The King is Dead by Al Burke

The King Is Deadby Al BurkeGenre: Epic Fantasy
Etruvia has known peace for twenty years. But this time of peace has brought corruption and greed. The nobility has taken control, and the memories of great victories of old have faded. Crime is rife and the once proud people are little more than peasants. As a great evil rises in the desolate north, can a forgotten king and an embittered former war hero wake a nation from its stupor and build an army strong enough to give it a fighting chance?
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“Come on, Peter,” said Sally. “Take me there. You’re not scared, are you?” Shegave him her most mocking smile.Peter knew the legends of the barren lands to the north of the forest, but theywere only legends. The only people who claimed to still see creatures wanderingthe Waste were the occasional sots, and the odds of a drunk even capable ofwalking that far were slim at best. Still, the forest was tricky, and though heknew his way well enough, it was easy to get lost, even for a woodcutter such ashimself. With night settling in soon, Peter thought it unwise to venture to theother side at this hour.Sally liked Peter. Granted, Sally liked all the boys, but she seemed to likePeter more so, maybe drawn to his prospects. He had finished his apprenticeshipearlier than his peers and had a mature head on his shoulders. But maybe shewas just testing him like she had tested many others before him. His wise selfthough better of trips through the forest in the dark, but when did a 16-year-oldboy in love ever listen to wisdom?Peter made sure to follow the logging paths, but the night darkened in a hurrythe deeper they advanced into the forest. “Perhaps we should stop and spend thenight here,” suggested Peter as it became harder to follow the trail. “It’s hard toeven see the stars, and we could end up walking in a circle.”“Scared,” said Sally in that infuriating, mocking tone of hers. Infuriating, yes,but it also drove all the boys crazy, and Peter was hardly immune to her wiles.“We’ll be able to see the sky again soon, and I heard the wasteland is beautiful atnight. I promise you a kiss if you take me all the way.”How could Peter say no? None of his friends had even gotten to kiss Sally,despite their protestations to the contrary. With a sigh, knowing this was going tobe more trouble than it was worth, Peter continued. The forest was a sight tobehold at night, but it was eerily quiet, with the usual sounds of nocturnalfeeders absent. If Peter were alone, this would have spooked him more, as hecould travel silently as the need required. Sally, however, was unused to theforest, having learnt the ropes of being a merchant from her father―knowingyour way around woods was not a requirement. While she would no doubt profitfrom this as they grew older, right now she charged through the forest like a bullin heat and created a din that would likely scare half the forest’s denizens intogoing hungry this night.Peter was reassured when he finally heard some rustling in the bushes, but asthey walked, it sounded like something bigger than what typically inhabitedthese woods. “Shhh,” he cautioned. “I think something is tracking us in thebushes.”“Oh, it’s probably just a badger,” replied Sally.“Then it’s a big badger,” Peter retorted, “and one that we should be wary of.There isn’t another sound in the woods. Listen! Not an owl, not even cricket.”“They’re probably just scared of us, which is ironic, as a big, brave woodsmanlike you seems to be scared of them. Wait until I tell everyone back at thevillage,” she said as she raced off deeper into the forest.Peter sighed again. Her jibe had stung, but Peter was becoming concernedwith the prospect of whatever may be in the bushes. He had heard of creaturessuch as wolves and bears that lived in other parts of Etruvia, but none had beenheard of in these parts for hundreds of years. Badgers and foxes were aspredatory as the local wildlife got, and even they steered clear of the villagers.The forest suddenly erupted into a cacophony of sounds. The first was astrange clicking sound, which was followed by a chilling scream that could onlyhave come from Sally. Peter threw caution to the wind and raced in the directionof the noises, half expecting to see Sally rolling around on the ground laughing,having played her finest practical joke on Peter. Sadly, it was not to be the case.Peter burst into a clearing, where a frightening spider-like creature, easily thesize of an ox, had speared Sally on a sword-like leg and was in the process oftearing her open from belly to neck. Peter quickly looked for a weapon, but thespider-thing spotted him. It made to attack him too, but a strange drummingnoise distracted the creature, and it vanished in a whirr of legs into the brush,leaving Peter to collapse, vomiting up the contents of his stomach and screaming
at the loss of Sally.Al was born in Dublin, Ireland, but moved to Vancouver, Canada in 2009 with his wife and baby daughter. Now the proud (and active) father of two children, Al pays the bills by working in his local library. Al is the author of The King is Dead, an epic fantasy novel recently published by Bella Tulip Publishing. With his first novel under his belt, Al plans to release at least one more in 2017, including a series of short stories.
Al's favorite genres are fantasy, science fiction and horror.
Al is a huge fan of mythology, and his future works will incorporate different legends.
Al has a degree in Philosophy, with particular interest in Morality and Philosophies of Freedom.
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