# Knights, Dragons and the Seelie Court (RCG 20)



## Brenda Carroll

The latest edition to the Assassin Chronicles series is up and running at Amazon.com! Get your reading glasses cleaned and loaded because you won't believe what is happening to our poor Knight of Death in Book XX of the _Red Cross of Gold: Cross Purposes _. Here is an excerpt from Cross Purposes and a preview of the cover.

_They walked forward more quickly as she continued to call for the Lord of the Seventh Gate and then stopped. 
"Is that him?" Aurora whispered as they gazed upon the yellow and green form suspended between two crystal mounds. It was vaguely shaped like a man, but made entirely of the yellow and green crystal. 
"It would seem so," Semiramis whispered and stepped closer to the odd formation and put away her sword. She ran her hands over the smooth crystal. "What have you done?" She asked the cold stone. Half of the crystal was translucent and half was opaque. They could barely discern the man within the stone.
Semiramis looked about the chamber. Some great and powerful magick had trapped him here and had the distinctive ring of Marduk Kurios.
"I should leave him here!" She said angrily. "If I release him from this, he will only go back to the overworld!"
"But you cannot leave him here." Aurora moved around the frozen figure of her great-grandfather, looking at it in fascination. "He is still alive. This is too cruel a fate, grandmother. Surely he does not deserve such a thing as this."
"You are naïve, my sweet," Semiramis shook her head. "I have waited five thousand years for him to return and always it is the same thing. He is always taken in by beautiful faces. I had thought he would finally find himself in this last misadventure. The company of women is a dangerous thing. Bah!"
"You are angry, Grandmother." Dunya's eyes widened. She had never seen her beautiful grandmother in such a state. "I thought we came here to help him."
"Always, he is in need of help!" The warrior queen snarled and stepped back. "I should destroy him now and be done with it."
"No! Please!" Aurora caught her arm. "Who will keep the Seventh Gate if you do that? Already there is much trouble because of the breech."
"Exactly. He allowed his interests elsewhere to take him from his duty. If he belonged anywhere other than here, it was with me. I told him that he should come to the Hesperides. We could have gone to some other world and left this one to rot. Let Tiamat have her stinking Abyss! The Universe is full of wonders. But he refused. He is too concerned with mortals. He is consumed by his desires of the flesh. He is&#8230; nothing more than&#8230; more than&#8230; a man." Semiramis frowned and then folded her arms across her breastplate, pressing one finger thoughtfully against her chin above the silver chin guard before running her gilded fingernail down her throat. Each of her carefully manicured nails was encased in metallic plates and although the effect was most beautiful, the stunning attachments made her fingernails lethal weapons.
"Men make mistakes, Queen Mother, it's their nature," Dunya implored her. "He is the father of my father. Your son would be devastated if anything were to happen to Adar, the Mighty Hunter."
"Perhaps that is the key." Semiramis pursed her lips and a slow smile spread across her timeless face.
"What?" Aurora fell to one knee before her great-grandmother. "What is the key? Tell us, grandmother!"
"Leave me!!" Semiramis snapped and swirled about and the feathered cloak spread out about her form like angelic wings. "I will release him from this spell!"_


----------



## mamiller

"indomitable Knight of Death."

...wow, who can resist that?!?


----------



## Anju 

Congrats maureen on 100 posts!

Pretty good post Brendan -


----------



## Brenda Carroll

Anju No. 469 said:


> Congrats maureen on 100 posts!
> 
> Pretty good post Brendan -


Thank you, thank you, my dear Anju, I'm blushing.  Yours, Brendan



mamiller said:


> "indomitable Knight of Death."
> 
> ...wow, who can resist that?!?


I hope no one can, Miss Miller. I'm really proud of getting ten books on the Kindle. In fact, I'm more than that that... I'm jumping for joy.  Thanks for the comment! Sincerely, Brendan


----------



## GreenThumb

I bought the whole series a few days ago, based on the excellent reviews. I can't wait to get started!


----------



## rho

GreenThumb said:


> I bought the whole series a few days ago, based on the excellent reviews. I can't wait to get started!


me too --

and is that a lab pup in your avatar  too cute


----------



## Brenda Carroll

GreenThumb said:


> I bought the whole series a few days ago, based on the excellent reviews. I can't wait to get started!


Hello, Greenthumb: I'm truly am honored and do hope you enjoy the books. Sincerely, Brendan PS: Do you really have a greenthumb because I might have some plantlike questions for you later on?



rho said:


> me too --
> 
> and is that a lab pup in your avatar  too cute


Hi, Rho! Is that rho as in the Greek letter? Thanks for the support. Happy reading... hope you enjoy. Yours, Brendan


----------



## rho

Brendan Carroll said:


> Hi, Rho! Is that rho as in the Greek letter? Thanks for the support. Happy reading... hope you enjoy. Yours, Brendan


no nothing so interesting - just the first 3 letters of my name and my nickname


----------



## GreenThumb

rho said:


> me too --
> 
> and is that a lab pup in your avatar  too cute


That is my now-80-pound black lab, Max. He was 7 weeks old in that pic. He was so cute as a baby. He's a handsome brute now.


----------



## GreenThumb

Brendan Carroll said:


> Hello, Greenthumb: I'm truly am honored and do hope you enjoy the books. Sincerely, Brendan PS: Do you really have a greenthumb because I might have some plantlike questions for you later on?


I have a green thumb, in that plants go completely bonkers around me, no matter what I do. Pesky things won't die, fruits and veggies get crazy big. I can't kill a plant to save my life. I started going by that name online several years ago, when I was having a hard time coming up with a handle not already taken. Looked over at some ivy that I was wishing would kick the bucket, as it was taking over my kitchen, but I didn't have the heart to throw out a living plant, and thought, "Aha!"

But my husband is actually the gardener in the family. If it's a question about vegetables, fruits, or herbs, he may know the answer. Flowers, not so much. I think he may have married me just so I'll go hang out in the garden, like some sort of human Miracle-Gro......


----------



## Brenda Carroll

rho said:


> no nothing so interesting - just the first 3 letters of my name and my nickname


All righty then. That's not a problem at all, just tell me... is that your hair in the picture? It's quite impressive and puts me in mind of a doll that my sister had when we were growing up. I actually loved that doll's hair, but never told anyone... until now.  My mom still has it hanging on the wall in DS's old bedroom and yes, I still go in there and look at it, but NO, I don't touch it. LOL.  Thanks for the reply. Brendan


----------



## Brenda Carroll

GreenThumb said:


> But my husband is actually the gardener in the family. If it's a question about vegetables, fruits, or herbs, he may know the answer. Flowers, not so much. I think he may have married me just so I'll go hang out in the garden, like some sort of human Miracle-Gro......


Thanks for the answer, Miss Greenthumb. LOL. I needed the lift. My ivy in the kitchen has one, that's ONE pitiful leaf left on it and I'm not exaggerating.  I'm thinking of marrying my girl because she likes to hang out in the garden, too, but she also likes to cook the things that grow there and she then shares them with me!  It's very true what they say 'the company of women is a dangerous thing'.... wait, no, I mean 'the way to a man's heart is throught his stomach', yes, that's the one.


----------



## Brenda Carroll

Here is a small excerpt from the _Dragonslayer_, the sixth book in the Red Cross of Gold Series. The Knight of Death and his companion, the Knight of the Golden Eagle have just arrived in the underworld. They are searching for their missing Healer and the Chevaliere Sinclair whom they believe have been abducted and imprisoned somewhere in the astral plane:

"I'd have to say we fit in right well with this&#8230; place." He looked about nervously as a high-pitched keening noise cut through the relative quiet under the great willow tree where they stood.
"Now what?" Dambretti let go of his foot and looked about.

Away under the trees, some two to three hundred yards, they could see a silvery form with a greenish hue around the edges approaching them. The mournful sound they had heard emanated from this creature. They drew back into the deeper shades near the trunk of the tree and waited. The glowing figure resolved into the form of an old woman as it drew nearer. She wore a long mantel of wispy green and her long, stringy hair flowed out behind her as if she were walking under water. Her face was obscured in shadow.

"Beanshidhe," Mark Andrew whispered as she passed very near them. She didn't turn her head in their direction, but continued on away from them, uttering her bone-chilling wail every few minutes.

"Banshee?" Lucio asked, repeating the name.

"The washer of shrouds," Mark shuddered. "That is her Irish name and the one more commonly known these days. In Scotland, we called her the Cointeach. She is nothing but trouble. Usually comes to announce death. It is said that she escorts the soul on the first part of the journey to the afterlife."

"Then maybe she is announcing your arrival, Brother," the Italian muttered.

Happy Reading!! And thanks to all those who have purchased my novels!! Sincerely, Brendan Carroll


----------



## AppleHeart

OK, the _dragons_ made me do it -- I bought all 10 books! Guess you can surmise that dragons are one of my favorite mystical and mythical creatures. Unicorns too. <hint, hint>

ebc


----------



## Jasonmh

Looks like a great series.  I just picked up the first one to check it out, really looking forward to reading it.  That is one reason I like this board, I find more books that I probably wouldn't have heard of otherwise.


----------



## Brenda Carroll

Jasonmh said:


> Looks like a great series. I just picked up the first one to check it out, really looking forward to reading it. That is one reason I like this board, I find more books that I probably wouldn't have heard of otherwise.


Hey, Jasonmh! Thanks for checking it out. Hope you like it. Brendan


----------



## Jasonmh

I am part way thru the first one and it is excellent.  I picked up the next 4 in the series, because with how good this one is I know I am going to want to read the rest.  Great job.


----------



## Brenda Carroll

Jasonmh said:


> I am part way thru the first one and it is excellent. I picked up the next 4 in the series, because with how good this one is I know I am going to want to read the rest. Great job.


Great! That's what I want to hear. Thanks again, Jason. Brendan


----------



## Meredith Sinclair

Jasonmh said:


> I am part way thru the first one and it is excellent. I picked up the next 4 in the series, because with how good this one is I know I am going to want to read the rest. Great job.


YOU are RIGHT!!!

Brendan's #1 fan.... (ok I'm #1, cause I was the first... but still...  )

Hey! Brendan I got that little red warning thing.... and it was YOU type, type, typing away on this post, welcome back!


----------



## bkworm8it

This sounds up my ally, as books go .    hopefully I can get one each paycheck before they go up in price again!!!!

LOL greenthumb, seems the plants I wish would die don't and those that I want to live don't..... 

theresam


----------



## Brenda Carroll

Meredith Sinclair said:


> YOU are RIGHT!!!
> Brendan's #1 fan.... (ok I'm #1, cause I was the first... but still...  )
> Hey! Brendan I got that little red warning thing.... and it was YOU type, type, typing away on this post, welcome back!


Hello, Miss Merry, Merry, quite contrary! Love to be back with you again. Thanks for the bump.


bkworm8it said:


> This sounds up my ally, as books go .  hopefully I can get one each paycheck before they go up in price again!!!!
> 
> LOL greenthumb, seems the plants I wish would die don't and those that I want to live don't.....
> 
> theresam


I intend to leave them at low prices for the summer, so please do, try them out. Once you're hooked, you'll pay any price to read them. Ha! Ha!  Seriously, thank you so much, Bookworm. Is that Theresa M? Or is it something more mysterious? Brendan.


----------



## Cammie

Darn...read the sample of book one....came back to purchase the set....then Amazon drops the discount on most of the books.  All still under $2 though so thank you Brendan.


----------



## Aravis60

Just got the sample of the first book. Can't wait to check it out.


----------



## tlshaw

Brendan Carroll said:


> Hello, Miss Merry, Merry, quite contrary! Love to be back with you again. Thanks for the bump.I intend to leave them at low prices for the summer, so please do, try them out. Once you're hooked, you'll pay any price to read them. Ha! Ha!  Seriously, thank you so much, Bookworm. Is that Theresa M? Or is it something more mysterious? Brendan.


I have to agree with the getting hooked part. I bought the first one when it was .99, and I have just downloaded the 7th one. I keep saying I will take a break, but then find myself going to the Kindle Store to buy the next one. I blame Kindra for the complete breakdown of my self-control. It is just too easy and there are too many great books available. Thanks for such a great series Brendan.


----------



## Brenda Carroll

tlshaw *Padded Cell 511* said:


> I have to agree with the getting hooked part. I bought the first one when it was .99, and I have just downloaded the 7th one. I keep saying I will take a break, but then find myself going to the Kindle Store to buy the next one. I blame Kindra for the complete breakdown of my self-control. It is just too easy and there are too many great books available. Thanks for such a great series Brendan.


My apologies for causing the addiction *not*!!! LOL  Love the boost to my self-esteem. Thank you ever so much, Miss PC 511. Looking forward to hearing more from you. Yours in truth, Brendan


Cammie said:


> Darn...read the sample of book one....came back to purchase the set....then Amazon drops the discount on most of the books. All still under $2 though so thank you Brendan.


Hey there, Miss Aravis, thank you for buying my work. I aim to please. Hope you enjoy and let me hear from you. Sincerely, Brendan


----------



## bkworm8it

Brendan Carroll said:


> Is that Theresa M? Or is it something more mysterious? Brendan.


No just first name and first initial of last name. I grew up with abut 5 Teresa's in the same class that I got into the habit of signing things theresam and just never stopped.

I have to be careful not to start a book/ series I'll get hooked on, or I forget about homework. At least I will have a couple of weeks break before the fall quarter at the end of August. then I plan on catching up on some god reading 

theresam


----------



## Brenda Carroll

I had two Theresa's in my room from the first through the sixth grades.  Both were quite pretty little girls at the time... I wonder now what became of them.  I studied the Empress Maria Theresa for a book project once and learned that she had 14 children, among them Marie Antoinette.  I guess the name has been around a long time.  I think that names are not just co-inkydinks, but have true meaning.


----------



## Brenda Carroll

Here's an excerpt from the tenth book in the _Red Cross of Gold _ series: _Genesis 6:5_ One of the apprentices has accidentally spilled some Dragon's Blood on himself and has suddenly become able to see all the faeries in the astral plane. Paddy Puffingtowne, Mark's resident clurichaun, is trying to help him get accustomed to it:

At last, he'd decided that what the Irishman needed was a good overdose. Show him more and more until he either died of anxiety or became used to it. A sort of swim or drown therapy.

Planxty hopped and skipped about the meadow, dodging grasshoppers, butterflies and dragonflies as well as a multitude of tiny faeries in and amongst the flowers and grasses. It seemed he was afraid of everything now. The hobgoblins in the meadow the night before had done the trick. Paddy had coaxed him out to the patio for a nip and smoke and they had seen a troop of elves marching by. This had not bothered him too much. Elves looked a lot like people. Little people. They had the same basic body structure and the trooping faeries had been singing a lively tune as they went. The apprentice had seemed to be enjoying himself until the two hobgoblins had passed by, grumbling and arguing with each other. They had looked very much like the Dubbykym goblins from the underworld that Planxty had seen when he had slipped down to Adar's castle with Michele. Ahhh, Paddy missed Michele terribly and mourned her loss at every turn. And he missed John Paul and he missed Andy and Merry. He even missed Lucio. He hoped they would be coming home soon. Of course, Michele would not be coming home again and the thought made him very sad.
He shoved Planxty ahead of him irritably.

"Think, mon!" he said. "Ye're an apprentice t' th' Knoight o' Solomon's Wisdom! Ye've seen things. Ye're privy t' things most people dunna even know aboot atoll. Ye're lucky t' 'ave Miss Merry as yer Mistress. Andy wud 'ave flayed ye by now with 'is golden swoard. Be a mon, fur pity's sake. Bein' a mon tisn't so bad. Look at Andy! 'e's a mon and 'e's not so bad. Ye cud 'ave been warse. Ye cud 'ave been a hedgehog! Or a boggart yerself!"

Planxty drew a deep breath and tried to calm his heart. This was getting out of hand. If Dame Meredith came home and found him cowering in his room, she would send him packing for sure. He was a grown man. Thirty-five years old. Miss Meredith had been very good to him. If this was a gift, then so be it. He opened his eyes wider and peered at the dark oaks ahead. He could already hear the Dryads chattering and screeching there like a pack of ravenous little monkeys, waiting eagerly for the wayfarers to come near enough to receive a good dose of scorn and a fine drubbing.

"When we get thair, just give 'em a look loike ye mean business and they'll be quoit," Paddy told him and poked him with his shillalagh again. "Ye'll see. Andy knows 'ow t' 'andle them."

Planxty nodded and put on his fiercest expression. He narrowed his blue eyes and puckered his lips sternly. As soon as they passed under the first oak, they were bombarded with twigs and old acorns. Planxty stopped and turned to look up into the trees, frowning fiercely. The yapping and howling ceased immediately&#8230; he was amazed.

"Ye see?" Paddy pushed him again. "Say something to them loike ye mean it, moind ye."


----------



## Meredith Sinclair

Good scene Brendan... you know I LOVE Planxty & Paddy! I love it when you post this stuff, it's almost like I_ know_ them, and, &, & you are telling all of these other people stories that actually happened to my _friends_!  Seriously, I especially like the excerpts with the fairies and brownies in them.  you make them so life-like!


----------



## mamiller

_*I*_ want to hop and skip in the meadow and dodge grasshoppers and butterflies!!! That sounds like a lot of fun.  Great, great excerpt, Brendan.


----------



## Brenda Carroll

mamiller said:


> _*I*_ want to hop and skip in the meadow and dodge grasshoppers and butterflies!!! That sounds like a lot of fun.  Great, great excerpt, Brendan.


You can do it any time, Miss Miller. You just have to squint your eyes to see the faeries. 


Meredith Sinclair said:


> Good scene Brendan... you know I LOVE Planxty & Paddy! I love it when you post this stuff, it's almost like I_ know_ them, and, &, & you are telling all of these other people stories that actually happened to my _friends_!  Seriously, I especially like the excerpts with the fairies and brownies in them.  you make them so life-like!


Thank you, Miss #1 Fan!! Yep, old Planxty Grine has a wee bit o' tribble with the fae folk.


----------



## Meredith Sinclair

mamiller said:


> _*I*_ want to hop and skip in the meadow and dodge grasshoppers and butterflies!!! That sounds like a lot of fun.  Great, great excerpt, Brendan.


Ms. Miller, do you have a Kindle? I know Brendan says he's waiting for his girl to get him one. I remember quite a few authors on here saying that they don't have a Kindle yet. I think Amazon should just GIVE ya'll each a Kindle after you sell 1000 books or something.


----------



## mamiller

Meredith Sinclair said:


> Ms. Miller, do you have a Kindle? I know Brendan says he's waiting for his girl to get him one. I remember quite a few authors on here saying that they don't have a Kindle yet. I think Amazon should just GIVE ya'll each a Kindle after you sell 1000 books or something.


Alas, m'lady, I'm afraid I don't yet either. With times being the way they are, I keep thinking of things I should use that money towards.  I do like your way of thinking, though  Amazon aside, I negotiated with myself and said when I sold 1000 books, I'd buy myself one. ...or maybe Brendan's girl will give us _all _ one.


----------



## Brenda Carroll

mamiller said:


> Alas, m'lady, I'm afraid I don't yet either. With times being the way they are, I keep thinking of things I should use that money towards.  I do like your way of thinking, though  Amazon aside, I negotiated with myself and said when I sold 1000 books, I'd buy myself one. ...or maybe Brendan's girl will give us _all _ one.


That would be most agreeable indeed, Miss Miller and I'm sure she will oblige us whenever I become rich and famous and give her the money to pay for them.  It may be that I should make myself such a promise and get it over with... so what if me poor grandmother needs new dentures and me dear old pappy needs new brogans? I NEED A KINDLE... now!


----------



## Meredith Sinclair

Brendan, 

Your Ars Arabia cover is really awesome! I love it. Good Luck, hope you get some kind of snippet up for it soon.


----------



## Brenda Carroll

Thank you, Miss Merry. I finally got the link to the eleventh book in the Red Cross of Gold  Series: Ars Arabia.. This book continues the saga of the Knight of Death as he struggles to hold the Order together against seemingly impossible odds. In Ars Arabia, he must leave his Lady Meredith and his beloved Scotland behind again, risking everything to try to save the Grand Master and three other members of the Order who have been struck down by some evil malady. He runs afoul of the Mighty Djinn and has to best him in a competition of wits. Meanwhile the very people he is trying to save are plotting against him. Hope you can enjoy it as much as I did!  Brendan


----------



## tlshaw

Book 11? I am currently finishing up Book 10 and thought I would read something else for a while. I have pretty much read through the series only taking short breaks to read something short. Now, I will have to buy the new one. Just knowing it is out there will drive me nuts until I get it and find out what happens next.

Hi, my name is Teresa and I am a Kindle Addict.


----------



## Brenda Carroll

tlshaw *Padded Cell 511* said:


> Book 11? I am currently finishing up Book 10 and thought I would read something else for a while. I have pretty much read through the series only taking short breaks to read something short. Now, I will have to buy the new one. Just knowing it is out there will drive me nuts until I get it and find out what happens next.
> 
> Hi, my name is Teresa and I am a Kindle Addict.


Hey, Miss Teresa. I'm an addict as well... hmmm.  Well, Book 10? I'm greatly flattered to hear from you. Anything you want to know, you just let me know because as most authors, I never get tired of talking about my children. Hope you enjoy this one! Thank you so much. Brendan


----------



## Meredith Sinclair

tlshaw *Padded Cell 511* said:


> Book 11? I am currently finishing up Book 10 and thought I would read something else for a while. I have pretty much read through the series only taking short breaks to read something short. Now, I will have to buy the new one. Just knowing it is out there will drive me nuts until I get it and find out what happens next.
> Hi, my name is Teresa and I am a Kindle Addict.


You will LOVE Ars Arabia! The Genie in it is so cool! I love him! Now everytime I see purple I think of Lemarik! It is so nice to have more fans that comment on the books and who are just as hooked as I am! Welcome to the "Fan Club"


----------



## crebel

DH only has 22% of book XI left.  He asked me to tell Brendan that each book has gotten better...better use of characters, more intricate plots.  Will there be a XII? BTW, I asked him whether he thinks of pomegranetes when he looks at me and he said, "Yes - think Song of Solomon"  !  He has certainly become one of your addicted fans.


----------



## Brenda Carroll

crebel said:


> DH only has 22% of book XI left. He asked me to tell Brendan that each book has gotten better...better use of characters, more intricate plots. Will there be a XII? BTW, I asked him whether he thinks of pomegranetes when he looks at me and he said, "Yes - think Song of Solomon" ! He has certainly become one of your addicted fans.


Tell him that I and my editor/proofreader/fan, Miss Georgiana Pembernock, are working as fast as we can to get book XII up and running. Should be up in a few weeks. Mmmmmm, Pomegranates, so sweet they lock your jaws just like a grand post from a devoted fan's DW, (but don't tell him that ). I do appreciate it! Sincerely, Brendan


----------



## r0b0d0c

Brendan, I've downloaded the first book in the series, and will be starting it soon - the descriptions of each book look intriguing, and I may need to purchase all 11! 

However, I noticed something new in the Amazon "descriptions": "Simultaneous Device Usage: Up to 5 simultaneous devices, per publisher limits"

I've noticed this in MANY Kindle books these past 2 days - is the 5-Kindle limit something that you or your publisher changed recently? There's another thread on this new 5-Kindle limit in another thread, as it appears to apply to many books now, and no one seems to know where this change originated.


----------



## Brenda Carroll

r0b0d0c said:


> Brendan, I've downloaded the first book in the series, and will be starting it soon - the descriptions of each book look intriguing, and I may need to purchase all 11!
> 
> However, I noticed something new in the Amazon "descriptions": "Simultaneous Device Usage: Up to 5 simultaneous devices, per publisher limits"
> 
> I've noticed this in MANY Kindle books these past 2 days - is the 5-Kindle limit something that you or your publisher changed recently? There's another thread on this new 5-Kindle limit in another thread, as it appears to apply to many books now, and no one seems to know where this change originated.


Hey, Robodoc, thanks for the vote of confidence. I know you will enjoy them. Personally, I think that the 5 simultaneous devices is a good question for Edward Patterson on this forum. You'll see his thread everywhere and he is infiinitely full of info and stuff regarding actual Kindle usage whereas I am a bit unlearned. I'm going to ask him about it now and I'll be back when he answers... Thanks!!! Brendan


----------



## mamiller

Brendan Carroll said:


> Personally, I think that the 5 simultaneous devices is a good question for Edward Patterson on this forum. You'll see his thread everywhere and he is infiinitely full of info and stuff regarding actual Kindle usage whereas I am a bit unlearned.


Basically, Ed is the Kindle Lord. He is the all-wise-and-knowing wizard and I use his word as gospel regarding Kindle matters. 
Brendan, you're all wise and knowing yourself, my friend. Ed just knows more about Kindle than all-us-alls. 
Congratulations on book #11, Mr. Carroll. Dear God, man, where do you find the time!?!


