Teaser Tuesday -- The Legend of CùSithGrim, Book 2 of the Portrait of an Unlikely Affair series

It's Tuesday and we all know what that means! A teaser!

I know -- I'm doing this very late in the day but I've got to keep you guess, right? I've been busily working on my next project, a volume of short stories, and a story idea came flying in out of the blue so I've been busily writing that. I hope to get this new volume out to you this summer. Of course, I am very excited to introduce you to these characters and their stories will cover several different topics -- including a 1920s hitman, a Scottish Inspector with a crazy murder to solve, and an established mystery author who tries her hand at a best selling genre. There are several more that we'll get to as we get closer. 

In the mean time, let's have a peek in book 2 of the Portrait of and Unlikely Affair series, The Legend of CùSithGrim. It is from pages 173 and 174 of the paperback version of the book. 

1984

 

 

“Prophets predict that CùSithGrim will end our country as we know it, Sire,” the man kneeled before Emperor Ceylon.

Ceylon looked down at the priest, while Queen Sari, to his left, frowned. Colonel Xarcoff sat to the Emperor’s right and let out a disapproving snort.

“Then we shall kill CùSithGrim first,” Colonel Xarcoff scoffed.

The priest raised his head with a start and sent a horrified look to him. “Colonel Xarcoff, you forget, it is the will of the Gods that CùSithGrim wages havoc, chaos, and death upon -.”

“CùSithGrim is a child’s tale.”

“Enough!” Ceylon loud, clear voice sounded. “I am interested in what the Priest has to say.”

Colonel Xarcoff frowned and the priest continued. “Prophecy shows that CùSithGrim will take the form of a mortal for one day only as a warning for us before he destroys our ways, My Lord. We must focus on peaceful ways and appeasing the Gods before the warning.”

“My Lord,” Xarcoff spoke. “It is insanity to stop the forward progress we have made for a mere myth. The Firm will annihilate your people if you stop. This priest must be a spy!”

“No, my Lord, I only read what the stars and the prophecies say.”

Ceylon frowned, “Priest, as much as I honor our ways, I must say I will not stop our progression on the happenstance that what deaths are happening in our country is because of CùSithGrim. The Firm may be operating in the area.”

“The Emperor is wise,” Queen Sari smiled. “Yes, the prophecy has never been unfaithful but if CùSithGrim appears to us as a mortal, we will recognize him for what he is. And at that point, my Dear Brother,” she looked at Xarcoff, “You may kill him in his mortal form. And then who is to stop us?”

Ceylon looked at his wife. “It is dangerous to play with the prophecies of the Gods.”

The Queen shrugged, “Have the Gods ever shown themselves to us, dear Husband? And if a stranger appears to us, in our impenetrable fortress, we will know he is then CùSithGrim, and my brother will slaughter him.”

It had been slow moving to get to where he needed to go. He had studied the maps, he had studied the plans, and he could see them clearly in his mind. He had practiced the vertical climbs with full gear on so his journey was just muscle memory. He squeezed his way to the near impossible spot in the long abandoned tower that once held hunting falcons. He then waited. The Emperor would be out with his entourage at some point in the next few days to mark the country’s anniversary celebration. He checked his watch to note the time. 

All he had to do was wait.

It had been 36 hours later when the plaza began filling. Guards were everywhere. People were gathering for the prayer. Brian was focused on where he knew the Royals would be. Another hour passed. Finally, the trumpets blew and the Royals emerged with their bodyguards. This was it, he thought. He had Xarcoff clearly in his sights. 

A bullet is unseen by the naked eye in the space between when it leaves the barrel to the point it becomes obvious in meeting its target. From the weight of his bullet, to the precise number of grains of powder; to the way he squeezed the trigger to the gauging the wind speed; to his understanding of the trajectory and bullet drop; Brian knew exactly where and when the bullet would hit. He knew it was a good shot. What he could never know was what would conspire to happen and how Fate would intervene in that span of a half a second from his finger, squeezing that trigger, to the bullet’s impact. In that very half second, Queen Sari moved in front of the Colonel as the Colonel leaned slightly to the side. A lethal direct hit to the Queen’s chest as the bullet passed through her and lodged itself into the Colonel’s shoulder.  There was no opportunity for a second shot. Brian cursed himself but took advantage of the frenzied commotion and headed down his escape route.

 He got into the hallways of the palace from the attic and paused. He heard running boots on the stone floors and ducked into a room that was empty. The boots ran past him. He crept out to continue his escape route and had to duck into another dark corner as the guards brought the Queen’s dead body through.  He made it to the laundry chute trap door.  He could hear the yells, the running, the panic behind him as he disappeared through the chute opening and slid feet first down the chute.  Suddenly from below, a door opened and a hand shoved a pile of table clothes in and shut the door as Brian collided with the pile.  The unplanned catches, he thought.  He heard footsteps outside so he quickly covered himself with the white cloth.  The chute door opened again and a royal servant tossed some more clothes in and muttered some words about the laundry still being there.  He and the clothes were prodded with a broomstick and suddenly, Brian and the laundry were falling again.  

He caught himself at the next level where he slowly opened the door and stepped out.  He looked around the darkened stone halls and cautiously looked at his watch. He had four minutes to reach his rendezvous mark. Running steps interrupted his thoughts and he darted to the first available room, slowly closing it behind him. He heard the footsteps run by the door before he cautiously turned to look into the startled eyes of a girl who was his age.

"Shhhh," he held his finger up to his lips as he listened through the door.  

“The Gods do listen!” the girl gasped, wide eyed, before she bowed her head respectfully. 

He wasn’t sure what that meant or what she was talking about. He only hoped she would stay calm and quiet and not give him away. He suddenly ducked down behind a chair as the door swung open.

"Tatia!" he heard Xarcoff's voice boom.  

“Yes, Uncle?” the princess responded, acting as if nothing was amiss. 

"Come here now," Xarcoff ordered. “We have an intruder. You need to be safe.”

She nodded and walked calmly to the door. She paused by Brian’s hiding spot, kneeling to fix her shoe. “Thank you,” she whispered for only Brian to hear before Xarcoff barked at her for being too slow. 

She frowned and rose elegantly, as she seemed to now glide out of the room, closing the door behind her. Brian’s confusion as to why she didn’t give him away was only momentary as he quickly went to the door to head toward his rally point. 

For whatever reason, as Brian was about to slip across the hallway, Xarcoff stopped to yell at one of the guards who was with him. His shoulder was bloody and bleeding and the guard had been trying to offer him a towel to stop the bleeding. As Xarcoff turned, he caught sight of Brian’s small shrouded figure leaving the doorway of the room the princess had been in. For a split moment, the figure turned and looked down the hall at them. Their eyes met. Xarcoff’s face held the oddest mix of shock, surprise, and anger. He was speechless at first. 

“STOP HIM!” Xarcoff erupted when he found the words. 

By the time the guards turned, Brian was gone.   

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Liked this teaser? There’s more. Head over to Amazon to get a sample of the first two chapters. OR, better yet, buy the book! It’s available as both an ebook and a paperback!!

Get the Legend of CùSithGrim on Amazon!