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Excerpt from Heart of Ice (Snow Queen)
Heart of Ice
(Tangled Tales Series - Book 7)
MacKay felt another pain in his chest when the queen spoke to him. The pains were getting worse. He could barely concentrate on what the woman asked him.
“Tell Queen Eira where the women are hidden,” said the guard named Angus.
“Hidden?” He rubbed his chest and exchanged glances with his squire.
“You’d better tell her, my lord,” whispered Ollie. “She doesn’t seem like she’s very patient.”
“The women were witches,” MacKay told her, taking a step nearer to the table. The dogs growled and snarled at him and he took a step back. “They brought us here and then they left. You’ll not find them anywhere on this island, I guarantee it.”
The woman looked like a hardened warrior. She was not very comely, but rather plain. She frowned the entire time, causing a vertical line to crease her forehead between her brows. Her voice was gruff and her demeanor harsh.
“You are lying,” she spat. “And do you know what I do to liars?”
Before he could answer, she picked up a hunk of venison from the platter on the table and held it up. Then she looked over the table to the large hounds sitting there. He wasn’t sure what kind of dogs they were. They were big and hairy and uglier than any hound he’d ever seen.
“Odin, Thor, show my guest what happens to my enemies.” She threw the meat to the floor and it landed at MacKay’s feet. The hounds rushed around the table and both of them clamped their jaws around the meat at the same time. They growled and the hair on their necks stood up straight. They fought each other, tearing at the food with bloodlust in their eyes.
MacKay jumped backward to get out of the way, crashing into his squire in the process. They both fell to the floor. The warriors filling the room all laughed and threw food at them.
“My lord, if you want me to I’ll fight to the death against them,” whispered Ollie.
“Aye, no one will treat us this way.” MacKay jumped up and unsheathed his sword. Ollie did the same. They stood back-to-back, ready to take on the entire room full of warriors. MacKay was always up for a fight and his patience ran short.
Angus drew his sword and so did a half dozen of the men who had followed him into the great hall. A fight broke out and MacKay did his best to keep the men at bay.
Eira watched in amazement as the two fools took on an entire army. They were warriors in the true sense of the word and she liked this. Slowly getting to her feet, she watched as the two men held their own. She had never seen anyone so quick on his feet and with such fast fighting moves. Aye, these men would be a good addition to her army.
“Stop!” she cried, and immediately, her men pulled back, leaving the two strangers standing alone in the center of the room. They still held their swords at the ready.
“Shall I take them to the dungeon now, my lady?” asked Angus.
“Not yet.” Eira made her way down from the dais, her eyes fastened to the two men. She made a straight line toward them.
“Stay back, my lady, they are armed,” warned Angus.
“I know that, you fool.” She walked right up to the knight and stopped in front of him. “What is your name?”
“I am Sir MacKay de Bar, my lady,” answered the man. “And this is my squire, Ollie.”
“You will address me as my queen.”
“What?” He looked at her and raised a brow. “I have only one queen I serve, and that is the queen of England.”
“You are my prisoner now and will serve me,” she said.
Excerpt from Restless Sea Lord
Restless Sea Lord
(Legendary Bastards of the Crown Series - Book 1)
“I’m on my way.” Rowen walked around the corner of the building and when he did, he thought he saw movement in the shadows. Someone had been eavesdropping on their conversation and was hiding behind the rain barrel.
He ripped his sword from his side, reaching around the barrel with his free hand, and yanked the eavesdropper out into the open. He planned on slitting the man’s throat but stopped when he felt the small size of his arms. The sneak’s hood fell back revealing his face. Rowen swore under his breath when he realized it wasn’t a man at all but rather the witch lady from inside the tavern.
“Damn you!” he spat. “How long have you been hiding there?” He’d been so distracted by thoughts of his sister that he hadn’t even noticed the wench had followed him. This wasn’t good. If she’d heard their entire conversation, she could ruin everything.
“Let me go, Rowen the Restless,” she said, struggling in his grip.
“You know who I am?”
“I didn’t need to hear you and your brothers to figure it out. I saw your birds.”
Damn. Rowen knew those birds were going to give them trouble someday. His brothers had been way too careless. “You know too much,” he growled.
“Lady Cordelia, are you back here?” Her guard came around the corner. Just when Rowen was sure she was going to shout out, he did the only thing he could to shut her up. He pulled her into his arms and covered her mouth with his and kissed her hard.
“Lady Cordelia?” asked the guard, stopping in his tracks. “Are you all right?”
Rowen heard the sound of shouting and the war cries of his brothers and their armies, realizing the fools must have thought his kissing the wench was the signal to attack. Well, now that the plan was in action, he had no choice but to join them in their ploy.
Spinning on his heel, he hit the guard in the head with the hilt of his sword, sending the man sprawling on the ground.
“Nay!” Cordelia cried out. Rowen pulled her out of the way as a dagger whizzed past her ear and embedded itself into the rain barrel. Water spouted out, hitting the guard in the face. The man’s eyes opened and he sputtered, hurrying to get to his knees.
“God’s eyes, I don’t have time to protect you now,” Rowen said, kicking the sword out of the guard’s hand and then turning around to meet one of the king’s soldiers head on. Swiping his sword forward, he sank it into the soldier’s chest before the man could do the same to him. Cordelia screamed at seeing all the blood. She was going to ruin everything! “Keep your mouth shut unless you want to lose your head,” he warned, this time blocking her with his body as his brother, Reed, tossed a guard through the air. The man landed at their feet, and Cordelia peeked out from behind him and screamed again.
“Sorry about that,” called out Reed. “I didna see the lassie there.”
“You’ve got a girl?” shouted Rook, taking down two guards with ease. “This isn’t the time for that, you fool. Do something with her.”
“Just do your job and get the guards away from the cart and let me worry about the wench,” he spat, seeing a soldier running toward him with his sword drawn. Dressed the way she was, looking like an old hag, no one was going to think a noblewoman was right in the midst of the battle. And they wouldn’t care if a peasant was killed in the fight.
Brody climbed into the driver’s seat of the cart and waved his arm through the air to get Rowen’s attention, while his brothers kept the rest of the soldiers at bay. They had to leave now if they were to have any chance at all of getting the goods to the ship and away from the coast without being caught.
“Go,” he shouted, signaling Brody who slapped the reins and started the horses moving forward. The battle was still in full swing and he couldn’t just leave the wench there unprotected. Besides, she’d heard too much. With one word from her, their operation could be blown apart. He had no choice but to take her with him.
“Let me go,” she cried out as he pulled her by the arm toward the approaching cart. When Brody passed by with the goods, Rowen tossed her into the back of the wagon. Managing to fight off another soldier, he then jumped up into the cart with her. They sped away toward the Sea Mirage, with Rowen wondering how he was
going to explain this one to his brothers and his crew.
Also by Elizabeth Rose
Medieval Series:
Legendary Bastards of the Crown Series
Season of Fortitude Series
Legacy of the Blade Series
Daughters of the Dagger Series
MadMan MacKeefe Series
Barons of the Cinque Ports Series
Second in Command Series
Medieval/Paranormal Series:
Elemental Series
Greek Myth Fantasy Series
Tangled Tales Series
Contemporary Series:
Tarnished Saints Series
Western Series:
Cowboys of the Old West Series
And More!
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A Perfect Fit: (Cinderella) (Tangled Tales Series Book 6) Page 15