Skull's Vengeance
(Curse of Clansmen and Kings Book 4)
by Linnea Tanner
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GENRE: Historical Fantasy
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BLURB:
A Celtic warrior queen must do the impossible—defeat her sorcerer
half-brother and claim the throne. But to do so, she must learn how to strike
vengeance from her father’s skull.
AS
FORETOLD BY HER FATHER in a vision, Catrin has become a battle-hardened warrior
after her trials in the Roman legion and gladiatorial games. She must return to
Britannia and pull the cursed dagger out of the serpent's stone to
fulfill her destiny. Only then can she unleash the vengeance from the ancient
druids to destroy her evil half-brother, the powerful sorcerer, King Marrock.
Always two steps ahead and seemingly unstoppable, Marrock can summon
destructive natural forces to crush any rival trying to stop him and has
charged his deadliest assassin to bring back Catrin's head.
To
have the slightest chance of beating Marrock, Catrin must forge alliances with
former enemies, but she needs someone she can trust. Her only option is to seek
military aid from Marcellus—her secret Roman husband. They rekindle their
burning passion, but he is playing a deadly game in the political firestorm of
the Julio-Claudian dynasty to support Catrin's cause.
Ultimately,
in order to defeat Marrock, Catrin must align herself with a dark druidess and
learn how to summon forces from skulls to exact vengeance. But can she and
Marcellus outmaneuver political enemies from Rome and Britannia in their quest
to vanquish Marrock?
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Excerpt
Two:
Chapter 1 Portals to the Otherworld
Antonii Villa in Gaul, Eve of Samhain, 31 October, 27 AD
Exasperated, Catrin drew in a sharp breath. Then, she
considered Trystan’s impassioned plea to meet with two of her most hated
enemies. Recalling how her father had respected his second-in-command’s advice,
she reluctantly conceded and squeezed her legs against her horse’s flanks to
move toward the campfire’s glow.
The night’s chill mysteriously transformed into an embracing
warmth as they neared a roaring fire with a black cauldron hanging over it.
Sitting behind the crimson flames were two obscured figures.
“Welcome, Apollo’s Raven,” a woman’s deep voice intoned.
“Come to our fire. Join us in the dance of souls.”
Though Catrin hesitated to join them, the fire’s radiance
mesmerized her, luring her closer to the orange flames. She dismounted and
handed the reins to Trystan, who quietly remained with the horses as she sat
down on a fallen log near the roaring campfire.
“Drink the magic from the cauldron,” the woman offered. “It
empowers all who partake with the knowledge of mystical mysteries from the
ancient druids.”
“I already have that power,” Catrin proclaimed, trepidatious
that perhaps Rhan had dropped hallucinogenic ingredients into the bubbling
mixture. Thick steam flowed over the cauldron’s edge and down its metal surface
in a thick, greenish fog.
“We know, my love, but you have only had a taste,” Rhan
replied in a hypnotic voice. “You do not know how to control this dark magic.
But we do.”
Suddenly light-headed from the smoky fumes emanating from
the cauldron, Catrin struggled to maintain her wits. “Once before you said
this, when you tried to trick me into revealing how I can travel to the
Otherworld.”
“Believe me, this is no trick,” Rhan said soothingly. “I’ve
seen your father’s spirit wander the top of cliffs, near a dagger embedded in a
serpent stone. It is the blade on which my curse was etched.”
“I sense the curse has altered again, but I can’t see how the
etched wording has changed on the blade,” Myrddin interjected. “You must help
us solve the riddle of how the dagger got there.”
Catrin inhaled sharply, realizing Myrddin and Rhan had
discovered the location of the dagger she had thrust into the stone. The image
of her running away from the Romans played in her mind, and her thoughts
transformed into words.
“After the final battle, I tried to escape the Romans,
but…but there was nowhere to go, except jump off the white cliffs. At that
moment, I chose to die rather than be captured.”
Rhan rose to her feet, walked around the fire, and sat next
to Catrin. “But you didn’t die, did you?” she said, touching Catrin’s arm.
“No. A riderless horse galloped to me, stopping in front of
me. My father suddenly appeared and told me not to jump,” Catrin disclosed,
reliving the supernatural moment in her mind. “I couldn’t believe my eyes that
Father was there. I knew Marrock had beheaded him. Yet, I felt his essence and
his love radiate into me.”
Tears swelled in Catrin’s eyes as remorse that she had been
unable to save her family from Marrock’s brutality overwhelmed her. She
swallowed down a sob before continuing her story.
“Father told me to lift the cursed dagger toward the sky. To
my amazement, sunlight flashed through the dark clouds, almost blinding me. He
then ordered, ‘Thrust the dagger into the serpent stone that I create.’ What I
saw next was not a vision. It was real.”
Catrin grimaced as she recalled the burning pain she’d felt
as she’d held the hilt of the dagger.
“The blade turned orange, as if it had been taken out of a
furnace. Father’s spirit burst apart into gold dust and melted into the blade’s
etching. Serpents massed together on the ground. The venom dripping from their
fangs hardened into stone. Somehow, I was able to push the dagger into the hard
rock, like it was butter. And, and…”
“And what, my dear?” Rhan pressed.
Catrin’s voice cracked. “I was collared by the Romans and
put on a warship.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Award-winning author, Linnea Tanner, weaves Celtic tales of love, magical adventure, and political intrigue in Ancient Rome and Britannia. Since childhood, she has passionately read about ancient civilizations and mythology. Of particular interest are the enigmatic Celts, who were reputed as fierce warriors and mystical Druids.
Linnea has
extensively researched ancient and medieval history, mythology, and archaeology
and has traveled to sites described within each of her books in the Curse of
Clansmen and Kings series. Books released in her series include "Apollo’s
Raven" (Book 1), "Dagger’s Destiny" (Book 2), "Amulet’s Rapture"
(Book 3), and "Skull’s Vengeance" (Book 4). She has also released the
historical fiction short story, "Two Faces of Janus."
A Colorado
native, Linnea attended the University of Colorado and earned both her
bachelor’s and master’s degrees in chemistry. She lives in Fort Collins with
her husband and has two children and six grandchildren.
You can follow
her on her website: https://www.linneatanner.com/
Amazon Buy
Link: https://www.amazon.com/Skulls-Vengeance-Curse-Clansmen-Kings-ebook/dp/B0BC2GCFGG/ref=sr_1_1
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ReplyDeleteSkull's Vengeance sounds like an epic read and I am looking forward to it. Is this book the end of the Curse of Clansmen and Kings series or are there more stories to come?
ReplyDeleteThank you for visiting and commenting. I am now writing the sequel, King's Curse, and fifth book in the series, Dragon's Anvil.
DeleteThis sounds like a really interesting read!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Sherry, for dropping in and commenting. Hope you've had a great start to your new year.
DeleteThe book sounds very interesting. Great cover!
ReplyDeleteThank you for visiting and commenting.
DeleteThank you for hosting the blog tour for Skull's Vengeance.
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