4 Days to Go!
4 days to go until the release of my third book, "The Shadow of War"! So happy to have finished this beast of a novel and to share it with the world. To celebrate, I will be posting an excerpt up each day prior to the release Friday, May 10. Please check it out and click that pre-order link below, I would greatly appreciate it!
The line of soldiers split for their king and he stepped up to the battlements. He paused, then clapped the shoulder of the man beside him. The soldier’s tension seemed to ease somewhat, his frown replaced by a look of budding confidence. Ethebriel looked out over the plains of Kaanos.
Tens of thousands of Acedens surrounded Dun Ara. An infinite sea of black armor swallowed the golden fields, stretching off toward the horizon. Their banners flapped in the wind, that strange sigil of Iscarius swathed in stark white against the black. They formed ranks around the city, enclosing it from well out of bow range. Men dug trenches and sharpened poles while others raised tents and prepared for patrols. The Acedens had likely marched all day; they would set defensive formations and attack in a few days, perhaps weeks. Or perhaps they’d elect to play it safe and simply starve the Kaanosi into surrender. Either way, the Acedens wouldn’t be in a hurry. They knew they’d take Dun Ara eventually.
Ethebriel didn’t intend to let them take it easily. He’d bleed them all for their betrayals. The Acedens shattered alliances, burned innocence. They’d killed kings, conquered countries, brought the world to its knees. If the rumors were true, then they had even killed Abaddon. The world could have had peace. Instead, it kicked and bled in its death throes.
And no one even knew why.
He drew his sword with a long rasp of steel. The nearby men stopped whispering, and soon, all eyes were on him. They watched him anxiously, as if waiting for him to say something.
There wasn’t anything he could say that would save them. No, now was not the time for words. It was a time for swords.
Ethebriel Marthen, King of Kaanos, thrust his sword in the air with a fierce bellow. Dun Ara exploded with the roars of men ready to meet their end. Catapults and ballistae clanked into action and sent their munitions hurtling over the enemy encampments. The Acedens scrambled to action, clearly surprised by the sudden attack. Soon, munitions of their own sailed over the city and their armies charged across the empty field.
Ethebriel smiled into the face of his demise.
