The
Seeker’s Burden
Book
One
Mark
E. Lein
Genre: High Fantasy/ Epic Fantasy
ISBN: 1493592890
ASIN: B00G4LS6AK
Number of pages: 176
Word Count: 33,000
Cover Artist: Glen Wilkinson
Book Description:
An evil stirs, casting a shadow
across the Islands. Two men begin quests to find the source of the darkness.
One is a young scholar, given no choice but to follow the path ahead. Tragedy
shapes him, nearly driving him to despair; an inner struggle pervades his
journey.
The other is a warrior forced to
the task through a sense of responsibility. His royal blood and his knighthood
drive his course. Their searches, though separate, have the same goal: to find
whatever or whoever may be responsible for the darkening of their world.
This book tells the story of
their journey and the creatures, both friend and foe, that they meet along the
way.
Available at Amazon
Excerpt:
Chapter 12: To
Meet A Ruler
Oliver lost count of the platforms they
passed before the swaying cart slowed. Ahead the overhead lights grew in size,
brightening the area with an unnatural glare. For the third time he tried to
get some information on what was going on. “Sirs, where are we going? Have I
done something wrong?”
Stony, expressionless faces looked through
him and no reply was forthcoming. Oliver sighed, slumped back in his seat and
watched a large gold- en hued wall and massive gate creep into view as they
slowed. They came to a stop on what seemed to be the bottom of the chasm, a
flat stony surface covered in rock dust. Here, the rail line ended.
A cheerful looking goblin strolled up and en-
gaged the cart’s braking system before looking the occupants over. “Welcome be
to you young friend.” He said to Oliver. “What brings you to the ‘Floor of the
Sea’ as we call it?”
Before Oliver could reply one of the armored
goblins spoke sharply in their grating language and the rail worker quickly
backed away, his cheerful look fading into something closer to apprehension.
Oliver was led to the large metal door. Two
torches stood on either side of an inscribed plate embedded in the wall. Just
above the plate hung a rope. The leader of the soldiers reached up and pulled
hard on the rope once and stepped back to join the other two soldiers. Nothing
happened at first, then a low rumble of sound came from be- hind the wall and
then silence once again.
Oliver started when the gate began to open.
Slowly, the heavy door swung on silent hinges, opening into darkness. As the
group moved through the gateway, small pinpricks of light flamed to life.
Candles, hundreds of candles standing on narrow stone pillars, lit the space
beyond the wall. Behind each candle stood a young goblin, alternating male and
female. They were spaced every ten or so paces.
The illuminated area showed that they were
moving through a cleft in the cliff face, winding as it followed the natural
curves of the rock. A cold draft of air made Oliver shiver as they walked. The
silence was just about to make him crazy when the trail widened and the line of
candles ceased.
Ahead was a solid wall of darkness. The
soldiers halted and stood quietly. Oliver waited with them, shivering in the
subterranean cold, glancing at the solemn candle bearers around them.
The sudden boom of a drum shattered the
silence as more candles flared to life. Oliver drew his breath in sharply. The
group stood at the entrance to a long natural cavern, not unlike the one
underneath Sun Fire Citadel. The floor was not smooth, jagged rock shot up in
all directions, making the room look as if a giant mouth had opened. At the far
side of the cavern a score or more goblins stood gathered around a single
goblin seated on what appeared to be a throne. The hall was formed out of
living rock, the throne itself little more than a shelf of stone bordered on
each side by two round boulders.
Waved forward by another armored goblin that
stood next to the throne, Oliver’s group crossed the distance between the
entrance and the rough dais. The three goblins that had brought him knelt on
one knee, plate armor folding smoothly as they moved. Oliver quickly did
likewise, returning to stand upright with the guards. Only then did he meet the
eyes of the goblin sitting on the throne.
He was old, not old like Oliver understood,
more ancient than any human he had seen. He seemed a part of the stone chair
that held him. The gray skin was creased and cracked, the features loose. His
hair was but wisps of white strands that stuck out of the simple iron circlet
on his brow. The eyes were different. Alive, even young, they pierced through
Oliver and made him lower his gaze and redden in shyness.
“Welcome to the Deep Fallows young human.”
The voice grated like millstones. “I am Bosgar, leader of the Goblin race. It
is my great honor to meet you. I had grown worried I may not last until this
day.”
Oliver stumbled through his reply. “Good sir,
it is I who should be honored. Is there something that I have done wrong?”
The room erupted in coarse laughter, the
sound reverberating off the rock walls as even the candle bearers joined in.
“Nay, tall one! You have done nothing wrong and I am sorry for the secrecy of
your journey here. My captain enjoys putting fear into outsiders in general and
he had to be talked into allowing you this deep.” Bosgar pointed with a smile
to the leader of the three goblins that had escorted Oliver.
With a hearty bellow of laughter the accused
turned to Oliver and embraced him, squeezing the breath out of him. “You be a
right solemn human, and it did me good to see you not quake in your boots!”
Released, Oliver stood in relieved confusion,
a smile breaking out as the laughter and conversation continued unabated. The
goblin leader raised a hand above his head and all fell silent. “Now as to why
you are here, we must talk. We do not allow humans access to this place for
sport. My scouts have reported that the Citadel called Sun Fire is destroyed
and that you were the only one seen leaving the island.” At Oliver’s startled
look Bosgar raised his hand reassuringly. “They followed you to protect you
until you could come before me. I have need of understanding what danger is on
our threshold. I understand loved ones may have perished, but please tell us
what transpired on that dark island as time may be of great importance.”
Oliver spoke haltingly. “Sir, it is as you
say, I am from Sun Fire. I had never left until yesterday.” Bosgar bade him and
the others nearby take seats and then nodded to Oliver to continue. Oliver then
spoke of what he had seen, relating the events as best he could remember,
hiding only the details of the cavern and its secrets. Throughout his tale the
goblins looked at one another and made whispered comments back and forth.
