by JR Tomlin
"They thought I'd forget." Andrew's eyes were solemn. "But I didn't. I could never forget my own country or my own people."
"I never thought it," the Bruce said gently.
"You'll take my oath? I will be your man. I swear it."
"Gladly, lad." Robert de Bruce, king of the Scots, held out his hands. "Your father's lands and his titles are yours. Lord of Avoch and Petty and Bothwell; all are yours as they should be."
Andrew dropped to his knees and reached up his clasped hands. The Bruce grasped them firmly--the strong, lean hands of a boy. Andrew's face made his chest ache. The lad was the very image of his father. Dear Jesu...
In a clear, ringing voice, he made his oath, "I, Andrew de Moray, become your man in life and in death..."
Appendix 1
Historical Notes
Andrew de Moray's feat of raising the north of Scotland against King Edward I of England has long been ignored. One of the few good sources for information on this amazing man is Evan MacLeod Barron's The Scottish War of Independence, which I highly recommend to anyone interested in Scottish history. I used that source heavily in the writing of this novel.
As much as possible, I used the actual history rather than making up events. The events themselves were the stuff of legends or should have been. There are a few places where I took literary license. I simplified the events around the deposing of King John de Balliol, known in history as Toom Tabard, and I made up the character of Andrew's wife from whole cloth. Although it is known he was married and his son was born after his death, the records of whom he was married to were lost in the devastation of the long wars of invasion.
Regarding Andrew de Moray's death, there has always been some doubt whether he died during the Battle of Stirling Bridge or of wounds afterwards. I agree with Barron that the evidence for his death of wounds afterwards is compelling.
Appendix 2
List of Historical Characters
(In order of appearance)
Andrew de Moray -- Leader of the uprising in the north of Scotland against Edward I and co-commander with William Wallace at the Battle of Stirling Bridge.
Andrew de Moray, Lord of Avoch -- father of the Andrew de Moray.
Edward I of England -- known as Longshanks for his height.
John de Warrenne, 7th Earl of Surrey -- English commander in the attempted conquest of Scotland under Edward I.
John Comyn, Earl of Buchan -- (not be confused with John Comyn, Lord of Badenoch) one of the Scottish commanders who surrendered to the English after defeat at the Battle of Dunbar.
John de Balliol -- King of Scots from 1292 to 1296 who was captured and forcibly deposed by the English Edward I and known to the Scots as Toom Tabard or Empty Jacket.
Sir Robert Boyd -- Scottish patriot during the uprising against Edward I and later faithful companion of Robert de Bruce.
John of Strathbogie, Earl of Atholl -- one of the Scottish leaders at the Battle of Dunbar, captured and imprisoned by the English after the Scottish defeat.
Sir William le Hardi, Lord of Douglas -- Scottish nobleman and warlord taken prisoner after the rape of Berwick, father of Sir James, Lord of Douglas.
Robert de Bruce -- lord of Annandale and earl of Carrick who became contender for the throne of Scotland after the death of his grandfather, Robert the Contender, and later King of the Scots.
Hugh de Cressingham -- treasurer for the English king in Scotland during 1296-97.
David de Moray -- uncle of Andrew de Moray and later Bishop of Moray and loyal supporter of Scottish independence.
Alexander Pilchie -- a burgess of Inverness who served as Andrew de Moray's lieutenant.
William Wallace -- Scottish knight who, with Andrew de Moray, was a co-commander of the Scots at the Battle of Stirling Bridge and executed by the English for High Treason in 1305.
Sir James the Good, Lord of Douglas -- son of William le Hardi, loyal lieutenant to King Robert de Bruce, known as the Black Douglas by the English.
Andrew de Moray, third of that name -- son of the hero of the Battle of Stirling Bridge, Scottish leader during the Second War of Scottish Independence, Guardian of Scotland, Lord of Petty and Bothwell.
Appendix 3
Map of Scotland - Castle Locations
Appendix 4
Credits
Cover design by: JT Lindroos
jtlindroo
Please sign up for my email distribution list to learn whenever I
release a new novel or to enter fun contests. Simply send an email to:
talonbooks (at) yahoo (dot) com.
Novels by
J.R. Tomlin & C.R. Daems
http://clemd.home.comcast.net/~clemd/JC/Index.html
A Kingdom's Cost
Scottish Historical Fiction
Eighteen-year-old James Douglas can only watch, helpless, as the Scottish freedom fighter, William Wallace, is hanged, drawn, and quartered. Even under the heel of a brutal English conqueror, James's blood-drenched homeland may still have one hope for freedom, the rightful king of the Scots, Robert the Bruce. James swears fealty to the man he believes can lead the fight against English tyranny.
The Bruce is soon a fugitive, king in name and nothing more. Scotland is occupied, the Scottish resistance crushed. The woman James loves is captured and imprisoned. Yet James believes their cause is not lost. With driving determination, he blazes a path in blood and violence, in cunning and ruthlessness as he wages a guerrilla war to restore Scotland's freedom. James knows he risks sharing Wallace's fate, but what he truly fears is that he has become as merciless as the conqueror he fights.
Link: http://www.amazon.com/A-Kingdoms-Cost-ebook/dp/B004YKVXR6
Talon of the Unnamed Goddess
Fantasy/Adventure
Alisha is the newest Talon of the Raptor Clan, mercenaries prized by rulers, nobles, and the wealthy as elite bodyguards. Like all Talons, she survived the five Ordeals and ten years of grueling training.
