THE LEGEND OF THE GREAT HORSE trilogy | Blog
Eclipsed by Shadow • The Golden Spark • Into the Dark
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“I am a priest, child. What are they going to do? They have gotten themselves into a corner here on this beach, and chances are they will need me to get out, so to speak.” …
“After God, we owe it to the horses.”
“My Brother has not heard the Captain’s orders. That can be the only explanation.” An uncomfortable moment passed as the men contemplated each other. “Unless his wine has made him forgetful.”
“The flesh is weak, Padre Giaollo. I meant nothing.”
“The English-speaking woman is to be left alone by strict order of the Captain. You are a brave man.”
“No! No, Padre Giaollo. Allow me to repent.”
“Oh, is it now understood?”
“Yes, yes! And I will watch carefully for signs of disobedience in the others. I will be vigilant, Padre Giaollo.”
“Then I will say nothing of it. Perhaps, Brother, this time could be used in prayer?”
“Yes, of course.” Bowing his head, the priest turned to go.
“Wait there, my Brother! Spirits only dull the mind.” Macario held out his hand, and the first priest reluctantly placed the bottle into it. “To temperance, amigo!” Macario toasted him, and upended the bottle in a swig.
“God be with you, Padre Giaollo.”
“And also with you. Good night.” Macario offered the bottle to Meagan.
“Thank you, but no,” Meagan refused politely.
“The ‘thank you’ is accepted, the ‘no’ is not. It is a sin to drink alone, señorita, and I am a man of God. Now hold up your glass.”
Meagan consented and sipped the fiery liquid. “You speak English well, Padre Giaollo.”
“Macario! Please, call me Macario! Why would I not speak English, por Dios? It has all the good words and twice the bad! By my lights, I cannot understand why anyone speaks anything else.”
“But the ship and the soldiers, aren’t they Spanish?”
“As the days are hot, hang their mothers … but not I. I am Italian by birth, schooled in Oxford before I joined the seminary.” He spit onto the beach. “Rot all Spaniards!” he shouted, waiting for the chorus of returned insults. “Foul devils,” he said, turning back to Meagan with a grimace. “They will rule the world, of course.”
“Why are you here?”
“The Church likes Her lofty hand in others’ affairs, and She can be a persuasive wench. And you? From England, have you said?”
“No, not really.”
“France, then? You could be French. Ah, sweet Avignon, those blasphemers … begging your pardon if it offends, of course.” Macario took a swig and shouted, “God hates all Spanish and the dogs they lie with!” Catcalls were flung back. “They are all going to Hell,” he said offhand, listening to the returning curses.
“Excuse me, but they do not seem the kind of men one provokes.”
“I am a priest, child. What are they going to do? They have gotten themselves into a corner here on this beach, and chances are they will need me to get out…”
The Legend of the Great Horse trilogy is an adventure through history … the above excerpt is from the chapter “Dragons” set in 1519 AD during the invasion of Mexico. Meagan is an unwilling passenger aboard a Conquistador’s ship …
The Golden Spark (Book #2 of the Legend of the Great Horse trilogy) won the 2011 Written Arts Awards for best Science Fiction/Fantasy.
Quick Links:
» See All Excerpts from The Legend of the Great Horse trilogy.
» Read the 1st Chapter online.
» Check out Reviews for the trilogy.
» See the Media Kit for more information about the trilogy.
Into the Dark, the final volume of The Legend of the Great Horse trilogy, is to be published on June 21st, the Summer Solstice of 2012.
Into the Dark, the final volume of The Legend of the Great Horse trilogy, is to be published on June 21st, the Summer Solstice of 2012.
Advance reading copies for Early Reviewers will be made available … for 1st notifications sign up for The Great Horse newsletter.
» Press Release 11/11/11 [PDF]
BOSTON, MA – November 11, 2011 | Into the Dark, the third and final book of The Legend of the Great Horse trilogy by John Allen Royce, arrives next Summer 2012 to conclude the journey of a modern-day teen lost in history.
Publication is scheduled for the Summer Solstice (June 21st). Into the Dark completes the award-winning series, which offers a fresh and original look at the colorful role of horses in civilization. The tale follows the struggles of a young woman carried unwillingly through history, who uses her knowledge of modern horsemanship to survive humanity’s past.
The trilogy’s first volume, Eclipsed by Shadow, earned a Library Journal recommendation and won national awards including the Eric Hoffer Award for best Young Adult Fiction. Recently-released Book #2: The Golden Spark (2011) has already been named an Independent Publisher Highlighted Title and nominated for a Written Arts Award.
The author is a horseman over 20 years of experience in competitive riding, training horses and coaching students. Mr. Royce explains the enduring popularity of horses: “Horses have been with mankind since the beginning—the history of horses is the history of civilization.”
The opening scene from The Golden Spark (Book #2 of The Legend of the Great Horse trilogy … after Meagan escaped a medieval mob at the end of Book #1: Eclipsed by Shadow.
The opening scene from The Golden Spark, Book #2 of The Legend of the Great Horse trilogy … set in 1519 AD.
THE FLOOR ROLLED sharply and Meagan fell hard against a wall. A tide of cold water sloshed over her feet. All around in the darkness were piercing screams of horses and the thudding concussion of hooves. The floor rolled the other way and Meagan felt herself sliding. She leaned to stay against the wall, but there was nothing to hold.
Putting a hand out in front of her, she touched the soft hair of an equine coat. The tilt of the floor pressed her against the horse as saltwater and the smell of fish washed over her. Meagan felt for mane and grasped the hair tightly. The animal slipped and scrambled as the floor rose to its steepest before beginning to roll back. The horse’s body shook with a frightened whinny.
“Easy there, that’s a good horse.” Meagan felt around in the dark. The lead rope was tied to a heavy iron ring. She grasped it as the floor rolled past level and started its new tilt. She had moved again—but this time the sensation of flying had been replaced by a simple melt into this new place. What were the words she had said? “Promise, please take me home,” she said to the air, and repeated it, but there was no response …
The Golden Spark (Book #2) won the 2011 Written Arts Awards for best Science Fiction/Fantasy.
Quick Links:
» See All Excerpts from The Legend of the Great Horse trilogy.
» Read the 1st Chapter online.
» Check out Reviews for the trilogy.
» See the Media Kit for more information about the trilogy.