----------



## Brenda Carroll

mamiller said:


> Basically, Ed is the Kindle Lord. He is the all-wise-and-knowing wizard and I use his word as gospel regarding Kindle matters.
> Brendan, you're all wise and knowing yourself, my friend. Ed just knows more about Kindle than all-us-alls.
> Congratulations on book #11, Mr. Carroll. Dear God, man, where do you find the time!?!


Well, here's something you might find surprising. I won't tell you how many are in the series, but it took me nine years to write them in my spare time, starting in 1995 and ending in 2004. Since then, I have been editing and updating since then. Kindle Lord, eh? That sounds about right. LOL


----------



## mamiller

Nine years!  Then now it is time for you to sit back a reap the rewards, my friend.  Well deserved!


----------



## Meredith Sinclair

Maureen, see if you can get him too tell us HOW MANY!!!


----------



## mamiller

Can you tell me how many there are in the series, Mr. Carroll?  Or will I need to ply you with pints of Allagash to get you to spill??  I'll do it, man!


----------



## Brenda Carroll

mamiller said:


> Can you tell me how many there are in the series, Mr. Carroll? Or will I need to ply you with pints of Allagash to get you to spill?? I'll do it, man!


Is that a pun, Miss Miller? Spill? Well, let me tell you a story about numbers. When I was a wee child, I had a set of wooden blocks with numbers on some of the sides and letters on some of the other sides. I used to try to turn them so that only numbers would show, or sometimes I would try to get only the letters to show. I never could make that happen and since I always saw more letters than numbers, I was permanently scarred and left number-challenged. For almost four years, my list of titles sat on floppy disks (remember those... in a bank vault, of all the silly places). When I got them out and transferred them to flash drives, I discovered that the number I thought identified the true extent of my work did not describe it all because between the first and last book, just as with those horrid little cubes of wood, I didn't get all the numbers turned right and so I had one less book than I thought. Since that day, I have become even more traumatized about numbers and have had to have an outside auditor come in and place the numbers in the titles and on the first page of each chapter.... so you see, my daaahling Miss Miller... I really don't know how many are in the series.


----------



## Meredith Sinclair

Brendan Carroll said:


> Is that a pun, Miss Miller? Spill? Well, let me tell you a story about numbers. When I was a wee child, I had a set of wooden blocks with numbers on some of the sides and letters on some of the other sides. I used to try to turn them so that only numbers would show, or sometimes I would try to get only the letters to show. I never could make that happen and since I always saw more letters than numbers, I was permanently scarred and left number-challenged. For almost four years, my list of titles sat on floppy disks (remember those... in a bank vault, of all the silly places). When I got them out and transferred them to flash drives, I discovered that the number I thought identified the true extent of my work did not describe it all because between the first and last book, just as with those horrid little cubes of wood, I didn't get all the numbers turned right and so I had one less book than I thought. Since that day, I have become even more traumatized about numbers and have had to have an outside auditor come in and place the numbers in the titles and on the first page of each chapter.... so you see, my daaahling Miss Miller... I really don't know how many are in the series.


No fair!


----------



## mamiller

Okay, let's try to help you with the number thing.  If the number of books were to relate to ummm let's say a Dallas Cowboys game...would it be greater than a touchdown?  Greater than two touchdowns? Two touchdowns, a missed extra point and a field goal?  Or is this all a trick question because the Cowboys have struggled to get more than a touchdown! OHHH!  Now I did it!!


----------



## Meredith Sinclair

mamiller said:


> Okay, let's try to help you with the number thing. If the number of books were to relate to ummm let's say a Dallas Cowboys game...would it be greater than a touchdown? Greater than two touchdowns? Two touchdowns, a missed extra point and a field goal? Or is this all a trick question because the Cowboys have struggled to get more than a touchdown! OHHH! Now I did it!!


Wait. Just. One. Minute. Ms. Miller! Those are MY Cowboys TOO!


----------



## Brenda Carroll

mamiller said:


> Okay, let's try to help you with the number thing. If the number of books were to relate to ummm let's say a Dallas Cowboys game...would it be greater than a touchdown? Greater than two touchdowns? Two touchdowns, a missed extra point and a field goal? Or is this all a trick question because the Cowboys have struggled to get more than a touchdown! OHHH! Now I did it!!


OK, let me get this straight. One touch down would not be a very good lead unless they were at the end of the fourth quarter. A quarter is more than a dime and two dimes are less than a quarter, but a nickleback is not as important as a quarterback when it comes to making touchdowns whenever the plays are concentrating on passes rather than running plays. Here's a formula for figuring the number of books in my series:

Steve Octavien divided by Jon Kitna minus Marion Barber plus Miles Austin divided by Tony Romo plus Julius Crosslin minus Roy Williams divided by Travis Wilson plus Ken Hamlin would be Mat McBrier +1.333... more than the number of books in the series. Yes, Miss Miller, you are right. I can handle it in a more concrete manner when speaking through the medium of football. Thank you so much!!!


----------



## mamiller

Sorry, Miss Merry, I was afraid of that.    Just teasin'  Brendan knows I'm a Buccaneer fan.  We're MUCH worse off than the Cowboys.

And Brendan, your equation cleared everything up for me.


----------



## crebel

Even though this mortal peabrain is unable to quantify your mathematical meanderings, it sounds like there are many futher adventures awaiting.  My marriage thanks you


----------



## Brenda Carroll

mamiller said:


> And Brendan, your equation cleared everything up for me.


Hint: Jersey numbers.



crebel said:


> Even though this mortal peabrain is unable to quantify your mathematical meanderings, it sounds like there are many futher adventures awaiting. My marriage thanks you


And I don't even charge extra for the marriage counseling.  You are quite wecome, Miss Crebel.


----------



## Meredith Sinclair

Soooo... Brendan did you do the math here? I did it but I am going to PM you in case you are just messin' with us.


----------



## mamiller

Wait.  If you throw Tony Romo into the equation, then logically Jessica Simpson must be included.  So we'll take Jessica Simpson's IQ (50) -- (sorry any Jessica fans), multiply that by Tony Romo's golf score (71) and divide the sum by TO's jersey (81).  You have 43 in the series - give or take


----------



## Brenda Carroll

mamiller said:


> Wait. If you throw Tony Romo into the equation, then logically Jessica Simpson must be included. So we'll take Jessica Simpson's IQ (50) -- (sorry any Jessica fans), multiply that by Tony Romo's golf score (71) and divide the sum by TO's jersey (81). You have 43 in the series - give or take


Depending on what you mean by give or take. Hmmm, I didn't consider Jessica's IQ because they broke up and Terrell Owens' number is too large for my vocabulary. If you use Gematria on your answer and multiply it by Tim Anderson's height in inches above the number of feet, you'll be close... very, very close.


----------



## Ann in Arlington

Brendan Carroll said:


> Depending on what you mean by give or take. Hmmm, I didn't consider Jessica's IQ because they broke up


Totally OT: did they break up recently? Because they appeared together at Tiger Woods' golf tournament here in DC over the July 4th weekend. Tony played with Tiger in a pro-am before the event and Jessica sang the National Anthem. Of course, they could have been committed to that and then broke up but had to honor the commitments.


----------



## Brenda Carroll

Meredith Sinclair said:


> Soooo... Brendan did you do the math here? I did it but I am going to PM you in case you are just messin' with us.


So no, I'm not just messin' wif ya. These things are critically important when addressing questions of mathematical importance. Would you question Einstein's Theory of Special Relativity wherein he applies the principle of general relativity to frames in uniform relative motion? Would you say "Yo, Al! Are you sure that the E stands for Energy or is it just the monogram on your bath towels?" Or would you ask him "Yo, Alberto, since nothing can fly faster than the speed of light, are you saying that Superman is a hoax?" Would you question Newton's _Principia_, _Book Two, Lemma II_, wherein Newton describes what is essentially the Product Rule for differentiation, applying it to calculate the 'moments' of quantities that are expressed as products of powers of other quantities whose moments are known? Would you? I wonder! Would you say "Yo, Izzy! Did you misspell 'principle' or what?"  I should think not, young Missy! Go figure. LOL


----------



## Brenda Carroll

Ann in Arlington said:


> Totally OT: did they break up recently?


Truthfully, I saw it listed on AOL news, but didn't read it. It said that he essentially 'dumped her' or something to that effect.


----------



## Ann in Arlington

Well, I admit I really don't care.    But that odd bit of flotsam about Tiger's tournament was lodged in my brain and popped up when you mentioned it.  Perhaps it will leave now and make room for more important stuff!


----------



## Meredith Sinclair

Brendan, did you model your Mark Ramsay character after a hot guy named Gerard Butler? I kept thinking when I saw his movies "300" and "PS I Love You" that I knew that guy from somewhere... now today I saw "The Ugly Truth" with him in it and now I know who he reminds me of... My love... Mark Andrew Ramsay... Haaaaaahhhh ...


----------



## Brenda Carroll

Funny you should ask, Miss Merry!! No.  Gerard Butler wasn't known to me when I created Mark, but if I had to pick someone today from famous faces, Gerard would be closer to my idea of him than say... Hugh Jackman, but Mark's eyes are much bluer and his face might be a little less heavily featured... maybe.  I don't know.  Good choice though.  I also thought that a blue-eyed Clive Owen might fit the bill.


----------



## chilady1

Not to derail this thread but CLive Owen is a good fit no matter what as is Gerard Butler (I was drooling watching him in 300).  Thanks Miss Merry for giving me a mental image to work with as I read the books.  However, I digress.  Brendan just wanted to let you know I will be starting The Red Cross, Book 1 this weekend and I am sooooo excited about this series.  

Based on just the feedback in the forum alone, I purchased the entire 10 books (of course you came out with the 11th book) so I need to read a little fast.  Give me some time to catch up will ya. I purchased them all cause somehow I just know I am really going to enjoy this series and I didn't want to take time to keep going back to Amazon to purchase the next one.  This way, I can go from one book right into the next.  I will come back later and let you know what I think.  Keep writing and thanks!


----------



## Meredith Sinclair

You will love the books! Good Buy! Oh... I think of Cameron Diaz as Meredith in the books too (how she was in "The Holiday") and there is another actress similar to her that would be a good Merry... who is she Hmmmmmm... I'll have to get back to you on this...


----------



## Brenda Carroll

Well, Ms. Chilady, is that a pun? You did see Clive in _Derailed _I take it? Of course, my favorite is _King Arthur_. Have you seen it? Well, if ever there was a Mark and a Lucio together in the same film, that was Clive Owen and Ioan Grufford... great team. And to think that I wrote these characters long before I ever saw either of those actors. Thank you for buying the books!  Hope you enjoy them. Sincerely, Brendan


----------



## tlshaw

Brendan,
I just finished XI Aris Arabia last night. I hate being left hanging, so when will XII come out? No pressure at all!


----------



## Brenda Carroll

tlshaw *Padded Cell 511* said:


> Brendan,
> I just finished XI Aris Arabia last night. I hate being left hanging, so when will XII come out? No pressure at all!


Hey, Miss Tlshaw, (how do you say that? ). Your words warm my heart.  Thank you so much. I'm currently editing Book XII and hope to have it out within a couple of weeks. I hope you will enjoy it as much as the others. My number one fan/editor/dragon lady, Miss Serafina Pumberbelt, tells me that this next book seems to have a change of style in it that she absolutely loves.  I, myself, can't see it, but maybe it was a matter of evolution. I've been writing this series since 1995, I think... Miss Pumberbelt knows the exact date. She's good with numbers and laughs often at my inability to remember what day it is. 
Sincere thanks, Brendan


----------



## Anju 

Just finished III, yes they get better as they go along.  But I am going to read something else, I gotta!  Hope I can find something short   Also Sister Meredith seems to be developing into something other than a doofus


----------



## Brenda Carroll

Anju No. 469 said:


> Just finished III, yes they get better as they go along. But I am going to read something else, I gotta! Hope I can find something short  Also Sister Meredith seems to be developing into something other than a doofus


I did want her to take on a greater role as a Chevaliere, I mean, after all she is a blond and I do like blonds and she is a Knight and she needs to be strong... I guess what I mean is that the story is also about her evolution from being a twit of a girl into something more substantial without losing her charm. She is sort of the innocent (not so much in her case) bystander that gets swept into the thick of things quite by accident. Between the two Knights, she is the toy that they both want and cannot share.  Go read something else, but I'll expect you home by nine, young lady!


----------



## mamiller

Meredith Sinclair said:


> You will love the books! Good Buy! Oh... I think of Cameron Diaz as Meredith in the books too (how she was in "The Holiday") and there is another actress similar to her that would be a good Merry... who is she Hmmmmmm... I'll have to get back to you on this...


I can see Cameron Diaz as Meredith, Miss Merry. But Mark Ramsay...hmmm..none of the actors mentioned are living up to the image in my head. He's classy, rugged, handsome, intelligent....who else could possibly play him, but noneother than Mr. Carroll himself.


----------



## Meredith Sinclair

mamiller said:


> I can see Cameron Diaz as Meredith, Miss Merry. But Mark Ramsay...hmmm..none of the actors mentioned are living up to the image in my head. He's classy, rugged, handsome, intelligent....who else could possibly play him, but noneother than Mr. Carroll himself.


Well, you will see... she has a ditzy "blonde" thing going on at first, but then Cameron Diaz in the movie "The Holiday" seemed that way at first but was actually brilliant at what she did! Who else could be Merry? Just wait Ms. Miller... you'll see... I really think you will agree with me on both accounts. And you don't know him yet but "Ioan Grufford" would be an excellent Lucio... who BTW is REALLY


Spoiler



HOT!


----------



## Brenda Carroll

Here's a little excerpt from Ars Arabia, Book XI in the Red Cross of Gold series.  The Knight of Death has just recaptured the Djinni, but has been critically injured and trapped in the rubble of the Djinn's palace.  He calls upon the Djinni to help him:

“Lemarik?” his voice came to his ears as a whisper.

“At your service, Master,” the Djinn said pleasantly. “I thought you were dead.”

“Not yet. I would need some services.”

“Your wish is... well, you know.”

Lemarik waved one long hand in front of his bleary eyes.

“I need some water. Some wine. I need some....” His eyes closed and the Djinn shook him slightly.

“Yes. Yes. And?”

“Can you do something about the pain ? You helped me before...”

“I am no Healer,” the Djinni said sadly and he perused the condition of Mark's injured leg. “I can get you water, food and wine. Gold. Silver. Cinnamon from the Orient. Alabaster. Jewels. Ahhh. You should like some new jewels for your locks?” Lemarik reached to pick up something from the floor of the cave and Mark Andrew tried to move, but fell back in pain at the movement. The Djinn held up the silver earring in front of him. “You would like this returned to its original place?”

Mark Andrew focused on the ornament and nodded.

“That is no trouble,” the Djinn said with some measure of compassion as he leaned forward. Mark he felt him plucking at his hair. “There! Good as new. What else? Wine. Food. More silver.”

“No silver. Wine,” Mark Andrew told him and was too exhausted to be aggravated with him.


"You have what the humans call fever, Adar,” Lemarik said and frowned at him. “I did not know that you were susceptible to this malady.”

“Only three days,” Mark Andrew told him. “The dogs.”

“Ohhhhh, the horrid jackals,” the wizard shuddered. “But not so bad as the baboons, I'll wager.”

“Baboons...” Mark Andrew repeated. He had not thought of these horrible creatures. Jackals were bad enough, but baboons put jackals and hyenas to shame.

“I must go to the palace for the things you wish, Adar.”

The wizard stood up and swayed toward the opening in the rocks.

“No!” Mark Andrew tried to move again.

“I have to go and comb through the ruins to find the wine and the water and the food,” Lemarik told him in his soothing voice.

“But surely you can do something about the pain,” Mark Andrew pleaded with him.

“I cannot... ahhh, but wait!” the wizard said and stuck one hand inside his robe. “I do have these.” He held up a small plastic bottle. 

“Aspirin! I had another commercial break planned for the debate had it gone on as planned,” Lemarik sighed and then popped the top off the bottle for Mark. He poured several of the caplets in Mark's hand. “I also have a Magic Genie knife sharpener if you like. It is very handy and converts to a potato peeler as well.”


----------



## GreenThumb

Brendan Carroll said:


> You did see Clive in _Derailed _I take it? Of course, my favorite is _King Arthur_. Have you seen it? Well, if ever there was a Mark and a Lucio together in the same film, that was Clive Owen and Ioan Grufford... great team.





Meredith Sinclair said:


> "Ioan Grufford" would be an excellent Lucio... who BTW is REALLY
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> HOT!


Ioan Gruffudd is Lucio, absolutely. He is who I pictured from the first moment I "met" Lucio. As for Mark, sometimes he's Clive Owen, but Gerard Butler is closer (especially when he's speaking with his Scottish accent.) I do really like Gerard Butler, but in my imagination, Mark is even better-looking.







I can't come up with an actor that really fits him, like Ioan Gruffudd does for Lucio.

I've only finished the first book, and already I'm completely addicted to this wonderful series.


----------



## Brenda Carroll

GreenThumb said:


> Ioan Gruffudd is Lucio, absolutely. He is who I pictured from the first moment I "met" Lucio. As for Mark, sometimes he's Clive Owen, but Gerard Butler is closer (especially when he's speaking with his Scottish accent.) I do really like Gerard Butler, but in my imagination, Mark is even better-looking.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I can't come up with an actor that really fits him, like Ioan Gruffudd does for Lucio.
> 
> I've only finished the first book, and already I'm completely addicted to this wonderful series.


Miss Greenthumb: If you want a hint of my own idea of what Mark might look like, go to: http://www.myspace.com/chevalierdumorte It's a myspace account that I opened for him that never really got off the ground what with everything else I'm doing in my limited time. Thank you so much for the kind words... sorry about the addiction.  NOT!!!


----------



## GreenThumb

Oooh, great picture!  Would you mind if I made a screensaver out of that?


----------



## Brenda Carroll

Not at all, I would be honored and so would the Chevalier, I'm sure, lassie.  Brendan  
But look out, he's likely to get off the screen at Knight (err, night) and go prowling about, looking for your Scotch.


----------



## GreenThumb

I think I'm okay with that! Off to post a couple of screensavers. This one and one I did of Ioan Gruffudd as Lucio. *sigh*


----------



## Brenda Carroll

GreenThumb said:


> I think I'm okay with that! Off to post a couple of screensavers. This one and one I did of Ioan Gruffudd as Lucio. *sigh*


Your emoticons are so cute, Miss GT. I wish I was savvy enough to get some of those things for my stuff. Thanks, Brendan


----------



## Meredith Sinclair

GreenThumb said:


> I think I'm okay with that! Off to post a couple of screensavers. This one and one I did of Ioan Gruffudd as Lucio. *sigh*


OhOhOh... can you send it to MEeeeeee? I want it I want it you know I am in love with Lucio!!!


----------



## Meredith Sinclair

GreenThumb said:


> Ioan Gruffudd is Lucio, absolutely. He is who I pictured from the first moment I "met" Lucio. As for Mark, sometimes he's Clive Owen, but Gerard Butler is closer (especially when he's speaking with his Scottish accent.) I do really like Gerard Butler, but in my imagination, Mark is even better-looking.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I can't come up with an actor that really fits him, like Ioan Gruffudd does for Lucio.
> I've only finished the first book, and already I'm completely addicted to this wonderful series.


Mark IS hotter in my mind too... but then, Gerard is Hotter because of his mannerisms in my opinion... I think his actions MAKE him!


----------



## GreenThumb

Meredith Sinclair said:


> OhOhOh... can you send it to MEeeeeee? I want it I want it you know I am in love with Lucio!!!


I posted them right here in the pictures section: 
http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,12222.0.html

Let me know what you think, Meredith!


----------



## mamiller

Oh, that first picture gives me chills.  In a good way.  I'm reading Red Cross of Gold now and I'll carry that image with me.    Thanks for posting!


----------



## Brenda Carroll

GreenThumb said:


> I posted them right here in the pictures section:
> http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,12222.0.html
> 
> Let me know what you think, Meredith!


Heeeey, those are fantabulous, Miss Thumb. I'm impressed. That's not exactly the Golden Sword of the Cherubim, but who cares, right? Love it!! Love you, too!!!  Brendan



mamiller said:


> Oh, that first picture gives me chills. In a good way. I'm reading Red Cross of Gold now and I'll carry that image with me.  Thanks for posting!


Chills? Hmmmmm. And you are an exert on chills, Miss Miller, as evidenced in "Widow's Tale"! Thank you for the compliment... I mean I know that's not me in those pictures... unless you squint your eyes really, really hard.


----------



## Meredith Sinclair

mamiller said:


> Oh, that first picture gives me chills. In a good way. I'm reading Red Cross of Gold now and I'll carry that image with me.  Thanks for posting!


There you go again Ms. Miller... talkin' 'bout MY knight like I should *share* him with you or sumthin'!


----------



## mamiller

Meredith Sinclair said:


> There you go again Ms. Miller... talkin' 'bout MY knight like I should *share* him with you or sumthin'!


I know he's yours, Miss Merry.  Mr. Carroll, can you write me a book with my own knight?


----------



## Brenda Carroll

mamiller said:


> I know he's yours, Miss Merry.  Mr. Carroll, can you write me a book with my own knight?


Don't worry, Miss Miller. There are eleven other Knights in the Council... you know, Miss Merry can't lay claim to all of them, can she?  Or, you can give me the name of a Knight you want to include and I'll try to work him in... Brendan OH, BTW, Mark can handle the pressure, he's tough.


----------



## Meredith Sinclair

mamiller said:


> I know he's yours, Miss Merry.  Mr. Carroll, can you write me a book with my own knight?


I was just pick-in' Ms. Miller... i'll share all my Knight with you... I take turns fallin' in love with all of them... I even LOVE Edgard at one point, Al Sajak (the Mad Arab) a dragon, a clurichaun... named Paddy, an elf named Sam, a Knocker named Bart, a clumsy Irish apprentice named Planxty Grine, my Sweet French priest, a genie named Lemarik.... well, I do get around... just a bit...


----------



## Brenda Carroll

Meredith Sinclair said:


> I was just pick-in' Ms. Miller... i'll share all my Knight with you... I take turns fallin' in love with all of them... I even LOVE Edgard at one point, Al Sajak (the Mad Arab) a dragon, a clurichaun... named Paddy, an elf named Sam, a Knocker named Bart, a clumsy Irish apprentice named Planxty Grine, my Sweet French priest, a genie named Lemarik.... well, I do get around... just a bit...


Well, mayhap I was wrong... perhaps she can claim them all, but that's OK, she didn't mention the Apocalyptic Knight. Hmmmm. Don't you like him, Miss Merry? He's raising your son... remember?


----------



## Lynn McNamee

Well, here is another book(s) that I am not sure how I missed.

They look really interesting, so I bought the first one. Thanks for the $2 sale!


----------



## Meredith Sinclair

Brendan Carroll said:


> Well, mayhap I was wrong... perhaps she can claim them all, but that's OK, she didn't mention the Apocalyptic Knight. Hmmmm. Don't you like him, Miss Merry? He's raising your son... remember?


Oh, Shhhhhhhh....don't tell him... I did not forget, I just did nt know anyne else knew about _that_ crush!


----------



## Brenda Carroll

RedAdept said:


> Well, here is another book(s) that I am not sure how I missed.
> 
> They look really interesting, so I bought the first one. Thanks for the $2 sale!


Well, Miss Adept, this is the moment I've been dreading errr, looking forward to hearing from you! LOL  I hope you enjoy reading them (it) as much as I enjoyed writing them. Thank you. Sincerely, Brendan


----------



## mamiller

I've made my decision.  I haven't gotten to the elves yet, but I did see and fall in love with an elf in one of Mr. Carroll's snippets.  So I want an elf!  Yeay, an elf for Miss Miller!


----------



## Meredith Sinclair

mamiller said:


> I've made my decision. I haven't gotten to the elves yet, but I did see and fall in love with an elf in one of Mr. Carroll's snippets. So I want an elf! Yeay, an elf for Miss Miller!


HEY! THAT was MY eeeelffffff.... what are you talking abooooouuuuuut?   I'll share them all Ms. Miller, I do change my heart a lot... you can have the elf, but watch out Brendan may put_ you_ in one of his books!


----------



## Brenda Carroll

mamiller said:


> I've made my decision. I haven't gotten to the elves yet, but I did see and fall in love with an elf in one of Mr. Carroll's snippets. So I want an elf! Yeay, an elf for Miss Miller!


An elf it is then. How about Ch'qoottipootz? LOL.... hey, now. I'm thinking that one of the Tuatha de Danaan might be good for you. They like to lie around in piles like kittens and sleep, they're fierce warriors and love to play drums and music. Of course, I have not published that book yet.


----------



## Meredith Sinclair

Brendan Carroll said:


> An elf it is then. How about Ch'qoottipootz? LOL.... hey, now. I'm thinking that one of the Tuatha de Danaan might be good for you. They like to lie around in piles like kittens and sleep, they're fierce warriors and love to play drums and music. Of course, I have not published that book yet.


