal Anthrax continued to serve up. And then the songs finished and…I don’t know why, maybe I was starting to fall asleep, but I didn’t get up to turn off or change the CD. It ran on, and then another song slowly faded in on a sustained guitar note. This wasn’t metal, an acoustic guitar was powering this hidden track! I listened, trying to figure out who was singing – it wasn’t John Bush’s powerful roar – and what was he saying? This was back in the days when we didn’t just look stuff up on our mobile phones, and there was no lyric sheet, and the vocals in the verses were saturated with reverb making it hard to hear what the singer was saying, but when the chorus kicked in, there was something there that immediately made me start to cry. I didn’t know what the song was about, but the emotion in that song – “Pieces” it’s called – was so powerful that it hit me much harder than any Anthrax song had since “Antisocial”. I later found out that was Frank singing a song he’d written about his beloved little brother Anthony, who’d been murdered. To this day that song makes me tear up, it’s incredibly beautiful, and now that I can read the lyrics online I identify with it even more.
That does bring me to one other little criticism I have with the book – there’s nothing really said about who writes the songs in Anthrax. It’s mentioned, but never made clear what Frank’s contributed over the years. It’s kinda accepted by fans that Charlie writes most of the music while Scott does the lyrics, but Frank often talks about writing in interviews and I’d have liked to know more about the process. He clearly CAN write an amazing tune, as “Pieces” proves.
But there we go. I HIGHLY recommend this book – Buy it, stick on one of Anthrax’s albums, turn up the bass, and just sit down and enjoy some cool stories from a guy who loves his family and loves music. That’s what life is all about.
Thank you, Frank, for inspiring us all.

Buy it at the links below!

Amazon UK link

Amazon USA link

“PIECES” by Anthrax*

I question my faith
I question everything
I need to know if this is all there is
So take me some place
Where I will always know
That you’re fine
That you’ve finally just
Found your way back home


Anthony, I know you’re home
Right beside me, all alone
Anthony, I have so much to say
In my heart, you will always remain
Anthony, my brother, my friend
I’ll be with you once again
Anthony, my heart owns your faith
It will always light your day

Songwriters: Charlie L. Benante / Frank Joseph Bello / John Robert Bush / Scott Ian Rosenfeld

* This is just a few of the lyrics, not the full song.

Bid for a very special prize & help charity!

Fellow historical fiction author, Gordon Doherty, has been auctioning off books for the past year or so to support a charity very important to him, Myeloma UK. This week I’m donating a copy of my latest novella for the auction, BUT it will also include TWO pages of my hand-written notes (the photo only shows one as I only found the second page when I was in my car at work on Monday). These were jotted down in my car and at home when ideas were coming to me for how to develop the plot and they are completely unique. I take notes like this for all of my books but this is the first time I’ve thought of giving them away. It just makes the prize a bit more special, hopefully!

If you’d like to bid go to Gordon’s Facebook page HERE and post a comment. At the moment it’s at an astonishing £170! It’s a lot for a book, but this is a charity worth supporting so, if this prize interests you, check out the auction.

Or, if you’d just like to donate to the charity directly, you can do so HERE.

The Northern Throne location – Duncryne Hill/The Dumpling

If you’ve read book 3 in my Warrior Druid of Britain Chronicles you’ll probably remember there’s a chapter or two which take place around a hill known as ‘The Dumpling’. That’s its modern name so, although dumplings weren’t called that in post-Roman Britain, I thought it a suitably rustic, evocative and downright suitable name, so I kept it like that in the novel. It’s official name is Duncryne Hill and it’s located in the small Scottish village of Gartocharn. I’d suggested to my family during the summer that we should visit it as the views are apparently fantastic for fairly little effort, it being a small hill. We never did get around to it in the summer but my wife said we should go just after Christmas, rather than us all lounging about the house. Of course, we knew it would be muddy at this time of year and, since it was a damp, drizzly day (as it usually is in Scotland!) the views would be poor. But we went anyway!

It’s only about a twenty minute walk from the road up to the summit and it was fairly easy going. The way back down proved a little harder, however, as my daughter almost fell right over in the mud, and then my wife really did go flying right onto her backside TWICE. Much to my daughter’s amusement…I did tell her not to wear a white jacket! Oddly enough, right then a carrion crow started to follow us, or so it seemed, cawing in laughter. I pointed it out, then a minute later its mate appeared and the two of them trailed us back down the hill, cawing the whole way. It was definitely the kind of thing I’d use in a book!

