Book Excerpt
As I looked, my mind raced. There was no way this man could have
just disappeared. We were missing something. We reached a second, smaller
clearing, maybe a hundred feet away from the woodcutters. I stopped and sucked
in my breath. “Roger, Captain, I’ve found something.”
The men rushed to my side, and I pointed. Branches were snapped
off bushes, and the grass was matted. Now that I knew where to look, there was
a clear path leading from the clearing and through the trees. Leaves, ripped
from the branches, littered the forest floor. If I looked closely, I could see
patches of ground torn by hooves.
“We have found the site of the attack, it would seem,” Terrien
said. “But still no envoy. This land, it is within Mallory’s boundaries?”
“Yes, sir,” Roger said. He bent and examined the ground.
“Certainly something has happened here. This is too much damage to have been
caused by forest animals.”
“Spread out.” Terrien didn’t wait to see if we obeyed.
Roger and I picked our way through the trees. Under my breath, I
said, “I don’t like this.”
“Agreed.” Roger’s voice was barely above a whisper. “Pray we don’t
find anything.”
No such luck. Within minutes, Terrien cried out in triumph. We
found him standing under a sturdy oak, slightly off the road. “Explain this.”
He was holding something in his hand.
The something was a deep blue cloak, trimmed in gold. At the
neckline, I recognized the Imperial crest embroidered in golden thread. It was
damp from sitting on the ground overnight, and sticky with—
“Blood,” Terrien said, voice grim and accusatory. “See, here on
the cloak and splashed on the tree roots.” He pointed, and I could see the dark
stains on the tree. “How do you explain this?”
I was at a loss for words, but Roger was quicker. “I can’t,
Captain. I assume this is the envoy’s cloak?” Terrien nodded. “Clearly
something has happened that caused him to lose it. That may be his blood; it
may not be. He may have been injured and shed the cloak in the heat. He may
have fought with an attacker, and the blood is from a wound, no telling whose.
It may be that he is hurt and hiding.”
“That is a lot of mays, Master Woodbridge.” Terrien folded the
cloak and returned to his horse. “But this is Mallory’s land. Attacked or
injured, the event occurred within the bounds of Starla’s rule. The envoy’s
body cannot be found, which is unusual if this were a simple injury.”
Roger and I exchanged looks.
Our fears were confirmed by Terrien’s next words. “No, I’m afraid
one thing is certain. This does not bode well for your Lady Starla.”
About The Book
Author: M.E. Sutton
Genre: Middle Grade, Adventure, Fantasy
Things are getting interesting at Tanner
Middle School. The only official candidate for student council
president is Jaycee’s nemesis, Trina Poppelman. Plus there’s a new girl
in school. At first glance, she looks like she’d fit right in with the
cheerleaders, but Jaycee senses something different about her.
Things are getting interesting in
Mallory, too. Lady Starla is expecting an Imperial envoy to discuss new
taxes. She plans to oppose the measure and asks Lyla to stand by her
side in a show of support. However, when the envoy goes missing, the
situation becomes a lot more serious than a proposed tax increase.
In this fourth installment of the Hero’s
Sword series, Lyla and Roger hit the road to find a missing envoy
before Starla pays the ultimate price for his disappearance. Along the
way, Jaycee learns that winning isn’t always the end-game result.
Author Bio
She writes the HERO’S SWORD middle-grade
fantasy series as M.E. Sutton and finds a lot of inspiration in the
lives of her own kids. A lifelong mystery fan, she also writes crime
fiction, including THE LAUREL HIGHLANDS MYSTERIES, under the pen name
Liz Milliron. Her short fiction has been published at Uppagus.com,
Mystericale.com (Fall 2013), and in LUCKY CHARMS: 12 CRIME TALES
(December 2013).
Links
https://twitter.com/marysutton73
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