Well, Brendan, who are these Tuatha... nevermind.... she can have 'em I like SIMPLE creatures, and I can't even BEGIN to pronounce those guys... Yep Ms. Miller, they're yours!


----------



## Brenda Carroll

I'm not sure if you're seriously interested in the Tuatha da Danaan, but here goes.  They were a mythical race of people who inhabited Ireland before men went to live there.  It's been a long time since I did any research on them.  They lived there after kicking out the Formorians who were horrible critters if I remember correctly whom they kicked off the island into the sea.  (Supposedly still live under the sea there.)  When men came, apparently, they ended up going under ground into the underworld to live and became a race of elven creatures.  Very fierce little fellows and beautiful.  Hope that's fairly accurate and helpful.  You'll like them, I'm sure.


----------



## mamiller

Were the Formorians responsible for the Titantic?  I don't like the Formorians.  
Let's go back to the elves that lie around in piles like kittens.


----------



## OliviaD

mamiller said:


> Oh, that first picture gives me chills. In a good way. I'm reading Red Cross of Gold now and I'll carry that image with me.  Thanks for posting!


Those are fantastic pictures. I'm certainly impressed with the colored one as well, but he's a bit harder to see on Myspace. Of course, I loved Ioan Grufford in the Fantastic Four movies and even though he didn't care two swords in those movies, he was awesome. Beryl


----------



## GreenThumb

Meredith Sinclair said:


> Brendan, did you model your Mark Ramsay character after a hot guy named Gerard Butler? I kept thinking when I saw his movies "300" and "PS I Love You" that I knew that guy from somewhere... now today I saw "The Ugly Truth" with him in it and now I know who he reminds me of... My love... Mark Andrew Ramsay... Haaaaaahhhh ...


I made another screensaver just for you.....
http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,12222.0.html


----------



## Lynn McNamee

In the first book, when whats-her-name (I am SO bad with names  ) was thinking about how good Mark smelled and how odd it was, it reminded me of John Travolta's character in the movie, _Michael_, when all the women who smelled him noticed a different odor that they associated with good memories.


----------



## Brenda Carroll

RedAdept said:


> In the first book, when whats-her-name (I am SO bad with names  ) was thinking about how good Mark smelled and how odd it was, it reminded me of John Travolta's character in the movie, _Michael_, when all the women who smelled him noticed a different odor that they associated with good memories.


I do remember that, yes, now that you mention it, Miss Adept. At first, I made that happen because I thought it sounded more interesting than saying he smelled like an over-ripe onion baking in the sun.  I mean, he is, after all, a man of mysterious origins, but as the stories progress, this smell thing takes on much more meaning. The main thing is that whats-her-name (someone's going to be mad) noticed it and he not only looked good, he smelled good, even when he needed a bath.


----------



## Brenda Carroll

GreenThumb said:


> I made another screensaver just for you.....
> http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,12222.0.html


Thank you again, Miss Thumb. I am truly flattered as is the Chevalier. Gerard Butler is a good choice. I had in mind at one time Oded Fehr, the Israeli actor of Mummy fame. Of course, he would have had to wear blue contacts and maybe straighten his hair just a bit... see what you think:

http://www.cine5x.com/fotos/oded_fehr_3.jpg

Brendan


----------



## mamiller

Oh, I always thought the Mummy actor should have done more.  He seemed so powerful and intense.  I'll second your vote there, Mr. Brendan.  And indeed he'd look interesting with blue eyes and straight hair....he'd also need to lose the tatoos on his face.     Excellent casting for your movie, sir.


----------



## Meredith Sinclair

RedAdept said:


> In the first book, when whats-her-name (I am SO bad with names  ) was thinking about how good Mark smelled and how odd it was, it reminded me of John Travolta's character in the movie, _Michael_, when all the women who smelled him noticed a different odor that they associated with good memories.


I TOLD Brendan THAT!  I think JT would make a good Mark Andrew Ramsay too, I have told him this as well... I guess we need to line all of these guys up and see who can do the whole Gaelic thing... my money is on Gerard...


----------



## Meredith Sinclair

RedAdept said:


> In the first book, when whats-her-name (I am SO bad with names  ) was thinking about how good Mark smelled and how odd it was, it reminded me of John Travolta's character in the movie, _Michael_, when all the women who smelled him noticed a different odor that they associated with good memories.


The name is Meredith Nichole Sinclair... OK, she has a lot more names, but I *ain't* giving them to you... you can call me Miss Merry, Miss Meredith, or... Dame Meredith... but *never* whats-her-name!  Did you forget that I am on this KB too?      


Spoiler



Dang IT!


   Think you'll remember *me* now? AND you don't go gettin' attached to my KNIGHTS _either_!


----------



## chilady1

"Thank you again, Miss Thumb.  I am truly flattered as is the Chevalier.  Gerard Butler is a good choice. I had in mind at one time Oded Fehr, the Israeli actor of Mummy fame"

OMG!!! He is perfect to play Dambretti - just needs a scar and Italian accent.  I am not seeing Ioan as Dambretti, I envision him much more attractive than this actor.  Now Oded, Lord help me!  GORGEOUS!  Brendan love the picture of Mark Ramsey on your MySpace page.  This is exactly how I envisioned him - so dark and the only can really see the one eye.  Love it.  Started the Book 2 and it is just as good.  My votes so far:

Ramsey:  Gerard Butler
Dambretti: Oded Fehr (if you have not seen this man, Google him and get ready to drool!)


----------



## Brenda Carroll

Hey, Miss Chilady, if you want to see another candidate for Dambretti, go to the Photo Gallery forum and look at the screensavers for Brendan Carroll's characters that Miss Greenthumb posted.  She made those for me!!! Yay!  I'm such a lucky fellow to have such avid readers.  I love all of you.  Brendan


----------



## vwkitten

Meredith Sinclair said:


> The name is Meredith Nichole Sinclair... OK, she has a lot more names, but I *ain't* giving them to you... you can call me Miss Merry, Miss Meredith, or... Dame Meredith...


Well there you are Miss Meredith! I remember your name... I came all the way over to a new thread to find you... and what a nice little thread here... just what I need to get in the right frame of mind... wait... my mind doesn't like frames... mmm.... John Travolta...


----------



## Meredith Sinclair

vwkitten said:


> Well there you are Miss Meredith! I remember your name... I came all the way over to a new thread to find you... and what a nice little thread here... just what I need to get in the right frame of mind... wait... my mind doesn't like frames... mmm.... John Travolta...


Yep! Here I am... trying to defend Meredith with all of my might! Some peoples just don't respect a sweet Southern girl... I'm all Texan, and proud of it... or maybe it is because I am Boo-tiful and Blonde!!!   Miss ya Trish, where ya been?


----------



## vwkitten

Writing and chasing dreams and rainbows... dang, who knew the perfect knight was here... oh wait, I need a perfect night (as in night's sleep) not a perfect knight.  I missed you too, Miss Meredith.  My guys aren't nearly as dreamy as yours.


----------



## JoDawn

I've bought the first!  Looks like a really interesting series & I'm glad to find out about it!!!


----------



## Brenda Carroll

JoDawn said:


> I've bought the first! Looks like a really interesting series & I'm glad to find out about it!!!


Well, Miss JoDawn, welcome to the land of all sorts of craziness. I'm flattered that you have decided to buy the Knight of Death. I hope that you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Happy reading and let me hear your thoughts on it. Thank you! Brendan


----------



## OliviaD

I went ahead and bought the first two books, Mr. Carroll, based on those gorgeous pictures on the Photo Gallery thread.  I hope to get some time to read them in the near future.  Beryl.


----------



## Brenda Carroll

Thank you for buying, Miss Beryl.  I understand you are a personal friend of Miss Meredith?  I hope you enjoy them as much as she does.  LOL!  I'll be waiting to hear your thoughts.  Sincerely, Brendan


----------



## vwkitten

I finally got a chance to download the sample for it.  Sorry it takes me so long sometimes but I only get to play with my mother's borrowed Kindle when she leaves it at my house "accidentally" for a week or so.  Now if the baby lets me, I'll get to read it. =)


----------



## mamiller

You're gonna love it, Trish.


----------



## Brenda Carroll

Thanks, Miss Miller for the vote of confidence, yet again and I do hope that Miss Kitten does, indeed, have the time to read the sample, which I found is quite long.  I suppose it is because the author is long-winded.   But there's something good in there.  I promise you.


----------



## vwkitten

Woot -- I just got to start it last night... nice imagery so far. =)


----------



## Brenda Carroll

Red Cross of Gold XIII:. Children of the Temple is now available in the Kindle Store.

Here's a little scene from #13 wherein our Knight of Death is expounding upon an interesting topic for his beloved Meredith's enlightenment:

"Oh," he nodded. "Nessie. The monster in the loch."

"Yes. Have you ever seen her?" Merry smiled up at him.

"Aye," he told her matter-of-factly. "I've seen her and she's seen me as well."

"Really?" Merry was surprised by his answer. "What did she look like?"

"She's a black dragon with green eyes. No wings. One head. No horns."

"I see," Merry nodded. "Then Nessie is no mystery to you."

"No. She is not a mystery. She is real enough, but she doesn't actually live here."

"Most people think she's either a fiction or a dinosaur left over from the Cretaceous period that just got stuck here when the earth changed."

"She's no dinosaur!" Mark laughed. "Dinosaurs are the fiction, Merry."

"What?" Merry almost squeaked and pulled a bentwood rocker up to the window and sat down. "Dinosaurs are not fiction, Mark Andrew! Their bones are everywhere!"

"Are they?" He looked down at her and then dragged a foot stool over to sit beside her. "How do you know?"

"I've seen them on television and in museums," she said in astonishment. "Surely you've seen dinosaur bones!"

"I've seen some rather large bones, Merry," Mark Andrew told her. "And I've been told some rather wild stories about where they came from and how old they are supposed to be. But you can't have been a Templar for this long and not understand what I've been trying to teach you. The world is full of conspirators and conspiracies. They would tell you anything and most people would believe them."


----------



## chilady1

Brendan - not that this matters, cause I am only on Book 6 (got 7 more to go) but any indication or hint on when Book 14 will be out?  Just curious.  The cool thing about being so behind on these books is that I know the next one is right there on my Kindle waiting.  Don't want you to answer if you don't want to, but was just curious.  Thanks!


----------



## Brenda Carroll

Thank you for inquiring, Miss Chilady.  All of the books are already written and just waiting for editing.  Sometimes editing is slow, depending upon how much time I have to devote to it.  I currently have two people helping me to edit the series and some of them need more work than others.  Book XIV needs extra work because there are some portions that seem to be a bit confusing to one of my proof readers because there are major changes in the works.  So book XIV is coming along a little slower due to that.  Also I have been putting in a lot more time at work which is regrettably unavoidable.  I like nothing better than to stay home and write, but alas I must eat from time to time.  I am hoping to get it out before the end of September.  Again, thanks for the interest.  Brendan


----------



## Brenda Carroll

Here's a little excerpt from _The Red Cross of Gold IX:. the Queen of the Abyss_. Meredith is using magick in an attempt to 'look in' on Mark Andrew's whereabouts. He is in the underworld, having left her behind... yet again.

The vision came quickly. Sharp and clear.

Mark Andrew was on a windswept stone parapet or ledge or cliff. It was impossible to say which at first. She could see lightning flashes and a vast expanse of gray ocean behind him with whitecaps on the waves. He was dressed only in black trousers and wore no shoes or socks. His hair was dripping wet and he was squatting in the center of a circle painted in white markings with strange symbols drawn all about it. _The Wisdom of Solomon_. He was conducting an 'experiment' as they were called in the Art. She could see a brass censer emitting smoke inside the circle and the golden sword lay on the stone near his feet. She watched in fascination as he used his dagger to trace more marks on the dark stone. A greenish tint colored the entire field of her vision. Another recognizable side effect of the angelic magick.

Mark stopped what he was doing suddenly and looked up, jerking his head around with an almost animal-like motion. He slung his hair out of his face and wiped at his eyes with the back of one hand. He wore a number of leather beaded bracelets on his left arm and a band of dark material around his right upper arm. The knife he held had a white handle and she could see long strips of leather hanging from the hilt decorated with more beads and feathers. He looked more like a native American shaman than a Scotsman at that moment. The lightning illuminated the white braid in his hair and caused his skin to stand out starkly around the dark figure of the grim reaper tattooed on his left shoulder.


----------



## mamiller

Now that ain't right when you have the Grim Reaper tattooed to your shoulder!  I soooo want to meet Mark Andrew!  Tell me he's real.  

How many of the series are in paperback, Mr. Carroll??  That would be an awesome collection to have.


----------



## Brenda Carroll

I just published number 3, the Hesperian Dragon on Createspace last weekend. I kept having a formatting problem and finally gave up. I couldn't get a couple of blank pages out of it between chapters, but since they were at least between chapters, I just let it go. Maybe I'll come back to it one day and say "D'oh! There it is!"

https://www.createspace.com/3390327

Now as far as Mark being real? Of course he's real. When I look in the mirror, I see him, if I close my eyes real, real tight. LOL.


----------



## Meredith Sinclair

mamiller said:


> Now that ain't right when you have the Grim Reaper tattooed to your shoulder! I soooo want to meet Mark Andrew! Tell me he's real.
> 
> How many of the series are in paperback, Mr. Carroll?? That would be an awesome collection to have.


  Shhhh... Ms. Miller... this is only for you...  don't tell anyone...  I believe Brendan IS Mark Andrew. I have seen a pic of his Grim Reaper tattoo... on here maybe  Blog maybe  I don't know where but I did see the tattoo somewhere and it was KOOOLIO! But I think the girl(friend)/wife  would not let him do his shoulder. I think she is jealous of the BOOKS! SHE wants Mark Andrew to herself maybe............. or maybe HIM to herself!


----------



## mamiller

Ya know, I always suspected that.


----------



## Brenda Carroll

Meredith Sinclair said:


> Shhhh... Ms. Miller... this is only for you...  don't tell anyone...  I believe Brendan IS Mark Andrew. I have seen a pic of his Grim Reaper tattoo... on here maybe  Blog maybe  I don't know where but I did see the tattoo somewhere and it was KOOOLIO! But I think the girl(friend)/wife  would not let him do his shoulder. I think she is jealous of the BOOKS! SHE wants Mark Andrew to herself maybe............. or maybe HIM to herself!


Ahem!! Now there you go, Miss Merry, telling all my secrets. Next thing you know, you'll be telling everyone about my UFO abductions and Bigfoot Sightings and then I'll have to change my name, wear a disguise and leave the country.


----------



## mamiller

Brendan Carroll said:


> Ahem!! Now there you go, Miss Merry, telling all my secrets. Next thing you know, you'll be telling everyone about my UFO abductions and Bigfoot Sightings and then I'll have to change my name, wear a disguise and leave the country.


Well, you being a Scottsman and all...there are some who suspect that _you_ are actually the Loch Ness monster


----------



## Brenda Carroll

mamiller said:


> Well, you being a Scottsman and all...there are some who suspect that _you_ are actually the Loch Ness monster


Now that's probably a much more sensible conclusion since I do have a rather long neck, stubby arms and no legs. Think of how hard it has been for me to use the keyboard having only fins and flippers!  I had to have a special one made with giant-sized keys and it takes up most of the living room and half of the kitchen. (Not to mention it has to be put inside a 5500 gallon ziploc bag to keep it dry.)  On a serious note, I have met the Loch Ness monster several times and she is definitely not a dinosaur. If you keep reading the series, you will discover exactly what she really is and how she came to be there.....


----------



## mamiller

Oh, I will keep reading.  Fear not, lad.  Or is it, your lochness?  Mark Andrew actually has run-ins with ole 'Nessie'?  I think perhaps HE should be the 'world's most intersting man' from the Dos Equis commercials.


----------



## Brenda Carroll

mamiller said:


> Oh, I will keep reading. Fear not, lad. Or is it, your lochness? Mark Andrew actually has run-ins with ole 'Nessie'? I think perhaps HE should be the 'world's most intersting man' from the Dos Equis commercials.


A bottle of Scotch and the right mood and he just might make a good go at doing those commercials... I think he could pull them off quite well, especially if he happened to be wearing his golden sword.


----------



## Meredith Sinclair

Brendan Carroll said:


> A bottle of Scotch and the right mood and he just might make a good go at doing those commercials... I think he could pull them off quite well, especially if he happened to be wearing his golden sword.


Yea. I can see that, sunglasses, beach, white sand, black cargo pants, bare chest, Dos Equis, Golden Sword and me lying beside him in one of those slinky little hammocks...



mamiller said:


> Oh, I will keep reading. Fear not, lad. Or is it, your lochness? Mark Andrew actually has run-ins with ole 'Nessie'? I think perhaps HE should be the 'world's most intersting man' from the Dos Equis commercials.


and ooooh yes, Mark does know Nessie quite well... just wait... you'll find out.  
By the way, I'm on book thirteen and I'm soooooooooo in love. Yea.


----------



## Brenda Carroll

Meredith Sinclair said:


> Yea. I can see that, sunglasses, beach, white sand, black cargo pants, bare chest, Dos Equis, Golden Sword and me lying beside him in one of those slinky little hammocks...
> and ooooh yes, Mark does know Nessie quite well... just wait... you'll find out.
> By the way, I'm on book thirteen and I'm soooooooooo in love. Yea.


Slinky hammocks, huh? I'll be looking for your ice chest, Miss Merry. Since you mentioned Nessie, here's a little peek at that, _Book XIII:. Children of the Temple:_"I believe that most of it has been rebuilt," she told him. "But I'm rather tired of driving. I thought we'd just stay here and sit for a while. You know? Just look out over the water? Keep an eye out for Nessie? Relax?"

"Oh," he nodded. "Nessie. The monster in the loch."

"Yes. Have you ever seen her?" Merry smiled up at him.

"Aye," he told her matter-of-factly. "I've seen her and she's seen me as well."

"Really?" Merry was surprised by his answer. "What did she look like?"

"She's a black dragon with green eyes. No wings. One head. No horns."

"I see," Merry nodded. "Then Nessie is no mystery to you."

"No. She is not a mystery. She is real enough, but she doesn't actually live here."

"Most people think she's either a fiction or a dinosaur left over from the Cretaceous period that just got stuck here when the earth changed."

"She's no dinosaur!" Mark laughed. "Dinosaurs are the fiction, Merry."

"What?" Merry almost squeaked and pulled a bentwood rocker up to the window and sat down. "Dinosaurs are not fiction, Mark Andrew! Their bones are everywhere!"

"Are they?" He looked down at her and then dragged a foot stool over to sit beside her. "How do you know?"


----------



## Meredith Sinclair

Brendan Carroll said:


> Slinky hammocks, huh? I'll be looking for your ice chest, Miss Merry. Since you mentioned Nessie, here's a little peek at that, _Book XIII:. Children of the Temple:_"I believe that most of it has been rebuilt," she told him. "But I'm rather tired of driving. I thought we'd just stay here and sit for a while. You know? Just look out over the water? Keep an eye out for Nessie? Relax?"
> 
> "Oh," he nodded. "Nessie. The monster in the loch."
> "Yes. Have you ever seen her?" Merry smiled up at him.
> "Aye," he told her matter-of-factly. "I've seen her and she's seen me as well."
> "Really?" Merry was surprised by his answer. "What did she look like?"
> "She's a black dragon with green eyes. No wings. One head. No horns."
> "I see," Merry nodded. "Then Nessie is no mystery to you."
> "No. She is not a mystery. She is real enough, but she doesn't actually live here."
> "Most people think she's either a fiction or a dinosaur left over from the Cretaceous period that just got stuck here when the earth changed."
> "She's no dinosaur!" Mark laughed. "Dinosaurs are the fiction, Merry."
> "What?" Merry almost squeaked and pulled a bentwood rocker up to the window and sat down. "Dinosaurs are not fiction, Mark Andrew! Their bones are everywhere!"
> "Are they?" He looked down at her and then dragged a foot stool over to sit beside her. "How do you know?"


Now, THAT's What I am talking about! This bbook is soooo freaking AWESOME! I am waaaaaitng... where's book 14? Sorry 'boot the Roman numeral absence,,, hard for me to figure on a Friday night and with a half-empty bottle of Tequilla sitting beside me!  where's the lime?


----------



## Brenda Carroll

Meredith Sinclair said:


> Now, THAT's What I am talking about! This bbook is soooo freaking AWESOME! I am waaaaaitng... where's book 14? Sorry 'boot the Roman numeral absence,,, hard for me to figure on a Friday night and with a half-empty bottle of Tequilla sitting beside me!  where's the lime?


Tekwilla, eh? So I guess you know that Jose Cuervo is a friend of mine, do you like him with a little salt and lime? I'm a'snackin' on a Mojito!! Arriba, vive la Mexico!! Oy! Oy!


----------



## mamiller

"A black dragon with green eyes, no wings, one head and no horns"....sounds like that Teradactyle I was a couple weeks ago, huh Miss Merry??   Or is Teradactyle the same as Tequilla?

Great scene!


----------



## Meredith Sinclair

mamiller said:


> "A black dragon with green eyes, no wings, one head and no horns"....sounds like that Teradactyle I was a couple weeks ago, huh Miss Merry??  Or is Teradactyle the same as Tequilla?
> 
> Great scene!


There you are Ms. Miller... did ya watch the game? I'm still wearin' your jersey, 'cept I got it on backwards... maybe THAT'S what happened...  Soooowwwwy...  It's ok, ya know we still respect ya'll!


----------



## mamiller

arggggg    
In my next novel the Buccaneers will go undefeated.  God bless fiction!


----------



## Meredith Sinclair

mamiller said:


> arggggg
> In my next novel the Buccaneers will go undefeated. God bless fiction!


----------



## Brenda Carroll

mamiller said:


> "A black dragon with green eyes, no wings, one head and no horns"....sounds like that Teradactyle I was a couple weeks ago, huh Miss Merry??  Or is Teradactyle the same as Tequilla?
> 
> Great scene!


So you were a teradactyle a couple of weeks ago? I thought we went through that evolution a few million years ago. I was a T-Rex of course in that former life. But maybe you're talking about Tarantula... now there's a drink for you. Oh, yeah. About four or five blue _taran tulas _ as I like to call them and I'm feeling good.


----------



## vikingwarrior22

Mr.Carroll  I am so caught up in your books...they will become movies without any problem.I hope to see movie versions soon,the books read so smoothly.You capture the scenes so effortlessly and the humor is so customised for the characters they are so good ,I hate to take time to tell you about how great the series is.As soon as get off the board I am ordering the rest of the series thanks  VW


----------



## Brenda Carroll

Hey, Big Guy!   Good to hear from you.  Glad you're still enjoying the stories and thanks for all the compliments.  Hope you enjoy them all.  Looking forward to hearing from you as you go along.  Your bud, Brendan


----------



## vikingwarrior22

I just wanted to give you a heads up I purchased the rest ...do you have a place that sells your covers,they would be an awesome room decoration...vw


----------



## Brenda Carroll

Hey, buddy!  I'm afraid I can't sell the cover pictures because they are licensed only for my use.  If you want to put one on your computer as a background picture, I can send you a link, but as for posters... I don't think I can.  But I'm glad you're interested.  They are pretty neat if I do say so myself.    Thanks again. Brendan


----------



## vikingwarrior22

I figured in as much...I wonder just how you came up with the mercury pools... have a good weekend  vw


----------



## bkworm8it

LOL, I just posted book one on the bargin books thread. Totally forgot that the author was here and what this thread was was about. See what school does to me  I forget the good books I need to read. Glad I found the book again and downloaded it this time


----------



## Brenda Carroll

bkworm8it said:


> LOL, I just posted book one on the bargin books thread. Totally forgot that the author was here and what this thread was was about. See what school does to me  I forget the good books I need to read. Glad I found the book again and downloaded it this time


Hey, Miss Bookworm, thanks! I hope you enjoy it. Brendan



vikingwarrior22 said:


> I figured in as much...I wonder just how you came up with the mercury pools... have a good weekend vw


Hello, again, Mr. Warrior: I don't know exactly how I came up with the mercury pool concept, but it had something to do with alchemy, I can assure of that. Besides I think mercury is one of the coolest things occurring in nature other than all those wild crystals! I had imagined that giant crystals and pools of mercury might exist somewhere underground... well, also I read about the 1st Emperor of China who was buried in a tomb that had a river of liquid mercury surrounding his coffin or something like that. Brendan


----------



## vikingwarrior22

I get it nice, _you done good ladddie_...I am going to eat my oatmeal the way you have the Knights eat in silence as me woife is still sleepin she is...she was a rounding up horses or dragons in her sleep last night. vw


----------



## Brenda Carroll

vikingwarrior22 said:


> I get it nice, _you done good ladddie_...I am going to eat my oatmeal the way you have the Knights eat in silence as me woife is still sleepin she is...she was a rounding up horses or dragons in her sleep last night. vw


Thank you, Mr. Warrior, or is it Mr. 22?  Just got myself a nice haircut... not that that has anything to do with anything, but I also have a nice cup of chocolate and a Texas Tech/UT game on... can't get any better except to hear compliments from one of my best fans. Brendan


----------



## vikingwarrior22

22 will do...I was pullin for TT and they should have won but they could not get their game together...theres next week coming fer sure...and tonight the Cowboys play nyg...as a side note Jenna Bush started her new job at the NBC affilate up in the Dallas/Fort Worth area and number 22 is going to give her a tour of the new Cowboy House  as a footnote I need a good trimming my hairs down to my


Spoiler



shoulders


----------



## Brenda Carroll

vikingwarrior22 said:


> 22 will do...I was pullin for TT and they should have won but they could not get their game together...theres next week coming fer sure...and tonight the Cowboys play nyg...as a side note Jenna Bush started her new job at the NBC affilate up in the Dallas/Fort Worth area and number 22 is going to give her a tour of the new Cowboy House  as a footnote I need a good trimming my hairs down to my
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> shoulders


Wow, didn't know that! I heard that Jenna was going into broadcasting, but I don't normally watch NBC. I might have to tune it in. The Bush family ranch is not far from where I live though I've never seen them at Wal-Mart's or Taco Bell. Thanks, VW!


