Book Blitz, Exclusive Excerpt & Giveaway:
The Sceptre of Fire by Alex Stargazer
, Book 1
The Sceptre of Fire is an old school fantasy romp: it’s got elves, dwarves, orcs, necromancers, and a campy mage. But there’s a twist—a pretty big one. The orcs? They’re not really the bad guys. The necromancer? Yeah, he’s got history. And the knights in shining armour aren’t always noble…
The necromancer was once a pretty decent guy: he killed pirates on the high seas and did his duty as an Empire subject. But he loved another man, and for that, he had to be punished. Now driven by an insatiable thirst for revenge, he has turned to dark magic—and enlisted the help of orcs. The orcs have their own, very good reasons to hate the Empire. Driven out from the Empire lands and into a freezing, inhospitable land, the orcs know that hunger is a stronger motivator than most.
Opposing him are Radu, a mad mage with a penchant for boys and fashion, along with Haraldur—a talented dwarven mage smith. At first they care little for a distant conflict, but things escalate once the necromancer, in desperation, makes a pact with an ancient entity…
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Duel
Argi began running, heading towards the direction of the nearest Empire century. He moved faster than any human, eating up the distance in great leaps and bounds. Soon he could see the red shields and silvery armour of legionnaires. He slowed as he approached—a group of sentries had spotted him.
“Halt! Who goes there, friend or foe?”
Argi displayed his necromantic magic, which lit up his eyes like blue lanterns. A deathly chill descended upon them. The men panicked, and began firing crossbow bolts and slings. All of which had no effect on his wards. The sentries did not live long; Argi’s magic quickly stole the life from their veins. Their corpses fell to the ground. The stolen life force coursed through his veins, making him feel strong, and alive.
Argi withdrew his spear and entered the camp. The soldiers, by now cognizant of the threat, charged at him, and Argi’s spear cut them down like wheat stalks. The weapon sang with glee, drinking the blood of each of his fallen foes. Argi felt his blood rush through his veins; he cackled with mad delight. It had been a long time since he’d been in a real fight, and he’d almost forgotten the joy of it.
Though an entire century of men opposed him, exactly a hundred in number, he killed most of them with ease. He was far superior to any human, and even if a soldier was lucky enough to strike him, the blade was simply turned away by his magic. But there was one human among the century who wore enchanted armour, and carried a two handed sword—an elegant weapon with a crossguard. The Knight’s armour—the term “knight” indicated a legionnaire of great skill—was lit up with red runes, and his sword was wreathed in flame.
The Knight and the elf squared off.
“What manner of creature are you, that you steal the life of men, and yet appear as one so beautiful?” asked the knight. He had a deep, masculine voice.
“I am an elf; my name is Argi.”
“Yet no elf has ventured beyond the Great Forest in an age, and no elf has practised necromancy in centuries.”
Argi shrugged. “It’s about time that changed.”
The Knight pointed his sword at him. “Not if I kill you first.”
“Bring it on then, human,” Argi said with some amusement.
The Knight charged, and used his sword with only one hand, like a spear, affording him sufficient range to attempt a thrust. Rather than parry the weapon, Argi simply vaulted over the human, using his superhuman strength to his advantage. The Knight was fast—he twisted around, put two hands on the grip, and aimed an overhanging strike. Argi blocked that.
“Not bad for a human, but still, you are too slow,” Argi said offhandedly, as if this was mere sparring rather than a duel to the death. The human grunted, and aimed another strike, which Argi blocked once again.
“Fight me, damnit!”
Argi aimed a thrust at the Knight, who caught the shaft of the spear with his parierhaken, and moved in close, a misericord in his hand. Argi leapt backwards, abandoning the spear. The Knight, thinking he had the advantage, came at full speed. Argi used telekinesis, causing the spear to fly, twist in mid air, and impale his enemy through the chest. The elf withdrew the weapon from his slain opponent, and for good measure, he cast a freezing spell, preserving the body in ice.
Argi though the message would be quite clear to the Knight’s comrades.
To celebrate the release of The Sceptre of Fire, Alex is giving away a signed copy of the release and a bookmark and 2 signed bookmarks with eBook.
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Alex Stargazer – writer since age 14 (yes, really). Writes by night, daylights as a data scientist. #ownvoices
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