Good morning friends. I notice that Sue-Ellen Welfonder has not yet posted an excerpt from The Taming of Mairi MacKenzie. I know she has been burning the midnight oil writing the wonderful stories you love so I am taking the liberty of posting an excerpt for her. Dont forget our great rafflecopter! We are giving away a $25 Amazon gift card, bundles of books and copies of the Scrolls of Cridhe on release! rafflecopter/rafl/display/9efe05bc9/ Mairi took a deep breath, steadying herself against the wild beating of her heart, the racing of her blood. The warrior was almost upon her, his strides purposeful. Whoever he was, his eyes were deeply shadowed, their grimness leaving no doubt that he came as a miracle seeker. Like so many before him. All that set him apart from the others was the huge dog at his side. A massive brute, the beast could’ve been a wolf-or-deerhound, though a strain of something more savage gave him the look of a war-dog capable of tearing out a man’s throat at a single command. Mairi felt only a surge of love for him. He could have been her own beloved Clyde, her much-missed companion who had indeed once been a war-dog, until she’d found and nursed him back to health. Clyde’s years with her had been far too short, but he’d taught her that the softest heart could beat beneath the fiercest exterior, so she didn’t fear the stranger’s dog. She was wary of the warrior. So she straightened her shoulders and started forward, not wanting him to reach her door. She didn’t brandish her sword at him. Like as not, he’d flick it aside as easily if brushing lint from his sleeve. But it didn’t hurt for him to see that she was prepared to defend herself. She just chose to do so with a casual tone and an unconcerned mien. “Are you lost, sir?” She knew he wasn’t. “Not many wayfarers come this way.” “I am no’ a traveler, my lady, nor have I erred direction.” He stopped before her, fixing her with his intense, dark eyes. “I am Sir Gare MacTaggert of Blackrock Castle on the other side of this fair realm, and I came to your Glen of Winds to seek the aid of its banshee.” That I knew, good sir, and you can leave now. The glen’s banshee cannot help you. “There is no such being here.” Mairi gave him a third version of the truth. “You have journeyed for naught. I dwell in this glen with my husband,” she allowed herself the lie. “He will return anon-” “Lady Mairi.” A slight smile lifted the corners of his mouth. “I was told you’d attempt to send me away, and I ken you aren’t married.” He glanced down at his dog, then back at her, his smile now gone. “Troll and I come in peace and mean you no harm. Your chieftain’s captain of the guard, Sir Marmaduke, and his men, granted us passage across their lands and into this glen. “I spoke with them only a short while ago.” He glanced up at the cliff-tops, now thick with lowering mist and clouds. “They were good enough to take my horse back to your chief’s Eilean Creag Castle for stabling and care while I am in the Glen of Winds.” “You cannot think to stay here.” Mairi tried to look away from him, but couldn’t. His gaze was too compelling. “I dwell alone, my broch too small for a guest.” She waited as the dog rubbed against her, bumping his great head at her hand. “Besides, you’ve truly come in vain. There isn’t a banshee to aid you or anyone. “The banshee is me.” Mairi stood straighter, ignoring his dog. “She is a tall tale spun to keep intruders from disturbing my peace. No more, no less, see you?” “So I was told, my lady.” He inclined his head in acknowledgment, another slight smile curving his lips. A sad one this time. “In truth, it was you who drew me here, no’ a myth. Your reputation as a healer is great, reaching even to my lands in Scotland’s distant northeastern bounds. I believe you can help me, leastways I have prayed to the gods that is so. If you will but give me your ear, I swear to depart at first light should you decide against aiding me.” Mairi frowned, her heart beating wildly again. The dog, Troll, was leaning into her, staring up at her with friendly, hopeful eyes. His master, Sir Gare, towered over her, a terribly appealing flicker of hope in his own gaze chipping away at her resistance. Mairi folded her arms, every protective instinct she had screaming caution. She didn’t want to find any man appealing. For sure, not one who would turn on her as soon as it became clear that she couldn’t restore life to his loved one. “I must ask you to leave.” There, she’d said what she must. Go before my heart yearns for you as fiercely as my woman’s body already does.
Posted on: Thu, 16 Oct 2014 13:46:51 +0000
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