Blitz Day PROMO: Shadows of Kings by Jack Whitsel

Welcome to Shadows of Kings 

and the Dragon Rising series.

With the June release of Shadows in Kings upon us - I thought I would share a sneak peak of the region and provide a list of characters. Thanks to everyone who have contributed to this journey.


The Players

• Lady Lucia – Dragon Maiden of the Order
• Lord Baudouin – Son of Duke Theudis
• Rizela – Princess and Sorceress of the Darkfey
• Ghruelnar – Sorcerer and leader of the Harhn Horde
• Alaric – Dragon Initiate of the Order
• Norris – Cousin and Standard Bearer of Lord Baudouin
• Flannery – Cousin of Lord Baudouin
• Isidore – Knight of Mersalia
• Alaric – Initiate of the Order
• Dragana – Young sorceress, daughter of Lord Yannic of the Order
• Celestine - Sorceress
• Duke Theudis – Duke of Camille and Standard Bearer of King Amger
• King Amger – King of Mersalia

The Founding 

According to the Hugue Calendar, the region was established over five hundred years ago. Following the Great War between Elves and Men, Humans from the Ancestral Plains, fearing another onslaught from the Elves, left their homes and traveled across the Barren Steppe to the region called the Hugue. The settlers comprised of nobles and commoners from the various cities decimated by war. Together, they made the long journey, putting aside cultural differences in order to start a new beginning. Upon reaching the Hugue, they found the region infested with Harhn and all manner of foul beasts. Led by Lord Theudemund of House Amric, the warriors from the assembly of Men, combined with the native Humans and Halflings of the region, drove the beasts from the Hugue. After this great victory, the Principalities were established. Each sovereign of the three strongest factions were married to one of Theudemund's daughters as a token of good will and to strengthen the newly formed alliances. Theudemund’s son became the King of Mersalia. The other Principalities formed were Pratalsia, Gruneheim, Cadyrnia, and Mersalia. Already existing principalities were Verslund, Vhor, and Henstubber.

Shadows of Kings

by Jack Whitsel

ebook, 248 pages
Published June 15th 2012 by Twilight Times Books

Steel and sorcery clash as the Harhn incursion sweeps through the Hugue. Mankind faces its greatest peril without the Order Knights of legend to defend them. Crusading deep in the frontier, the Order is unaware of the savage beasts threatening their homeland as the Hugue realms muster their armies for war.

Between a cunning Harhn sorcerer, and an alliance forged with the decadent Darkfey, the horde threatens to extinguish the domains of men. Only Lord Baudouin and Lady Lucia, a Dragon Maiden from the Order, stand in the enemy’s path. One must find the strength to unify the realms. The other must discover the strength within her, while coming to terms with the agendas of her Order. But only together will there be any hope to repel the onslaught, and preserve the future for a mysterious girl they do not know.

Shadows of Kings is available at:

Barnes and Noble
Amazon








Keep reading to find out about the author 
and to read chapter one excerpt.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Jack Whitsel is a native Californian, but has made Oregon his home since 1982. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree of Finance from Portland State University, but studies medieval history in his spare time. His favorite genres are fantasy and historical fiction with a medieval emphasis. Shadows of Kings, the first novel of the Dragon Rising Series is the love child born of these two passions.


"I love the elements of fantasy when mixed with the gritty aspects of a medieval society. In the worlds I create, there are neither citadels of shimmering glass, nor any utopian realms." 


The final contributing catalyst to Jack's creative process comes from his two sons, Josiah and Noah. They remind him how important an active imagination can be, and are the first to hear his tales of diabolical wizards and valiant knights.

"Because of my boys, I still believe in Santa Claus, the Easter bunny, and the tooth-fairy."

You can find Jack at: Website - Blog - Facebook - Twitter

Shadows of Kings 

by Jack Whitsel  

epic fantasy

Chapter One Excerpt

Lucia pressed her ear to the oak door. Beyond, she could hear the clamor of warfare, and the cries of dying beasts and men. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath to calm her racing heartbeat to distinguish the sounds of battle from her mother's incantations. Out on the battlement, her mother, Dragon Maiden of the Order, bent the elements of nature to her will.


Another violent clap of thunder vibrated the air within Lucia's chamber as if her mother's fury was being released upon the Hall of Sylvain itself. Lucia desperately wanted to go to her mother's side, to bolster her mother's sorcery with her own. But this her mother had expressly forbidden.

The beast's blood magic is beyond your craft, her mother had warned. He will sense your abilities and yoke your strength to his own. Only I can confront his wizardry. Whatever you hear, you must remain in your room. 

The words still chilled her. Any evil that possessed enough power to vex her mother so was not to be underestimated. So Lucia obeyed without question when the Harhn poured from the Vol Thaldane.


But as the hours passed, Lucia could no longer remain idle. The servants scurrying about the Hall, the shouts of knights giving orders, and the sound of battle raging outside lured her from her quarters. But every guard Lucia addressed in her family's Longhouse only offered feigned assurances. You need not worry, my lady, all is well.

She could sense their apprehension as they frantically dismissed themselves from her presence. Lucia's mind raced with images of her mother and father. Her steps had quickened through the Hall, their cadence matching the bustling servants and guards. Women desperately cared for the wounded while men prepared for the final assault. Dread was etched upon every face. This is what the Harhn brought to Marcellus; unbridled destruction that upset the balance of all things.

For the people of Marcellus, the fall season would have normally been the time for the Harvest Festival. But the fruits of their labor were now in jeopardy of being set ablaze. For the first time in fifty years, the Harhn arrived in vast numbers from the Vol Thaldane to wage war upon the domains of Man. Their onslaught across the frontier served as an alarm for the Hugue to prepare for war. But Marcellus was still ill-equipped for the horde amassed beyond their low walls. Only a handful of her father's knights, scores of men-at-arms and militia were all that kept the green monsters from breaching the Hall's last defenses.

Lucia had raced upstairs to where she stood now. Her senses attempted to extend beyond the door separating her mother and herself. Her body shook with each clap of thunder, but longer periods stretched between each incantation. For the first time in Lucia's young life, she could sense and hear fatigue in her mother's voice. And then…there was silence.

For more of the expert go HERE.