What is Medieval Monday? Fall in love with new stories and find new authors. Each Monday for the next 12 weeks another author will share the cover and excerpt from their story. Today is my turn.

Knight of Runes

When Lord Arik, a druid
knight, finds Rebeka Tyler wandering his lands without protection, he swears to
keep her safe. But Rebeka can take care of herself. When Arik sees her clash
with a group of attackers using a strange fighting style, he’s intrigued.
Rebeka is no ordinary
seventeenth-century woman—she’s traveled back from the year 2011, and she
desperately wants to return to her own time. She poses as a scholar sent by the
king to find out what’s killing Arik’s land. But as she works to decode the
ancient runes that are the key to solving this mystery and sending her home,
she finds herself drawn to the charismatic and powerful Arik.
As Arik and Rebeka fall in
love, someone in Arik’s household schemes to keep them apart, and a dark druid
with a grudge prepares his revenge. Soon Rebeka will have to decide whether to
return to the future or trust Arik with the secret of her time travel and her
heart.
Available
at Amazon   Nook

Knight of Runes is the first book in the Druid Knight Series. Book two, Knight of Rapture, is scheduled for release March, 2015.
Read an Excerpt

Excerpt: Knight of Runes
England ~ May, 1605
I should not have stayed
away from the Manor so long. Something stirs. Lord Arik’s eyes swept the
surrounding area as he and his three riders escorted the wagon with the old
tinker and the woman. They sped through the forest as fast as the rain-slicked
trail would allow. Unable to shake the ominous feeling of being watched, Arik
remained alert. At length, the horses winded, he slowed the pace as they neared
the Stone River.
“The forest is flooded. I
suspect the Stone will be as well. Willem, ride on ahead and let me know what
we face at the crossing.”
Willem did his lord’s
bidding and quickly returned with his report. “The river ahead runs fast,
m’lord. The bridge is in disrepair and cannot be crossed.”
Arik raised his hand and
brought the group to a halt. “Doward,” he said to the old tinker. “We must make
repairs. There’s no room for the wagon at the river’s edge. You and the woman
stay here and set up camp. Be ready to join us at the bridge when I send word.”
Logan, Arik’s brother,
spoke up. “I’ll keep watch here and help Doward and Rebeka.”
Arik nodded and, with the
others, continued the half mile to the bridge.
“I am not pleased with
this new delay.”
“It can’t be helped,
m’lord. We would make better time without the wagon,” said Simon.
“I’ll not leave Doward and
the woman unescorted through the forest, not with what we’ve heard lately.
We’ll have to drive hard to make up the lost time.”
The frame of the bridge
stood solid, the planks scattered everywhere, clogging the banks and shallows.
Arik leaped from his horse onto the frame to begin the repairs.
“Hand me that planking.”
Arik pointed to the nearest board.
Simon grabbed the plank
and examined it. “Sir, these boards have been deliberately removed.”
Arik took the board and
lifted it before him. An arrow whooshed out of the trees, and slammed into the
plank’s edge. Willem pulled his axe from his belt as Arik and Simon drew their
swords. In a fluid, practiced movement, Willem spun and found his mark. He sent
his axe flying. The archer fell into the river and was swept downstream,
Willem’s axe still lodged in his forehead. A dozen or more attackers broke
through the stand of trees.
Arik tossed the board into
the river and readied his sword. The enemy was poorly dressed carrying clubs
and knives. There was only one sword among them. The leader. Arik’s target.
“They plan to pin us here
at the river’s edge. Come, we’ll take the offensive before they form up.” They
moved forward, driving a wedge through the enemy’s ragged line, forcing what
little formation they had to scatter and fight, each man for himself.
A man, club in hand,
rushed at Arik. Before the attacker could bring his weapon into play, Arik
pivoted around him. He raised his sword high, and slammed the hilt’s steel
pommel squarely on the man’s head. Arik moved on before the man’s lifeless body
dropped to the ground.
Willem and Simon, on
either side of Arik, advanced through the melee. Their swift continuous
swordplay moved smoothly from one stroke to the next, whipping through the air.
They slashed on the downswing and again on the backswing, sweeping their
weapons back into position to repeat the killing sequence. The knight and his
soldiers steadily advanced, punishing any man who dared to come near them.
“For Honor!” Logan’s war
cry carried from the small camp to Arik’s ears.
Arik stiffened. Both camps
were now under attack. He pulled his blade from an attacker’s chest. The body
crumpled to the blood-soaked ground. Arik breathed deeply, the coppery taste of
blood in the air. “For Honor!” he bellowed in answer. His men echoed his call,
arms thrown wide, muscles quivering, the berserker’s rage overtaking them.
The remaining attackers
paled and fled headlong into the forest.
Motioning to his men to
follow, Arik raced toward the camp. He could hear the shouts, and cursed
himself for not seeing the danger. He crested the hill and came to an abrupt
halt.
Logan’s sword ripped
through the air as he protected Doward. The tinker drew his short blade and did
as much damage as he could. But it was the woman Arik noticed. Her skirt hiked
up, she twirled her walking stick like a weapon with an expertise that left him
slack-jawed. She dispatched the attackers, one by one, in a deadly
well-practiced dance. A man rushed toward her, knife in hand. The sneer on his
face didn’t match the fear in his eyes. She stepped out of his line of attack,
extended her stick to her side, and holding it with both hands swept the weapon
forward, striking the attacker across the bridge of his nose. Blood exploded
from his face in an arc of fine spray as his head snapped back. Droplets dusted
her face creating an illusion of bright red freckles. As he fell, she reversed
her swing and caught him hard behind his knees. He went down on his back,
spread-eagled. She swung her stick over her head and landed a precise and
disabling blow to his forehead that knocked him unconscious.
As she spun to face the
next threat her eyes captured Arik’s and held. In the space of an instant, time
slowed to a crawl. Her hair slowly loosened from its pins and swirled out
around her. His breath caught and his heartbeat quickened as a rapturous surge
raced through his body. Something eternal and familiar, with a sense of
longing, unsettled him. In the next heartbeat, she tore her eyes away, leaving
him empty. Time resumed its normal pace. Another attacker lay at her feet.
Arik joined the fight.

***


I hope you enjoyed the excerpt. Next Medieval Monday my featured author is H. K. Carlton with her latest release. 

13 Comments

  1. Thanks so much Carmen. Good luck to us both!

    Reply
  2. Oh, I agree with Carmen. Your cover certainly warms me 🙂 Best of luck with the release!

    Reply
  3. I'm glad you like the cover. I have a large print out next to my desk.

    Reply
  4. Wow! What a great cover, Ruth! I'm looking forward to reading your book, since I love time-travel and druids. All the best!

    Reply
  5. Sounds like an exciting action-packed story. I'm jealous of you medieval writers. I have to get back to that era someday as I loved it. Best wishes on sales.

    Reply
  6. It's my favorite genre. Thanks for leaving a comment.

    Reply
  7. I love this genre, it's one of my favorites to read. Definitely adding it to my TBR. Good luck!

    Reply
  8. Hi Jen! I hope you enjoy the story. The follow up book will be out in March. Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment.

    Reply
  9. Oh, sounds like a great book! Great trailer too!

    Reply
  10. Sounds wonderful, Ruth! Love the cover! Tweeted as well.

    Reply

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