Blackthorn Knights

Blackthorn Knights

By

Stewart Felkel

PUBLISHED BY:

Stewart Felkel at Smashwords

Copyright 2013 by Stewart Felkel

Blackthorn Knights is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords to purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Blackthorn Knights

When Robert Temple proposed to his college girlfriend Portia the last thing he expected was to find himself following her home to El'Ori. Especially considering her home is an island kingdom in another universe; a kingdom that is part of the much larger Rhavinian Empire.

Unfortunately the two of them find their new home in troubled times. For a small kingdom it has more than its share of problems. For starters there is the horde of part demon barbarians who have begun raiding the island from the sea. To compound matters the Rhavinian Lord Deputy of the island, in his paranoia and greed, believes the raids to be the work of rebels. He refuses to provide aid while enforcing the ban on personal weapons and stripping the island bare of its wealth and resources.

Seeing no relief in sight Temple decides that his only choice is to risk everything he has grown to love by forming a warrior brotherhood known as the Blackthorn Knights. It's a desperate gamble, for even if they drive off the invaders they'll still risk their fates at the hands of the Rhavinian Empire as rebels. In a land of scheming nobles, wizards, powerful empires, and ancient monsters can one man save everything that he holds dear? With his bow in hand Temple is determined to try.

Drawing heavily from Irish myths and history, as well as the timeless tales of Robin Hood, the story of the Blackthorn Knights is a lighthearted, fast paced fantasy tale. For fans of Terry Brook's Landover series, Harry Turtledove's Videssos Cycle, and Rick Shelly's Varayan Memoir.

Table of Contents

Foreword

Prologue

Chapter 1 Proposal

Chapter 2 El’Ori

Chapter 3 The Lord Deputy

Chapter 4 Allies

Chapter 5 Plans

Chapter 6 The Games

Chapter 7 Fell Beast

Chapter 8 Rebellion Begins

Chapter 9 The Fallout

Chapter 10 From Bad to Worse

Biography

Foreword

Thank you for purchasing my book. It means a lot to have someone take a chance on a new author. I sincerely hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

As long as I can remember I’ve been a fan of Fantasy. I don’t know what my first introduction to the genre was, although it was probably The Hobbit which I watched and rewatched religiously as a child. I became an avid reader at an early age and devoured just about anything I could get my hands on. I read Lord of the Rings early on and branched out from there. I read most of the Shannara books and I’m still blown away by Tad William’s Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn. Don’t get me started on The Wheel of Time though. My favorite books though have always been a little less epic in nature, although not strictly Sword and Sorcery types. I’ve lost count of how many times I have read the Black Company series by Glen Cook or the Videssos Cycle by Harry Turtledove. The Varayan Memoirs is another, under rated, series that has influenced me. The thing that these series all have in common is their focus on everyday men in extreme circumstances. Often its soldiers thrust into another world, literally, dealing with politics, magic, and the usual evil forces. I’ve always loved those kinds of stories and I couldn’t resist writing my own take on it. If you are a fan of history like me you’ll notice that I borrowed a little from English, Roman, and Irish history as well as Celtic Mythology particularly the Fianna. Both the Black Company and the Fianna, that band of roving warriors from Irish myth, had a huge effect on the evolution of the Blackthorn Knights.

The beauty of writing a fantasy novel is that you get to play a lot of pretend. I spent a lot of time hanging out with the characters in this book and roaming the woods of El’Ori. I feel like I got to know the characters pretty well. Those who know me will recognize a lot of me in Temple. I have a fascination with history, especially historical martial arts, as well as archery.

I’ve rambled on a little longer than I meant to. My students have always accused me of being long winded. It’s a character flaw I’ve just accepted. I’ll end this here and let you go explore El’Ori. I hope you fall in love with it the same way I did, without further ado, welcome to my own little imaginary world.

