Young Adult/New Adult Fantasy & Steampunk Adventure Knight of Swords

Welcome to my new blog!  Do you love all things steampunk, paranormal, fantasy, sci fi in books?  If so, then you are in the right place.  This blog will provide excerpts from my books, works in progress, publishing news and more.  To start the ball rolling, check out an excerpt from the first book in my Young Adult/New Adult steampunk fantasy paranormal adventure, Knight of Swords which can be bought from Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk.  If you love any of Cassandra Clare's books you will enjoy Knight of Swords.  I will also be showcasing a work in progress spin off to the book called Loved By The Sword as well as a Victorian time travel adventure called Dimensional very soon.


In the meantime enjoy the excerpt from Knight of Swords.

I stared at the two men coming up the stairs towards us, frantically wondering at our best option.  A backward glance at Edward confirmed there was no clear avenue of escape.  Edward closed in behind us and grabbed my shoulder.  I struggled to hold on to a collapsing Juliet.  She gave a startled cry of fear, shouting, ‘He’s coming.  God help us, he is coming.’

A piercing shriek echoed around the large hallway and staircase, diverting my attention upwards.  A cawing raven circled the room and flew straight at our group on the stairs.  As it did so, a large, heavy black mass engulfed the air.

We all froze.  We stood motionless, watching above our heads with a mixture of curiosity and terror.  Juliet tugged on my hand, but I remained transfixed.  The black cloud began to form and shape behind the raven.  The bird completed a circle of the room and suddenly dived towards us.  The mass began to separate.  Out of its being spurted a hundred or more additional ravens.  I felt Juliet again tug hard on my hand – she shouted to me, ‘Don’t look at them, whatever you do don’t look at them.’

Her voice was high-pitched, desperate for my safety.  But I was hypnotised by the strange sight, as seemed everyone else around me.  The birds raced towards us, diving at our faces.  The two stable grooms each put a hand up to protect their faces as the dark forms swooped low to peck and claw at their eyes.

Chaos and screaming ensued.  I shoved Edward backwards and put up my arm to shield myself.  One of the birds clawed viciously at my hand, drawing a flurry of blood that soaked my sleeve.  The young man holding the pitchfork suddenly tumbled backwards down the staircase as a nest of ravens covered him like flies, pecking at his eyes and skin until they were bloodied and shredded.  His piercing screams of terror echoed around the hall, chilling my very bones.

Juliet pulled on my arm once more.  This time, she succeeded in distracting me from the mesmerising sight.  We hurried past Edward and the other groom.  They were vainly attempting to swat away the birds, crying with agony as the flesh was torn from their hands and faces.

The ravens had not touched Juliet; even their attack upon me had been limited in its ferociousness.  We hurried on, passing the wailing housekeeper.  A shout from William at the top of the stairs made me glance back just before we slipped through the door and out of the house.

Freed from my hold by my distraction through the pandemonium on the stairs, William batted at the birds with his horsewhip.  He was full of rage and thunder and bellowed at us, ‘Valancourt, I will hunt you both down and kill her if she doesn’t give me my inheritance.’

I stared at his struggling figure and fought hard to maintain my composure.  Every fibre inside me ached to race back up the stairs to make him swallow his words.  There was no way I would allow him to take Juliet from me, even if it meant ending his life.

We ran out of the portico onto the gravel.  I was suddenly conscious that Juliet looked fit to collapse.  I glanced around expecting to be followed, but no one was behind us.  The carriage was nowhere to be seen, and I confess I began to wonder if we were not stranded.  But thankfully Juliet appeared to have other ideas.

‘We can use William’s horse.  It will be saddled and ready.  He always rides at this time of day,’ she breathed.  I nodded, and we ran to the stables.  Sure enough, a groom was just finishing saddling William’s horse, anticipating his master’s arrival.  I grabbed the reins from him, and pushed him out of the way, quickly mounting the horse.  Reaching down, I lifted Juliet up into my arms, ignoring the protestations of the bewildered groom who sought to retrieve the reins from me.

Juliet put her arms around my waist and held on for dear life as I broke the horse out into a gallop.  We left the stable yard in a hurry, scattering the chickens and ducks that dared to cross our path.  The horse’s hooves clattered noisily on the cobbled yard, announcing our hasty departure as I guided the horse out onto the drive.

The Camerons were now finally spilling out of the house.  I knew it would be only moments before William had another horse saddled and was close on our trail.  I glanced back and saw the ravens escaping from the portico door as though mimicking a colony of bats.  They rose into the sky, swirling away from the house, and disappeared into the distance with a shriek.

I had little time to contemplate the scene I had witnessed with the birds, or the words of warning Juliet had uttered in my ear as they approached on the stairs.  Had she summoned them?  Was she indeed, a witch?  Was I?  There was no time.  I decided that I would debate the answers to those questions when we were safely back in London, out of William Cameron’s reach.

We reached the woodland as the first few snowflakes permeated the grey cloud above us.  I slowed the horse to a trot, satisfied we were at a sufficiently safe distance from the house and any pursuers.  I looked down at Juliet.  She had not spoken since our flight.  I felt her begin to shiver as the cold snow settled on our skin and dampness began to seep through our clothes.  I tightened my arm around her waist and pulled her nearer to me, closing the gap she had stiffly maintained between my body and her own.

She wore only her dress and no coat.  The attempt to keep her warm within the circle of my arms was futile.  But I would be dishonest if I did not admit that I also wanted to feel her close, to be assured of her safety.  Ever since our shared vision the previous night, I could only think of her, the smell of her skin, the softness of her pale cheek, and the fullness of her lips. 

I expected an objection when I pulled her to my chest, but there was none.  Instead, she wrapped her arms around herself in an effort to keep out the flurry of snow and the harsh wind that was picking up and licking at our faces.  She buried her head against me.

