Swords with Souls: The Sword Master B7

The Sword Master

(Swords with Souls)

Cover by Darren Joy

Dark Fantasy Fiction

(Adult content)

“The prince has baptized you, Sir Ganbold,” the king says with a nervous laugh.

He is confused by what happens next. Blood splatters his face and others. He has a vague awareness of Sir Ganbold rapidly marching out of the hall.

There is absolute silence in the hall until the prince screams out, “My sword hand!”

He instinctively draws out his sword as he wipes the blood from his face. Sir Olaf draws his sword and steps before the king. Sir Afamefuna rushes to the prince. In one sweeping movement he cuts off a section of his tunic, places his sword on the floor, and wraps the prince’s stump.

From the middle of the room, he hears the queen wailing, and to sum everything up, the king, looking pale and shocked says, “What just happened?”

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Swords with Souls: The Sword Master B6

The Sword Master

(Swords with Souls)

Cover by Darren Joy

Dark Fantasy Fiction

(Adult content)

The king stands and bows to his lady, “My Lady,” he replies before sitting again. “Show me James,” the king says to his son with outreaching hands.

The prince steps forward onto the open floor between his mother and his father. He draws his short sword and brandishes in the air. Next, he makes a flourish of attack movements as if foes are coming at him from every direction. After a few moments he stops, re-sheathes his sword and bows to his father. “I am ready to lead our forces against the dwarves and giants to the north should they disobey your commands, or to cross the sea to destroy the heathens.”

He’s impressed with the boy’s sword fighting display. There were a lot of bold and useless movements but that could just be age. That he would mention the dwarves and the giants was interesting. The king’s great great grandfather was said to be a near giant himself. King David created the heights of banishment. It’s rumored that the woman he fell in love with liked someone even taller than himself.  When she refused to marry King David, he had her measured and decreed that she was a deviant. Any woman or man her height, or shorter, would be banished. He had himself measured as well. Anyone his exact height or taller was also to be banished to the mountainous areas in the far north. That the Rule of Banishment should continue to this day made little sense to him but such were the forever rules of kings.

“I can defeat anyone now, father!” the prince proclaims.

He smiles and sees the rest of the room doing the same. What a sweet child. The only one who does not smile is Sir Ganbold.

“You doubt me, Sir Ganbold?” the prince demands to know.

“You are young, My Prince, and untried in battle,” Sir Ganbold replies in his soft and deadly voice.

“Draw your sword and test me, son of infidels,” the prince challenges to the shock of everyone in the room.

Sir Ganbold stares straight ahead as he replies, “I must draw blood if I draw my sword, Prince.”

“James,” the king says in a stern voice.

The prince ignores his father and spits into Sir Ganbold’s face. “Coward!”

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Swords with Souls: The Sword Master B5

The Sword Master

(Swords with Souls)

Cover by Darren Joy

Dark Fantasy Fiction

(Adult content)

The king is waving him aside when a soldier enters. The soldier’s scarlet cape billows as he hurries up to kneel and place a thick mauve pillow before the throne.

He sees the thick eyebrows of the king raise in concern. “Raise and speak,” the king commands the soldier.

“Your Highness,” the soldier says with a stern yet nervous voice. “Baron Luis was murdered last night. It’s unclear when it happened. He was found in his bed with his throat slit and….” Sir Oliver can see the concern in the soldier’s face.  “A message was left on this pillow.”

“Let’s see,” the king commands. As the king speaks Sir Olaf draws what would be a two-handed sword to anyone else half way out of its sheath.

A confused expression crosses the king’s face as the soldier holds out the pillow for him to read what’s written on it. “I know that hand writing!”

After ten years he has learned to understand the king’s moods and his sly personality. He waits to see how this plays out.

“The baron’s wife is very upset, Your Highness,” the soldier says with a solemn voice.

“I will discuss this with the Treasurer later,” the king tells the soldier dismissively. 

“Yes, Your Highness,” the soldier replies, exhaling as he marches from the hall.

Next Queen Jadwiga enters with her entourage of waiting women and female guards.  Her purple dress flows back with determination. He believes the queen would be quite attractive but for the constant thin-lipped scowl on her face. Her brunette hair is tied up in a beehive. Beside her is the prince. Twelve years old already.  He is wearing a dark brown tunic with a purple cape. His footwear is dark and appropriate for battle training. His left-hand rests on the raven shaped pommel of his short sword. The raven is missing a wing, reflecting the crest of the king’s family.

“My Lord,” the queen shouts out, “Our prince has something to show you.”

