by Jacky Gray
Glossary
Beltane
The festival of Mayday on May 1st
Breeches
Trousers
Dais
Raised platform or stage
Funghi
Mushrooms
Handfasting
Wedding
Herfest
Harvest festival on September 21st (Autumn equinox)
Imbolc
Candle festival on February 1st
Jest
Joke
Junior
A child in the first stage of training, i.e. from 7–16
Lehren
Equivalent to school, with the emphasis on learning rather than teaching
Librarie
Library
Litha
Midsummer Solstice festival on June 21st
Lughnasadh
The first harvest festival on August 1st
Magi
A Hengist clan: healers, scholars and officials
Renegate
The smallest clan of Hengist: rebels who broke away from the rest, living as gypsies
Samhain
Last harvest festival October 31st (Halloween)
Senior
Second stage of training from age 17
Sousers
People who preserve food by pickling in vinegar
Tabard
A sleeveless jacket or light summer coat
Tunic
Could be a thin linen shirt or woollen jumper
Warrior
A Hengist clan: soldiers, constables and gamekeepers
Yule
Midwinter solstice celebration on December 21st , the shortest night (Christmas)
Acknowledgements
Thank you to everyone who has helped me to believe in myself – without you, Archer would never have lived outside of my imagination and my computer’s hard drive.
Special thanks to the following – you know the part you played and words cannot express my gratitude: Jo, Debby, Norman, Lynne, Sam, Steph, Kerry, Marianna, Sarah, Maria, Barry, Stella, Hannah, and Anthony. Even when you think it’s good, there’s always room for improvement – grateful thanks for your excellent wisdom and advice to Veronica, Paula and Alice.
Thank you to all those people I have plagued for their opinions on the ideas, words, artwork and everything else needed to bring this massive undertaking to fruition. I couldn’t have achieved this much without the continual support and encouragement of the fabulous World Wise Writer ladies: Ace, Hannah, Sho and JD. And an extra special mention to Hannah and Ace for their unstinting efforts in helping me through the minefield of rookie writing errors.
Find out more at http://www.worldwisewriters.com/
or by subscribing to Ro’s newsletter: http://rockslikea.blogspot.co.uk/p/the-books.html#subscribe
Thank you to Rebecca Sterling for producing the truly amazing cover artwork despite being up to her eyeballs. I owe you big time.
A big thank you to Kerry-lyn Tosh, Sarah Dyer, Marianna Sheldrake and Maria Wheatley for their technical expertise – any remaining mistakes are of my own making.
If you would like to read more about the Hengist books, or would like to contact the author, you can find her at:
http://www.hengistarcher.co.uk
http://hengistpeoplehorse.blogspot.co.uk/
https://www.facebook.com/HengistPeopleOfTheHorse
and https://twitter.com/jacky_gray.
Hengist: The People of the Horse
Book 1: Archer
Archer doesn’t belong. In case he has any doubts, Edlyn will go to any lengths to show that he never could.
As if the Beltane graduation competition isn’t tough enough, Archer needs a huge dose of honour and integrity to win through the extra challenges as Edlyn tries hard to sabotage his enemy’s chances. It’s not just about the jousting and sword fighting, there’s even a gleeful moment when Archer takes to the stage as Robin Hood. He attracts plenty of female admirers, but there’s only one girl he really wants to kiss.
When Edlyn crosses the wrong enchantress, he ends up in the ceremonial bonfire. Archer is faced with the ultimate dilemma – does he defy her and risk his life to save his nemesis, or simply walk away?
“Enchanting to the last page, Archer has the feel of an epic saga in the making.”
Book 2: Rory
Archer’s reward for being the most worthy student in his graduating class is to lose his home and all his friends. The place he is sent to is a world away from home and he has to get used to many different aspects of this new life, starting with daily torment from Peter and his henchmen.
The first day at the foster home is so bad he wants to leave but the first day at his new school is so bad he is forced to leave. At the new foster home, Rory and Tom are much friendlier and things finally seem to be improving.
Not for long. He is back on guard with the arrival of two antagonistic sisters but his normal defences are useless against an adversary like Mandy. Archer is dragged further into the shady world of Stiff and his gang of teenage shoplifters, but how can he hope to survive when the people he thought were his friends betray him?
“A well-written, fast-paced work. It is targeted at teen-agers but enjoyable for all ages.”
Book 3: Reagan
Reagan didn’t think he was anything special, lots of boys could sense ley-lines and knew the healing properties of plants and trees. Whatever he did would never be good enough for his mother, not even when he won the Garlanding or scored 100% on his graduation tests.
With the help of his spirit guide Blaise and master trainer Kalen, he tries to determine the position of the next white horse. After an unsteady start they are aided in their quest by Reeve, daughter of the leading authority on white horses. Reagan’s mathematical skills help him to decode the complex patterns of ley lines and crop circles but it becomes a race against time as the dangerous accidents in the villages lead to more serious casualties.
