Dragons are extinct! There’s no doubt about it until Fire in the veins of royal twins exposes them as the Dragon-Called.
Excerpt: Fire of the Covenant
Day 37: Bathing
Willoe slept poorly and woke early. Aeron still slept and it wouldn’t help her to wake him. After a week she had gotten accustomed to riding all day and Sergeant Trystan’s ointment had made it almost enjoyable, but she still had trouble sleeping at night, even though worn from the long days in the saddle. The Burning Lady’s words still haunted Willoe. She had not yet discovered anything about the promise her ancestors had made and was worried she wouldn’t know when the time was right to find the Lady in the Woods, or where to find her. No wonder sleep doesn’t come. She shook her head. The thoughts just wouldn’t settle.
She dressed and lifted the tent flap, stepped outside into the cold morning air. She pulled up the hood of her cloak and strode to the nearest campfire.
“I will get food.” The page Tomos, evidently up for some time, handed her a cup of warmed, spiced wine, then excused himself and headed off to the supply tent where the cooks would have something to break the soldiers’ fast.
Willoe stood there sipping at the wine, holding the mug in both hands. The bizarre simmering in her body still puzzled her, but she was happy that it kept her from being too cold. The heat and spicy taste of the wine gave her a different kind of warmth.
She scanned the camp, watching the servants and many of the Guardsmen prepare to break camp.
Willoe turned around and nearly dropped her wine when three naked wet men ran toward her. They were laughing and came toward the campfire. Her first thought was to run, but before she could convince her body to move, the men had arrived and stood with their backs to the fire. She tried to keep her eyes cast down at the ground. She lifted one eye, having never seen a man’s buttocks, and realized it wasn’t much different than a woman’s, though she wondered if they were all as hairy as these.
One of the men turned around and Willoe put her head fully down.
“Sorry, My Lord.” The man was still chuckling. “We thought a quick dip in the stream might take some of the grime off. Obliged you sharing your fire.”
She kept her eyes down and could see the man’s feet as he stepped closer.
“Are you well, My Lord?”
One of the things Aeron had taught her was that a gentleman, one of a noble birth, would always look someone in the eyes, whether an equal or someone from a lower class. To do otherwise would be considered dishonorable.
Squeezing the cup tightly with both hands, she looked up into the man’s eyes. She recognized him as one of Captain Harte’s Guardsmen.
“Prince Rowyn.” The Guardsman was a little taken aback. “I… I mean, we—”
“The road has been hard on us all, Guardsman.” She hoped her cheeks were not turning red; her face felt flushed. Not from the fire inside, but the embarrassment.
“We only meant to cleanse the filth.” The Guardsman seemed both flustered and startled.
“I wish more would follow your lead.” She tried to smile, without showing her teeth too much, but didn’t think it came off well. “The horses are beginning to smell better than the men.”
“That’s the truth, Your Highness.” The man laughed. The other two men had turned around and Willoe took a deep breath, keeping her eyes straight ahead.
“If it please Your Highness, we need to get dressed and make a report to our sergeant.” The man continued to smile.
“Do not let it be said that I kept the Captain’s Guardsmen from their duty.”
“Thank you, Your Highness.” All three Guardsmen saluted, fist to chest, then ran off toward another part of the camp.
Willoe couldn’t help but watch. She had a strange feeling in her stomach and wondered if her noble husband would look as good. The thought only brought back what awaited her upon her return to Westhedge and she frowned when she saw the page returning with a full platter. Suddenly, food did not appeal to her.
Ashes of the Dragon
Download Ashes of the Dragon FREE from Kindle, Nook, Apple Books, Kobo, Smashwords, or your favorite digital outlet.
Revin is a reliant and tenacious woman, one of the only females who hunts wild dragons. A chance to capture a rare golden dragon sends her on a quest to a small village far to the north—deep into uninhabitable mountains—in the heart of a fierce winter. The village of Awakening’s very existence is a paradox that is only the beginning of surprises that await Revin.
Can a solitary woman unravel the secrets of an impossible village and discover the truth of a golden dragon before the world is overrun with demons?
Peter "PapaBear" Cruikshank
As an author my goal is to write tales that whisk the reader away to worlds of adventure; steep them in romance and wrap them in magic; bringing to life a believable place and time with fictional characters that the reader cares about.
Dragon-Called Series
Title: Fire of the Covenant
Summary:
Dragons are extinct! There’s no doubt about it until Fire in the veins of royal twins turns them into the Dragon-Called.
Princess Willoe and her twin brother Rowyn refuse to give up their dreams. Getting married against her wish isn’t something Willow will submit to. Neither will she allow her brother’s need for books and a life of contemplation to be ignored. At least she has an idea to put off the inevitable for a while.
Her plan has potential if not for two things: foreign priests of the Shin-il Way see the twins as necessary to their domination of the world, and the Burning Lady, Goddess over the Spirit World, requires that the twins fulfill a covenant a distant ancestor of theirs had made with the mythical dragons.
Now Willoe and her brother must prepare to fight, each in their own way, or face death or worse, enslavement.
If you like huge casts of fascinating characters, intricately interwoven storylines, and impressive worlds, you’ll love Peter Cruikshank’s Dragon-Called series.
Revive your love of dragons and get the first book in the series today!
Title: Betrayal of the Covenant
Summary:
The Dragon-Called twins face more peril as they search for a way to control the Fire in their veins.
Pursued by minions of the vile Shin-il Priests the Dragon-Called twins, Willoe and Rowyn, journey into the perilous northern mountains. Their lives depend upon retrieving relics, created by the mythical dragons of old; rumored to control the dragons’ blood that flows through their veins.
