Here is a link to Wicked Roots, the first book of The Elsbeck Chronicles.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Elsbeck-Chronicles-Wicked-ebook/dp/B00A1QP6AC/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1357761113&sr=1-1&keywords=the+elsbeck+chronicles

Teaser from The Elsbeck Chronicles: Sons of Malcarth

This is a teaser from the sequel to The Elsbeck Chronicles: Wicked Roots.

Cold stinging rain drummed on the brim of Rhysel’s hat as he strode through the camp. Occasionally a drop would work its way down his back, but for the most part he was remarkably dry. Still, guard duty on a night such as this was not a task that any man would envy. By rights, he was not required to walk a post, but he preferred to lead by example.

The tents hummed in the growling wind as he walked past. He knew his men were talking inside, but nothing could be heard over the storm. It was as bad a night as he could remember since coming to Elsbeck two years ago.

To make matters worse, he could not seem to shake the feeling that he was being watched. Not the feeling you get when you know you have been seen by a wolf, it was the feeling you get when you are being hunted. Something was out in the trees, pacing him as he made his way through the camp. Rhysel was not frightened, but it was a bit unsettling.

In truth he had nothing to base this feeling on. He had seen nothing during his two hour tour of the camp. Neither had he heard anything, impossible as that would have been. It was nothing more than a feeling, but Rhysel knew better than to second guess himself in this kind of situation.

He gave no indication that he knew he was being stalked, other than the occasional glance into the trees. Better to let whatever was out there think it was going unnoticed for now, if there was anything out there at all. Rhysel was not prone to nerves, but he was becoming more and more unsettled.

He and his detachment had been sent out by the Chief to search for the girl called Marya. Apparently, she had gone missing during the attack on the citadel and while she was presumed dead, the Chief was taking no chances. Even more alarming was the matter of Godmer’s disappearance. Anything that could carry Godmer off was not to be taken lightly. The last anyone saw of him, he was patrolling the main hall and the area just outside the doors. Anyone who would have seen what happened was now dead.

The hairs at the nape of his neck stood up, and he paused to peer into the wind swept trees. Something was definitely watching him. Nothing he could see, but that made it no less real. He supposed it could simply be a case of exhaustion paired with the incessant cacophony of the storm. The wind had died down over the past twenty minutes, so at least he would be able to hear if anything moved.

The fact that the Chief had hand-picked Rhysel for this task made him less inclined than usual to give in to this seemingly imaginary predator in the woods. That coupled with the Chief placing him in charge of the operation gave him a sense of duty that precluded any indulgence of such fancies. Still, the feeling would not leave him, however he tried to get his mind off it

His second in command, a man called Avel would see things differently. He would likely see it as a threat to the safety of the men and deal with it accordingly. Which is to say that anything stalking him would find itself on the business end of a very large axe.

As he crunched across the frozen mud, he noticed a dim gray light filtering through the rain. The sun would be up soon and he would go back to his tent for a few hours’ sleep before the party continued its search for the missing girl and the Chief’s brother.

The horses whickered and tossed their heads as he passed the tether line. He was only a few paces from the tents when he heard a faint rustling in the trees off to his left. He thought it might be an animal of some kind, but that was unlikely in this weather.

He slowed his pace imperceptibly, and continued toward the tents. The men inside would not have heard anything, but he would feel much better being away from whatever was out there. It sounded larger than anything that would inhabit this part of the province, except perhaps a wild bison. But they never ventured very far into the trees.

Rhysel watched the trees from the corner of his eye as he approached the first tent. As he stepped under the awning, he heard the men inside talking. They would likely deride him as a childish prat if he stopped this close to the end of his shift. It would all be in fun, of course, but he would rather not endure it if it could be avoided.

As he walked past the first tent, he felt more than heard a low rumbling growl. He instinctively placed his hand on the hilt of the sword at his hip.

Wicked Roots (Teaser)

“I really can’t thank you enough for taking me in Kusya.”

“Any sister of Jacob’s is a daughter of mine,” she poked Marya’s belly. “What kind of mother would I be if I had turned you away?”

Marya smiled and said “Well I thank you still, I don’t know what would have happened if Jacob hadn’t brought me here.”

Not wanting to think about that possibility, Kusya nodded toward the door.

“You get yourself to bed, we’ll talk more tomorrow.”

Marya yawned in response and started for the door. She looked back over her shoulder to see Kusya still standing there holding the tray and smiling at her. She smiled back, opened the door and went into the small room.

It was dimly lit, but inviting. It was apparently a storage room which had been converted to a bedroom for Marya. There were deep shelves along the walls which held stacks of tanned leather and folded cloth. There was a cot along one wall, piled with two thick blankets and flannel sheets. The pillow was stuffed with down from snow geese and covered with soft linen.

She went to the edge of the bed and pulled the covers back. She stood there for a moment, remembering the horror she had witnessed that morning. She squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head in an effort to banish the unbidden memory.

When she opened her eyes, she was looking at a fat little tufted ear squirrel sitting on her pillow, gazing at her.

“What are you looking at?” She asked with a slight smile.

The creature chattered and sniffed the air, then jumped onto the shelf above the bed. It sat there a moment, scurried behind a box, chattered at her again then fell silent. She looked at the box warily, and then sat on the bed. She had never heard of anyone being attacked by a squirrel, but that didn’t mean it never happened.

“Silly girl,” she said to herself and giggled.

Then, without warning, the image of her uncle’s torn body came into her mind. The entrails scattered across the floor, the meerks lapping at the pools of fresh blood, her brother standing there like a man possessed. She closed her eyes, but the picture only grew more vivid, details of the carnage swimming through her vision. She was sobbing now, her hands over her eyes.

“No…noo, NOOOO!!”

Kusya threw the door open and saw her sitting on the bed, doubled over and shaking violently. She rushed to the girl’s side and put a hand on her shoulder.

Marya screamed and leaped up from the bed, whirling to face Kusya.

“Don’t touch me!” she shrieked.

Kusya’s eyes widened and her jaw dropped. She regained herself and held out a hand to the frightened little girl before her.

She smiled and said, “Come child, come sit with me.”

Marya stood there, eyes wide and bright with tears; every muscle tense. She looked at Kusya, but saw her uncle, fat and leering; smelling of sap and vomit.

Kusya spoke again, firmly this time. “Marya, you stop it this instant!”

The girl stood there, her fists raised in defiance. She let out a wordless scream and grabbed Kusya by the hair. She hauled the woman to the door and flung her into the hall like a pile of rags.

Kusya hit the wall with a thump, lost her footing and fell to her knees. She looked over her shoulder in time to see Marya coming at her, a malevolent light in her eyes.

Update

Ok, so I started this Blog three years ago when I was in the middle of a divorce and somewhat depressed.
I have remarried, and my wife, Laura, and I have a beautiful fifteen month old daughter named Ella Nicole. She's amazing!
As you may have guessed, I am no longer depressed, in fact I couldn't be happier!

Pictures!!

Went and took some pictures yesterday and today. I was mainly just trying to keep my mind off of everything. Anyway, I thought some of them came out pretty good, so here are the good ones.