----------



## vikingwarrior22

Well my teams let me down Cowboys an Texas Tech both lost ...I did see Pres. Bush and the former First Lady at the game... have a good week  vw


----------



## Brenda Carroll

Yeah, wow! I saw President Bush talking to John Madden in one of those box seats and I kept thinking "hey! what are they talking about?" I thought it was really neat. I know that Madden hates being retired. I used to love the games when he was color commentator. Boom!! And all those wonderful descriptions of sweat rings and such. True insight is priceless!  I wish he would come back to us. But you're right, Tech and the Boys let us down. But did you see that stadium?! I'm going to drive up and take a gander at it in person. Maybe take a tour or something. It surely has to be one of the modern wonders of the world. Here's a link to the official site.

http://stadium.dallascowboys.com/


----------



## vikingwarrior22

Yes I am gonna take the tour also asap...I am watching my hummingbirds they remind me of mini knights they way they dash at each other


----------



## Brenda Carroll

So, Mr. Warrior, you like hummers?  Do you drive one?  I always wanted a Humvee until the price of gas made me swallow my tongue.  But I have a hummingbird feeder in the back yard and they can drink it dry in a day's time.  They are always fighting so much, I wonder how they manage to drink anything at all.  In fact, I included hummers in a children's book I've been working on.  I have the first two done, but the illustration part is a drag.  I need the illustrations done before I can publish it and well... too many irons in the fire, I suppose.  Thanks for your support, VW.  Brendan


----------



## Brenda Carroll

Here's a little scene from _the Red Cross of Gold VI:. The Dragonslayer _ wherein Sir Ramsay has just had some very interesting elvish brew after having met one of the faery leaders from the underworld, an elven chieftain.

"Yes," the elf said emphatically and stood up, reaching down his hand. "It is time for the dance. Time for play. Time for happiness. Time for joy. Time for delight. Tomorrow we will speak of war."

Mark Andrew took his hand. Death. Destruction. Mayhem and madness. War, battle and blood. All would wait for the morrow.

"On the morrow, we will make our plans," the elf told him as they made their way toward the fire as if reading his mind again. "On the morrow, we will engage the enemy in battle. You and your Brother will lead us. Inspire us. Motivate us. Enthuse us. Infuse us. Encourage us. Bolster us. On the morrow we shall be victorious."

Mark Andrew nodded. It seemed only right.

"What is your name, friend?" he asked.

The elf rolled off something inconceivably long and complicated that started with something that sounded like Sam.

"Holy Mary," Mark blinked at him. "'ow aboot I coll ye Sam? Me poor tongue would surely wark itself t' death utterin' such a moniker on a regular basis."

Mark Andrew smiled and swayed slightly. He was lost, drunk and confused. Furthermore, he didn't really care.


----------



## vikingwarrior22

Brendan are Sam and his bunch your family,just wondering. I remember the the snippet you posted yesterday, alot of your snippets bring a smile to my mind...have a safe weekend  vw


----------



## mamiller

Is it Samsamramalamadingdongjustboughtanewcar?  The great chieftain elf?


----------



## Brenda Carroll

Hey, do you know my family, Mr. VW?  And hey, do you know my family, Miss Miller?  That's my cousin's name, not the elf chieftains, but its real close, real close.  The elves like to talk and they talk a lot, naturally they have long names, but they always have nicknames for humans' sake.


----------



## Meredith Sinclair

I LOVE Sam... AND Bart!... and the brownies, and faeries...


----------



## vikingwarrior22

The hole series is good, each book is a stand alone till you get to its last page then you get all nervous like till you get a hold on the next one...


----------



## Meredith Sinclair

vikingwarrior22 said:


> The hole series is good, each book is a stand alone till you get to its last page then you get all nervous like till you get a hold on the next one...


I agree wholeheartedly! Brendan sure knows how to keep this series going! I keep hearing everyone asking "how many is enough" in a series... with BRENDAN'S... I don't think there EVER will be enough!


----------



## Brenda Carroll

I've seen a couple of posts on here in some of the 'negative' threads... you know the ones telling what you dislike about this, that or chicken fat? That some people hate cliff-hangers and refuse to buy the next book if there was a cliff-hanger in the first book... I don't understand that remark at all. But then I've read so many things like that, I believe that if I tried to please everyone, I'd end up pleasing no one. What I'm trying to say is "Thank you!! Both of you!!" I try to make sure that everyone knows that the Red Cross of Gold/Assassin Chronicles is just that: _Chronicles NOUN: 1. An extended account in prose or verse of historical events, sometimes including legendary material, presented in chronological order and without authorial interpretation or comment. chronicler (-klr)_ is a series of books. series NOUN: 1. A number of objects or events arranged or coming one after the other in succession. 
I like to write about the set of characters I created in Red Cross of Gold I:. the Knight of Death. I= Roman Numeral 1= 1 which would normally indicate that a Red Cross of Gold II:. is imminent.

There is no dearth of information/storylines/adventures when it comes to material for my semi-Immortal Knights who have penchants for attracting attention to themselves in most unexpected manners. 

Again, I want to thank everyone who has purchased and enjoyed my books in spite of the typos and formatting glitches . I mean look how popular the Dead Sea Scrolls are to scholars around the world and they are full of holes ... Egyptian heiroglyphs are still popular with coutless archaelogists and learned scientists in their original forms even though they are faded and chipped ... Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel is full of cracks, but millions of people flock to see it ... the Venus de Milo is missing both arms but people still pay good money to see her . And what about those cave drawings in Southern France? Are they properly formatted on those rocks? Did those cavedwellers use proper punctuation when creating their masterpieces?  No... no, but still we love them . I shall keep writing until I am well in my grave and if more books follow more books follow more books, then I can only hope that some day, some where, some one will still be reading them.


----------



## kimbertay

I read about these books last week.  Ran into this thread again today and thought "Those really do sound good, I think I will go ahead and buy the first one and see how I like it"
So, I click on the picture of Knight of Death and there is a bar at the top of the screen informing me that I had already bought it last week!  I am a danger to myself when I am getting so many things in my TBR list that I forget what I have already bought!!


----------



## Brenda Carroll

Fantastic! Don't feel bad, I've done much worse in just the past five minutes...   thanks, Kimbertay.


----------



## tlshaw

I hate cliffhangers!! 

Just kidding. Since you keep leaving du Morte on a cliff, or volcano, or cave, I have to keep buying the next volume to find out what happens next. I have loved all the books to date, and am anxiously awaiting the next one. To me, refusing the buy the next book in a series because of a cliffhanger, is the equivalent of cutting off your nose to spite your face.

But then, that is just my opinion.


----------



## Brenda Carroll

Working hard to get Book XIV out on Kindle, Miss Padded Cell.  Hope you are enjoying Tempo Rubato.  Did I mention that the name of Book XIV is the Skull of Sidon?  Scary, huh?


----------



## tlshaw

Do I get 3 guesses where the title came from?


----------



## Brenda Carroll

tlshaw *Padded Cell 511* said:


> Do I get 3 guesses where the title came from?


Guess all you want to, Miss Cell 511! I would be interested to know what you think. I'm planning on getting it out by the 6th or 7th in time for Halloween reading.


----------



## mamiller

Brendan Carroll said:


> I'm planning on getting it out by the 6th or 7th in time for Halloween reading.


That means everyone can go as the Skull of Sidon for Halloween!!! That would be awesome!


----------



## Brenda Carroll

That reminds  me of the old movie "Zoro, the Gay Blade" where everyone showed up at the masked ball dressed as Zoro!  I loved that movie.


----------



## mamiller

My father will tell you that he is an identical twin to George Hamilton. He'll _tell _ you that. You don't necessarily have to believe him.


----------



## Brenda Carroll

The Skull of Sidon is due to be released by Mid-Month or sooner.  I thought that the name of the book goes rather well with the Halloween Season.  The Red Cross of Gold XIV, another terrible secret comes to light as another potential enemy of the Order arises.


----------



## tlshaw

I am anxiously awaiting!


----------



## vikingwarrior22

Brendan waiting for our book 14...I will be buying that book asap...I need to find out about the crew and all those evil things you have turned loose on us


----------



## crebel

Brendan, add both DH and me to the anxiously awaiting and glad it is going to be released soon list.  Yes, I finally read Red Cross of Gold I and was sucked in to the next twelve books.  You are quite the storyteller.  Awesome series.

Chris


----------



## Meredith Sinclair

crebel said:


> Brendan, add both DH and me to the anxiously awaiting and glad it is going to be released soon list. Yes, I finally read Red Cross of Gold I and was sucked in to the next twelve books. You are quite the storyteller. Awesome series.
> 
> Chris


Well Chris, welcome to the club. Just think, one day when he is up there with Brown, or King we can say we knew him when...  So, did _you_ read them all? or just book 1?


----------



## Brenda Carroll

Thank you all, Mr. Warrior, Miss Meredith and Mr and Ms Crebel ( ).  I had to work an extra two days this week which mean that I had an 8 day week which doesn't seem to comply with the laws of physics and like Ms. Miller, whose daytime job has dragged her away for a little while, my night time job has kept me from being here on the boards as much as I'd like and away from my work with the series.  It's awful having to pay the bills on the side.   But hopefully, this weekend my efforts will pay off and the next series will be on line by Monday or Tuesday if the DTP allows.  Thank you so much.  Brendan


----------



## vikingwarrior22

Puleze Laddie the book 14, tis upsetten me thot its negh out...get ta crackin son...


----------



## mamiller

VW, your  Scottish brogue is spot on, lad!


----------



## vikingwarrior22

mamiller said:


> VW, your Scottish brogue is spot on, lad!


Thank you lassie...Brendan a question: can your character Lemirick make "anything" out of the air and can he create life...and is he a "he"...thanks


----------



## Brenda Carroll

I don't know if Mr. Warrior's Scottish Brogue is really Scottish, but I hear tell that he worked thair fur a whoile and a bit which means thot 'e 'as a bettar one than me. I got me own from th' back o' th' cereal box, ye see? (Oatmeal only, thank ye) There's a little town here in Texas named Oatmeal and I think there are a total of twenty-two Scotsmen living there... just sayin' and that's the total population. Now, Mr. Warrior, I'm already crackin' on book 14 and getting ready to post it tomorrow if all goes well. Thank you for the birthday greetings. If you want to see one of my presents go to my blog at blogspot. I posted a picture there. As to your question about the Djinni (Lemarik):

*WARNING, WARNING, WILL ROBINSON, MAJOR SPOILER BELOW!!!!! WARNING, WARNING!!*



Spoiler



No. He cannot 'create' anything, but he can rearrange matter and produce different outcomes. For example, he can transform rock into a palace or he can transform potatoes and turnips into steak and eggs. Very handy. He can't create life, but he can use alchemical means to transform living matter into new forms, example, he used the essences of Valentino and Luke Matthew to 'create' his children, but he needed a mother in the form of Jasmin or Yasmin or Oshun as you like.


----------



## Meredith Sinclair

Brendan Carroll said:


> (Lemarik):
> 
> *WARNING, WARNING, WILL ROBINSON, MAJOR SPOILER BELOW!!!!! WARNING, WARNING!!*
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> No. He cannot 'create' anything, but he can rearrange matter and produce different outcomes. For example, he can transform rock into a palace or he can transform potatoes and turnips into steak and eggs. Very handy. He can't create life, but he can use alchemical means to transform living matter into new forms, example, he used the essences of Valentino and Luke Matthew to 'create' his children, but he needed a mother in the form of Jasmin or Yasmin or Oshun as you like.


Lemarik is definitely your funniest character besides Paddy Puffington... who cracks me up... but maybe Lemarik is just a_ bit_ more fun! I sure hope there is a lot more of him to come... there is more of him in the next book huh??


----------



## Brenda Carroll

Lemarik begins to come into his own after thousands of years in darkness.  He is playing a huge part in the prophecy even though he is totally innocent of having such a role.  He is wise beyond measure and yet childlike and simple in his heart which is rather large, but his temper is also not to be toyed with.  He is probably the character that I would most likely want to be if I could choose one for myself and take over his role.  I think that he is most like me of all the characters.  He has the tendency to get into to trouble without the slightest notion of doing so or intention.  But he can usually take care of himself.  He is a joy to write for, so expect more of him in the upcoming book which is due out on Wednesday of this week I hope.  I will put up a link as soon as it gets there.  Thanks again, Miss Meredith.


----------



## Meredith Sinclair

Brendan Carroll said:


> Lemarik begins to come into his own after thousands of years in darkness. He is playing a huge part in the prophecy even though he is totally innocent of having such a role. He is wise beyond measure and yet childlike and simple in his heart which is rather large, but his temper is also not to be toyed with. He is probably the character that I would most likely want to be if I could choose one for myself and take over his role. I think that he is most like me of all the characters. He has the tendency to get into to trouble without the slightest notion of doing so or intention. But he can usually take care of himself. He is a joy to write for, so expect more of him in the upcoming book which is due out on Wednesday of this week I hope. I will put up a link as soon as it gets there. Thanks again, Miss Meredith.


Please PM me... I have not had much time to spend on here latley... but if I have a PM I will be able to click it right away! (without reading all of these other posts!  )


----------



## vikingwarrior22

Brendan thanks for XIV... the cover alone is so great... hope to read it this weekend...thanks


----------



## Brenda Carroll

I get lots of compliments on my covers.  I love to use pictures that catch the attention and the imagination.  Glad you like it, Mr. Warrior.  Done any good pillaging lately?  I could use a new drinking horn for the Rennfest if you see any laying around some burned out village, pick one up for me.  LOL.


----------



## vikingwarrior22

Villages are poor right now..seems oblama has beat me to them...take about pillaged, did find some broken shields  do you any use for them lad


----------



## Brenda Carroll

Hey, buddy, very funny.  I normally use broken shields for firewood in my chiminea unless they are made of metal.  Then if they are heavy metal, I use them for music and if they are light weight, I use them for whimsical windchimes.   So, yeah pass them on.


----------



## vikingwarrior22

be a watchin laddie for the Red Ball Frieght to drop by ur keep with a large load...


----------



## Brenda Carroll

vikingwarrior22 said:


> be a watchin laddie for the Red Ball Frieght to drop by ur keep with a large load...


That sounds quite ominous, Mr. VW. I think I'll go to bed now.


----------



## vikingwarrior22

Brendan shipping will be due...


----------



## mamiller

vikingwarrior22 said:


> be a watchin laddie for the Red Ball Frieght to drop by ur keep with a large load...


Does this mean that your new book has so many pages it requires Red Ball Freight shipment?!?!? Back up, the forklift is delvering Brendan's book!  Mr. VW, you'll require a ladder to read it!


----------



## vikingwarrior22

mamiller said:


> Does this mean that your new book has so many pages it requires Red Ball Freight shipment?!?!? Back up, the forklift is delvering Brendan's book!  Mr. VW, you'll require a ladder to read it!


mamiller I shun ladders (manual labor).I am going to use my siege tower and read it on the way down


----------



## Brenda Carroll

In another thread, Ed said "One more post and we're gonna get bumped. he he. But 0 (The Fool) is the most telling card in the pack. Some authorities add a 22 as The Aeon, but I feel that 0 and 22 are the clossing of the ring and the emperisis in the number 0, from the little doggie to the "pied pendant" recaps the entire cycle."  I moved my response here for fear of moderation.

I have a reference to the Fool in my signature.  My own tarot deck ends with card twenty-one the World or the World Dance.  I especially like the Tower and the Devil cards because they seem to represent the most important concepts that we must understand in life.  Once these two ideas are mastered, all else becomes clear.  In the Red Cross of Gold, there are many references (though obscure) to occult subjects and mystical teachings.  To some they are clear, to others, not so much.  In my own deck, 0 and 21 are the Alpha and Omega of the Magician's belt, a symbol that appears throughout history in alchemy and many disparate religiosities (Ouroboros).  The beginning and the end symbolizing the the Alpha and the Omega in cyclic repetition.  Nothing ever really ends or begins in the sense that all beginnings spring from the end of what went before.  Oh, I could on forever on these topics, but in the interest of my own health and self-preservation, I will refrain.


----------



## vikingwarrior22

Ed,Brendan thanks for not talking so big worded to me but I was glad that you ''talked to each so well''


----------



## Brenda Carroll

Not a problem, Mr. VDub, you just have to know how to get in the groove and move with the cycles... that's all it is.  As long as we all know what we're talking about, it's OK. But thanks.


----------



## vikingwarrior22

Mr.Carroll I have a t-riff idea for a chapter in a future book my viking warrior join with your knights in a quest to right some wrongs,maybe when your knights are wooing some females mine can pillage a village looking for past due library books...


----------



## Brenda Carroll

Strangely enough, Mr. VW, one of the characters in my series, Louis Champlain, Knight of the Golden Key is of Viking Extraction though he is French, but his heritage comes down from the Vikings and the Merovingian Kings of the Franks.  Yeah, though we could introduce another Viking at some point for a little foray maybe.


----------



## mamiller

So let me get this straight  Mr. VW is proposing that while your knights are 'wooing', he's going to be doing all the hard work??


----------



## Meredith Sinclair

mamiller said:


> So let me get this straight Mr. VW is proposing that while your knights are 'wooing', he's going to be doing all the hard work??


Ms. Miller, who says wooing isn't hard work? I mean Merry gives


Spoiler



Mark, Lucio, Simon, Luke, Edgard... all a very difficult time wooing her!


 She is definitely a LOT of work!


----------



## Brenda Carroll

Meredith Sinclair said:


> Ms. Miller, who says wooing isn't hard work? I mean Merry gives
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> Mark, Lucio, Simon, Luke, Edgard... all a very difficult time wooing her!
> 
> 
> She is definitely a LOT of work!


You forgot about


Spoiler



Louis


! He didn't have much luck.


----------



## vikingwarrior22

So far Ms. Meredith all that I have read about Ms. Merry is she is indeed a full time "work"...


----------



## vikingwarrior22

Brendan will we get more of the faery folk any time soon lad...I enjoyed them I did


----------



## Meredith Sinclair

HEY! I keep seeing everyone talking about their books being available on Barnes & Noble... so I was curious about your books and I see RCG has a 5 YEAR ANNIVERSARY coming up! HOW are you celebrating? I like your new cover, I am sure your new cover would look awesome on there... can ya take care of that for us Brendan... in your "spare time" I mean...  'cause you have such nice covers I believe Mark Andrew needs a face-lift for his anniversary... just sayin'


----------



## Brenda Carroll

Good Morning, Miss Merry!  I see you are up early this Sunday morning.  When are the Cowboys playing?  I feel like my head is four feet in diameter.  As for the five year anniversary, I'm going to celebrate by taking a week on the French Riviera off the royalties .  But that book was published by another publisher other than amazon and I can't change it.  If I could figure it out, I would give MAR the face lift.. and get one for me, too.


----------



## Brenda Carroll

vikingwarrior22 said:


> Brendan will we get more of the faery folk any time soon lad...I enjoyed them I did


Hey, Mr. Warrior. You will be glad to hear that more faeries will be forthcoming and one of the upcoming series is almost entirely set in the underworld.  You'll get to know a bunch of new faeries. But I'm not saying anymore.


----------



## Meredith Sinclair

Brendan Carroll said:


> Good Morning, Miss Merry! I see you are up early this Sunday morning. When are the Cowboys playing? I feel like my head is four feet in diameter. As for the five year anniversary, I'm going to celebrate by taking a week on the French Riviera off the royalties . But that book was published by another publisher other than amazon and I can't change it. If I could figure it out, I would give MAR the face lift.. and get one for me, too.


Mornin'! They play at three... after my DMIL's SAINTS! They are doing awesome! Well, maybe you can offer the new one as well then... eventually... I have missed you... thought I would try to get up early to catch you on here! & Yay! It worked! I am having a cup of hot tea to wake me up.


----------



## mamiller

I know you're both terribly worried about it...but yes, the Bucs are on at 12:00n!!!!


----------



## Brenda Carroll

OMG~ I believe I've missed the Bux game, but then it prob'ly twernt on round these here parts.  Sad.   I've been off editing and drinking coca cola for a change.  I hope they did a good job for you.


----------



## Brenda Carroll

Oddly enough, _The Red Cross of Gold VI: the Dragonslayer _ is available in paperback on Createspace, but Book V: the Quinta Essentia is not. I've got to get cracking on straightening that out, but to anyone out there wondering, just know I'm working on it and as Dr. McCoy would have said to Captain Kirk:

"My God, Jim, I'm a writer, not a publisher!!" 

https://www.createspace.com/3405914


----------



## vikingwarrior22

coooll more fairies...all folks need more dealings with the faery folk esp. Luico.I imagine that he looks like Tom Jones


----------



## Brenda Carroll

vikingwarrior22 said:


> coooll more fairies...all folks need more dealings with the faery folk esp. Luico.I imagine that he looks like Tom Jones


Well, Mr. Warrior, I don't know who this "LUICO" character is, but if he looks like Tom Jones, then he's welcome in my book.  Speaking of Tom Jones, you know the author Henry Feilding was one of my inspirations. I read his novel "Tom Jones" and wanted to write a book like that when I was around twenty or twenty-five. I did finally write a historical bawdy novel entitled "Quadrille" which I hope someday to publish when time permits.


----------



## vikingwarrior22

Brendan Carroll said:


> Well, Mr. Warrior, I don't know who this "LUICO" character is, but if he looks like Tom Jones, then he's welcome in my book.  Speaking of Tom Jones, you know the author Henry Feilding was one of my inspirations. I read his novel "Tom Jones" and wanted to write a book like that when I was around twenty or twenty-five. I did finally write a historical bawdy novel entitled "Quadrille" which I hope someday to publish when time permits.


Sounds French  so far your books are very good all round. Hope you get it out soon...


----------



## mamiller

"Historical, bawdy" novel.    Yes, you must release that!  And for Mr. Warrior's and my sake, tell us what "Quadrille" is.


----------



## Brenda Carroll

A _Quadrille_ is a dance for four people. So imagine that in a bawdy, historical romance adventure novel. You've heard of love triangles? How about quadrangles?


----------



## Brenda Carroll

Book XV:. My Hope is in God is currently available on Kindle. The Knight of Death must take his troop to the old Henge in a desperate bid to restore Meredith's sanity.


----------



## Meredith Sinclair

Hey!   Don't go a'tellin' my secrets... just 'cause you know all of them!!!!!


----------



## Brenda Carroll

I could never tell all of your secrets, Miss Meredith!  If I did, they wouldn't be secrets any more.


----------



## vikingwarrior22

Brendan, Miss Meredith has some real dark secrets along with some pastel and muticolored and plain white secrets...I will tell one here for all to read... shes askaered of fluffy little clouds she is


----------



## Meredith Sinclair

Cute...Mr. Warrior... reeal cute...


----------



## mamiller

vikingwarrior22 said:


> Brendan, Miss Meredith has some real dark secrets along with some pastel and muticolored and plain white secrets...I will tell one here for all to read... shes askaered of fluffy little clouds she is


I'm afraid of those little chicken bullion cubes. We all have our crosses to bear. hahaha  no pun intended, Mr. Red Cross of Gold!


----------



## vikingwarrior22

That's reason me n the crew use only whole chickens ...them dang little cube's are a challenge to pick up with nubs they are (swords are sharp...Note to self swords are not for pickin teeth)


----------



## Brenda Carroll

That's one of the first lessons that all of Mark Andrew's apprentices learn, Mr. VW.  Surely you know by now that Scottish dirks are the only suitable toothpicks.    Repeat aftar me, laddie:  Swoards air sharp.  Swoards air sharp.  Swoards air....


----------



## vikingwarrior22

*OOOUCH!!*


----------



## Meredith Sinclair

vikingwarrior22 said:


> *OOOUCH!!*


Ya need a band-aid there... Mr. Viking Warrior?