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Sword with Souls: The Sword Master B4

The Sword Master

(Swords with Souls)

Cover by Darren Joy

Dark Fantasy Fiction

(Adult content)

Sir Oliver marches past all the other royal guards with his spangenhelm cradled in his left arm. At the back of the hall is the king seated on his throne. To the king’s right is Sir Afamefuna. He was the captain during the King’s father’s time and swore to protect the old king’s son. On the king’s left side is the near giant, Sir Olaf. The latest captain of the royal guard and the most dangerous man he has ever met. Beside Sir Olaf is Sir Ganbold.  The best archer on foot and horse. Missing, and meant to stand beside Sir Afamefuna, is Sir Oisin. The most handsome of them all and best singer by far. Likely busy with one of the many lasses awaiting his attention.

He had started learning how to read not ten years before and enjoys it very much. But he is not a poet nor a scholar and has no desire to write. But he looks forward to reading what others will write of the three other knights of King Leopold Khalifa.

“Your Majesty,” he says with his chin high and staring straight ahead. “The area for your new palace has been cordoned off.”

“And the deer and other hunting game kept in?” the king asks him in a deep, condescending voice that reminds him more of drinking curled milk than any particular sound.

“Yes, my king,” he replies.

“And all the faie and other loiters removed?”

“As you commanded, my king.” He holds back a nervous gulp.  The faie now hide on his own fiefdom and the nearby Black Forest, a mere thirty leagues away from where the king’s new palace will be built. It was as far away as the faie could safely move from their original homes.

As the fourth son of a local farmer, he had little hope of achieving wealth. His father suggested he try out for the King’s Guard. Others bullied him initially, until he became the humble expert in every weapon. As a farmer’s son, he is accustomed to keeping his mouth shut around nobles. He knows to let their insults and gests slide right by. Eventually, he made a name for himself as trustworthy. In his first year as a guard, his captain told him where a barrel of whiskey was hidden.  That captain had him give an oath not to reveal it to a company officer who wanted it. Later that day the company officer told him, he saw him talking to the captain, and wanted to know about what. He refused to say. The company officer along with some other junior officers attacked him and stripped him. They forced him into one of the wooden cages used for captured criminals. Throughout the day he was jabbed with sharpened sticks and ridiculed. The next day he was released and told he had passed a very important test.

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Swords with Souls: The Necromantic Druidess P3

The Necromantic Druidess

(Swords with Souls)

Cover by Darren Joy

Dark Fantasy Fiction

(Adult content)

As he chokes and sits up grasping his throat to close the wound, she rolls off the bed and pulls out a vial from an inner pocket and a small bag made of sheepskin.  As his eyes dull, she spoons his blood into the vial before corking it.  As he flops onto the bed, about to give one final gasp, she places the mouth of the bag over his mouth. Inside the bag is a tiny piece of quartz with iron inside. When his eyes glaze over, she pinches the bag shut and ties it tight with a leather thong.

Holding her knife as steady as she can, she dips its tip into the baron’s blood and draws out the three-star symbol of the sovereign onto a pillow case. Next, she carefully writes: Funds are owed in the handwriting of the King’s Treasurer. 

Standing naked in front of a full-sized mirror beside a wash basin and using a nearby washcloth she rubs the baron’s blood from her face and body.  When she is done her body starts to tremor and she crumbles to the ground and weeps quietly. This is the first time she has killed a human.  The first time she has captured a soul.

Once clothed, she covers the baron up to his chin with the sheets. She checks her clothes, wig, and face once more in the mirror for any signs of blood. To be cautious she ties a scarf around her head.

When she feels confident there are no telling signs, she raps lightly on one of the double doors. A guard opens it. He stares down at her with an expression torn between professionalism and lust.  She places a finger to her lips and whispers, “The lord is a sleep.” Her voice sounds controlled considering how hard her heart is pounding.

The guard nods to another guard farther down the dimly lit hallway before leading her down a set of stairs to a doorway that will allow her outdoors.

She thanks the guard with a sweet and not so innocent smile. Once the door is closed, she hurries towards the front of the castle where the drawbridge is. If an alarm has been sounded by then, she will slip into the bushes to change out of her disguise.

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Swords with Souls: The Necromantic Druidess P2

The Necromantic Druidess

(Swords with Souls)

Cover by Darren Joy

Dark Fantasy Fiction

(Adult content)

He disrobes with clumsy vigor then roars and beats his chest before leaping beside her.

She searches with her fingers desperately for the knife hidden within the inner pocket of her dress.

“Let me see your body so I can kiss every curve and valley,” he tells her in a deep, sing-song baritone voice as his eyelids droop.

“Ooh,” she coos.  “First, turn away, so I can touch the war scars on your back.”

“Be quick,” he says with a laugh and a yawn as he turns so his back is at her disposal.

She is impressed that he could survive so many battles.  The scars are mostly white and plentiful with a few thick and purple. She traces along the ones on his upper trap. It’s too bad she despises him so much and desperately needs his essence for a vital task.

