Helen B. Henderson's Blog, page 25
July 12, 2022
Meet Relliq #MFRWHooks
Continuing the series of posts introducing some of my favorite people (or people I love to hate) from Windmaster Golem, the sword and sorcery romantic fantasy series, the Windmaster Novels, you are invited to meet the mage, Relliq. A few thoughts on the character. He wants to be archmage and control the world. A thorn in his plans to make Kiansel his obedient mate is the Isle of Mage's weaponsmith, Brodie. The fact that Brodie is a non-tal, someone without powers of his own is to Relliq the ultimate insult, and something to be eliminated.
Physical Description
Relliq has intense brown eyes. His dark curls like to fall over his forehead. He is handsome enough to catch the eye of the opposite sex.
Background
As a boy, his parents recognized Relliq's untapped ability. Knowing that without powers of their own, they could not teach him control, they did want the best for their younger son and at the age of 16 sent him to study with the Oracle of Givneh at his temple. However, knowing he was different set Relliq's attitude. He rejected the discipline of service to others and preferred to use his magic to gain power or whatever else he wanted.
An excerpt of one of Relliq's early experiments with magic. The power came about by accident, but he was not one to waste the opportunity.
Boredom added to Relliq’s dark mood. He blew on knuckles bloodied once again from scraping the edge of the bowl as he ground herbs for poultices. The bag Ysbail had left to be ready for her return was still three-quarters full. “I’m not a healer,” he snarled. “Smashing herbs into small pieces isn’t magic. It’s just woman’s work.”More on the attack can be found in the posts Fog Attack and The Mist Strangles. As to the man? You're invited to meet Brodie, weaponsmith of the Isle of Mages, and friend to Lord Dal and Lady Ellspeth.But Ysbail was not only the healer of Montrat, she was also his teacher. At least for the moment, he thought. Soon the student will surpass the master. Sighing, he dropped another clump of the dried leaves into the bowl and picked up the heavy stone grinder. The cool stone rubbed against skin not yet callused. Only three turns later, sharp pain meant another blister raised and broken.
“Enough is enough,” he hissed. Swift movements dumped the clumps of herbs back into the bag and half-filled a bowl with water. The liquid cooled the sting in his hands. A slight movement of his fingers swirled the drops of blood that oozed from his knuckles into an intricate design. The rune for fog appeared, then the one for entrapment.
Snatching his spellbook from the shelf, he quickly flipped through the pages looking for instructions on how to pair the two runes. “There must be something that will work,” he muttered. “Even if the fog only affects the mind, confuses the will, it will be a useful tool. But how to direct it?” His search of the book revealed no answer, still, the lure of the envisioned magic called him. Careful so as not to disrupt the symbols, he cast the spell and peered deep into the bowl to watch the result.
The image of a rolling surf changed to a narrow, rock-lined path. Recognition dawned. The Isle of Mages? What if the archmage finds out? fear wondered.
It doesn’t matter, Relliq countered. One day, and not too far away, I will be in charge. His plan settled, he threw more magic into the spell. A man appeared. Tall and wide-shouldered, he strode with confidence along at steep trail. Gray ropes snatched at his legs. The air around the figure thickened and within a heartbeat became an impenetrable haze.
Now the liquid in the bowl once again showed its true nature. As he had just moments before, Relliq searched his memory for the means to use and control the spell. A pairing came to mind. “Night be dark, light be gone, mist turn into a living fog,” he hissed
What had been a haze thickened and pulsed in a rhythm that mirrored a heartbeat.
Relliq’s lips parted. He leaned closer to the bowl. The shadowed man fell, rose to his feet, shambled a few paces, fell again, then on hands and feet crawled through the swirling mass. Movement ceased when the figure placed his back against a sheer rock face.
More About Him (Secrets or Public)
He doesn't believe in the use of sword or any other traditional weapons. In his mind, the ability to wield magic is the only weapon worth learning. You have to read Windmaster Golem to see whether the archmage or Brodie teach Relliq the truth.
I hope you enjoyed this introduction to Relliq. Find excerpts for Windmaster Golem by clicking on the cover in the banner. To purchase Windmaster Golem, use the links below.
