Emperator (The Chronicles of Alcinia Book VI) Historical Fantasy Romance by Miriam Newman ➱ Book Tour with Giveaway
Emperator
The Chronicles of Alcinia Book VI
by Miriam Newman
Genre: Historical Fantasy Romance
Grandson of one of history’s greatest generals, Sergius is a warrior without equal. It has been easy for him to be a hero when he was expected to be. When he finds himself fighting for the freedom of his grandfather’s country and the heart of a woman, he must be a hero because he is.
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Fantasy poetry driven by myths and legends has been my passion for as long as I can remember. I was published in poetry before catching the romance writing bug. I bring that background to my writing along with a lifelong addiction to horses, an 18 year career in various areas of psychiatric social services and many trips to Ireland, where I nurture my muse. My published works range from contemporary fantasy romance to fantasy historical, futuristic, science fiction and historical romance. Currently I live in rural Pennsylvania with a “motley crew” of rescue animals. You can see my books at www.miriamnewman.com.
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EXCERPT I:
The walls of the city were so dark, so immense, they stood out against the moonlit sky.
“How do you get over that?” he asked the commander who had issued the order to burn bodies.
“You don’t,” that one said, flashing him a smile in the dark. Sergius could see it by the light of hundreds of torches they had lit not only for themselves, but also for the Domidians. An intimidating display suggesting great numbers of troops was a mental game.
“You burn them,” the other man said.
Heavy horses kept for the purpose had dragged up land-borne versions of the hurlers Havacians traditionally used at sea. Like those, they had been fitted with flaming balls of pitch heated over immense bonfires. Omana had no shortage of wood and scores of teams had been busily hauling it from all over territory they now occupied, to feed the fires that would burn Xanthus. Even as he watched, the first fireballs flew.
“You’ll burn down the whole city!” Sergius protested.
“Yes,” his commander admitted. “People are going to die in there.”
It was a sound battle tactic, keeping his troops from being targeted by those on the walls, but directly contravened their orders to spare Omanis. Sergius’s entire mission would be jeopardized before he even had time to begin.
“If you burn their city, they will never work with us! King Yuri’s order was to spare them, not just their sheep.”
The commander shrugged. “My orders were to keep my men alive.”
It was a complete failure of imagination. Sergius felt his temper hit the top of his skull.
Believe it and make them believe it.
“You are relieved of your command,” he said.
The other man looked at him as if he had lost his mind. “On whose authority?”
“Mine,” Sergius said. “I am Sergius Magistri, cousin to King Yuri, and you are relieved.”
The commander hesitated.
“NOW!” Sergius bellowed. He beckoned imperiously to two Havacian troopers on either side of the commander. “Take him.”
Not waiting to see if they had obeyed, he spun his horse in a deliberate move he had learned from his father, forking him with one spur, making Arrow rear. It gave better visibility.
“Omanis!” he screamed. “Follow me or your people die.”
EXCERPT II:
He had merely cracked the front door and it had not creaked. This time, it opened fully and it did.
He tensed, looking at a figure framed against sunlight. Probably still blinded from it, she did not see him at first, hunkered down against one of the walls.
Young, slight and dark haired, she had to be either Omani or Domidian.
“Felicitas,” he said.
She cringed, visibly.
“Aspetta,” he said quickly. “Hold on. I am not going to hurt you.”
She stood like a deer waiting for the arrow that was going to finish it.
“Omani?” he asked in what he hoped was a friendly tone. He knew how he looked—young, strong, armed, dangerous.
She nodded.
“I am a friend,” he tried to reassure her. “Omani, from Havacia. We have just beaten the last of the Domidians.”
“Vero?” she half whispered.
He nodded. “Reale. You are free.”
“Who are you?” she demanded. Now that she didn’t look so much like a frozen chicken, she was attractive, with long hair as black as obsidian. She had light olive skin and dark eyes, faintly tilted at the ends, giving her an exotic, almost child-like look, but she was no child. There was nothing remarkable about her dress except for how smudged and dirty it was. Otherwise, it was the classic woman’s gown of pleated white linen cinched with a corded tie, and she wore sandals.
Sergius got slowly to his feet.
“No, who are you?” he asked.
“I was first,” she responded. “What are you doing here?”
Sergius laughed softly. “It’s my house. Why are you in it?”
“Your house?”
“I do not object,” he spelled out. “I just wonder what you are doing here.”
“What would anyone do here?” she responded. “Getting food. Looking for a place to stay. We have nothing here. You should know, if you have fought the Domidians.”
“Yes, I heard,” he said, remembering the shepherd who said they always took his sheep.
“I have not hurt anything,” she protested.
Sergius half raised his hand in the universal gesture of peace. “No, no, I did not say so. You just startled me.”
“You scared me,” she said. She didn’t sound a bit submissive. It was more an accusation, as if he should not be in his own family’s villa. “How do you say this is your house?”
“It was my grandfather’s,” he responded.
Suddenly, her expression changed and she said something so foul he had never heard it from a woman.
EXCERPT III:
The candles were guttering by the time he awakened, not in bed, but on a chaise in Giulia’s studio. She had thrown a light cover over him and taken off his boots, all without him feeling a thing. She was curled on the floor by his legs, arms around his knees, her cheek atop her arms, looking up at him, and he could see the reflection of dying flames in her eyes. It was by far the closest she had ever come to any physical intimacy with him and he felt a surge of purely visceral pleasure and a cautious hope.
“You were very tired,” she said. “Is that why you came?”
“I suppose so.”
“What troubles you so much?”
“The Empiricum, of course.” True to his word, Yuri had established them as Empiratis, but Sergius thought Omana was better off without them. They were a thorn in his side. It was like doing battle with a shadow enemy. He would have preferred outright warfare, but that seemed not to be the Omani way.
“What is it this time?”
“Serious,” he said. “One part of the treaty with Havacia they absolutely rebel against is the abolition of slavery.”
She stirred, a little uncomfortably. “You do not have that in the North?”
“No, and we will not have it in the South, either. Yuri will not abide it and I am in agreement with him, as are all the states that were enslaved by Domidians, except Omana.”
“But why?” she asked. “We suffered, too.”
“Some of you did.”
“But not collaborators?”
He nodded. “They worked with Domidians then and they work with slaves now. To do otherwise will cut into their profits. They think to oppose Yuri on this.”
“Is that why he stayed?”
“He stays because the Army is here. I have nominal control of it, but in reality, it will serve him.”
“He would arrest them?”
“No. There will be no arrests.”
She looked relieved at first, but then she looked at his face. “Oh. I see. No tribunals, even?”
“No. He is my cousin, my King, and he is right. He is adamant on this. It is not negotiable, but the custom is so deeply ingrained here, I don’t think they are capable of envisioning anything different. Yuri seldom loses his temper, but if they push him, I guarantee you that he will. And there is a lot of his father in Yuri.”
She just looked at him questioningly.
“Uncle Vanus was a good King,” he admitted. “Very effective. But his enemies had a way of disappearing. The Omanis may not love me next month as much as they do this month.”
“In that case,” she said, “it appears I must love you this month.”
She had spoken lightly, yet the look she was giving him was not light.
“Do you want to love me?” he asked softly.
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I love the cover, looks really good
ReplyDeleteThe cover is amazing! The colors and graphics are great.
ReplyDelete