Prologue

The young woman could see her home burning in the night, her home and the dozen or so shops and houses that made up her village. She could see all of this from where she was draped over the shoulder of the large man carrying her towards the shore.

It had been just after supper when the dogs had started barking. Before her father could go to see what it was about the door had been kicked in. The massive man who did the kicking cut her father down without even a pause. Her mother started screaming, and she realized that she was screaming too before he struck her mother over the head. Then he slapped the young woman so hard she went down in a heap.

Everyone had always bragged on how beautiful her mother was and how she so closely resembled her. That must be why the two of them were being lowered into the dark boat on the beach while everyone else was dead or dying. She had seen the mayor and his son lying beheaded in the street. It was all too much for her and she faded away in on herself.

The rest of the pirates climbed into their ship and pushed off. None of the others had prisoners, but they all carried some type of booty. She realized that all she could hear was a high pitched ringing in her left ear where she had been slapped. She was also cold, and so scared she could barely even whimper. It took almost half an hour for her mother to come to. She could feel the boat rocking on the waves and knew they were getting farther from shore. The two women, mother and daughter, huddled together and cried while sailors around them rowed their oars and leered. They couldn’t help but wonder if those who died outright were the lucky ones.

Chapter 1 Proposal

What do you mean you can’t answer right now? Temple asked while kneeling on the floor. He could feel blood rushing to his face as he looked up at his girlfriend Portia. He had been looking forward to this day almost since they had first met at that party years ago. She had been the most beautiful girl there and every guy had hit on her. She had shot every one of them down except for him though. Before the night was over they had shared their first kiss and they had been together ever since. And now the day had come. It was the day before her graduation, their three year anniversary, and he had thought the day that she would agree to be his wife. Instead she had stared at him in shock and said that she couldn’t answer him yet.

I’m sorry Portia said to him quietly. I just can’t answer yet. I have to go home, something has come up.

When will you be back? When will you know?

I’m not sure, but I really am sorry.

If the expression on her face was honest, she really was sorry, but that didn’t make him feel any better. Distractedly he noticed that his shoulder was sore and he realized that he was still holding up the ring. He lowered his arm back to his side as he stood up.

I just don’t understand. What could have come up that would prevent you from just giving me an answer?

I can’t talk about it right now, its family business she replied.

What kind of family business? I thought you were an orphan like me. He vaguely realized how rude a question that was, but he just couldn’t care.

I am I just really can’t talk right now. I’ll tell you everything when I get back. I have to go pack now.

Pack? he asked in shock. You can’t be leaving tonight. Your graduation is tomorrow.

I know. I’m just going to have to miss it. I really have to go. She turned and walked away briskly, but not before he saw a tear on her cheek. As the door closed behind her he felt the tears on his own cheek.

*****

What do you mean she just said no Neil asked him while slamming his beer down on the table.

She didn’t say no, she said she couldn’t answer because she had to leave to take care of family business Temple said.

That sounds like an excuse to me.

Temple could tell that Neil was angry by the set of his jaw, but true to his nature he wasn’t saying much. Neil was the classic quiet type. To have even said that one negative sentence was abnormal for him.

Did she say what family business it was?

No, and I can’t figure out what it could be. She’s an orphan, just like me. Even after ten years it still hurt to say that word. His parent’s had died in a car wreck when he was fifteen. His father was an only child to parent’s who had both passed away. His mother was also an only child of parent’s who had disowned her for marrying a mechanic. Contrary to normal grandparents, that dislike had extended to their son as well.

I’ve known you a long time Rob, Neil started, and I love Portia to pieces, but something isn’t right here. I think you deserve a straight answer.

Neil was understating their friendship slightly. They had known each other since their first year in college. They had taken classes together, hunted together, pledged a fraternity together, and beaten the snot out of each other in the ring more than once sparring. When he had started grad school in the history dept. Neil had been a willing guinea pig for many of his living archaeology experiments including fencing, wrestling, and archery among other