In the Grip of Time
Page 31
‘You are most welcome,’ Convener answered distractedly.
‘And for the substantial sum of gold you awarded us.’
‘It is well deserved.’
‘Anyway, I just wanted to come and let you know that I’m taking a short sabbatical.’
Convener’s attention snapped back to the room.
‘Excuse me?’
‘I’m taking a sabbatical. I’m assuming that’s allowed, right? It should be. There’s somewhere I need to be. Oh, and Ruby’s coming with me. Okay, thank you again for everything. Goodbye.’ Sawwse said all this in one go, before turning and bolting out of the door.
The white horned mask curled its mouth into a grin.
Back by the hearth, Sawwse burst into the room like a ball of energy. She grabbed Ruby’s hand and pulled her towards the entrance.
‘Goodbye everyone, we’ll be back,’ she said while waving. ‘Come on Ruby, hurry.’
Osrik, Corinne, Rangrim and Larn looked on with confused expressions, while Sawwse and Ruby ran outside holding hands. The spirited gnome whispered something in Ruby’s ear and she broke into a huge smile. Her mouth extended and her body elongated into a pony. The gnome got on and Ruby galloped them all the way out of Rhyddinas.
It took the best part of the day, and most of Ruby’s energy, but they got to their destination in one piece and sighed with relief. The heavy stone door was ajar, just as he’d said it would be. Inside the humble abode, Sawwse guided Ruby through the circular hole in the stone and out into Garmish, the beautiful garden. Marius spotted them immediately and walked over, flashing his toothy grin.
Ruby couldn’t believe this place existed. It was like an encyclopaedia of flowers and herbs. The amiable ogre, who also just happened to be one of the most powerful wizards in existence, placed his hand on Ruby’s back, and guided her around Garmish, pointing out anything that was particularly rare or interesting.
Sawwse sat back in a low-slung chair. She emptied out the contents of her bulging bag. Twenty books fell out onto the ground, along with her flute, her lute, a tiny trumpet and a brand-new hand drum. The gnome carefully picked up all the books and placed them into a pile.
‘What a stack to read and play,’ she said to herself, joyfully. ‘But first...’
She retrieved the Gnomeopedia and thought of temples and tombs, sleeping knights and ancient devices, Rhyddinas, Spearca, Zell. She thought of music and of magic, of friends and of enemies, of love and of evil. She thought of Mirrah.
‘First, I have a lot to write.’
Author’s Note
Thank you very much for reading In the Grip of Time. I really enjoyed writing it and I hope that you’ve enjoyed reading it. This was my debut novel and pretty much my first piece of fiction writing. I’m pleased with where it ended up and so excited to keep going and seeing where the pen (well, keyboard) takes me next.
The story and characters began with a game of Dungeons & Dragons. The seven adventurers who make up the initial members of the Actum Tempus guild were created by seven dear friends who joined my D&D campaign. The game finished, but the story kept twisting and growing so I decided to turn it into a novel (after receiving blessings to take over stewardship of their characters). It was an absolute thrill to write for Sawwse in particular, and thus she became the focal point for the story. Now that the novel has finished, the story continues to expand. This is very much just the beginning of The Actum Tempus Saga, and there are many more adventures lying ahead for Sawwse and the others.
Also, if you liked the novel, I’d love it if you joined my readers club. The Actum Tempus Readers Club is here, and you’ll receive a free short story (featuring Ruby) upon joining (plus a bonus mystery gift).
Finally, please do tell your friends about the novel or leave a review wherever it’s easy for you to do so. I know it takes time to leave reviews, so I’d like to make it clear that I really appreciate you making the effort. I'll also be sure to read each and every one of them.
Adam
Stay in Touch
Get your FREE, no-obligation download here.
It’d be so brilliant to hear from you and find out what you liked about the novel, so please stay in touch. You can leave reviews wherever you are able to or contact me via my website. Furthermore, if you join the Actum Tempus Readers Club you’ll be kept up to date with the Actum Tempus saga’s progress, upcoming releases and any particularly attractive promo offers I think you’ll like (but these emails will only come in occasionally – I’ll never bombard you!). And don’t forget, you’ll also receive a free Actum Tempus prequel story and a bonus gift upon joining.
Of course, I think privacy is incredibly important and so it'll be very simple to unsubscribe should you ever wish to. You can join easily via a direct link here. I can’t wait to welcome you to the club and I’m not the only one - Sawwse has a makeshift sign and wicked lute solo ready for each and every one of you.
Adam
About the Author
Adam Jacob Burgess is a York-based fantasy writer and filmmaker. In the Grip of Time is his debut novel.
www.adamjacobburgess.com
Acknowledgements
My most heartfelt thanks go to all my family and friends, for their love, support, time and attention. I’m particularly grateful to Dominic Burgess, Ellie Collins, Jim Grigg and Katherine Graham, who gave brilliant advice at various stages of writing. I’d also like to thank Casey Gerber who created the wonderful cover art. Finally, I send special thanks to the original D&D group: Darius (Corinne), Mao (Larn), Jim (Osrik), Kev (Rangrim), Fraser (Ruby), Katherine (Vadania), and, of course, Karen (Sawwse), without whom this book simply wouldn’t exist.
Copyright
Copyright © 2020 Adam Jacob Burgess
ISBN: 978-1-8380886-0-6 (paperback)
ISBN: 978-1-8380886-1-3 (ebook)
All rights reserved. No part of this publication
may be reproduced in any form or by any means
without the prior permission of the publisher.
Nunmill Press