----------



## vikingwarrior22

as you well know its a


Spoiler



small prick as it were


 *hahahaha*


----------



## Brenda Carroll

As I was about to say............ here's another little excerpt from my Red Cross of Gold Series:
In the Quinta Essentia (Book 5) Mark has just woke up from the 'Roman holiday' he was forced to take.

The Quinta Essentia









The party was over. His credit card had been canceled and his welcome had run out along with the money. His beautiful acolytes had deserted him. The two men were definitely not Templars come to fetch him home, nor were they policemen. When they tried to pick him up, he let them know right away that he did not like their looks. Fighting them was his first thought, but the drugs his 'friends' had plied him with were more powerful than any of his own concoctions. 
http://www.amazon.com/Red-Cross-Gol...=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B001P5HBTM
The next clear thought he had was when he awoke again in a stark white enclosure made of vinyl curtains hanging from the ceiling on metal hooks, surrounding a narrow hospital bed on which he lay in five-point restraints, usually reserved for only violently, mentally ill patients. Another stranger, totally unsympathetic, had come and administered yet more drugs to him and then he had slept again after a bit of recreational shouting, being unable to even lift his head far enough to see where he might be. The second time he awoke he was out of the restraints, but still in the hospital bed and his interior was howling for food and drink, especially drink. His tongue was stuck to the roof of his mouth, his eyes felt full of sand and every joint in his body needed oiling. For the first time in life, he felt his age bearing down on him like a steam locomotive. It was unfair to think that, though he was immortal, he could suffer exceedingly for two to three days at time. At least, the pains he and his Brothers suffered on occasion kept them in touch with the suffering of humanity in general. Immortality without pain, without suffering was a disturbing thought. No mortal man could bear such a thing without becoming a tyrant or worse. The gods must have really enjoyed themselves at man's expense. These and other disjointed thoughts bombarded his now sober mind and he was busy for quite some time just assimilating all that he could remember and retain from his month long debacle. Holiday. Hmmmmmmm. Quite the misnomer. Nothing about it had been holy.


----------



## mamiller

"Recreational shouting"  

I read that and thought, what the heck, let me give it a try.      Well, after explaining to the police officer that it was all Brendan Carroll's suggestion.  He said, "Brendan?  Brendan Carroll?  Brendan Carroll, the author?  That dude who writes about the Immortal Knight of Death?"

I said, "errr, yeah, that would be the guy."

The police officer started 'recreational shouting'


----------



## Brenda Carroll

Recreational shouting happens to be my favorite sport and one that I excel at quite well.  I will never be a pro because they use far more colorful and elaborate shouts, plus they have larger lung capacities than I.


----------



## vikingwarrior22

Brendan Carroll said:


> Recreational shouting happens to be my favorite sport and one that I excel at quite well. I will never be a pro because they use far more colorful and elaborate shouts, plus they have larger lung capacities than I.


*Vikings Now thats where it all came from....esp I would like to give a shout out to my crew!!!*


----------



## Brenda Carroll

_Here's a short blurb from The Red Cross of Gold VII:. The Wisdom of Solomon, now on sale for $.99 for the Holidays. Sir John's son, Jozsef, is having a few problems and the Grand Master and the Knight of the Apocalypse who sees are trying to decide what to do about him:_

"And that is your prognosis?" D'Brouchart stifled a yawn. The Ritter's phone call had awakened him from a sound sleep. Armand de Bleu sat in the chair in front of his desk. The Knight of the Throne's head drooped and his eyes were closed.

"Yes, your Grace," von Hetz' deep voice boomed in his ear.

"And you believe that an exorcism will cure him?" d'Brouchart asked doubtfully. He was of the opinion that, if the Ritter performed an exorcism on the boy, he would simply disappear altogether.

"The doctor here in Berne has some proposed treatment plans, but none of them have any relevance to the real problem at hand," von Hetz continued. "I believe that he has become possessed by some sort of spirit or more likely, a demon."

"I see." D'Brouchart rolled his stiff neck. "And where would you be taking him, if you move him from the hospital?"

"I haven't decided yet," von Hetz told him. "He is quite a handful they tell me and I have seen him in action. He is very destructive and completely uncontrollable without the restraints. I do not believe he is acting of his own accord."

"And how would you know that, Brother? Have you been able to see this?" d'Brouchart asked and stood up. He went to the small refrigerator and took out a bottle of spring water. De Bleu snored softly in the chair.

"I cannot look into his mind, your Grace," von Hetz admitted. The child's mind was even more obscured than John Paul's had been at the same age. The Ritter was actually afraid to look in on the boy's thoughts. The shock he had suffered when he had looked into Sir Philip's mind was still very fresh to him. The Knight of the Orient's magick had been powerful enough. He did not want to face whatever was in Joszef's mind without being prepared.


----------



## vikingwarrior22

Brendan Carroll said:


> _Here's a short blurb from The Red Cross of Gold VII:. The Wisdom of Solomon, now on sale for $.99 for the Holidays. Sir John's son, Jozsef, is having a few problems and the Grand Master and the Knight of the Apocalypse who sees are trying to decide what to do about him:_
> 
> "And that is your prognosis?" D'Brouchart stifled a yawn. The Ritter's phone call had awakened him from a sound sleep. Armand de Bleu sat in the chair in front of his desk. The Knight of the Throne's head drooped and his eyes were closed.
> 
> "Yes, your Grace," von Hetz' deep voice boomed in his ear.
> 
> "And you believe that an exorcism will cure him?" d'Brouchart asked doubtfully. He was of the opinion that, if the Ritter performed an exorcism on the boy, he would simply disappear altogether.
> 
> "The doctor here in Berne has some proposed treatment plans, but none of them have any relevance to the real problem at hand," von Hetz continued. "I believe that he has become possessed by some sort of spirit or more likely, a demon."
> 
> "I see." D'Brouchart rolled his stiff neck. "And where would you be taking him, if you move him from the hospital?"
> 
> "I haven't decided yet," von Hetz told him. "He is quite a handful they tell me and I have seen him in action. He is very destructive and completely uncontrollable without the restraints. I do not believe he is acting of his own accord."
> 
> "And how would you know that, Brother? Have you been able to see this?" d'Brouchart asked and stood up. He went to the small refrigerator and took out a bottle of spring water. De Bleu snored softly in the chair.
> 
> "I cannot look into his mind, your Grace," von Hetz admitted. The child's mind was even more obscured than John Paul's had been at the same age. The Ritter was actually afraid to look in on the boy's thoughts. The shock he had suffered when he had looked into Sir Philip's mind was still very fresh to him. The Knight of the Orient's magick had been powerful enough. He did not want to face whatever was in Joszef's mind without being prepared.


This excerpt from the book reminds me of dealing with my on kids...good tides and warm pillagein' to all


----------



## Brenda Carroll

vikingwarrior22 said:


> This excerpt from the book reminds me of dealing with my on kids...good tides and warm pillagein' to all


Well, er, yes, me own son did inspire Jozsef a little.... kids' minds are scary places, some moreso than others


----------



## Brenda Carroll

I received this thank you note from one of the troops and wanted to share it and remind everyone to check up on their expiration dates. Mine were set for December because I never thought that the Ebook Drop would grow like it did. I'm very proud and pleased to be a part of it and will continue to update and send free book codes to the troops until they all come home!

_Mr. Carroll,
I want to thank you for such a wonderful gift for all of us military
members..it is greatly appreciated..I will definitely provide some
feedback when I am done reading your books..I have so many books to read
from so many authors I just don't know where to begin..Thank you once
again for your support for all us. Also not sure if you knew or not but
the code for your Red Cross of Gold III does not work..it says it is
expired?..well take care and Have a Merry Xmas..I am a pretty fast
reader so hopefully you will hear back from me soon.

Gary C. Zahn, TSgt, USAF
EA Controller EPOC-OD-NC2_


----------



## Ann in Arlington

(Brendan, I suggest you repost that in the OEBD thread if you haven't already. . . . .)


----------



## vikingwarrior22

Hey, Brendan, I posted that one for you... cause you took care of me with my broken down knee... great going.  Thanks to all those writers sending stuff to the troups from all of us here at the boards.


----------



## Brenda Carroll

Thanks, Big Guy!  I just got distracted and didn't finish anything I was working on.  Did you hear?  Tony Romo was asked what his favorite Christmas gift was this year and he said "A Kindle"!!!  Wow!  Look, Tony, I know you're playing right now, but after the game, if you happen to be browsing through the Kindleboards, well, I'd just like to say "Aghghhghhhhh!!!!!  It's T... T... T... Tony Romo!!! My hero!!!!"  Er, sorry.


----------



## mamiller

Romo should buy your books, Mr. Brendan.  They will inspire him to battle and persevere, and be a hero, and maybe even keep a girlfriend.


----------



## Meredith Sinclair

Well, Ms. Miller, I don't know if Brendan even knows how to do that...


Spoiler



all of his characters have _really_ *good* *sexual* chemistry... they just have it for the WRONG people! I think Brendan's chemistry set may have gotten mixed-up in his big move to WEST Texas!


  Which really makes you have to buy the NEXT book... to see if your favorite characters actually get who they want!


----------



## Brenda Carroll

Meredith Sinclair said:


> Well, Ms. Miller, I don't know if Brendan even knows how to do that...
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> all of his characters have _really_ *good* *sexual* chemistry... they just have it for the WRONG people! I think Brendan's chemistry set may have gotten mixed-up in his big move to WEST Texas!
> 
> 
> Which really makes you have to buy the NEXT book... to see if your favorite characters actually get who they want!


Why, Miss Meredith, really!! How did you know about my chemistry set? Anyhow, I did try to keep a girlfriend once, but she was allergic to the formaldehyde! LOL.  Still, who knows? Someone or someone's might bump into each other occasionally kind of like Mayflies on a hot Texas night... I mean whatever works, right?


----------



## vikingwarrior22

Brendan Carroll said:


> Why, Miss Meredith, really!! How did you know about my chemistry set? Anyhow, I did try to keep a girlfriend once, but she was allergic to the formaldehyde! LOL.  Still, who knows? Someone or someone's might bump into each other occasionally kind of like Mayflies on a hot Texas night... I mean whatever works, right?


Take it from me n th' crew that there formiledeehide stuff leaves a bad taste in your mouth and we tried pitching woo but that stuff stuck to our sword hands...

Quote from: Meredith Sinclair on December 28, 2009, 11:29:20 AM
Well, Ms. Miller, I don't know if Brendan even knows how to do that...


Spoiler



all of his characters have really good sexual chemistry... they just have it for the WRONG people!


 I think Brendan's chemistry set may have gotten mixed-up in his big move to WEST Texas! Which really makes you have to buy the NEXT book... to see if your favorite characters actually get who they want!

I am reading the same books and the characters seem to get who what and so on when they


Spoiler



need it


 with out much care


----------



## Brenda Carroll

vikingwarrior22 said:


> Take it from me n th' crew that there formiledeehide stuff leaves a bad taste in your mouth and we tried pitching woo but that stuff stuck to our sword hands...


Well, Mr. Warrior, I'll tell you like Mark tells his apprentices: "Nevar, evar touch the yellow!!!" Same goes for formaldehyde... heavy on the _de-hyde_. And you probably were pitching 'goo' not 'woo'. Check it out.


----------



## vikingwarrior22

Brendan Carroll said:


> Well, Mr. Warrior, I'll tell you like Mark tells his apprentices: "Nevar, evar touch the yellow!!!" Same goes for formaldehyde... heavy on the _de-hyde_. And you probably were pitching 'goo' not 'woo'. Check it out.


with my crew its hands off my brownies as it were food n drink,food n drink


----------



## Brenda Carroll

Speaking of brownies, Mr. VW, you know that Mark has a problem with Brownies infesting the infirmary.  Mayhap you and the crew might stop by and help yourselves to a few of the little devils?


----------



## vikingwarrior22

Brendan Carroll said:


> Speaking of brownies, Mr. VW, you know that Mark has a problem with Brownies infesting the infirmary. Mayhap you and the crew might stop by and help yourselves to a few of the little devils?


no problem me and my crew are on the weigh


Spoiler



get it "weigh anchor"


----------



## mamiller

Brownies?!? Did someone say brownies?


----------



## vikingwarrior22

mamiller be sure and check out current snackage for a grand "whey" to enjoy brownies and milk


----------



## Brenda Carroll

Might I suggest that you not eat too many curds and then weigh, Mr. VW, or you might be on the way to wait in line line at weight-watchers anomalous.  What say you, matey? And where did you get that fancy smiley, Miss Miller?  Do they have any wearing Templar helmets?


----------



## mamiller

Best I could do!


----------



## Brenda Carroll

That's just wonderful and in fact looks like a hybrid of Viking Warrior (horns on helmet) and Templar shield and sword.  LOL.  I like it.


----------



## chilady1

Brendan - thanks for all the help on securing the paperbacks.  Just got books 2-4 for my friend who doesn't own a Kindle but is dying to continue the story (he purchased Book 1 already).  These are a late Christmas present.  Quick question:  I know Book 5 is available in paperback as well but what about the rest of the series?  He is already into Mark and the rest of crew like all of us and will want to continue reading the series until it is completed, so will he be able to secure paperbacks of the rest of the books? 

Let me know and thanks again - he is going to be thrilled with his present!


----------



## Brenda Carroll

Book VI:. the Dragonslayer is available at https://www.createspace.com/3405914, Miss Chilady. Book VII:. the Wisdom of Solomon is currently in the proof review stages and will soon be available as a paperback. Thank you for the kind words. Brendan


----------



## vikingwarrior22

Brendan Carroll said:


> Book VI:. the Dragonslayer is available at https://www.createspace.com/3405914, Miss Chilady. Book VII:. the Wisdom of Solomon is currently in the proof review stages and will soon be available as a paperback. Thank you for the kind words. Brendan


as usual you will let us know when they are out in paperback


----------



## Brenda Carroll

vikingwarrior22 said:


> as usual you will let us know when they are out in paperback


Update on paperbacks, Mr. VW, _The Red Cross of Gold VII:. the Wisdom of Solomon  _ is now available on Amazon Createspace at: https://www.createspace.com/3420372
Book VII highlights the Chevaliere Sinclair's mystery which contains the magick of the Wisdom of Solomon.


----------



## vikingwarrior22

Brendan Carroll said:


> Update on paperbacks, Mr. VW, _The Red Cross of Gold VII:. the Wisdom of Solomon  _ is now available on Amazon Createspace at: https://www.createspace.com/3420372
> Book VII highlights the Chevaliere Sinclair's mystery which contains the magick of the Wisdom of Solomon.


Thanks on my way to buy it...I read somewhere that your gonna have a new RCG series book out for Valentine Day cool


----------



## Meredith Sinclair

Brendan Carroll said:


> Update on paperbacks, Mr. VW, _The Red Cross of Gold VII:. the Wisdom of Solomon  _ is now available on Amazon Createspace at: https://www.createspace.com/3420372
> Book VII highlights the Chevaliere Sinclair's mystery which contains the magick of the Wisdom of Solomon.


HEY! You're talkin' about ME!!!!!!


----------



## Brenda Carroll

Meredith Sinclair said:


> HEY! You're talkin' about ME!!!!!!


Yes, ma'am, it's alllll about you!  Here I've got a little excerpt from _Book IX:. the Queen of the Abyss_. One of your favorite books, no? You will remember this is when Sir Ramsay was King and Elizabeth was his Queen? 

_Six mounted Knights waited for him an hour and a half later when he emerged from the front doors of the keep and hurried down the wide stone steps to meet them. Elizabeth followed close behind him and received six disapproving glances as she waited on the cobbles for him to make room for her behind him on the back of the black horse. She wore her finest dress and all her gold and silver at his request. She certainly looked the part of his Queen. He said nothing to the men who waited on him and simply reined the big horse around and galloped away to the south, toward the caves with them following after him. Their mantels fluttered behind them in the moonlight as they rode along. Chain mail jangled and their swords and weapons clanked as they rode single file toward an unknown destination. They wouldn't know where they were going until they got there and each one wondered why he was taking the girl with him this time. He'd never taken her before. The sun was rising in the east and the gulls and terns were beginning to make their daily racket on the sea cliff behind them and to the right as they entered the shadowy forest. By the time they left the trees for the open plain again, they had collected a host of faery creatures, following them on both flanks and in the rear._


----------



## Meredith Sinclair

Brendan Carroll said:


> Yes, ma'am, it's alllll about you!  Here I've got a little excerpt from _Book IX:. the Queen of the Abyss_. One of your favorite books, no? You will remember this is when Sir Ramsay was King and Elizabeth was his Queen?


Brendan... I specifically remember emailing you to complain about THAT woman! NO! I do not like _Elizabeth_! 


Spoiler



Stealing my Mark away from me...


----------



## vikingwarrior22

POOR ELIZABETH  she was a neccessary part of the story line...she remined me of a few of the laddies that me n the crew have come accross on our trips


----------



## vikingwarrior22

Meredith Sinclair said:


> Brendan... I specifically remember emailing you to complain about THAT woman! NO! I do not like _Elizabeth_!
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> Stealing my Mark away from me...


My good Knight does not


Spoiler



steal


 the girls or them to


Spoiler



steal him away


 he seems more like a


Spoiler



taker


 type of man as it is... or the girls seem to want to


Spoiler



take


 him


----------



## Brenda Carroll

Well, Mr. VW, and all interested parties, the stealing of wives, daughters and girlfriends will continue on Friday with the publication of _The Red  Cross of Gold XVI:. Omar, the Prophet_. Let the adventure continue as the Grand Master prepares to make a last stand against the New Order of the Temple.


----------



## mamiller

Holy camels!!!! (I don't know why I said camels, when clearly that's a horse  or some form thereof.)  Congratulations!!!


----------



## Brenda Carroll

mamiller said:


> Holy camels!!!! (I don't know why I said camels, when clearly that's a horse  or some form thereof.) Congratulations!!!


That is indeed a mammal of the equine persuasion and upon it none other than the elegant orator, the Knight of the Golden Eagle with his favorite huntress, a fine female falcon ( ) whose name shall remain Anonymous. Yes, I know that's a funny name for a falcon, but we could call her Anonie, couldn't we, if we named her after a fierce dragon some of us know and love?


----------



## crebel

Brendan Carroll said:


> Well, Mr. VW, and all interested parties, the stealing of wives, daughters and girlfriends will continue on Friday with the publication of _The Red  Cross of Gold XVI:. Omar, the Prophet_. Let the adventure continue as the Grand Master prepares to make a last stand against the New Order of the Temple.


Woo Hoo! No need to wait until Friday - it is up and available at Amazon and already downloaded. Happy Valentine present for DH a little early! Thanks Brendan!


----------



## Brenda Carroll

Thank you and your DH once more, Miss Crebel.  I had projected Friday due to the delays on the DTP at Amazon now, but perhaps they are getting better, eh?  We can certainly hope so.  Tell your DH that I am pleased to know that he will be reading on.  Are you two affected by this huge blizzard?  We are expecting some rain/snow mixed tonight here in Central Texas, but I wouldn't know how to act in a real snowstorm. Thank you again.


----------



## emilydowns

I love the title of this thread. "Knights, dragons and fairy creatures."

If only there was a novel about a knight being chased by a serial killer cop riding a unicorn. It might be over the top but you could have the final scene take place in a courtroom with goblins in the jury box.


----------



## Brenda Carroll

Don't give me any new ideas, Miss Emily.  That scene may not be far off the mark, pardon the pun.  The faeries, dragons and knights in my series are not quite typical and could very well end up in court, but what I am saying?  Some of them do end up in court and not just once or twice, but of course, you would have to read the books to learn what sort of court it was, is or will be.    But goblins would not do well as jurors since they are very opinionated and biased sorts... grumpy, too.  Not to mention noisy and extremely contemptible.


----------



## emilydowns

Don't steal my ideas. I kid.


----------



## vikingwarrior22

emilydowns said:


> I love the title of this thread. "Knights, dragons and fairy creatures."
> 
> If only there was a novel about a knight being chased by a serial killer cop riding a unicorn. It might be over the top but you could have the final scene take place in a courtroom with goblins in the jury box.


Knowing him its in the works...


----------



## Meredith Sinclair

emilydowns said:


> Don't steal my ideas. I kid.


 

Like Brendan, with his 30 something novels would need to steal anything!...

Just saying... strong word for a well-loved author...


----------



## Brenda Carroll

This thread hasn't been up front for awhile. _Book XVII:. Full Circle _  of the Red  Cross of Gold series is due out this month and it continues the Assassin Chronicles with more adventures concerning the underworld or otherworld sometimes referred to as the Astral or Fairy Planes. Mark's brother, Luke and the clurichaun, Paddy have been taken prison by the Tuatha de Danaan who live in the otherworld. They are in for a great surprise when they learn that the Tuatha have taken a new king who just happens to be a former Knight of the Council of Twelve. Paddy is attempting to explain a little about the faeries personal lives to Luke Matthew. (For readers of my series, there is a small spoiler included in this blurb).
_*NOTE*: This conversation is between an Irish member of the Fae Folk and an 800+ year-old Scotsman, thus the dialect portrayed is meant to convey the more colorful aspects of the scene. If you do not care for phonetically rendered dialects/accents in dialogs, you will not care for this particular scene._

Luke's face reddened. This was not a conversation he intended for the dinner table and especially not to be discussed with Paddy Puffingtowne who Luke somehow equated with his father or perhaps an uncle or a grandfather worse yet.

"D' ye know anything aboot yur angels?" The clurichaun asked him.

"Aye. A bit," Luke muttered and went back to his bread and honey. "I dunna know any by way o' personal experience if thot's ye mean."

"And if ye did, ye wud notice thot they air not really men and thot they air not women either."

"Wot th' devvil air ye troyin' t' say, mon?" He poured more wine into his goblet and then offered Paddy the bottle.

"I'm sayin' thot angels and faeries aire aloike in thot they can be laddies, lassies, both or neither as th' case may be and th' circumstances need or warrant," Paddy said with some measure of satisfaction before he picked up his wine and drank down a long swallow. "And yur Corrigan fits inta thot category verra well."

Luke stared at him speechless. This was extremely difficult for the Scot to comprehend.

"Furthermore, th' Tuatha olways choose thair kings based on physical beauty. Thot is well known t' any 'oo know them. But dunna warry yurself, me boy, ye'll nae be in danger o' bein' chosen," Paddy laughed at his own joke. He licked his lips and Luke frowned at him. Luke didn't find it very funny. "It looks loike yur Corrigan is well placed 'ere. Most o' th' lassies thot consorted with th' Tuatha were human females thot some one or anoother o' the race o' th' Dananns found comely enough t' pursue. Take our friends in th' hall thair. They 'ave no beards. They aire prob'ly lassies. I say prob'ly because ye canna be sure until one o' them takes a loikin' t' ye. Fur instance, take Sam, 'oo leads th' armies o' th' elves in th' underwarld and made yur brother th' king. Sam wud 'ave yur brother back as king any toime 'e wanted t' come and Sam's ask 'im t' come back on sev'ral occasions. Thot's partly because Andy is a great king in 'is own roight and a good leader, but in th' main, Sam wants 'im back because


Spoiler



[she's in love with 'im


."

Luke choked on his bread and grabbed up the crockery pitcher of milk, spilling it down his shirt in his haste to drink. He wiped his mouth on the back of his hand and stared at the clurichaun in disbelief.

"


Spoiler



Sam's a wooman


? He can't be," he said after a moment. His voice was a bit too high. He lowered it to a husky whisper. "I mean thot wud be... that wud be..."

"Nae, not atoll. Sam's a faery.


Spoiler



But Sam runs t' th' lassie soide o' things. Sam wud 'ave t' be human t' be a wooman. Fur thot mattar, Sam wud 'ave t' be human t' be a man


," Paddy laughed. "Th' folks such as myself 'oo spend most o' thair toime above ground, as they say, generally pick one soide or th' other and stick with it. Loike Binky. But thot's just so th' people they consort with can be at ease and stop wonderin'. I prefer t' court th' lassies myself," Paddy smiled at him and winked. "Thot's whoy I grow this pretty beard from toime t' toime. T' make sure thair's nae question. People put great store by such things whair ye come from."


----------



## vikingwarrior22

*Go Brendan GO!* brother keep them coming the world needs these books to keep _us_ going...


----------



## Meredith Sinclair

Weeeeeeeelllll this sounds MARVELOUS... what's the hold up? How 'bout you PM me the first few chapters... just to make sure it's... safe!


----------



## Brenda Carroll

What means... safe? Do you infer that our story might be... toxic?


----------



## vikingwarrior22

soon "we" will start our task of sorting our words...


----------



## Brenda Carroll

OK Mr. Warrior, I'm sending you a handy vinyl word sorter that you can use for this task. You simply speak into the tube and then shake the box. Words fall out the bottom in order from largest to smallest. This should save you some time.


----------



## Brenda Carroll

While Viking Warrior is sorting his words, I'm including a few words from The Red Cross of Gold XII: The Son of the Moon for your perusal.