Buy Links: One click to ebook sellers
Paperback at Amazon
July 2, 2022
Prices Have Melted
Summer is here and the temperatures are rising. But the prices of my BooksWeLove releases are falling. Go to Smashwords and get 50% off the Windmaster Novels and the 2022 release, Fire and Amulet.
Don't wait too long as the sale ends when the month does.
June 28, 2022
Meet Bashim #MFRWHooks
Physical Description
Despite his slender build, Bashim is a striking figure with dark hair in tight ringlets that cling to his head like a crown.
Background
Bashim's family was associated with the trading guild, the House of Pirri. His older brother Malor captained Dark Wing, one of the guild ships until His guild’s ruling council disowned him for stealing from his house and the attempted assassination of a kinsman.
Bashim did not pursue a life at sea, but turned his focus to magic once his powers showed themselves. However, not even being a mage satisfied his lust for power. Like his older brother who broke the rules, Bashim was sanctioned by the Council of Mages for various crimes including using magic against those who have none. Just before the council bound Bashim's powers, he turned them against those who had taken him in.
The excerpt is Lord Dal's discovery of who killed everyone on the Isle of Mages.
Dal closed his eyes and sank into the gray veil of a light trance.Semelen’s soft voice guided Dal deeper into the netherworld. “Now remember the waterspouts. Look for the power behind them. The feel is familiar? You know it.”
“Yes,” Dal whispered, “but it’s cloaked. I can’t see the one who wields it.”
“Then return to the Isle of the Council. Follow the power. You know the one behind the power. He is...”
The heart-home of mages formed in Dal’s mind. He could almost hear the low roar from the waves that crashed against the cliffs. A slender figure stood on the edge, his back to Dal. A breeze teased at the edges of the cliff-walker’s cloak. He turned.
Dal’s eyes opened wide. “Bashim!” The force of his scream tore at his throat. “Bashim. He’s not dead. He did it. He killed them,” Dal cried, his voice rough with emotion. He leapt to his feet; his fingers grasped for a sword that wasn’t there.
Semelen’s voice penetrated Dal’s anger. “Wake, Dal, return to the here and now. And, Archmage, control that temper of yours. You know what it does to your magic. I don’t want to spend my last hours as a frog just because you lost control.”
More About Him (Secrets or Public)
Bashim has a secret identity, where he uses not blood, but the adoration of believers, to fuel his magic.
An author's note: The fight scenes between Ellspeth and the Bashim's underling who ordered her crew killed and ship sank, and the one between Dal and Bashim, were intriguing to write.
Spoiler Alert - Bashim returns to haunt Ellspeth and Dal in Windmaster Legacy.
I hope you enjoyed this introduction to Bashim. Find excerpts for Windmaster and Windmaster Legacy by clicking on the cover in the banner.
June 22, 2022
Out and About - At The Reading Cafe
Interviewed at the Reading Cafe about #writing, #life, and my #dragon #magic #fantasy Fire and Amulet. http://www.thereadingcafe.com/fire-and-amulet-by-helen-b-henderson-review-interview/And there is a special bonus review which ends with "{Story} left on not really a cliffhanger, but an opening to a series. Which I’m really hoping will happen because I enjoyed the book..."
June 21, 2022
Meet Brodie #MFRWHooks
Physical Description
In Windmaster, Brodie is fifteen. In Windmaster Golem, he is thirty. The slender youth grew taller and broad shouldered with muscles developed from intensive weapons training. One thing that doesn't change is his intense brown eyes. The following excerpt is the first introduction to the young man who would later be an important part of the Isle of Mages.
Dal and Ellspeth’s weapons rose and fell in unison. In the face of their combined attack, one by one the soldiers between Dal and his target fell until only three remained. Ellspeth faced Gille Erim, who screeched at the retreating and wounded men to “stand fast.” Defending Ruaridh stood his last remaining soldier, a sword held in a manner more inexperienced than mercenary.Dal allowed himself several heartbeats to get his breath. His chest heaved in an effort to refill his lungs. His arms tiring, newly-healed cuts burned from the sweat that now streamed down his back. Yet he stared cold-faced at those before him.
