The
Bow of Destiny
The
Bow of Hart Saga: Book 1
by
P.H. Solomon
Genre:
Epic Fantasy
Haunted
by his past. Hunted in the present. Uncertain what is real.
Athson
has seen things that aren't there and suffered fits since being
tragically orphaned as a child at the hands of trolls and Corgren the
wizard. When a strange will mentioning a mysterious bow comes into
his possession, he's not sure it's real. But the trolls that soon
pursue him are all too real and dangerous. And what's worse, these
raiders serve Corgren and his master, the hidden dragon, Magdronu,
who are responsible for the destruction of his childhood home. Athson
is drawn into a quest for the concealed Bow of Hart by the mystic
Withling, Hastra, but Athson isn't always sure what's real and who
his enemies are. With Corgren and Magdronu involved, Athson must face
not only frequent danger but his grasp on reality and the reasons
behind his tragic past.
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Prequel short stories to The Bow of Hart Saga:
He
struggles to breathe. Trolls stab helpless villagers through sliding curtains
of choking smoke and raging flame. Dying children wail as mocking slayers howl.
The violence fades into darkness. He flails and fears he lies in a grave yet
finds emptiness instead of dirt.
Silver
light rises and Eagle's Aerie soars beneath the moon. Athson climbs the
weather-worn stair and scraps his hands as he gains speed. The rock-face blurs
as Athson swoops onto the pinnacle towering over the ocean, stands where no one
ever has, sees what has been hidden.
Athson
pauses and then floats toward a voice murmuring by a swaying flame within a
shadowed crevice.
A
silhouette kneels and rocks, dark against the fire beyond it. A woman's uneven
voice chants:
"The
bow shall be hidden from heart..."
The
swaying speaker feeds wood into the fire. Sparks snap from the coals and whirl
amid the orange-blue tongues. An arc forms in the smoke and fades into the
stars.
"The
eagle will guide the heir..."
An
eagle's scream pierces the night wind.
"The
bow shall be found at need..."
Wrinkled
hands tie a wad of cloth with string - a bowstring.
"And
the arrow shall Eloch prepare."
A
shooting star streaks across the horizon and drags Athson's attention from the
crouching figure before the popping fire.
The
eagle screams again - louder and nearer.
The
figure half-turns and tosses the packet at Athson's feet. He stares at it, then
back to the kneeling woman. Her face half-lit by the firelight reveals a pointy
nose that overshadows her receding jaw. Grizzled wisps of gray hair wave in the
wind. "For you who suffers in silence for a secret."
Athson
stoops and inspects the package. He unties the knot and pushes the string into
a pocket. Within the cloth, he finds a tattered note and more fabric he guesses
is a pennant.
"Zelma's
done it." She gazes skyward and raises her arms.
"Why
more now when so much has been taken already? Why me?" His anger flares
and he tosses the packet away. "This isn't mine." He whirls and
stumbles into darkness.
"He
needs to see." The woman's voice screeches and slices through whistling
wind.
The
eagle's deafening scream stabs his awareness as immense wings snap like a clap
of thunder. Talons tear clothing, pierce flesh and snatch Athson into the air.
He dangles and kicks as he yells while silver landscape yawns beneath him. The
curious sound of joyous cackling trails into the distance.
Athson
squeezes his eyes shut but dares squinting at the moonlit sky that stretches
overhead. The land wheels as the eagle glides over earth mottled by shadow and
pale light. The world unfolds as Athson glimpses far beyond the distant
Drelkhaz Mountains to the far eastern shores of the great Endless Sea.
His
vision focuses on an old woman as she rests by her campfire on an empty plain
south of Auguron. She stirs from sleep and cocks her head as if listening. She
gazes at Athson. His vision whirls away from her as she rises in her gray
dress.
A
beautiful young woman rides along a road beneath tufts of glowing clouds. Her
braided hair dangles over her left shoulder and she wears pale leather armor
and leggings made for dueling. The hilts of two of swords protrude above each
of her shoulders. She brushes her face as if wiping away a tear.
Darkness
descends over both Athson and the eagle. The giant bird glides in silence.
A
knife glitters pale in the darkness. It slashes in a vicious arc and then
pauses. Blood covers the weapon and drips from the tip. Athson shouts in dismay
but wind thrusts it back into his mouth. His own Rokan dagger bought in a fit
of anger when Sarneth withheld his father's sword. The blood chills him worse
than the wind or the eagle's hold.
The
eagle’s screech pierces his hearing and its wings drum thunder. Athson trembles
as darkness recedes. The bracing wind slaps his face.
Shadowy
wings ride wind from the south. The figure blots out stars as it swings north
and glides on a shifting course. The eagle shrieks in defiance at the
approaching beast. Fire belches amid an answering roar. Athson yells as the
giant bird dives at the black shape. Ragged wings, so dark they drink moonlight,
flutter against frigid air. Eagle and dragon glide and twist past each other.
The
streaking shadow trails fire and a rotten stench. Athson struggles to name the
creature until one thought flares: Magdronu.
The
eagle dives. Athson flails his arms and legs as he screams.
And
then the talons release him.
P.
H. Solomon lives in the greater Birmingham, AL area where he strongly
dislikes yard work and sanding the deck rail. However, he performs
these duties to maintain a nice home for his loved ones as well as
the family’s German Shepherds. In his spare time, P. H. rides herd
as a Computer Whisperer on large computers called servers (harmonica
not required). Additionally, he enjoys reading, running, most sports
and fantasy football. Having a degree in Anthropology, he also has a
wide array of more “serious” interests in addition to working
regularly to hone his writing. The Bow of Destiny is his first
novel-length title with more soon to come.
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2 comments:
I do like Epic Fantasy.
Sounds like a great epic fantasy. Those dang trolls!
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