_"Brother Simon," de Lyons turned to speak to him. "It is good that you have come here to join with us."

"Join with you?" Simon looked about. "It is mutiny then?"

"I prefer to think of it as a difference of opinion, Brother," Mark spoke up for the first time in a while and a bit.

"That would leave only the Ritter to support my father," Simon muttered and frowned. "This is mutiny, Brothers, whether you will it or no."

"No, it is not. At least, not technically," Montague explained quietly. "The Grand Master was duly replaced.  The Council voted. The vote was legal. I've researched it thoroughly with Brother Armand's help, of course."

"But the Master was... indisposed." Simon shook his head minutely.

"The Rules state that whenever the Acting Master is incapacitated or debilitated in such a way that he cannot function as Master, the Council will meet and elect a new Master. That is what we did," Montague continued. "Sir Ramsay has not stepped down, nor has the Council met to decide what is to be done. There is no provision in the Rule for such a situation as this. It has never happened before_


----------



## mamiller

I could use that word sorter machine, but I'm not sure it's going to fit next to my desk.


----------



## crebel

Brendan Carroll said:


> This thread hasn't been up front for awhile. _Book XVII:. Full Circle _  of the Red  Cross of Gold series is due out this month and it continues the Assassin Chronicles with more adventures concerning the underworld or otherworld sometimes referred to as the Astral or Fairy Planes. Mark's brother, Luke and the clurichaun, Paddy have been taken prison by the Tuatha de Danaan who live in the otherworld. They are in for a great surprise when they learn that the Tuatha have taken a new king who just happens to be a former Knight of the Council of Twelve. Paddy is attempting to explain a little about the faeries personal lives to Luke Matthew.


Red Cross of Gold XVII!!!!      I keep checking at Amazon every day. Does the title, Full Circle, imply a conclusion to this fabulous adventure? I really want a conclusion, but it will make me    when the series is done.


----------



## Brenda Carroll

mamiller said:


> I could use that word sorter machine, but I'm not sure it's going to fit next to my desk.


Well, Miss Miller, you could simply move your desk next to this machine and your sofa and your TV and you know, all your stuff. Just move in next to the machine. I think it looks shabby chic... 


crebel said:


> Red Cross of Gold XVII!!!!      I keep checking at Amazon every day. Does the title, Full Circle, imply a conclusion to this fabulous adventure? I really want a conclusion, but it will make me    when the series is done.


Miss C. Rebel, so nice of you to stop by and cry on my shoulder. Yep, I'm hoping against hope to get it out there, but this moving thing is literally (pardon the pun) killing me!  But do not despair, Full Circle is not what you might think, but it has a big, big surprise in it. Surprise!!! I love surprises, don't you?   It's a surprise every day when I wake up and find all of my fingers and toes still working.


----------



## mamiller

Actually that machine could serve as a couch, dining room table, french linen closet _and_ a word sorter. My uncle Gus had one of those...


----------



## Jeff

mamiller said:


> My uncle Gus had one of those...


Uncle Gus that worked at Red Lobster?



Spoiler



Too many spoilers on this thread. I'm only on the second book.


----------



## Brenda Carroll

Jeff said:


> Uncle Gus that worked at Red Lobster?
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> Too many spoilers on this thread. I'm only on the second book.


This thread is spoiled rotten, but welcome aboard, we're always up for a new Knight or two. The Knight of the Bloomin' Onion spot is open... has to be Australian though or can do a good fake accent.


----------



## Brenda Carroll

In _The Red Cross of Gold VI:. The Dragonslayer_, Meredith and Simon find themselves stranded in a strange place.

"How do you know they want your soul?" she asked. This was not good. This was not good at all. The memory of the man with one-eye returned to her suddenly. He had been so very nice to her and she had felt she knew him at once, but on thinking back, she could not remember his name.

"I just know," he said and wrung his hands together nervously. "I can scare them away with my sword, but it is hard to stay awake all night every night. Every time I close my eyes, I wake up to find one of them inside the fence or nigh upon me. Are you sure you don't want a bite to eat? Some cottage cheese and fruit? I have some apples left over from yesterday."

"No, thanks. Do you remember anything at all of what happened after&#8230; the Chapel?" She asked him in mounting panic. "Are we still in Scotland? What are those glass balls on the porch. They're beautiful, but I think something is living inside one of them. A bird maybe?"

"I don't know where we are. I don't know where you've been. I only remember seeing you briefly at the Chapel and then nothing. I woke up here&#8230; in there," he nodded to the bedroom. "Dressed like this. No explanation and I haven't seen anyone since&#8230; until now. At least no one completely human. Spes mea in deo est. What is it your Dorothy said? We're not in Arkansas anymore." His face darkened and he squinted at her suspiciously.

Arkansas? What did Simon d'Ornan know of Arkansas or Kansas or Dorothy for that matter? She thought perhaps this was a dream after all. How did she even know this was really Simon and how did he know it was really her if, indeed, it really was him? They looked at each other in silence as the desperation of their situation became evident.

"Those are not birds," he said after a long pause. "Believe me."


----------



## vikingwarrior22

mamiller said:


> I could use that word sorter machine, but I'm not sure it's going to fit next to my desk.


thats the laptop version...


----------



## Brenda Carroll

Actually, this is the laptop version of that word sorter machine, but you have to be careful not to leave it outside overnight or it will rust.








But speaking of machines, one of the books that inspired me to write much of my Red Cross of Gold series was a book called _Uriel's Machine _ by Knight and Lomas about Stonehenge. If you are into that sort of thing, you can find it at Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/Uriels-Machine-Uncovering-Stonehenge-Civilization/dp/193141274X. I cover a lot of conspiracy theory material in the series. Stonehenge and New Grange included as well as Skara Brae and Wewelsburg Castle, the Great Pyramid, the 1st Emperor's Tomb in China, Hadrian's Wall, Merlin's tomb and the Treasures of Briton, the Emerald Tablets of Thoth, Ancient Babylon, the Holy Grail, the Ark of the Covenant, dinosaurs, angels, demons, etceteras, etceteras.


----------



## vikingwarrior22

we think your entire series is a conspiracy set to hook us all and it works...a little 3 in one oil an it will work grand


----------



## Brenda Carroll

vikingwarrior22 said:


> we think your entire series is a conspiracy set to hook us all and it works...a little 3 in one oil an it will work grand


Hey, thanks for the advice, Mr. Warrior. I threw a little oil on those coils and it kicked right up and started processing words again. In fact, it churned out a Smashwords version of Book XVI:. Omar, the Prophet offering the book in a number of e-book formats including Kindle.


----------



## Brenda Carroll

The Red Cross of Gold XV:. My Hope is in God now available at Amazon.com as a paperback, smashwords and kindle.

Omar Kadif, son of the Djinni, has realized his great purpose in life and is laying out his plan for his father:
_
"And what would your purpose be, my son?" Lemarik raised up slightly. His son's invitation surprised and pleased him. 
"I intend to unite the Christians, Muslims and Jews under one roof, one blanket. I will bring the three great religions of the world together in perfect harmony and they will worship God as He deserves. And when I have united these three, I will move east and west and north and south. I will embrace the Hindus and the Buddhists and the Sunnis and the Shamanists and the Wiccan and the Santeria and the Shinto and the Taoists and all the primitive peoples. We will serve God in unity and peace and there will be no more jihad."
"That sounds most wonderful, Omar." Lemarik's face lit up. "And how will you bring this about? You must have some great plan."
"Ohhh. Yes. Yes. Yes." Omar got up and began to pace the floor of the tent. "I will bring men a purpose and a meaning. I will show them what it is that God wants from them. Men will follow me and I will bring them to Paradise. God has shown me that I am the One. He has spoken to me, father. I have heard His voice in my sleep and in my visions. His angels have come to me and I have sworn to do His will. It will be glorious."
"This is very interesting." Lemarik got up and swayed along beside his son with his hands behind his back. "Tell me, my son, will all men hear your voice and come to you and follow your teachings?"
"I am the Prophet for this time, Father. The people call me the new Prophet of Allah." Omar turned to take his father by his shoulders. "Men will do my bidding. They hear my voice and they are stunned and they are speechless and they see my miracles and they believe. I can make armies and kings and princes. By me, the rule shall be enforced. And men will bow low before the Creator and praise His name. Glory be to God. God, our Father. God the Creator of all the Universe. He has chosen me, Father."
"But what if all men do not hear your words and see your miracles? What if some refuse to follow you? What will you do then, my son?" Lemarik's expression had changed to one of concern.
"They will be purged," Omar said quietly and let go of him. _ 









Paperback Link: http://www.amazon.com/Red-Cross-Gold-XV-Chronicles/dp/1453646264/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1280270611&sr=1-2


----------



## vikingwarrior22

Brendan Carroll said:


> The Red Cross of Gold XV:. My Hope is in God now available at Amazon.com as a paperback, smashwords and kindle.
> 
> Omar Kadif, son of the Djinni, has realized his great purpose in life and is laying out his plan for his father:
> _
> "And what would your purpose be, my son?" Lemarik raised up slightly. His son's invitation surprised and pleased him.
> "I intend to unite the Christians, Muslims and Jews under one roof, one blanket. I will bring the three great religions of the world together in perfect harmony and they will worship God as He deserves. And when I have united these three, I will move east and west and north and south. I will embrace the Hindus and the Buddhists and the Sunnis and the Shamanists and the Wiccan and the Santeria and the Shinto and the Taoists and all the primitive peoples. We will serve God in unity and peace and there will be no more jihad."
> "That sounds most wonderful, Omar." Lemarik's face lit up. "And how will you bring this about? You must have some great plan."
> "Ohhh. Yes. Yes. Yes." Omar got up and began to pace the floor of the tent. "I will bring men a purpose and a meaning. I will show them what it is that God wants from them. Men will follow me and I will bring them to Paradise. God has shown me that I am the One. He has spoken to me, father. I have heard His voice in my sleep and in my visions. His angels have come to me and I have sworn to do His will. It will be glorious."
> "This is very interesting." Lemarik got up and swayed along beside his son with his hands behind his back. "Tell me, my son, will all men hear your voice and come to you and follow your teachings?"
> "I am the Prophet for this time, Father. The people call me the new Prophet of Allah." Omar turned to take his father by his shoulders. "Men will do my bidding. They hear my voice and they are stunned and they are speechless and they see my miracles and they believe. I can make armies and kings and princes. By me, the rule shall be enforced. And men will bow low before the Creator and praise His name. Glory be to God. God, our Father. God the Creator of all the Universe. He has chosen me, Father."
> "But what if all men do not hear your words and see your miracles? What if some refuse to follow you? What will you do then, my son?" Lemarik's expression had changed to one of concern.
> "They will be purged," Omar said quietly and let go of him. _
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Paperback Link: http://www.amazon.com/Red-Cross-Gold-XV-Chronicles/dp/1453646264/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1280270611&sr=1-2


thanks Brendan another book that is... pardon the pun... beyond words... your series is so solid with the actions and deeds of the characters ...the series just gets better and better... thanks


----------



## Brenda Carroll

Thanks, Mr. VW.  Glad to see that you are still enjoying the storyline.  Sometimes I confuse myself.


----------



## Sandra Edwards

nice cover art!


----------



## Brenda Carroll

Wow! Miss Sandra, you confused me, too.  I must be ready for more coffee. Thank you for the compliment. I opened this up and thought yeah, that's a nice looking book Miss Edwards has there and then I realized that you were talking about my cover art... d'uh!!   Thank you and the very same to you.


----------



## vikingwarrior22

I agree with Ms. Sandra. I enjoy each of your covers... they each have a style unto themselves... I wish that I could afford to have them made into posters...


----------



## Brenda Carroll

vikingwarrior22 said:


> I agree with Ms. Sandra. I enjoy each of your covers... they each have a style unto themselves... I wish that I could afford to have them made into posters...


Thanks, VW. I just received the proof copy of _The Red Cross of Gold XVII:. Full Circle _ in the mail and it looks really good, if I do say so myself. As soon as Createspace can get it up and running, it will be ready to go in paperback. On to Book XVIII!!


----------



## vikingwarrior22

thank you my man...my collection grows! we all have a _"book crush"_ (i.e.man crush) on your series...


----------



## Brenda Carroll

You are certainly welcome, my friend. The Red Cross of Gold XVII:. Full Circle is now available in paperback at Amazon.com. at:
http://www.amazon.com/Red-Cross-Gold-XVII-Chronicles/dp/1453700854/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1281538066&sr=1-2

I'd like to digress a moment and talk about a curious situation that arose in Book XI:. Ars Arabia. Sir Ramsay certainly has more than his share of problems as usual, but at one point, he feels he has committed the one unforgiveable sin that will send his soul to everlasting condemnation.

He bowed his head again and clasped his hands in front of him, determined to go on with it in spite of the terrible pain in his head. When the lightning flashed, the white spots in the forefront of his vision turned black and then white again in the ensuing darkness.
"I have blasphemed against the Holy Ghost. I have committed


Spoiler



fornication


 with the mystery of God," he said the words and Merry thought she would faint at his confession.
"Wait just a minute!" she shouted at him. "You made that up!"
"No, I didn't," he said and then pressed his hands to his temples. "Wot else wud ye coll it, Meredith?"
"I don't know, but not that!" She took his face in her hands. This was not right. This could not be right. She hadn't thought how what they had done might be classified, but surely this was not a classification that actually existed. It couldn't be right.
"Call it blasphemy!" She pleaded and knelt again in front of him. He wrapped his arms around her and leaned his head on her shoulder.
"Merry!" He said her name and she could feel him crying, rather than hear him. "I'm sorry I brought this on your head."
"Look." She drew back from him. "I can't possibly give you penance for this. I don't know how. You've got to talk to Simon."


----------



## mamiller

What is the count of the series now, Mr. Carroll?  18, 19, 20?  So for something like $30-40 dollars you could have about a year's worth of reading pleasure!!!  (okay, admittedly at the pace I get to read!)


----------



## Brenda Carroll

So far I have put up eighteen on Kindle and I still have a few to go.  It seems that the trouble never ends for my poor Knight of Solomon's Temple.  The first seventeen are in print and I'm currently working on getting eighteen in paperback.  Thank you for asking.


----------



## Brenda Carroll

Good news on the ranking front for the Red Cross of Gold I:. the Knight of Death.  This mornings rankings are certainly reason to celebrate.

Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #5,386 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
#97 in  Kindle Store > Kindle Books > Fantasy > Epic 
#27 in  Kindle Store > Kindle Books > Fiction > Horror > Occult 
#42 in  Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Horror > Occult


----------



## Guest

Brendan,
The pages of posts are accumulating nicely. Thirteen! Nice. Knights and dragons...that's the stuff!


----------



## Guest

Hmmmmm...  More Fantasy.....  My kindle is going to be full before you know it!


----------



## GreenThumb

I got my mother a Kindle for Christmas last year.  Yesterday, she called to tell me she started reading this series.  And she's hooked!  Another fan for Mr. Carroll!!


----------



## Brenda Carroll

Wow!  I'm thrilled to have new readers.  Thanks, guys.  

@Miss Greenthumb.  Sorry about your mom...    I am certainly honored to have another acolyte... Thanks for making my day.


----------



## vikingwarrior22

as chief bottle washer for my boat...i can say without fear your mom has made a grand choice!


----------



## Brenda Carroll

Ok, finally uploaded The Red Cross of Gold:. Assassin Chronicles Book #19 to the DTP.  It is now in the etheric limbo and should be ready for sale by Thursday or Friday.  I feel like something should be done... a party or a nap or something!  It was very difficult getting this one out as promised, we'll see if it does the trick.  
I'd like to thank all my loyal fans for giving me the encouragement and inspiration to continue on with this seemingly endless project.
I'd like to thank my mom for putting up with me when I was two years old (they tell me I had a potty mouth).    She's a wonderful woman.
I'd like to thank my dad for putting up with my mom for fifty-eight years.   He's a swell dad.
I'd like to thank my friends for all the booze they bring when they visit.  
I'd like to thank my publisher who simply accepts everything I give him/her without question.  
I'd like to thank anyone who took precious time out of their lives that will never be recovered to read this post.


----------



## Brenda Carroll

In book #4 of the Assassin Chronicles, _The Hesperian Dragon_, the _Chevalier du Morte_ faces more problems than ever. The fabled Ark of the Covenant is wreaking havoc at his home by attracting evil specters to it. Another relic is about to be lost. An assassination is in order. His wedding must be postponed yet again. His son suddenly turns into some sort of prophet and he has to go back to America where he encounters an an old enemy in the depths of the underworld. In this scene, John Paul, has just shocked the entire council by prophesying terrible visions. The Council is split apart as some see this development as inspired by God while others are not so sure.
_
John Paul stiffened and stood straight up, looking at the ceiling. His eyes rolled up in his head and the Knight leapt from his seat to catch him as he fell from the table. Mark Andrew stood holding the boy in his arms, looking around the table at the men who stared at him in wonder and disbelief. It was almost as if Mark Andrew stood holding a carbon copy of himself. 
Champlain was the first to stand up.
"The boy is a prophet!" He declared loudly and slapped the table with his fist. "It is sign from the Creator!" 
"But what does it mean?" Armand de Bleu asked quietly from the end of the table.
Sir de Lyons leapt to his feet and pointed one long finger at the boy who hung limply in his father's arms.
"He is no prophet!" He shouted at them wild-eyed. "He is possessed of demons! I have seen it before. He spoke to the four winds and the four elements. It is witchcraft. Sorcery. He spoke to them!"
Ramsay turned away from his Brothers and looked for an outlet, unsure what to do. The Knight of the Apocalypse appeared in front of him and took the boy from him. Champlain turned his attention on de Lyons.
"Hold your tongue, Brother, or lose it!" The Knight of the Golden Key warned as he was advancing on the tall, slender Knight of Swords. "The boy is a gift from God. Have you not the sight? Can you not see the miracle in front of you?"
Sir Barry tried to insert his body between the two French Knights.
"Miracle?" De Lyons asked. "This is what comes of witchcraft and sorcery! How do we know it is not the devil who speaks through the boy?"
"The boy is the bastard son of an unholy union!" De Lyons continued in his furor, frightened visibly by what he had seen and yet spurred on by Montague's support.
"Oh?" Lucio was quick to turn on Montague. "And what do you know of witchcraft and sorcery, Brother? You wouldn't know a witch if she sat in your lap and licked your ear, you stiff-necked Limey!"
"How dare you, Sir!" Montague shouted and shoved the Italian.
The room was in an uproar and d'Brouchart banged his fist on the table, calling for order. Philip was out of his seat, his notebook discarded on the floor as he tried to get hold of Montague. Ramsay spun around and climbed onto the table intending to tackle the Knight of the Sword as he continued to shout, almost hysterical now. "He comes to me in my dreams!" De Lyons sputtered in Barry's face as Champlain tried to reach him around the English Knight. "He speaks of Dragons and golden fountains! Pagan women accompany him! A golden-haired goddess and another with horns on her head. The Devil's minions! The Dragon! Satan! It's blasphemy and damnation!"
_
See the link in my signature. $2.99 at Amazon.


----------



## mamiller

Ya know...ya stick the Ark of the Covenent in your living room, in front of the TV, and put a potted plant on it....and you're asking for trouble.  I'm just saying...


----------



## Brenda Carroll

The latest edition to the Assassin Chronicles series will be out in approximately 15 days! Get your reading glasses cleaned and loaded because you won't believe what is happening to our poor Knight of Death in Book XX of the _Red Cross of Gold: Cross Purposes _. Here is an excerpt from Cross Purposes and a preview of the cover.

_They walked forward more quickly as she continued to call for the Lord of the Seventh Gate and then stopped. 
"Is that him?" Aurora whispered as they gazed upon the yellow and green form suspended between two crystal mounds. It was vaguely shaped like a man, but made entirely of the yellow and green crystal. 
"It would seem so," Semiramis whispered and stepped closer to the odd formation and put away her sword. She ran her hands over the smooth crystal. "What have you done?" She asked the cold stone. Half of the crystal was translucent and half was opaque. They could barely discern the man within the stone.
Semiramis looked about the chamber. Some great and powerful magick had trapped him here and had the distinctive ring of Marduk Kurios.
"I should leave him here!" She said angrily. "If I release him from this, he will only go back to the overworld!"
"But you cannot leave him here." Aurora moved around the frozen figure of her great-grandfather, looking at it in fascination. "He is still alive. This is too cruel a fate, grandmother. Surely he does not deserve such a thing as this."
"You are naïve, my sweet," Semiramis shook her head. "I have waited five thousand years for him to return and always it is the same thing. He is always taken in by beautiful faces. I had thought he would finally find himself in this last misadventure. The company of women is a dangerous thing. Bah!"
"You are angry, Grandmother." Dunya's eyes widened. She had never seen her beautiful grandmother in such a state. "I thought we came here to help him."
"Always, he is in need of help!" The warrior queen snarled and stepped back. "I should destroy him now and be done with it."
"No! Please!" Aurora caught her arm. "Who will keep the Seventh Gate if you do that? Already there is much trouble because of the breech."
"Exactly. He allowed his interests elsewhere to take him from his duty. If he belonged anywhere other than here, it was with me. I told him that he should come to the Hesperides. We could have gone to some other world and left this one to rot. Let Tiamat have her stinking Abyss! The Universe is full of wonders. But he refused. He is too concerned with mortals. He is consumed by his desires of the flesh. He is&#8230; nothing more than&#8230; more than&#8230; a man." Semiramis frowned and then folded her arms across her breastplate, pressing one finger thoughtfully against her chin above the silver chin guard before running her gilded fingernail down her throat. Each of her carefully manicured nails was encased in metallic plates and although the effect was most beautiful, the stunning attachments made her fingernails lethal weapons.
"Men make mistakes, Queen Mother, it's their nature," Dunya implored her. "He is the father of my father. Your son would be devastated if anything were to happen to Adar, the Mighty Hunter."
"Perhaps that is the key." Semiramis pursed her lips and a slow smile spread across her timeless face.
"What?" Aurora fell to one knee before her great-grandmother. "What is the key? Tell us, grandmother!"
"Leave me!!" Semiramis snapped and swirled about and the feathered cloak spread out about her form like angelic wings. "I will release him from this spell!"_


----------



## vikingwarrior22

Great job "old man" you even got ole' Lostoneeyedidyehaussenmire to clean his good glass eye in preparation of this book coming out...and we found some new cinnamon kettle corn to eat on book night! Life is good!!


----------



## Brenda Carroll

vikingwarrior22 said:


> Great job "old man" you even got ole' Lostoneeyedidyehaussenmire to clean his good glass eye in preparation of this book coming out...and we found some new cinnamon kettle corn to eat on book night! Life is good!!


That about sums it all up, Mr. VW... I think. Anyhow tell auld Lostoneeyedidyehaussenmire to shine up his good eye as well cause the book is ready to go and waiting to be pillaged.

Happy Reading Everyone!

[/quote]


----------



## Brenda Carroll

The Red Cross of Gold XX:. Cross Purposes is doing quite well since its debut. Here is another little clipping from the book:

_"Merry." Mark Andrew's voice softened a bit. "Everything changes. You know as well as I do that someday none of us will be back. We have to keep going until we can go no farther. I have brought this on us and I've told you before, it is my fault and therefore, it is my duty to see it through. There is no need for me to endanger anyone else. Especially Armand de Bleu!"
"But why do you say 'especially Armand de Bleu'?" She was crying now and Armand felt very guilty eavesdropping on them, but he wanted to hear the answer as well.
"Because he is almost an elf himself! If he spends any more time down there, we will lose him completely," Mark Andrew told her plaintively. "You don't understand! We can't afford to lose any more of our Knights. I can't seem to hold the Order together as it is. We have two Knights down there now. I repair one thing and something else breaks. I suppose that's what happens when you become an antique."
"You're right," she said. "I don't understand. How could Armand become an elf? That's ridiculous."
"Just nevar moind! I'm nae takin' 'im with me and thot's foinal!"
"Then take someone else. Take Stephano!"
"Too old."
"Take Christopher!"
"Too dangerous."
"Take Zebulon or Izzy or Dan or someone. Take d'Brouchart."
"Don't be silly, lassie. Simon's sons are not negotiable. And I'd have to kill the Grand Master before we got back."_
[/quote]


----------



## vwkitten

Brendan, I think you write faster than I read... LOL.


----------



## Brenda Carroll

I was just going over my Blog at Blogspot http://redcrossofgold.blogspot.com  and discovered this very nice post from Mizty2 that was posted back on my Birthday, so it was like gettting a belated birthday present. I should check my blog comments more often, apparently. I would also like to thank Cliff Ball and Joleen Naylor for commenting on my sample sunday post yesterday. I'm hoping that the sample sunday tweet program takes off and brings everyone a lot of success.

