Monday Morsel: Barrage - An Extract from In the Company of the Dead

Welcome to the Monday Morsel feature, where I share short extracts from the first draft of my adult epic fantasy/fantasy romance, In the Company of the Dead.

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Lyram hurried into the spiral stair, waving Ellaeva and Everard after him. The stair also accessed the south-west tower and from there the wall.

Winter still hung in the air of the spring morning, a reminder that the snow had only recently melted. Right now I wish it were still snowing.

He shivered, his still damp hair cold against his nape. So much for a hot bath. His half-dry hair clung to his face like a lion’s wild mane, or perhaps the halo of some crazed saint. Pushing it back proved fruitless.

Another ear-splitting crash echoed around the courtyard as they hurried down the wall and onto the top of the western gate towers. The boulder careened off the wall and splashed into the moat. The dark waters, recently ice, closed over the stone.

On second thoughts, he was just fine with the thaw.

* * *

Thanks for dropping by! Don't forget, this is a first draft, and as such won't be perfect. If you like what you read, and are so inclined, show your support by leaving a comment, and In the Company of the Dead will be available in the future. I aim to have the first draft finished by the end of April. If you'd like to sample more of my writing, check out my novella Confronting the Demon.

If this is your first visit to Monday Morsels, find others in the series by clicking on the ‘Monday morsel’ tag, or go to the first installment.

More about In the Company of the Dead:

Lyram already crossed a prince, and now he finds himself on the brink of crossing a god.

Son of a duke and second in line for the throne, Lyram is exiled to a lonely castle after assaulting the crown prince. When a hostile army arrives to besiege the castle, he believes the prince wants him removed – permanently.

As though answering their prayers, Ellaeva, the Battle Priestess of the death goddess, arrives unexpectedly. But she has not come to break the siege. Instead, she is in pursuit of a necromancer of the evil god of decay. When misfortune after misfortune befalls the beleaguered defenders, Lyram realises the necromancer is hidden within the walls, sabotaging the very defence.

Against the backdrop of clashing gods, Lyram must fight to save himself from the political machinations of his prince, and the dread plans of a necromancer. But as the siege lengthens, he realises the greatest threat may come from another quarter — a woman sworn body and soul to a god tempts him to pay a terrible price.

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