Anyway, here’s a few photos – apologies again for the poor views, but hopefully you get some idea of the location and perhaps what it would have been like for Bellicus, Duro, and Narina as they faced the coming battle with King Drest’s Picts. I’ve included an excerpt from the book below.

There’s a short section of paved path, just to lull you into a false sense of security… My son and Pippi meeting this strange pot fellow. It’s steep in places, and clearly would be easier going up than coming down… Look, you can see (mist) for miles around! Two bold adventurers at the top (Pippi is there too) The dog’s coat was NOT my idea. White coat and trainers to climb a muddy hill, doh!

Extract from The Northern Throne, which you can buy at the links below, and don’t forget the newest book, The Bear of Britain, is just 99p on Kindle UK this January!

UK LINK

WORLDWIDE LINK

Bellicus stood in the tiny settlement of Duncryne, not far from the low hill known locally as the Dumpling, and took in the sight of the Pictish army on the road to the east. Once there had been a fort atop the Dumpling but, although it was long gone, the mound still afforded excellent views of the surrounding lands so it was here the druid had brought his army once their business with Cunedda and the Votadini was concluded at Medio Nemeton. They’d made it there before Drest’s Picts but the ambush Bellicus had hoped to lure the enemy into hadn’t worked out as well as he’d hoped.

The first, initial, charge down the hill by the Damnonii soldiers had taken out a few Picts and evened up the numbers of the two opposing forces somewhat, but after that both sides had formed into defensive lines across the road and been unwilling to commit to a full-blown assault on their opponents. There had been skirmishes over the past two days, but it seemed as if the standoff might last forever for the messengers Bellicus sent to Drest had been chased away by the Pict’s archers.

Even with the addition of the warband Cunedda had sent with Bellicus, the Pictish army was too big to meet head on without an unacceptable number of casualties and no guarantee of victory.

The druid frowned as he thought of the men Cunedda had loaned them. The king’s own youngest son, Ysfael, led the Votadini warband and he was an impressive enough man if rather arrogant. The warriors that came with him were quite formidable too, and they at least owned decent weapons and armour. The only problem Bellicus had with these new allies was one man: Eburus, the hot-headed champion who liked a drink too much and had a score to settle with the druid after their short but violent tussle.

To be fair to Eburus, he didn’t seem the vindictive sort, but his presence was already beginning to grate on the men around him and Bellicus wished Cunedda hadn’t insisted on sending the brash young man with them, even if he would be useful when the fighting resumed.

Beside him there was an excited exclamation and, train of thought broken, he glanced at Duro, who was staring up at the Dumpling. The druid watched in wonder and relief as he realised it was the Alt Clotan queen on top of the hill, and what that might mean.

“By Mithras, isn’t she magnificent?”

Duro spoke in low tones and Bellicus could only agree with his friend’s statement, although he didn’t reply out loud. There were enough—false—rumours going around regarding the druid and Narina as it was, without him adding to them by expressing open admiration for her. It was impossible to argue with the centurion though, for the queen held every warrior’s attention as she appeared on the summit of the Dumpling in her great war chariot.

Strictly speaking, Alastor and Helios were the first ones to come into view and, from this distance, framed in the sunlight as they were, they appeared every bit as impressive as the queen.

Alastor was a huge black stallion, with a coat so glossy it seemed to shimmer in the early afternoon sunshine, while Helios was a similarly sized grey whose lighter colour showed off the enormous, rippling muscles in his legs as the horses brought Narina into view. The stablemaster, Uven, had chosen the two beasts well, for they looked like something from legend as they slowly drew the chariot over the crest of the hill.

Narina was surely the centrepiece though. As the horses came to a halt on the summit the queen was momentarily caught by the sun behind her, and her brown hair appeared like a magnificent halo as she gazed out upon the men below.

Of course, the spell couldn’t last forever, but, as the Pictish army began to stir once more, ready to take up the fight again, a column of a dozen men led by her captain, Gavo, followed Narina over the hill to her left. And then another group followed to the right. And behind those, a line stretched out across the hill in single file, standing in silence, spears in hand, the sun casting long shadows before them that made them seem almost like giants.