Mitzy2 said:


> _Not sure what "Indie" means,
> lol. But I stumbled onto your Assassin Chronicles at Amazon (Kindle)and enjoyed The Knight of Death Book so much that I ended up purchasing and read all 19 in the Series and still crave more Adventures.
> 
> Great Stories and lots of humor, had me in tears laughing at some of the Characters and Dialogue.
> 
> Keep up the goood work !
> 
> October 6, 2010 3:22 AM _


----------



## Brenda Carroll

Here's an excerpt from The Red Cross of Gold XX:. Cross Purposes, Assassin Chronicles. 
_As soon as the Master was gone. Omar took Luke by the shoulders and set him up in the chair. He shook him slightly and looked into his eyes.
"Snap out of it, Luke!" He said roughly. "I have come here at great peril to see you. If Jozsef Daniel learns what I have done, he will destroy my son and my wife. Do you hear me?! Luke?!" He slapped the astonished Knight across the face. Luke frowned and put one hand against his cheek. "Dammit! He brought my father to me in a jar. And he has Jasmine as well. When they came to visit me, he was waiting for them. He took them both! Are you listening? He wants the skulls, Luke! He knows you know where they are!"
Luke sat blinking at him in confusion. "Jasmine? What&#8230; where is Jasmine? Where&#8230; who? Who was waiting? Did you tell Jozsef?"
"I'm talking about Jozsef for God's sake! I don't know what he is any more, Luke! He is strong. Very, very strong. Even Marduk serves him." Omar got up and went to the bar. He brought back a glass of wine. "Drink this, it will sober you up."
"No!" Luke pushed his hand away, but Omar took him by the hair and forced him to drink the wine. He choked on the stuff and then snapped his head up again. "That was nice. What did you put in there?!"
His vision cleared and his thoughts became clearer as well.
"I haven't lost my touch, Uncle." Omar smiled wickedly at him. "I may not be as pretty as I used to be, but I have not given up and neither can you. I won't allow it."
"You were always such a sensitive fellow," Luke muttered, but smiled at him and wiped his mouth. "Now what were you saying about the skulls? Did you say he brought your father in a jar? Is the Mighty Djinni dead?"
"No. Just captured. He didn't know about Jozsef. He came to the palace and brought Jasmine to check on things&#8230; you know how he just pops in. Jozsef was waiting for him. He knew he was coming."
"How is that possible?"
"I don't know, but I know we have to take the skulls from wherever they are and get you and them somewhere safe!"
"Safe? If he is so powerful, where would we find a safe haven? What about Bari and Ruth?"
"He already has them." Omar shrugged. "He won't let me see Ruth at all. He only lets me see Bari once or twice a week for a few moments. If this is the way it is to be, then I have lost them already. It would not be much worse if they were both dead now. If things go on the way they are going, they will be dead soon enough. We'll all be dead! Do you remember what Jasmine told us about the skulls?"
"Yeah, sort of. Something about them being aligned properly and being alive and all that&#8230; yeah, sure. Fossilized water."
"Well, she was close, but it is not Paradise that they will bring back, my uncle, it is Chaos. _


----------



## vikingwarrior22

If only Luke would listen but wait, doesn't he... well my fellow readers you have to do like me...read own...great series Brendan when the next one coming out...


----------



## Brenda Carroll

The adventures of the Knight of Death continue to unfold in the underworld, the overworld, the Abyss and the otherworld as the age-old war between good and evil rages on Templar style. If things couldn't be bad enough with a curse hanging over his head, his best and closest companion has made yet another horrible mistake and desperately needs his help in a matter of love, but the Djinn factions are at war in the Mountains of the Moon and the Ancient Evil is plotting to overthrow the entire world and bring back Chaos instead of Paradise.

Start reading the Assassin Chronicles for only $2.99 on Kindle from Amazon or read the latest edition or anywhere in between.
The Red Cross of Gold [URL=I:]I:. The Knight of Death[/url]
The Red Cross of Gold [URL=X:]X:. Genesis 6:5[/url]
The Red Cross of Gold [URL=XXI:]XXI:. The Dead Confess No Sins (Assassin Chronicles)[/url]


----------



## vikingwarrior22

Mein Gott man...when will they get to outerspace ...me an the crew think the Crab nebula would be best...


----------



## Brenda Carroll

Funny you should ask, Mr. Warrior. I'm thinking of doing a prequel for the series and show how the Knight of Death arrived in an egg, wearing a jumpsuit made of platinum foil way back in the days of the Sumerians and invented people. What do you think?  He can claim to come from the Crab Nebula and his spaceship can be shaped like a Dungeness Crab.


----------



## mamiller

Hey! I flew in that once!


----------



## vikingwarrior22

me n my crew had some of them once...as a foot note not for lunch...


----------



## Brenda Carroll

Are you sure you rode on THAT spaceship, Miss Maureen?










Plus










Equals

Sir Ramsay's spaceship


----------



## Brenda Carroll

OK, wrong date.  Ooops!  So I'll put something else here.... like some smileys or something....


----------



## Brenda Carroll

Just a small preview from _The Red Cross of Gold XXII:. Holy Blood_ that should be published soon. _Holy Blood_ will be the twenty-second installment of the _Assassin Chronicles_. Mark's sanity, sanctity and solace are once again placed on the back burner as fate throws him another unexpected curve ball.

_"Michael," Merry's voice suddenly took on another tone, one of fear. The boy spun about in alarm. Merry stood behind the sofa, staring at the table in front of the sofa. 
On the table was a small brass picture frame and in the frame was a photograph of Meredith Sinclair. The same photograph that Mark Andrew had carried in his pocket for nine hundred years, but it was not yellowed and tattered. The photograph, however, was not what had caused her sudden fear. There was a complete English silver tea service laid out there. Two cups, sugar, milk in a small silver pitcher, elegant little cakes decorated with tiny roses made of pink sugar and a teapot with steam issuing from the spout. 
Michael approached the table very slowly, his eyes riveted on the scene.
The door behind them opened suddenly, causing them to shriek in unison. Merry ran around the sofa and clutched Michael to her protectively. A tall, slender woman with long dark curls walked into the room and stopped short, frowning at them. Beyond the door where the blue chamber should have been was the foyer of the house in Lothian.
"Who are you?" The woman asked in a soft voice with a heavy Scottish brogue. "Where is Mark Andrew?"
The woman narrowed her eyes and Merry drew a sharp breath. She had Mark Andrew's eyes. She looked like a brunette version of Nicole Ramsay!
"I'm Meredith Sinclair," Merry told her quickly. This was totally bizarre. She squeezed Michael's arm.
"Ahh." The woman looked about the room and her eyes came to rest on the portrait above the fireplace. "Mark's Meredith?" Her face lit up with excitement and she looked at Michael in wonder. "And you must be John Paul!"
"Uh&#8230; no!" Michael stuttered. "I mean&#8230; yes! This is Meredith Sinclair, my mother."_


----------



## mamiller

Brendan Carroll said:


> Just a small preview from _The Red Cross of Gold XXII:. Holy Blood_ that should be published soon. _Holy Blood_ will be the twenty-second installment of the _Assassin Chronicles_. Mark's sanity, sanctity and solace are once again placed on the back burner as fate throws him another unexpected curve ball.


Soon? Real soon...like seconds away? Or a month-soon?


----------



## Brenda Carroll

Well, maybe like a few weeks away type soon.


----------



## Brenda Carroll

A blurb from the Red Cross of Gold XVIII:. The Company of Women. Some of the younger members of the Order are trying to keep Meredith busy while some monkey-business goes on behind her back.

_"This is nonsense, Lavon." She turned and put one hand on her hip. "I have work to do." She glanced at Luke who smiled and shrugged at her good-naturedly. He knew nothing of computers. She knew very little. Had Montague lost his mind?
"But Sir Montague says that we have to leave it here," Lavon resorted to pleading and took her hand. "Jozsef and I and Joey and the others&#8230; well, we've become attached to it. And I know it doesn't look like much but we want to take it back to Scotland with us, don't we Joey?" He turned to look at the technician and she nodded. "We even gave it a name&#8230; old.. old.. Old Smokey? Every time we would just get going on something good&#8230; Poof. Up in smoke." Lavon smiled idiotically at his grandmother, reminding her immensely of John Paul when he had tried to talk her into things that were not quite right. 
"I don't care what you do with your computer, Lavon." Her expression softened at the memory of John Paul. "If you want to keep it, then I'm sure it can be arranged. Your grandfather surely won't mind if you take it home with you. I don't understand what the big deal is anyway."
"Montague says that we will be working with state-of-the-art equipment back in Scotland and that this is junk." Lavon's face cracked up in a mournful frown. "But Old Smokey&#8230;" he said as he patted the top of the ragged CPU. "He hurt Old Smokey's feelings terribly. He says that space is at a premium. He doesn't want to ship it."
"Then put it in your personal belongings, for Pete's sake," Meredith told him and looked again at Luke for support, but the Knight of the Orient was picking at a tangled mess of wires on one of the tables. "What do you think, Luke?"
"I think thot wotaver ye say is foine with me," he replied. "I think thot I've not 'ad me breakfast and Merry's probably furious with me by now. I think thot this storm is going t' soak me when I go outsoide and&#8230;"
"All right!" Meredith held up her hand. "Look, Lavon, just put it in your trunk and take it to Scotland."
"That's a grand idea." Lavon's face lit up and then fell as she turned toward the door. "No, wait, Grandmother. There's the matter of the monitor."
"What?" Meredith turned around.
"The monitor," he nodded toward an old monitor that had many loose wires sticking out the back. There were all sorts of smudges on its plastic case and the once-simple controls at its base were connected to a control board that would have made an electronic wizard wince with horror. "Her name is&#8230; Winky."
"Winky?" Meredith frowned. "Let me guess&#8230; every time you got a good picture, she winked out, right?"
"Exactly," Lavon nodded. "I used to think she was just flirting with me, but&#8230;"
"I don't think you need to keep Winky," Meredith told him. "She's a bit old and decrepit if you ask me." She stepped forward and fiddled with the toggles and buttons on the board. A great flash of light erupted in the room and she shrieked.
Lavon laughed. "If you don't know what it is, don't touch it, Grandmother. That's our motto. Right, Joey?"
Again, Joey nodded her agreement. She thought Lavon had lost his mind entirely.
"Now, look, Grandmother." Lavon began to work the controls. "Let me show you how smart Winky really is, if you treat her right. She just doesn't like it when you touch her like that. Come over here, Uncle Luke. You'll like this. Besides, you might as well wait until the storm dies down. Aunt Merry is already mad at you by now. You may as well go home dry. No need to be wet and hungry."
Luke edged forward and peered at the horizontal lines on the monitor screen with both confusion and expectation written on his face.
_


----------



## Brenda Carroll

Sometimes it pays to remember the old warning: If you don't know what it is, don't touch it! In Book 20, Cross Purposes, the Assassin Chronicles has a number of lessons painfully learned. If you haven't started the series, look for The Knight of Death, Book I at Amazon:

_"What happened?!" Luke shouted and looked up at the top of the fountain. 
The sky seemed to be growing darker, but the sun had not moved.
"There was something up there!" Anna told him, but did not look up.
"Something is wrong here!" Barry warned them as the light grew steadily dimmer. "What did you do, Anna?"
"I knocked it off," she said and bent over her husband as Selwig checked him for hidden injuries.
A strange rumbling noise filled the air and Luke turned about slowly while his heart sank to his feet and a cold fear inexplicably filled the hollow his heart had left in his chest.
"What's happening?!" Merry shouted at him and grabbed his arm. "What is it?!"
"I don't know!" Luke yelled back at her and began to walk backwards while looking up at the fountain.
Barry joined him as they tried to see the water above them in the growing gloom.
"It's coming down!" Barry shouted suddenly and pointed in terror. Only five of the seven layers were still intact.
"Holy Mary!" Luke cried and looked at his companion in terror. "It's collapsing!"
They stumbled backwards into the meadow away from the base of the fountain. Within seconds, they could all see the horrible thing that was occurring much too close for comfort. There was only three tiers left standing out of seven. The fountain was falling in on itself and stars were appearing in the darkening sky around the shrinking white orb of the sun.
The two Knights broke into a run at once. They grabbed up the unconscious apprentice between them and shouted for everyone to run. Anna hurried along after her husband, leaning heavily on the sturdy Tuathan healer. The small group was soon running as fast as they could manage, back across the meadow under the starlight as the rumbling noise increased behind them._


----------



## mamiller

That scene makes the word "oops" seem awfully inadequate.


----------



## Brenda Carroll

In Book 20 of the Assassin Chronicles, Meredith and Mark's unruly, unfathomable twins are still at odds with their parents, but Luke Andrew at least is having a bit of remorse about his relationship with his mother. At least one of them is ready to make amends:

_"I brought you something," he said and held out the flowers for her.
"Oh," she said and her eyes perked up at the sight of the yellow roses. In the center of the bouquet was a little stem with a plastic Texas in red, white and blue. "Oh!" She said again and stood up to take them from him. "How cute! Texas. The yellow rose of Texas."
Luke watched as his mother crossed the library and took down a heavy crystal vase from the cabinet where his father kept his best Scotch. She poured water in the vase from a decanter on the bar and put the flowers in it.
"Did you ever go to Texas, Luke?" 
"No, I never made that far west, I'm afraid."
"You would love Texas.
"I've watched your Cowboys a couple of times," he said. "Mother&#8230;"
"Yes?" She stopped arranging the flowers and looked up at him.
"Mother, I want to apologize for being a disappointment to you."
"Why?"
"Because&#8230; because&#8230;" he stammered. Her question was unexpected.
"You don't have to apologize, Luke," she said and returned her attention to the flowers. "Did you know that the Texas Tech Red Raiders were undefeated last year?"
"Mother, please," Luke's voice dropped to a whisper. "I do have to apologize. I need your forgiveness."
"Children do things, Luke," she said and shrugged.
"And husbands do things," he added. "I don't want to be like my father. I don't want to leave things&#8230; unsaid&#8230; unfinished."
"Oh, well, then you're forgiven."
Luke suddenly crossed the room and went down on one knee beside her. He grabbed her hand and kissed the back of it, pressing it against his cheek as tears poured from his eyes. Meredith sank to the floor in front of him and wrapped her arms around him, pressing his face against her shoulder. He cried openly for several seconds as she cooed to him as if he were only two years old, telling him that everything would be alright.
"How absolutely charming!" Nicole's voice cut through the tender scene, causing them to both look up.
Luke's twin sister stood in the open door, leaning against the door jamb, smiling crookedly at them. 
"How touching."
Luke stood up quickly, wiping his eyes and helping his mother to her feet.
"Nicole," Meredith said her name.
"No, Mother, don't," Luke said hoarsely and walked toward his sister. "I got this."
Nicole straightened suddenly and then bolted from the door with Luke on her heels.
Meredith pressed one hand against her heart and then went back to her chair where she curled up with Mark Andrew's journal again. She heard a door slam somewhere upstairs.
She would never understand Mark Andrew's children. Never._


----------



## Brenda Carroll

Mark Andrew has come a long, long way from Book 1 when things were much simpler for him as a simple alchemist and assassin. In Book 21 of the _Assassin Chronicles_: _Cross Purposes,_ it seems that everything that could go wrong has gone wrong. In this particular snippet, a motley crew has become stranded in a strange, magickal realm that seems to be neither here nor there:

_"Are you quite well, Brother?" Barry asked him.
"Funny you should ask." Luke managed a sickly smile and looked away from him. "I have a headache."
"Perhaps the healer could help you," Barry suggested and glanced back at Selwig. The Tuathan and the two women were inspecting the apples under the nearest trees.
"I think not. Tell me what you have been thinking, Barry." Luke Matthew tried to focus on the Knight's face.
Jozsef wandered away under the trees, still looking for signs of another stream where they might drink again.
"I read the transcripts once of the Grand Master's twenty-one year stay in the underworld. He said that there was a great wasteland, blasted as if by the devil. Pocked with smoking craters and cracked and dry like the far side of the moon." Barry waved one hand toward the blackened enigma to their immediate right beyond the tree line. "I spent five years with him in the underworld and never did I see such a place as this and we rode far and wide in search of the dragon. When Armand and Guy and I did find signs of her passing, it looked very much like this, though not so vast. Mark Andrew called the place he lived as the dragon the Hesperides. Perhaps we are in the Hesperides! Perhaps this is where he became the Hesperian Dragon and fought with the green and black dragon."
"I've read of the Hesperides," Merry said as she joined them and sat down in front of Luke, taking his hands in hers. "According to mythology, the Hesperides was not a place, but three nymphs who cared for the Golden Apples Hera gave to Zeus at&#8230; their&#8230; wedding&#8230;" She frowned and looked about at the golden apples lying on the ground.
"Exactly!" Luke Matthew nodded. "I've read the Labors of Hercules. He was supposed to bring back the Golden Apples to someone or another. But here we have a great deal more than three apples." He picked up one of the apples and threw it out onto the blackened earth beyond the trees. Merry noticed that he no longer spoke with his Scottish brogue since emerging into this place. His language seemed stiff and formal, almost archaic or more like Mark Andrew when he was not upset.
A bright yellow flash followed by a small explosion startled them when the golden apple that Luke had flung into the wasteland exploded, leaving nothing behind but a shower of glittering dust.
"Saints preserve us!" Barry muttered as his eyes widened.
"Well, at least we know we won't be going that way," Rachel said and squinted at the spot where the apple had blown a small pock mark in the rock.
"As I was saying," Barry continued as he fanned himself with his hands. The temperature did not seem extremely hot, but rather stuffy and stale. "If this is Mark Andrew's Hesperides, then there should be a fountain somewhere with golden water and seven fountain heads. And there we may find someone who can help us."
Luke looked up at the sun. It had not moved. It was not his imagination. It was standing still. Here was the end of day and the end of night. Day existed side by side with night. There was no morning and no evening. The sky simply changed from blue to black quite abruptly when the sun's glow dimmed until the stars could be seen beyond it in the vast expanse of space. The sun, or whatever the light source actually was, remained in the sky giving off a bright glow akin to a full moon. Barry and Luke had agreed that the place was not a natural formation at all, but some sort of magickal place. The source of the magick was in question. They had seen no animals larger than the few birds in the trees and even those were hard to identify. They could have been wrens or sparrows, but they may have been something else altogether.
"Then you believe that we should strike out through the trees?" Luke Matthew asked as he glanced over his shoulder. "We will have trouble keeping our bearings. The sun does not move and as soon as we leave the borderland, one tree will look very much like another. How will we navigate?"
Barry rose up and stuck his hand in his pocket under the chain mail with some difficulty. He pulled out a small silver disc and held it up, smiling broadly.
"A compass?" Merry's eyes lit up.
"I never leave home without it," he told them as he pushed himself up and flipped open the lid on the shiny round box. It was of very old style and seemed to be made of silver like an expensively engraved, antique pocket watch. He turned about slowly and looked directly out toward the blackened wasteland. "I'm going to call that direction&#8230; due north. I vote we go due south."
"Sounds good to me," Luke agreed and allowed Merry to pull him up. They started off under the trees with Barry taking the lead. Merry fell in beside Selwig and Rachel walked with her arm linked through Luke's arm in front of them while he told her some story of a long ago battle. His voice was a comfort to all of them in the stillness of this place. Rachel had been showing signs of breaking down and Luke and Barry had begun to regale her with stories of her father's escapades to keep her mind off their plight.
"What is this north and south?" Selwig asked as he dug about in his yellow bag and produced a piece of dried twig. He stuck the twig between his teeth and began to chew it thoughtfully. 
Merry narrowed her eyes at the healer. He seemed to have calmed down quite a bit since they had left the wasteland behind.
"You do know that the earth is round like a ball, don't you, Selwig?" She asked him suspiciously.
Selwig laughed. "Round like a ball? That's preposterous! We would fall off of it! It is shaped like a cup. The edges of the land hold up the sky. Everyone knows that. And in the center is the Dagda. We have simply come to the edge of the world. Beyond the black are the mountains. They are just too far away to see in the dark."
_


----------



## Brenda Carroll

Lucio finds himself in yet another pickle with another woman. This one seems to know a lot about herbal medicine and she also appears to have been injured somehow. The question is how did he end up at the cottage with her and who is she. Cross Purposes is the 20th book in the Assassin Chronicles. Templar Fiction. $2.99 at amazon. Available at Smashwords as well. Intended for mature audiences.

_He sat on the bed behind the shivering woman. She reached one hand behind her and clutched his arm.
"Tea!" She said through gritted teeth.
"I don't have any tea, bambina," he said and squeezed her hand. "I have some wine."
"No! The cabinet. Make tea." She squeezed his arm with surprising strength.
Lucio got up and squinted in the dim light through the wavy glass in the cabinet doors. It was full of jars and crockery bowls and bottles.
"What kind of tea?" He asked, frowning at the profusion of herbs.
"Cardamon&#8230; burdock&#8230; cat's claw&#8230; cinnamon." Came the raspy answer.
Lucio opened the cabinet and began to take out the jars of dried barks, powders, crystals, rocks, granules, seeds. She was going to use the old ways. A healing tea. He knew that Nicole had been practicing witchcraft for years.
"I don't know what these are," he said in frustration. Labels! Didn't anyone use labels other than him?
"Bring them."
Lucio began to bring the various containers to the bed, holding each one under her nose while she clumsily felt them, smelled them or tasted them. After several minutes, she had picked out four separate containers. The Italian stuffed the remainder back on the shelves.
He carried the selected items to the great kettle on the spit over the fire and poured some water from a copper pitcher on the hearth. He had no idea what percentage of each of the ingredients to use.
"Santa Maria!" He put a couple of pinches of this and a pinch or two of that in the pot with the water and then went back to the bedroom. She was calling him again. Her voice was very shaky and weak.
"Compress," she rasped hoarsely. "Primrose oil&#8230; oats&#8230; chamomile&#8230; witch hazel."
He started the process over with the mysterious bowls and jars and soon had the ingredients for the compress.
He mixed the oil with the dried herbs and tore a piece of the cloth from the breadbasket to make a small compress. Nicole turned over very slowly in the darkness and reached for the cloth.
"Won't you let me take a look, la dolce mia?" He asked carefully.
"No!" She snapped and took the compress from him, pressing it under her blouse against the wound. The movement and the application of the healing pack caused terrible suffering. Her breath quickened and she gritted her teeth against crying out.
_


----------



## Brenda Carroll

Here we have another Knight with problems. Lydia has fallen in love with him, yet he seems to have cold feet and is unable to get over his love for Meredith even though years have passed. Cross Purposes is the 20th novel in the Assassin Chronicles. $2.99 at Amazon.com and available at Smashwords. Templar Fiction.

_"Simon!" Lydia caught the priest's arm and stopped him in his tracks. "Why won't you listen to me?! Why are you doing this? You said you loved me! Did you lie to me? You? Simon of Grenoble? Did you lie to me simply because you thought it was what I wanted to hear?"
"No!" He said simply and tried to keep walking. She held on to his arm.
"No, what? No, you didn't lie or no, you don't love me?" She persisted. "I need to know! I don't want everyone thinking I'm a fool and feeling sorry for me!"
"Lydia," Simon shook his head. "No one thinks you are a fool. No, perhaps they might if they think you are in love with me." He slapped his pocket and, to her surprise, brought out a packet of very expensive cigarettes. They were virtually impossible to come by and strictly illegal. He lit one up and took a deep draw off of it. He blew the smoke out above her head and then eyed her closely. "You are the most wonderful person I know and I would beg your forgiveness a thousand times if it would make any difference."
"Then you don't love me?" She pouted and tears threatened in her dark eyes.
"I do love you. That's the problem." He looked away from her. "It is a hopeless thing, Lydia. First Rachel and then Joey? What am I supposed to do? Go about destroying lives because I can't stick to my vows?"
"What vows? You are not really a priest! You haven't been a priest in a long, long time. I mean you are no more of a priest than any of the other Brothers in the Order. Any of them could conduct the services. Andy is a priest! He wears the collar, not you!"
"I am a priest at heart," he told her and turned toward the house again. "I have always been a priest. I have also been a rabbi. And still yet, I have been many other things as well and none of them have been very good."
"That's preposterous," Lydia objected as she walked along beside him. "You are just confused. Sister Meredith said&#8230;"
"Sister Meredith&#8230;" he sighed. "Sister Meredith is another problem, Lydia. I will tell you right now&#8230;" He stopped to take her by the shoulders. "Sister Meredith was my first love. And even through Rachel and Joey and now you, I still love her. I will always love her. Can you accept that?"
"That is a very cruel thing to say, Simon," Lydia's voice dropped, along with her eyes. "You mean that you would still have her if it were possible?"
"I would," he said and started for the house again.
"But you said you love me!" She followed him again. She was hopelessly in love with him and this was entirely different from the strange attraction she had felt for Carlisle Corrigan.
"And I do. And I did. And I&#8230; am sorry for it," he nodded. "I just don't want to make any more mistakes. I am ashamed of what I did."
This was not the right thing to say. Lydia did not understand what he meant at all. She burst into tears and ran toward the house, leaving him all alone on the meadow._


----------



## vikingwarrior22

Simon can handleup on her!