To survive in the cold seasons, it’s necessary to eat meat. For the sheep that honor her family with their lives, a quick death is always given. “You are so strong and these scars must tell so many stories.  Let me touch the face of such a powerful and yet sensual being.  She reaches with her right hand under his long brunette hair and touches first his goatee, then his mouth, and finally covers his eyes.  With her left hand she reaches over his neck and in one quick jerk slits his throat.

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Swords with Souls: The Necromantic Druidess B1

The Necromantic Druidess

(Swords with Souls)

By Dan Watt the author of BARD: Bearer of the Gemstone

Cover by Darren Joy

Fantasy Fiction

(Adult content)

Before her, gazing like an oversized teen in lust is the current king’s uncle and former captain of the royal guard. A weapons master and noble who led by example before his brother, the old king granted him the title of baron. The truth of his nobleness would be complete if he hadn’t charmed so many girls, including her sister Gwen. At thirteen, her sister was a lady in waiting to the baroness. That is until she became pregnant two years ago and gave birth, like so many before her. When the baron found out, he had her sister cast out beyond the castle walls, in only a nightgown with a hungry babe suckling her swollen breast. Her sister later said she was willingly seduced.  But does a grown man, one who has committed himself to another, get to seduce one so young? Other girls did not fare as well. Found dying of frostbite in the winter months or forced to survive by selling their bodies. Tonight however, isn’t completely about revenge, but about the construction of the new king’s palace. Not only is the king destroying forested land to build his palace but he’s also altering the Tyne River.

She hopes the toxin in the wine flask, the one she insisted they share during the baron’s post hunting party, will give her an advantage. For months she has taken small dosages of the toxin to build up a partial immunity. So far, her senses are clear and his seem to be getting duller.

Right now, she is lying naked in the ruby red satin sheets of his immense bed. Earlier she allowed him to watch her disrobe at the side of his bed while his wife, Lady Elva, stays at her parent’s palace in Cold Wind Realm, getting ready to give birth.  Before she finished undressing Baron Rupert had tried to come closer but she had put up her hands for him to wait. If the night goes well, it will be the only time he gazes upon her naked body. His body is powerfully built; she can tell by the tightness of his now brandy stained shirt and how his thighs press tightly against his wide rimmed trousers. There is excess fat but it adds to the powerful appearance of his bull-like physique. Even now, past his prime, he still occasionally leads his men to battle. Something the sovereign has never done. Those skills will come in handy.

“Let me see this bull of a body of yours,” she coos at him, “and that part that grows like a horse in heat.” The broad smile on his wide face is charming. It’s a struggle not to like this man. She rolls herself in the silk sheets to hide the one arm that dangles towards the position of her carefully placed clothes that now lie under a pillow on the floor.

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Book Review of Ray Nayler’s “The Mountain In The Sea”

  • I wrote this review earlier but out of respect for my Uncle Robb’s passing and my cousin, I waited until now. Uncle Robb enjoyed Clive Cussler and Dan Brown. I think “The Mountain In The Sea” is a book he would have enjoyed reading. This is for him and my cousins.

Book Review of Ray Nayler’s

“The Mountain In The Sea”

For Christmas my eldest niece, Rachel, gave me Ray Nayler’s “The Mountain In The Sea”.

It’s interesting that my niece would choose to give me this book. I was in Saint Martins years ago with my snorkeling buddies when I saw something amazing. I was standing in a rocky area, when I saw a young octopus stand up on a flat rock, and use its tentacles to walk into the water.

Nayler’s story is woven with different main characters into a story that takes place in the near future. He has written a science fiction thriller that asks, what defines the meaning of life, and can humans ever collaborate with other intelligent lifeforms? Although the story’s plot line discusses overfishing and the need for sanctuaries it also explores the possibility of evolving octopuses and whether an artificially made lifeform should be considered alive. He uses quotes from one of his main characters, Dr. Ha Nguyen, throughout the book to get the reader to ponder his main themes.

Quote from the book (p. 215)

We have finally taken the first steps toward truly observing life–not at a distance, as its masters, but in fellowship, recognizing a part of our selves.

— Dr. Ha Nyguyen, How Oceans Think

Quote from the book (p. 285):

What does it mean to be a self? I think, more than anything else, it means the ability to select between different possible outcomes in order to direct oneself toward a desired outcome:

— Dr. Ha Nyguyen, How Oceans Think

This is an original story that makes me think of the 2016 movie Arrival and the need to learn another species written language. It also reminds me of how Frank Herbert uses quotes from different main characters in his Dune series.

Ray Nayler is a critically acclaimed short fiction writer (The Very Best of The Year’s Best: 35 Years of the The Year’s Best Science Fiction). He currently serves as the international advisor to the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

YouTube Interview with Ray Nayler by Media Death Cult

https://ca.video.search.yahoo.com/search/video?fr=mcafee&p=Ray+Nayler&type=E210CA885G0#id=1&vid=1d0acbe83f29106e42cfeccac446c4fc&action=click