Can Archer help him to find the missing pieces of the puzzle or will Reagan's perilous gift destroy him as it destroyed so many other chosen children?
“As much as I loved golden boy Archer, Reagan is the one who stole my heart.”
Book 4: Slater
Slater is the son of Mason, but he will never be a chip off the old block. Although his father is responsible for Aveburgh henge, Slater is more interested in learning about the ceremonies held amongst the stones.
Torn from a solstice celebration into a real-life nightmare, Slater's talent for reading ley lines upsets dark forces.
Ancient magic pulls him back in time to reveal his connection to primeval secrets. There, he is teased by formidable priestesses who teach him the power of earth energies. Slater’s ability to solve problems under pressure is his strongest weapon against terrifying shamen who want only one thing from him – his death.
Only Slater knows the prehistoric temples are not built correctly, but what will happen if he interferes in the past?
“What I loved most is the Stonehenge is truly the main character.”
The next adventure in this series is Aurora. If you would like a taster, read on:
Rory knew from an early age she was different to other kids. She couldn’t remember any problems before she started school. That’s not to say there weren’t any; just that she couldn’t remember them. Her earliest memory involved walking into a class of five-year-olds and feeling like she didn’t belong. She’d come into school late after going to the dentist with her mum. Walking into the hall where her class should normally be, she sat down next to a girl she vaguely knew but didn’t register there had been a swap in the classes. It wasn’t just the fact she was in the wrong class, she had the distinct feeling she didn’t belong – not just to the class, but to the school, the town or even the world she lived in.
Eventually, one of the teachers realised she was in the wrong place and sent her to join the rest of her classmates. The feeling of being in the wrong place came bac
k to her on a regular basis, like the time some girls in her class were talking about what they’d dreamed about.
‘I sat on a brown pony, with a long tail and ribbons in his mane.’
‘I was a princess in a golden castle.’
‘I had a genie who granted all my wishes.’
‘Your turn Rory. What do you dream about?’
‘I was flying.’
‘Oh yeah, I had that dream but it was ages ago.’
‘Except it wasn’t really a dream, I actually flew. I was in the playground and …’
‘Don’t be stupid, of course it was a dream.’
Rory stayed quiet in the face of such scorn, but it had been happening on so many nights for as long as she could remember. It didn’t feel like a dream at all, if she closed her eyes now she could feel the sensation exactly. She would lift off the ground, just a few feet at the start above the hopscotch grid, but soon she would be flying above the climbing ladder, then higher and higher, looking down on everything in the playground as it got smaller and smaller.
One or two of the girls started whispering and pointing at her when she walked by, but she took no notice. There always seemed to be plenty of teachers who were grateful for her help at break and dinner, drawing, colouring or cutting out things for displays or lessons. It never occurred to her that she didn’t have any special friends or that all the other girls were always standing around in groups talking about the latest boy bands and TV shows. Sometimes if none of the teachers needed help she would play Bulldog with the boys and occasionally one of the kinder girls might invite her to join in with a game of marbles or jacks.
Rory didn’t mind about not seeming to fit in with the kids of her own age. She didn’t seem to have much in common with them and her sunny nature was quite content with the amount of loving support she got from the grown-ups. Until that fateful Wednesday when it all went horribly wrong. She knew today was different when she woke up feeling sick and shivery with a bit of a snuffle. A completely new experience for her; Penny’s ever-present broth normally kept away all manner of nasty coughs, colds and other nasty bugs.
A temperature of only two degrees above normal warranted a huge spoonful of cod liver oil, but then she went off to school as normal. The teacher wouldn’t listen when Rory said she wasn’t feeling well – there were no excuses dreadful enough to get out of a maths lesson. By break time Rory was burning up and freezing cold all at once, but the school nurse didn’t come in until later that day so the secretary told her to come back at lunchtime.
Miss Dale had a visitor in the history lesson and it seemed important for her to impress him. She asked the whole class to put their hands up if they knew two things about the royal family and got very cross when Rory couldn’t raise her hand.
‘This is not like you Rory, I think maybe you need to pay more attention. Perhaps you should come and sit on the front table so you can listen properly.’
Rory tried to get up but her legs wouldn’t support her and she collapsed back into the chair.
‘Aurora Balantyne, you naughty little girl, come out here immediately.’ Miss Dale was starting to get her unhappy face, but when Rory tried to tell her about the wobbly legs, no words would come out of her mouth.
WorldWiseWriters
This is a group of talented women, committed to engaging stories filled with charismatic characters and exciting adventures. First class writing, edited to within an inch of its life and fronted by breathtaking artwork. Looking for another book to read? Check out:
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