“Ruaridh will not leave the field alive.” Dal closed the distance to Ruaridh’s fragile protection. He lunged forward and knocked the sword from the soldier’s hand. Beneath the askewed helmet, Dal saw frightened eyes within a pale face.
He could not be more than sixteen turns, Dal realized. “Unless you want to join him, I suggest you leave.” The hope that flickered across the youth’s face brought a memory of another boy who stood disarmed before a superior warrior. He heard Telarim the Red’s words again, as if for the first time.
I might as well use Telarim’s technique. “Return to your home,” Dal ordered the youth. “If in two turns you still want to soldier, find Telarim the Red. Tell him Lieutenant Dal sent you. Telarim will teach you well if you’re willing to learn.”
The boy stepped aside, careful to keep his hands away from his sides. His throat convulsed several times before he was able to speak. “My lord, my life is now yours. I have no home to return to. For your mercy, command me and I am yours.”
Dal stared down into brown eyes young with life. “Take that black gelding. Go to Stratven and present yourself to the King’s Guard. The toiseach of the guard will assign you work until I get there.”
Background
After Ruaridh's troop was defeated, Brodie followed Dal's command and studied for a year with the tioiseach of King Fraunces court. He learned quickly, picking up both strategy and weapons then spent a cold season at the winter camp of the mercenary, Telarim the Red. It was during this time he discovered his talent for weaponsmithing and he learned everything he could from the unit's master.
Brodie honed his skills upon his return to Stratven where he earned commissions making custom weapons for the town elite, including the king. What would set the course for the next phase of Brodie's life came when he received a request from the king to take a message to Dal at the Isle of Mages. Dal and the isle's sergeant-at-arms offered Brodie a position at the School of Mages. Brodie stayed on, making the journeyman daggers for the apprentice mages who did not have one and teaching them weapons and self-defense.
An excerpt from Brodie's time at the Isle of Mages can be found in the posts Fog Attack and The Mist Strangles.
More About Him (Secrets or Public)
Brodie is friends with the residents of the Isle of Mages, both those possessing powers and well as not. His friendship with Lord Dal and Lady Ellspeth came with a potential problem. Their teen-age daughters have a crush on him.
Although not a mage, Brodie rides a fàlaire stallion. Wirake is not just a member of the herd of magical equines that live near the Isle of Mages, but the son of the head stallion.
A secret not known by many is that the long sword Brodie wields is named, something only give to special weapons. TânOer was blessed by both Dal and Ellspeth, imbuing it with special powers.
I hope you enjoyed this introduction to Brodie. Find excerpts for Windmaster Golem by clicking on the cover in the banner. To purchase Windmaster Golem, use the links below.
Buy Links: One click to ebook sellers
Paperback at Amazon
June 20, 2022
Out and About - At Muse Monday
The talk on Muse Monday with Brenda Whiteside is about #writing, #life, and my #dragon #magic #fantasy Fire and Amulet. Visit at https://brendawhiteside.blogspot.com/2022/06/magical-fantasy-and-dragons-by-helen.html
Heat is Not For Me
Over on the BooksWeLove Blog, I'm posting about heat. Stop by and see some thoughts on the summer season, past and present.
~till next time, Helen
June 7, 2022
Deneas Visits Romance Lives Forever
Slayer Deneas took a few moments out of her quest to answer a few questions at Romance Lives Forever. Hope you'll stop by to learn about the heroine from Fire and Amulet. ~ till next time, Helen
June 1, 2022
Out and About - Chatting Around The Fire
I'm chatting with D. V. Stone. Talk around the fire is about #writing, #life, and my #paranormal #fantasy Fire and Amulet. Visit at https://www.dvstoneauthor.com/dvstoneauthorcom/around-the-fire-welcomes-todays-guest-helen-b-henderson
May 19, 2022
Reading and Writing Buddies
Over on the BooksWeLove Blog, I'm introducing a couple of my reading and writing buddies. Hope you'll stop by and meet Pepper and Tighe.
~till next time, Helen
There's still time to get
Fire and Amulet,
for half-off at Smashwords .