She asked, ‘Does William follow us?’

I glanced back once more, to make sure.  There was no one there, but I could hear angry shouts far away.  They were on our trail.

‘Yes, but he is far behind.  I hope to reach the village and raise alarm with the constabulary before he catches up to us.’

I gently moved my heel against the horse’s side, bidding him to go faster once more.  ‘We must talk about last night, Juliet,’ I told her.  ‘How . . .’

She interrupted quickly with a sharp, confused tone.  ‘I don’t know how I saw it.  I may ask you the same thing.  Maybe we are witches.’

‘Maybe we are.’

‘Do you really believe that?’

I thought about it for a moment.  ‘I am not sure what we are, but we are certainly special.’  I began to wonder, questions forming in my mind in quick succession.  What was I?  What hadn’t my parents told me of my heritage?  What had Lord Leggatt known?

‘Did you summon those birds?’ I asked her.

Juliet sat up away from me, her body suddenly taut with indignation.  I looked at her curiously.  ‘I did not.  I would never do such a vile thing.  That was him.’

‘Him?’

She was impatient.  I knew fine well to whom she was referring, but I wanted to know what she called the menace who stalked our dreams at night.  ‘The vampire.  That’s what I call him.  You can’t deny they exist, not after seeing him.’  I slowly nodded.  She continued, ‘I have seen him before in my dreams, well not all of him.  Somehow he always hides his face from me.  But last night was different.  I felt as though I were there.  Last night felt like a vision, something I shared with both yourself and him.  Did he really do all of those horrible things to that young woman?’

I bent my head for a moment, feeling the responsibility for Sophie’s death once more cut deeply at my insides.  It took me longer than it should have to reply.  ‘Yes, he did.  She wasn’t the first.  There have been several other deaths in London.  I knew each victim, and I was forced to witness each of their murders in similar nightmare visions.’

  Juliet shuddered, and hugged herself, rubbing her arms. 

‘He seems to have made it his unholy mission to force me to repent for my sins by murdering women I have had a relationship with.  He wants me to feel remorse and responsibility for bedding fallen women.  I am worried for all of the others . . .’

I was going to continue voicing my suspicions that the vampire also killed to punish Juliet for rejecting him.  But I did not want my charge to suffer any more pain.

She turned in the saddle to look at me with disapproval.  ‘All of the others . . .?  You look no more than twenty-two or twenty-three.  For your young years it seems you have known, for want of better words, a lot of women.’

I couldn’t help but laugh at her sense of impropriety.  Then seriousness overtook me once more.  ‘Maybe, but I am worried more so for you than any other.  This clergyman vampire claims to love you, and yet, you don’t know him?’

Her voice sounded far away, ‘No, I don’t.  I have dreamt of him on occasions, but I have never made his acquaintance in my waking life.  This is all so very strange.  Are you really to be my guardian?’

My voice was grave, ‘Yes I am.  I am afraid Lord Leggatt is dying.  He has passed the honour to me.’

‘I am sorry – Lord Leggatt seemed such a nice man.’

‘He is.  Why do you think the vampire sent those birds to help us escape?’  If I was honest I already knew the answer, but I wanted to hear Juliet’s thoughts on the subject.

‘Because he wants me all to himself.  I felt his anger towards me when he sent the ravens.  He wants me free so he can take me and make me suffer.’  She shuddered again and pressed her face against my chest. 

‘He will not have you,’ I stated fiercely, and with more confidence than I felt.  Bending forwards, I kissed her lightly on the top of her head to reassure her of my protection.  ‘Why don’t we change the subject slightly,’ I ventured.  ‘When did you notice you were different to others around you?’

‘Nine months ago.  I remember the very first day I found I could read people’s minds.  My uncle and I were taking tea outside.  It was an unseasonably warm day for April.  It was one of the last times we were to take tea by the lake at Eldridge.  He became too ill after that.’  The smile on her lips faded, but her tone became excited.

‘William came out of the house wanting to speak to his father about his will.  He was so angry.  I began to hear a multitude of voices.  One of them was William’s, yet the words he spoke did not match the ones I heard.  Vile creature.  My uncle’s valet was attending us, and though he did not speak, I heard his voice.  He was disgusted at William’s abruptness and lack of respect towards my ill uncle.  He would have felt more than disgust if he had heard the way William wished for his father’s speedy death inside his mind.  That was when I learned my uncle was dying.  I was heartbroken.  He loved me more than his own selfish children.  I shall never forget it.’  She stared out ahead seemingly lost, remembering for a brief moment.  I remained respectfully quiet.  Then she turned back to me, a smile fully reigning on her perfect lips.

‘It’s fascinating to delve into the secrets of others.  I should feel guilty, but I don’t.  I can’t help feeling intrigued.  Some of the things I hear are nothing short of wicked,’ she gave a small giggle.  ‘But it’s also very tiring after a while.  Sometimes it is just too noisy to hear my own thoughts.  My head aches so much when that happens, I think I will go quite mad.  What about you?’

‘I haven’t really tried to listen-in to anyone but you.  It’s almost as though we share a bond.  When I saw you last night, my life suddenly made sense.  It’s as if we were always destined to meet, to be . . .’

I was interrupted by the sighting of two men on horseback approaching us from the front.  Concerned that they were men from the Cameron household, I decided to change our direction, but as I turned left two other men appeared.  An advance towards the right produced the same result.  Three more closed in from behind.

Juliet gave me a frantic look.  ‘These men don’t work for William,’ she said quickly.  ‘What do they want with us?’

The riders closed in, circling around us.  My heart began to pound as my horse began to buck in protest at the close proximity of the villains.

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