----------



## Brenda Carroll

What is this? Lucio is in the underworld with Nicole Ramsay... or is it someone else? You'll never find out if you don't start the series and read the Assassin Chronicles. This excerpt is from Book 20, Cross Purposes.

"Lucio." She looked up at him and he smiled again, forgetting about the terrible gash on his face. "The sun will not come up."
"Of course it will. I don't want you to worry your head over these little problems."
"No! Listen to me! Something has happened. I can feel it. I remember&#8230; something."
"You had many bad dreams, la cara mia. I hope I didn't hurt you."
"Hurt me?" Her frown deepened.
"I had to hold you on the bed. You wanted to go&#8230; somewhere. I didn't understand most of it. We are very close to home here. As soon as you are able to ride, I'll call for one of the horses."
He sat down beside her. 
"Drink up. I don't know if we will get anything else." 
They both froze as an eerie screeching noise drifted into the cottage. It sounded very far away. 
"I know that sound," she whispered.
"It could be anything," he said though it sounded very familiar to him as well. It sounded like the ugly black thing that they had fought on the plain in front of Mark Ramsay's castle on the sea cliff.
"Take a look&#8230; please." 
Lucio went back to the porch and stood looking out into the meadow. He could see blue lights far out into the darkness. They were weaving and bobbing as if being carried rapidly by runners or possibly by mounted elves or some other creatures. There was the sound again, more pronounced. He had no doubt what was going on here. The elves were battling one of the scorpion-like creatures. He could hear the faint shouts now and more screeching. He wondered if the elves knew that he and Nicole were at the cottage. Someone must have known or else why would there have been food and drink and lighted candles waiting for them? 
Back in the bedroom, he sat next to Andrea as she tried to eat a bit more of the bread.
"There are elves out there. I saw their lights," he told her, but neglected to mention his suspicions. "Perhaps they will come and see us."
"Perhaps." Andrea sighed and leaned against the headboard, unable to finish the small piece of bread. She raised the cup of milk to her lips with shaking hands. "You slept with me here?" She asked, shocking him with the question.
"You were very ill," he told her.
"You are in love with me?"
"Don't be silly." He shook his head.
"Did you look at the wound?"
"No. You wouldn't let me. Look, Nicole, I would never take advantage of you. Not under any circumstances. If you think&#8230;"
"No. I don't think. I don't like to think. I never liked to think. I feel much better now." She handed him the empty cup. "Is there no better light?"
"None. Only the fire and the candles," he told her. "We won't be doing much reading while we are here." He tried to make 'light' of their situation. 
She smiled and reached for his face again. "That must be very painful. I am sorry that your looks were ruined again. Did you try the compress on it?"
"Si`. It helped immensely. That is a good recipe. I'm going to have to write it down when we get back." He reached up to take her hand. "You think my looks are ruined? I think it only adds character. Besides, I have been told many times that the ladies like it. In fact, I have been told so by some ladies. Now are you going to let me look at that wound or not? I need to see it. If there is infection, we will need to leave whether you feel up to it or not. We could die here. I don't think your herbal remedies are good enough to fight off such a thing. Puncture wounds are very serious."
They locked eyes and he felt his heart flutter like a young boy. It was too much. Women had been nothing but trouble for him. He could not allow this. He had been so proud of himself for resisting her charms before. The company of women is a dangerous thing. The company of women is a dangerous thing.
"No," she said.
"No?" He raised both eyebrows. "No, what?"
"No, you can't see it," she told him.
He pressed her hand to his lips.
"No?" He leaned toward her. "Are you telling me no?"
"Yes, I am telling you no," she nodded and then grimaced. "It is fine."
"Fine? You are dying here and you tell me it is fine?" He leaned closer to her. "How can you tell me no, bambina?"
"Easy. Like this. No!" She smiled and shook her head, looking at him from under her brows.
"I could look, if I want to." He drew back from her. "Are you sure you want to do this the hard way?"
"Don't do it, Lucio!" She warned him. "I'll have to hurt you."
"I don't think I have to worry about that." He shook his head.
"I've hurt you before. I'll do it again!" She warned him, but her voice betrayed the lack of strength and conviction to back up her threat.
"I don't think so." He took hold of her blouse. "Now you can help with this or not. It would be easier if you do it."
"No." She grabbed his hands and pulled him forward, causing herself a great deal of pain as the bed jolted under the sudden movement.
"All right then, Miss Stubborn Head! You are just like your mother. Thick headed. Like a goat." He got up onto the bed and sat astride her legs. "I'm going to look and that's final. It's only your stomach. Santa Maria! I'm not going to ravish you. In fact! I don't even want to be near you. Your papa will shoot me&#8230; no, he will boil me in oil and then shoot me. Especially if I let something happen to you." He pushed her feeble protests away and held both of her hands in his left hand while he unbuttoned her blouse. 
She kicked at him, then groaned and kicked at him again. 
"Stop it! Get off me!" She tried to shout, but he was right. She could not hurt him. She could barely move. He managed to get the blouse unbuttoned in spite her best efforts to stop him.
"Oll roight! Let me do it, fur God's sake!" She snapped and her Scottish brogue slipped.
He settled back on her legs and released her hands. She wore a lace camisole under the blouse. It was also stained with blood on the left side.
She pulled up the camisole slightly, just barely enough for him to see the deep red wound.
He leaned to take a close look at it in the dim light and then pressed gently about the edge of it with his fingers. She choked at the pain this caused.
"Does that hurt?" He asked her.
"Air ye a doctor?" She gasped. "Or just a complete idiot? O' carse it hurts."
"Now you sound just like your father. You act like your mother and sound like your father. A terrible combination!" He laughed and pulled down the torn undergarment. "Now see, that was not so bad. You could have saved yourself a lot of trouble. It looks all right. I don't see any signs of infection. And it has healed over quite nicely, which would lend a bit of credence to my fear that this night is not natural. We have been here at least three days."


----------



## Brenda Carroll

In Cross Purposes, Book 20 of the Assassin Chronicles, things have gone very, very wrong for almost everyone. Omar is trying to contact the Knight of Death, who is supposedly in the 7th Gate, but even the magick is going wrong and nothing is right side up. Here is a small excerpt from the book:

_"What did you see?" Luke Andrew asked Omar as soon as he came out of the trance.
"I saw nothing definite," he said. "I spoke to someone. I think it was Grandfather. But I can't be sure. I saw the castle in the underworld."
"But you don't know?"
Omar squeezed his eyes closed and pressed his fingers to the bridge of his nose. 
"No. I don't think it was Grandfather," he said. "It was&#8230; a woman. I heard a woman's voice. She knew me! She called your name and my name. Wait!" He held up one hand. "It was your mother!"
"No!" Luke's eyes widened and he spun about to look at the Grand Master. "Is it possible?"
"Anything is possible, my son," d'Brouchart shrugged his great shoulders. 
They stood in the middle of a white chalk circle, drawn on the frozen ground under a great yew tree. The snow had been raked back to expose the hard earth and there were many mystical symbols within the double rings and in the center of the circle. Omar's sword was stuck in the ground. He had tried to summon the watcher of the Seventh Gate, but something had gone wrong. Instead of the watcher coming to them as he had before, Omar felt himself being drawn into the crystalline structures of the Seventh Gate. He saw the yellow and green chamber and a great gaping hole in the wall. Beyond the hole he had seen stars and galaxies and great swirling masses of celestial gas in colors indescribable, but then d'Brouchart had snatched him back and they had opted for simple scrying. 
The castle he saw in the scrying dish was obscured in deep darkness beneath a moonless sky and there were huge snowdrifts on the plain in front of the keep. The woman was blurry, wavering in and out of focus.  At first he had seen only a pair of striking blue eyes and thought he had been looking at his grandfather, but then he had seen a misty vapor rising in front of the eyes and long, wet hair. He almost lost the vision when he thought he saw his former wife, Nicole Ramsay, but Luke caught him and the vision resumed.
He knew that Meredith had fallen from or been thrown from the belltower during a rare winter thunderstorm. She would have been wet. He had summoned a spirit instead of his grandfather. He shuddered at the thought. He did not like necromancy and had no stomach for communicating with the dead.
"She told me nothing," he said with finality. "I cannot reach my grandfather. There is a breech in the Seventh Gate. It may be why the underworld is so dark and cold. If the ancient evils are pouring from beyond the Seventh Gate, we may already be too late."
"Luke Matthew said that his brother and Jozsef Daniel repaired the breech," Edgard reminded him. "Perhaps you were seeing into the past."
"It could be a new one! It could be that my grandfather has been destroyed." Omar sank to his knees and began to cry.
"Omar!" Luke said and bent to pull him back to his feet. "Let's go over to the chapel and you can pray there. Get yourself centered as Jasmine used to say."
Omar frowned and looked up at his uncle. Luke had never been much on religion or prayer.
"I would like that, Uncle. It would be a comfort to me," Omar sniffed and spoke in a low voice. He waited while the Grand Master released and grounded the magickal circle.
Two figures bundled in long gray cloaks drew back behind the trunk of the great old oak tree where they had carefully concealed themselves and pressed their backs to the rough bark as the Grand Master released to the south cardinal point, saluting and thanking the forces of fire.
"They are going to the chapel!" Galen whispered breathlessly, his teeth chattering. 
"Yes," Michael nodded. "It's awful cold out here, Sir Galen."
"Yes, it is, Sir Michael." Galen stifled a giggle as his breath hung in a fog in front of his face. "I don't see how your ancestors survived in these temperatures without thermal underwear beneath their kilts. I'm freezing my ass off."
"You must learn to suffer properly," Michael whispered and reached down to flip up Galen's kilt to the stiff, cold breeze.
"Stop it!" Galen said through gritted teeth as he pushed the tartan down quickly, covering his bare legs. "I think we may have the summer versions. We will have to speak to Sir Luke about it."
"Yes, definitely." Michael shivered and clutched his cloak about him more tightly. "Look! There they go. Come on and keep low."
_


----------



## vikingwarrior22

the books get better n better Mr. Carroll


----------



## Brenda Carroll

Here is a short sample of Book 20 of the Assassin Chronicles series. Book 20, entitled "Cross Purposes" continues the adventures of the Order of the Red Cross of Gold, a group of modern-day Templar Knights and ancient warriors bent on staying the course toward Amageddon where they plan to play a part in the last Great War. If you haven't started the series, best begin at the beginning see for yourself what has brought them here.

"Down!!" Luke Matthew's voice dominated the howling in the cavern momentarily and the two fighters crouched immediately in front of him.
A great swirling, yellow light shot out over their heads and they wrapped their arms over their hair fearing fire, but this was not fire. It was light! Tremendous! Blinding! 
The Boggans screamed in unison as the light seared their eyeballs, blinding them. They began to turn and run and trample each other in their panicked flight to escape this new and unexpected menace. In their haste and terror, they beat and hacked and skewered each other, adding to the deafening din in the great cavern. Even the seven people cowering in the alcove screamed with the Boggans. The light grew and filled the entire subterranean chamber from top to bottom and wall to wall. Barry watched from the barest slits between his fingers as the swirling yellow spread, twisted, coalesced and spread again over the howling mass of hairy, black bodies. After several minutes that seemed like hours, the screams died with the Boggans as they either escaped into the cracks and crevices from whence they had come or lay dead on the rocky floor. The Knight of the Baldric was appalled at the sheer number of beasts exposed by the coruscating light which revealed the extent of the peril into which they had stumbled. As the howling and groaning and moaning subsided, they could actually hear the light swishing back and forth like the sound of a flooding river and the floor seemed to vibrate under the force.
"Don't look at it!!" Luke's voice cut through the noise and Barry squeezed his eyes shut. "Stay down and be quiet!!" Barry scuttled backwards, bumping into Jozsef in his haste and was startled as the apprentice shoved him viciously. He regained his footing and then the three of them turned together and tried to huddle about the healer and the two women over the body of Anna.
When the light subsided somewhat, Luke Matthew stood up slowly and stepped over the nearest bodies, shielding his eyes with his free hand.
The yellow light coalesced once more into a small sphere of brilliant beauty and then elongated slightly before assuming the shape of a man. The light faded abruptly and only the barest glow, like that of a single candle shone about the figure.
"Bombarik!" Luke shouted the name and the figure fell on one knee, bowing its head before the Knight.
"Master!" The Djinni answered him in a deep, resonant voice.
"You have done well," Luke told him and his voice wavered slightly. "You have earned our gratitude."
"Master." The Djinni raised his head and looked at him from deep, glittering eyes. "It is not gratitude that I would seek for my services."
"What would you have of us?" Luke asked him.
"I would have my freedom."
"One small battle won does not freedom ensure," Luke told him more forcefully, trying to muster all his faculties and wits. Dealing with a Djinni was risky under even the best of circumstances. The last thing he could afford to do was show signs of weariness.
"Two battles then? Three? What is the price of freedom, Master?" The Djinni smiled at him above his long beard. His sing-song voice reminded Luke of Lemarik. He also moved his head in the same bird-like manner as the son of Mark Andrew. Luke wondered briefly if this might be another of his brother's progeny.
"I will decide what price you must pay. You were not kind to me, Bombarik."
"I was not your slave at the time, Master. And I must tell you, I was quite impressed with your valor and courage. You fought well and long against the Queen. Had it not been so very dangerous, I would have applauded you even then. If I had but known you would vanquish her, I would have joined you from the beginning!" The Djinni held out both hands in supplication. "I was merely doing the bidding of my former mistress. You cannot hold that against me now. Look what I have done for you! I have vanquished your enemy! I have served you well. You said as much yourself."
"But I need more from you," Luke insisted.
"What is your wish, Master?" The Djinni stepped a bit closer and Luke Matthew stood his ground. It would not do at all to show the fear he felt in his heart. This was not a Djinni of the Marid tribe. Not related to Lemarik or Mark Andrew. Luke's mystery told him that much. This one wore the turban of the Ifrit. A much more volatile and treacherous tribe than that of Adalune Kadif. They were able to change into serpents or scorpions without warning. They could fly and they had an affinity for playing with fire. Much like Luke was now doing. He also knew that the Marid, such as Lemarik, and the Ifrit, such as this one, were old and bitter enemies. Fortunately, not many were around in this day and age. This one wore the full armor of a soldier ready for battle. An ancient battle. Leather and copper and semi-precious stones of yellow and green covered his arms, legs and body. An intricately wrapped yellow turban set with a green stone and a black feather covered his hair.
"We need light. Our companion is injured. We would leave this place."
"This is a dark and treacherous place, Master." The Djinni looked about the cavern. "I can smell the presence of the dark ones here. I can provide light as you have seen and camels!! What more could you ask, Master?"
"Camels?" Luke pondered this.
"Ohhh, yes! Great and wonderful beasts, but very temperamental creatures. How many would you wish?"
"Enough to carry seven, one unconscious," Luke told him and folded his arms doubtfully. He knew that the Djinni could not create anything. He wondered how this creature would provide camels in this Godforsaken hell hole.
"One moment." The Djinni began to spin and again the yellow light increased. Luke covered his face as bits of sand and rock swirled into the air. The Djinni had become a sort of tornadic spout of light in the center of the cavern. The whirlwind was sucking up the bodies of the dead Boggans along with loose rocks.


----------



## Brenda Carroll

Here's a little bit of the Red Cross of Gold XX:. Cross Purposes. Amazon.com $3.99 as well as Smashwords and available in paperback.
Be sure to start at Book I:. the Knight of Death.

"Ho, the cottage!" A familiar voice called to him from the snow-filled air.
"Armand?!"
He threw open the door as the Knight of the Throne tramped up the steps, shaking the snow from his golden hair. De Bleu wore a fox fur mantle, soft leather boots and a green tunic much like the elves wore. On his back was a long bow and a quiver of arrows. His sword was strapped at his hip. He pulled off a pair of doeskin gloves and slapped them together.
Lucio grabbed the Knight and pulled him inside.
"Santa Maria! Thank God you have found us!" He said as he hugged the Knight tightly. He grabbed him on either side of his head and kissed both cheeks. "What is going on here?! Why is it so cold and dark? Where are the others? What happened to Meredith and Simon?"
"I'm afraid I wouldn't know the answers to your questions, Brother," Armand said cautiously and Lucio's expression changed as he noticed Armand's pointed ears.
"Armand?" Lucio backed away from him. "Che cosa e` esso?"
"I am trapped here, Brother." Armand shook off his mantle and hung it on a peg by the door before taking up a stance in front of the fire, warming himself. "I fell into a faery ring and now I am a faery!" Armand's face clouded over. "I have been here a long time, Brother. I know nothing of Meredith or Simon or what happened after I left. I only know that there is no sun and no moon here and the creatures of darkness just keep coming and coming. We kill them and kill them. But they just keep coming." Tears ran down his face and Lucio hugged him again.
"Lucio!" Nicole's voice drifted from the bedroom. "Who is that?"
"Who is that?" Armand echoed her question in a whisper and his eyes widened in surprise.
"Nicole," Lucio told him in a low voice and put his finger to his lips. "She was injured. Very badly. Shhhh. A goblin's dagger! We fell down a well."
"What? Sainte mere`!" Armand's mouth fell open. "Then you are stranded here, too. And I thought we might help each other get back."
"Shhh." Lucio put his finger against the French Knight's lips. "Let me talk to her first."
Armand shook his head sadly. Nicole. Of all the luck. The King's Royal Sister. And Lucio Dambretti, the most reckless of all the Knights and the one that the little King considered his human 'father'. Wouldn't he be happy to see them? Armand collapsed on the bench by the table and picked up the half empty mead bottle, looking at it forlornly. Soon all the bottles in the underworld would be empty and there would be no more bread or butter or cheese. They would all starve, but they would not die unless the monsters of the black hoard killed them. And he would never be able to explain anything to Il Dolce Mio about his impetuous Italian foster parent or his wildly erratic half sister.
"Nicole?" Lucio sat on the side of the bed as she pushed herself up and clutched the quilt to her neck. "Armand is here."
"Armand de Bleu?" Her eyes widened. "How did he find us?"
"He is trapped here." Lucio leaned closer to her. "He has pointed ears, Nicole. He says he is an elf now. Either I am losing my mind or he has lost his. I am not sure which. Perhaps we are not really here and this is just a dream."
"So he finally came back!" Her eyes snapped. "I knew he would do it. I told them not to let him come back here!"
"You did?" Lucio frowned.
"Never mind! Where are my clothes?" She asked and looked about in panic. Lucio got up to find her clothes for her. When he handed them to her, she grabbed his arm and pulled him close. "Remember what you promised to me, Lucio Dambretti!"
"I remember," he told her in consternation and then kissed her, before laughing lightly.
"You belong to me!" She told him fiercely and hugged his neck. "Remember that! I'm going to&#8230; I'll be&#8230; There will come a time when&#8230; " she started, stopped, started and stopped.
"Of course, la dolce mia!" He said. "Don't worry. I am yours as long as you need me."
"Good," she said in a tone that made him shiver slightly in the cold. "Now. Tell him that I am too ill to come out. Find out where he is staying and what he is doing here. Ask him about the dragon and the Shugoshim. Find out if he knows how long this darkness has been in force. Ask him&#8230;"
"Hold, please, hold! The what? Ask about the shoeshine&#8230; shoe go&#8230; what?" Lucio frowned and then put his hand on the scar on his face. That hurt.
"The Shugoshim. The army of Nergal. The black creatures!"
"Oh those guys. He said that they had been killing them. He said there is no sun and no moon," Lucio whispered to her. "I am very worried about this. He says he is trapped here. He says that we are trapped here as well."
"We will see," she said and then kissed him again, reluctant to let go of his arm. "Now go and talk to him."
Lucio nodded and went back to the other room.
Andrea dressed quickly while Lucio and Armand talked. At least, as quickly as the slowly healing wound would allow. The room was quite chilly as she sat thinking about what might cause the moon and the sun to disappear from the underworld and wondered if the same thing had happened in the overworld. As above, so below. It could be something that Omar had done. He was still bent on saving the world from itself. A worthy goal, but hardly attainable. The Prophet would never learn. They had to get out of this place and on to someplace more defensible. If those horrid black beasts were roaming the underworld, the cottage was not a good place to be caught. She closed her eyes and pressed her palms together tightly. A great cavern full of silvery light came into view. She seemed to be looking down from a great height and there was a rhythmic sound. A sort of rumbling. The dragon. Inanna! The view flew past with dizzying speed. Inanna. Again the view of the cavern swished past. The dragon was looking for her. Fascinating! And she was seeing things from the dragon's eyes. Inanna! She tried the trick again and the sound of a frustrated roar filled the cavern. Good. Good. She could contact Inanna. Best not to anger the beast. She withdrew from the lair and let out a long breath.
"Oooh." Andrea pressed her hand to her forehead as the room spun. She pressed her hands together and concentrated again. Now she was in another cavern full of red light. This faded and she was in a cavern full of gold light. Ahhh. Queen Ereshkigal's realm. Now she was getting somewhere. Reshki was reclining on her stone bower and Nergal was there with her, feeding her little bits of roasted meat off a wooden spit. She was preening and taking the little tidbits between her teeth while he fawned over her in a most disgusting display of mush. She stroked his cheek and cooed to him like a dove. He shuddered and shivered and held a cup to her lips so that she could drink of the dark red liquid. She licked her lips provocatively and then leaned forward to kiss him. Andrea watched this in fascination. The love potion. They must have gotten some of the love potion. Good. Good. This was very good! As she watched they were joined by Marduk. He stormed into the chamber, dressed in his gold, white and black robe. He was no longer disguised as the handsome blonde Kris d'Marukou, he had resumed the form of al Hafiz the Mad. And he was truly, truly mad now. She watched in total fascination. He shouted once more at them, asking them what they intended to do about the fountain. They shrugged in unison and went back to oohing and cooing at each other. Marduk threw up both of his hands and great chunks of rock rained down from the ceiling on his head and theirs.
Andrea lowered her hands and squinted at the wall in front of her. The fountain? He had asked what they intended to do about the fountain. That was it. The fountain! Something had happened to the fountain. The golden fountain at the center of the underworld. Below the Abyss. Below the Abyss! But there was nothing below the Abyss. Was there? Yes. No. The center. She closed her eyes once more and pressed her hands together, trying to visualize the center and the fountain. A vision of the glorious fountain with its nine circular layers, tiered like a wedding cake came to her mind, but it was blurry and fuzzy and wavered as if it were not real. She was not seeing the real thing. This was a memory. She redoubled her efforts. The fountain became clearer and she could see the top where the marble pedestal rested on the water. The marble pedestal and on top of the marble pedestal was the&#8230;.
"Nicole!" Lucio's voice cut her concentration. The fountain collapsed in her mind, leaving a great gaping hole in the earth. She shrieked and he caught her about the shoulders. "Nicole! Wake up! What are you doing? We have to go."
"Go?" She blinked at him in the candlelight. "Where is Armand?"
"He is gone," Lucio told her. "He said he would send horses back for us."
"Ohhh." She clutched her sore side. "Horses. Wonderful."
She eased herself to the side of the bed and he helped her up, wrapping one arm around her waist. 
"Maybe we should stay here a bit longer," she said as she tried to straighten up slowly.
"I don't think so, no." He shook his head. "Armand said that&#8230;" His words were cut short by a screeching noise from somewhere outside. "Let me get your coat." He let go of her and scrabbled about on the floor for her black jacket and helped her into it. "It's cold out there."
"It's warm in here," she pointed out hopefully as she limped toward the door. 
"I know, my love. I know, but we'll be OK. You'll see," he said and pulled open the door. An icy blast struck their faces.
"It's very cold out there," she shivered.
"I know. Wait a moment," he told her and rushed back to get the quilt and wrapped it around her shoulders as they stepped into the darkness on the porch. Another screech rolled across the meadow.
"Is that what I think it is?" She asked him and looked up at him doubtfully.
"Si`." He nodded as they walked down the steps. There was at least two inches of snow on the steps. A line of blue lights shown just outside the fence and they could hear horses snorting in the cold air. The elves sat hunched on their small gray ponies under shimmery blue cloaks. Their large eyes gleamed dully in the blue glow. Their faces were obscured in the shadows beneath their hoods. They held lances in their left hands. Two stallions stood pawing the snow-covered ground impatiently.
"Alright, la dolce mia." Lucio stopped beside the first, dark-colored horse. "Up you go!" He gave her a boost and she almost fainted onto the saddle from the pain, but managed to sit up after a few seconds. "Are you all right?"
She nodded and he climbed onto the second horse.
"Now hold on!" He told her and reached down to take the reins of her horse. "We're going to ride hard."
The elves started off in a long double column at a gallop. The ponies were not as fast as the horses, but the pace was almost more than the injured woman could bear.
"Lucio!" She gasped as they rode across the snowy meadow. "Where are we going?"
"To the castle of the King! Il Dolce Mio!" He shouted back to her. "Just hold on, my love. It's not that far."
"Il Dolce Mio," Andrea nodded to herself and bent over the horse's neck, shivering from the cold, groaning from the pain.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004BSGWMW


----------

