The Winged Warrior -- Excerpt
The Winged Warrior is an epic romantasy.
CHAPTER ONE
Kaigan and his warriors lumbered across the dry steppes into the orange eye of the sun god, Chat-Ranj, as it slowly closed its wavering orb. The dying light cast long shadows that wavered behind them like wraiths at their heels. Here and there across the rocky plain, peasants, shepherding stubby-horned dumbbeasts and bleating fat-faced sheep, stared as they passed.
They were to join with his father on the morrow, then meet with the king of Faalnara to finalize peace between the lands. He knew what finalize meant to his father, the Master of Maajnara, and he shuddered to think of it. Not that he hadn’t had relationships with women. Of course he had. But to have no choice in who to wed?
Princess of Faalnara. This woman, whom he barely knew, and who wasn’t of the desert? Who knew nothing of their culture? A Faalnaran princess—soft and silly, cossetted and mollycoddled.
Kaigan remembered what his father had written to him, somehow finding him deep in the desert, living in a cave.
“Join with the princess!” his father had said, pounding Kaigan’s back as if he’d won a battle. “And serve your people as you were born to. The known world needs you as never before.”
Kaigan knew exactly what his father had meant when he said “join” and he didn’t like it one bit. But the known world needing him? Probably his father being emphatic. Probably. He would find out tonight.
Kaigan and his warriors lumbered across the dry steppes into the orange eye of the sun god, Chat-Ranj, as it slowly closed its wavering orb. The dying light cast long shadows that wavered behind them like wraiths at their heels. Here and there across the rocky plain, peasants, shepherding stubby-horned dumbbeasts and bleating fat-faced sheep, stared as they passed.
They were to join with his father on the morrow, then meet with the king of Faalnara to finalize peace between the lands. He knew what finalize meant to his father, the Master of Maajnara, and he shuddered to think of it. Not that he hadn’t had relationships with women. Of course he had. But to have no choice in who to wed?
Princess of Faalnara. This woman, whom he barely knew, and who wasn’t of the desert? Who knew nothing of their culture? A Faalnaran princess—soft and silly, cossetted and mollycoddled.
Kaigan remembered what his father had written to him, somehow finding him deep in the desert, living in a cave.
“Join with the princess!” his father had said, pounding Kaigan’s back as if he’d won a battle. “And serve your people as you were born to. The known world needs you as never before.”
Kaigan knew exactly what his father had meant when he said “join” and he didn’t like it one bit. But the known world needing him? Probably his father being emphatic. Probably. He would find out tonight.