Alisha is not the strongest mercenary in the Raptor Clan, but she is the craftiest. Only tricking her opponents into underestimating her got her through the long years of Clan training. Those years honed her weapon skills, but not as much as her sharp wits. Even the ability she gets from the rune she was given by the Unknown Goddess depends on her guile.
Her first assignment for the Clan, to guard a young princess, requires all Alisha's skill, wit, and her newly acquired rune to keep the young heir to the kingdom alive.
Link: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_28?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=talon+of+the+unnamed+goddess&sprefix=talon+of+the+unnamed+goddess
Scales of Justice
Fantasy/Epic
A hundred years ago, a treaty jointed the seven provinces under a king and created a system of equal justice for nobles and commoners. The Sisters of Astraea were proclaimed the judicators of the land because they had gold vipers that could tell truth from lie. A gift bestowed on each judicator by the god Naga.
Now many nobles want to go back to being above the law. Duke Chaney is using this discontent to raise an army against the king and the judicators. Jola, a newly promoted judicator starts out with her mentor, Tenzen, to investigate the growing unrest. They encounter revenge, greed, and the desire for power, and become targets of the growing hostility as they attempt to discover who is behind the rebellion.
Link: http://www.amazon.com/Scales-Of-Justice-ebook/dp/B0042JTAJ2/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1313036753&sr=1-3
Laying the Odds
Fantasy/Adventure
Wrai is not amongst the rich and the influential of the dukedoms and magick is something he means to avoid. He earns his living in taverns and gambling dens; secrecy is his protection, gambling his livelihood. He plays to win, even when it means weighting the die.
But some risks are too good to refuse, especially when they give him the chance to repay the father who rejected him and to protect the daughter he means never to fail. So resolved to earn the marks he needs
for his fortune, Wrai joins forces with a mage, never suspecting that the stolen pendant he has claimed as his "inheritance" contains a powerful magick, a magick dangerous enough to destroy the very things he is determined to protect.
Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0051H58NG
Laughing Hounds
Urban Fantasy/Horror
After what were thought to be dogs kill her mother and attack her, Annette discovers she has become the last female descendant of a line of women who, for over a century, fought and died fighting Countess Lenuta, her sons, and their packs of Werehyenas. Annette learns she has inherited her ancestors unique ability to make Tone-wood sing--the only weapon that can kill the Werehyenas. As such, she represents the last threat to their existence.
With only Annette remaining, Countess Lenuta and her sons see an opportunity to kill the last of their century-old adversaries. Their first attempt fails, and Annette must choose to hide for the rest of her life or accept the legacy of her ancestors to stop the Werehyenas. She chooses to fight.
With the help of ex-Green Berets her father hires to protect her, the battle soon escalates into a series of attacks and counter attacks that become fiercer as the tactics of each side evolve. The winner will be the last one standing.
Link: http://www.amazon.com/The-Laughing-Hounds-ebook/dp/B003IGDD5M/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1313036978&sr=1-1
Blood Duty
Fantasy/Epic
Ixich, huge demons summoned through a savage blood ritual, lead an army through a mountain pass, slaughtering all who would stand in their way. Tamra, Captain of the Guard of Wayfare Keep, and an allied army from the city of Madrian mount a desperate defense against the onrushing enemy. When their army is defeated and her lover is lost in the battle, Tamra is devastated but must somehow struggle on.
Even worse lies ahead as the secrets of her past come to light and her loyalty is tested.Yet, she must protect all those who trust her against the ixich horde. In her darkest hour, haunted by loss and with defeat imminent, can Tamra fulfill that trust and do her blood duty?
Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005G7ZHG4
Wings
Fantasy/Adventure/YA
All her life, Liada believed the First Ones were dangerous and to be feared. That was what the Priests had taught her. They lied.
Liada learns the truth after befriending Tali, a injured and helpless creature who is also a First One. Unfortunately, the Priests will stop at nothing to keep their secrets, including eliminating Liada. Her only chance is to flee into a neighboring empire while hunted by the Priests' winged Quag--killers of the First Ones.
Help comes in the form of a mysterious ally. But can she trust him or could he be more dangerous than all of her enemies combined?
Link: http://www.amazon.com/Wings-of-Evil-ebook/dp/B004N627U8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1300825297&sr=8-1
Kazak Guardians
Urban Fantasy/Adventure
If the Kazak Guardians had a recruiting poster, it would have read: WANTED: A select few insane men to fight professional Assassins with super-human abilities. Good medical plan provided.
Because surviving the training program to graduation was dangerous, even the first challenge to gain entrance could get you killed. But training was the easy part. Staying alive afterward was the hard part. Kazaks guarded individuals whose lives were deemed critical to the security of the United States. These individuals attracted fanatics and the best professional Assassins money could buy--Liars who could tell lies you believed, Ghosts who could become nearly invisible, and Illusionists who could appear to be anyone, among others.
But Lynn wanted no other life--the Kazak Guardians gave her life purpose. She had grown up in the foster care system, neglected and abused, at the mercy of people who didn't care. Even when she finally ran away, her freedom wasn't the renewal she had hoped. So when a friend told her about a unique organization that trained individuals to protect VIPs, she knew it was the life for her.
She survived years of training and five deadly challenges to become a Kazak Guardian, and entered a world of extremists and assassins, where each assignment became a deadly contest between Kazak and assassin, with the prize the life of the VIP.