When Oliver finished his story, the goblin
Leader stood and clasped his arms with an iron grip. “Child, you will be from
this day, a part of my people, a son of a lost island. We weep with you in your
loss and rejoice in your life. You are welcome to stay here and need only ask
for anything.”
Author Interview
1. Tell us a little about yourself.
I am an avid reader. You might say an extremely
passionate reader. For as long as I can remember, I read. Whether it was
historic America or Europe, Narnia, Middle Earth, or the Four Lands of Shannara,
I spent hours of each day of my childhood in the worlds authors had
created. Before kids, my Mother had been a high school English teacher and she
taught me and my siblings the joy of reading. By the time I was 12, she had
read A Tale of Two Cities, The Hobbit,
Les Miserables, and Where the Red
Fern Grows to us, among many, many others.
Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, Louisa May Alcott,
James
Fenimore Cooper, Robert Louis Stevenson, Laura Ingalls Wilder and Arthur Conan Doyle were as
influential in my life as Louie L’Amour, C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, Terry
Brooks, Timothy Zahn, Isaac Asimov and Dr. Seuss.
2. When did you start writing, and why?
I wrote for fun in high school and college, thinking I was a better
writer than I truly was. I attempted poetry, short stories, and even a song or
two with little to no success. I wrote in some ways because it was easier than
to verbalize. I never was good at speaking in public. When I did, to include
briefing Generals as an Army officer, the number one thing I did to prepare and
have success was write a “speech” to make sure I truly internalized what I had
to say. Yes, writing has helped me speak.
3. What do you write, and why?
For a
couple years I had a blog where I wrote Non-fiction posts about experiences (to
include time spent in Africa and Iraq) and beliefs. For the last year or two I
have focused on writing Fantasy. What do
you enjoy about what you write? Surprising myself. As I write about a
character for example, I keep finding more small details about the character
that I never thought of before, small nuances and traits. It keeps me involved
and interested to find out what will come out of my head next! The ever
involving and living world is what keeps me coming back.
4. What is your latest book or series?
4. What is your latest book or series?
An Emerging Threat, book #1 of The Seeker’s Burden
series. Any forthcoming books? Yes, Path
of Darkness, book #2 of The Seeker’s Burden series. The first draft of book
#2 will be complete in Early February and I hope to publish it by April 2014.
5. "Welcome To My Worlds": Tell us a little about the world of your latest book or series.
5. "Welcome To My Worlds": Tell us a little about the world of your latest book or series.
The
Tri-Islands are generally peaceful and inhabited with several normal and not so
normal living things. There are humans, the largest kingdom is Astar, direct
descendants of the first humans to come to the land. The human enclave of the
Seekers are scientists who study the solar realm and attempt to contain its
power. The Savoq are a tribal and nomadic race of human that inhabit the south.
They are in constant war with each other.
Then there
are Goblins who inhabit the hill country in the West and are renowned for their
mining and metal works. The humans and Goblins have a wary peace, only having
contact through trade. The last race in the Islands is the Ash. Little is known
about them, only whispers and tall tales.
The world
is set in a typical Epic Fantasy medieval setting with a couple exceptions,
mostly relating to the more Science-focused equivalent of magic. There is also
a bit of steampunk.
6. Introduce us to some of your characters. What do you like about them?
6. Introduce us to some of your characters. What do you like about them?
I will
introduce you to the 2 main characters Oliver and Ethan.
Oliver is
in his late teens and is of the Seeker order. He has excelled in his studies
though he has always wished to travel outside the confines of the Sun Fire
Citadel (city of the Seeker’s) and use the Seeker’s knowledge to help the
greater world. His attempts to leave forced his father to place him under the
tutelage of the greatest of the living Seeker’s. He is unsure of himself, never
having the opportunity to prove himself or test his willingness to go into
danger.
Ethan is
the eldest son of the King of Astar and an Oskara Knight. Though the Oskara
order is held in high regard in the land, it is unusual for a royal to join
their ranks. His family viewed his choice to become a Knight as turning his
back on his blood, tarnishing their honor. His family has little to do with
him, though the King has no problem using his expertise as a diplomat when
necessary. He is well trained and sure of his abilities and has forged
friendships with other like-minded people, those that wish to serve and protect
the people.
7. A fun fact you would like your readers to know about you or your book.
7. A fun fact you would like your readers to know about you or your book.
I used
past experiences to build parts of the world. The Savoq and their lands are
based off my time in Iraq and Kenya, while a few of the situations the
characters go through are ones that closely resembled ones that I lived
through. See if you can guess which. ;)
8. Blog/site link, and where your book is available.
8. Blog/site link, and where your book is available.
You can
contact me and find links to purchase my novel at: https://borderleinpublishing.squarespace.com and you
can follow me on: https://twitter.com/MarkLein12
About
the Author:
Mark grew up in small towns
across the country, spending most of his childhood in the foothills of the
Ozark Mountains of Northwestern Arkansas.
Throughout his life, his favorite
books have been sci-fi and fantasy, anything Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and Terry
Brooks and a little Isaac Azimov.
Graduating from college in 2004, he
became an Army Infantry and Intelligence Officer and continues to serve to this
day. While deployed to Iraq for 14 months back in 2007-09, he began writing
with this book in mind. His civilian work includes Intelligence Analysis and
providing expertise with military training programs.
He now lives in Tampa, Florida
with his wife of 9 years, Emily, and his three children, Oliver, Lucy, and
Alexander.
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Threat by Mark E. Lein
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I love the world you have created in The Tri-Islands. The book sounds great.
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