Travellers, the sequel to My Father's Swords, is available on Amazon
The second book in the Warriors, Heroes, and Demons series is named Travellers. It is available today (May 11, 20170) on Amazon and Amazon Prime. The following is a sample:
Conversation between the men was minimal as they travelled the cave. Ramos led the way with Gerard behind him and Bray at the rear. Bray was listening carefully. He thought he had heard a sound ahead of them some time before, but he was not sure. Although Ramos and Gerard were not talking, their passage through the cave was noisy. They brushed against the walls in narrower places, and their swords scraped rocks and walls almost continually. If there was something ahead of them in the cave, it was doing a much better job of moving silently.Most parts of the cave they travelled were like narrow tunnels. In places they widened into galleries, branched off into other channels and, in two places, joined a stream that appeared from and disappeared back into the cave’s wall.After some time, Gerard pointed to a mark scratched on the wall. “Half way,” he told Bray. The mark was barely visible in the pale glow that emanated from the walls. Bray had expected to have to use torches for light, but the walls gave off a weak luminescence that made it possible to see without the use of fire. Bray had asked about it, but his companions had no answers.They had travelled perhaps half as far again from the half-way mark when Ramos stopped suddenly. Ahead of them, where the cave curved to the left they saw the back of a person stepping out of the gloomy light. It was a woman moving slowly and softly backwards towards them. Although her face was hidden from him, Bray could tell by her posture that she was terrified. He dropped his pack silently to the ground. He was going to string his bow, but time was against him as an echoing roar sounded. The young woman spun around and ran towards them, as a huge, wild-looking dog sprang into view. Its eyes were red rimmed and full of hate. There was blood on its chest. Saliva dripped from its jaws. The cave was too narrow for swords, so Bray grabbed his knives as he screamed “down!” to those in front of him. The dog sprang. The young woman, who Bray recognized as Adel, fell to the ground and curled into a ball. The beast’s leap carried it above her. Directly ahead of Bray, Gerard had dropped face down to the ground. Ramos tried to pull his sword, failed and, at the last moment, tried to turn away. The dog’s jaws clamped onto his shoulder. Bray heard the sound of bones breaking and flesh being torn away as he ran along Gerard’s back and slashed a knife downward across the beast’s face, barely missing Ramos’s head. The dog released his hold with a howl of pain. Ramos crumbled to the ground. Bray sprang forward; both knives flashed repeatedly. As the dog opened its mouth to scream its anger, Bray drove a knife up from under the jaw into its brain. The dog collapsed. Bray’s second knife went in through an eye, followed by a circular movement that maximized damage, habit more than necessity.Bray withdrew both knives, cleaned them on the beast’s shaggy coat, and returned them to their scabbard before he turned to Ramos. Gerard was already attending to him, so Bray turned his attention to Adel who remained curled in a ball on the cave floor. She flinched when he laid a hand on her shoulder.“It is alright, girl. The beast is dead. You are safe, but what are you doing here?”“I have to go with you,” Adel said as she climbed back to her feet.“You have to go, why?”
“There is a compulsion in me that I do not understand,” Adel admitted. “I feel I must go with you.”
Conversation between the men was minimal as they travelled the cave. Ramos led the way with Gerard behind him and Bray at the rear. Bray was listening carefully. He thought he had heard a sound ahead of them some time before, but he was not sure. Although Ramos and Gerard were not talking, their passage through the cave was noisy. They brushed against the walls in narrower places, and their swords scraped rocks and walls almost continually. If there was something ahead of them in the cave, it was doing a much better job of moving silently.Most parts of the cave they travelled were like narrow tunnels. In places they widened into galleries, branched off into other channels and, in two places, joined a stream that appeared from and disappeared back into the cave’s wall.After some time, Gerard pointed to a mark scratched on the wall. “Half way,” he told Bray. The mark was barely visible in the pale glow that emanated from the walls. Bray had expected to have to use torches for light, but the walls gave off a weak luminescence that made it possible to see without the use of fire. Bray had asked about it, but his companions had no answers.They had travelled perhaps half as far again from the half-way mark when Ramos stopped suddenly. Ahead of them, where the cave curved to the left they saw the back of a person stepping out of the gloomy light. It was a woman moving slowly and softly backwards towards them. Although her face was hidden from him, Bray could tell by her posture that she was terrified. He dropped his pack silently to the ground. He was going to string his bow, but time was against him as an echoing roar sounded. The young woman spun around and ran towards them, as a huge, wild-looking dog sprang into view. Its eyes were red rimmed and full of hate. There was blood on its chest. Saliva dripped from its jaws. The cave was too narrow for swords, so Bray grabbed his knives as he screamed “down!” to those in front of him. The dog sprang. The young woman, who Bray recognized as Adel, fell to the ground and curled into a ball. The beast’s leap carried it above her. Directly ahead of Bray, Gerard had dropped face down to the ground. Ramos tried to pull his sword, failed and, at the last moment, tried to turn away. The dog’s jaws clamped onto his shoulder. Bray heard the sound of bones breaking and flesh being torn away as he ran along Gerard’s back and slashed a knife downward across the beast’s face, barely missing Ramos’s head. The dog released his hold with a howl of pain. Ramos crumbled to the ground. Bray sprang forward; both knives flashed repeatedly. As the dog opened its mouth to scream its anger, Bray drove a knife up from under the jaw into its brain. The dog collapsed. Bray’s second knife went in through an eye, followed by a circular movement that maximized damage, habit more than necessity.Bray withdrew both knives, cleaned them on the beast’s shaggy coat, and returned them to their scabbard before he turned to Ramos. Gerard was already attending to him, so Bray turned his attention to Adel who remained curled in a ball on the cave floor. She flinched when he laid a hand on her shoulder.“It is alright, girl. The beast is dead. You are safe, but what are you doing here?”“I have to go with you,” Adel said as she climbed back to her feet.“You have to go, why?”
“There is a compulsion in me that I do not understand,” Adel admitted. “I feel I must go with you.”
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