Sellswords, Blood Stalkers, and Shades—creatures as much dead as alive—will do anything to prevent the Willoe and Rowyn from succeeding. And should the twins survive, they’re facing the impossible task of gathering an army and leading it against impregnable Tierran’s Wall to drive the invading Shin-il Priest from their island country.
Caught in a struggle for freedom and survival, they’re facing the biggest danger yet: a betrayal that may end the covenant and with it the twins’ ability to defeat the Olcas Mogwai, the great evil that led to the creation of the covenant in the first place.
If you like strong characters, evil creatures, intricately interwoven plots, and immersive worldbuilding, you’ll love Peter Cruikshank’s Dragon-Called series.
Reconnect with your love of dragons and get the second book in the series today!
Title: Quest of the Covenant
Summary:
Raising dragons is a daunting task for the Dragon-Called, especially when they’re faced with the ever present evil of the Olcas Mogwai.
Willoe leads an army from the island’s three kingdoms to the mainland to rescue her twin, Rowyn. What starts as a quest quickly burgeons into a crusade to push the Shin-il Priests out of Western Kieran. While Willoe’s bond with her dragon grows, she is faced with dire choices and discovers a disturbing truth about the gods.
Escorted by the vilest of demons, Rowyn travels across Kieran toward the eastern empire to meet the Master of the Shin-il Priests, whose plans for world conquest still require one of the twins. Unsure of his own motives, Rowyn uses the time to become adept in the powerful dark arts of the Shadows under the demon’s tutelage. However, his goal is not without peril as the quest begins to eclipse Rowyn’s and his dragon’s Essence.
Separated from each other, Willoe and Rowyn begin to grasp what the Covenant means for them. Now they’re facing the same disturbing question: Is an encounter with the Olcas Mogwai worth risking not just their life and essence but their dragons’ as well?
If you like spunky heroines and charismatic heroes, intertwined story threads, and a world that comes to life, you’ll love Peter Cruikshank’s Dragon-Called series.
Hold your breath as the dragons mature and get the third book in the series today!
Did You Know
Little Known about Dragons
The word dragon comes from the ancient Greek word drakōn, which is derived from the Greek verb derkomai, which means “to see” or “to look at”, the thought being that a dragon could see its prey far away. Initially, it was generally used to describe large serpentine creatures, symbolizing evil, chaos, and destruction.
The female of the species is called a drakaina.
A little dragon, or sometimes a baby dragon, is called a dragonet. However, smaller dragons were often known to be more ferocious and savage than their larger kin. So much for size isn’t important.
Dragons in the Western cultures were commonly seen as evil with four legs, large wings, and are fire-breathing. Whereas, in Eastern cultures dragons were portrayed as giant, wingless serpents, sometimes with multiple heads. wise and benevolent. And not only in the West and East, but regions of Africa have fork lore about large, serpentine creatures that were supernatural or spiritual, neither evil nor benevolent.
More places are named after dragons in China than anywhere else in the world.
Many tales considered dragon blood to be magical. Maybe this is what helped them to fly.
The first dragons in literature had some aspects of a monkey. They weren’t known for flying, instead they would drop out of trees, or other heights, normally landing on a person’s head.
In the Harry Potter series, it was illegal to sell dragon eggs. However, there were still dragon dealers, viewed in the same category as drug dealers.
What other interesting facts do you know about dragons.
Let me know through the Contact Page.
Ask Peter
I’ve heard some authors work on multiple books simultaneously. Do you focus on one book at a time?
Peter: If I’m working on a particular book, that day, I try to stay focused on it. However, I normally I have several stories running through my thoughts. This was the case when I was writing the 2nd book of the Dragon-Called series, Betrayal of the Covenant. I kept picturing this dragon trainer. A solitary orphan who gets involved with a sarcastic dragon and draws an odd assortment of characters to him as he tries battles a demon to save a girl and a kingdom. So, I wrote The Dragon Whisperer, though I am still submitting it to Agents for representation.
As I was writing the 3rd book in the series, I took a break and wrote the Novella, Ashes of the Dragon about a female dragon hunter, who was much more than she even knew. Right now, I have three other book ideas and a couple of novellas running through my mine, but I’m really trying hard to focus on the 4th book. Wish me luck.
Book Reviews
Dave Kearney
You have been Dragon-Called to read this book
Peter Cruikshank’s Fire of the Covenant (Dragon called legend, book 1) is an outstanding debut novel that is sure to appeal to epic fantasy lovers of all ages.
It’s the story of Princess Willoe – who is much happier with a sword in her hand than socialising with the ladies at court; and her twin brother Prince Rowyn – who would rather be studying in his uncle Brom’s tower than swinging...
You have been Dragon-Called to read this book
Peter Cruikshank’s Fire of the Covenant (Dragon called legend, book 1) is an outstanding debut novel that is sure to appeal to epic fantasy lovers of all ages.
It’s the story of Princess Willoe – who is much happier with a sword in her hand than socialising with the ladies at court; and her twin brother Prince Rowyn – who would rather be studying in his uncle Brom’s tower than swinging a sword on the training ground.
Unfortunately for the twins their grandfather, the King of Cainwen, has other ideas for them with Willoe to be married off and Rowyn to take up the life of a man-at-arms.
But there is something special about these siblings and the King isn’t the only one who has plans for their future. Pursued by the priests of a religious order who would use the twins’ talents to dominate the world, Willoe and Rowyn come to learn of a covenant made by one of their ancestors with the King of the dragons – and the heartbreaking role they have to play in it.
Or do they?
Fire of the Covenant contains all the elements you’d expect from a classic epic fantasy romp with more battles, magic, elves, dwarves (or dwarf-like creatures), dragons and deities than you can poke a sword at. And while there is plenty of action and intrigue to keep readers turning the pages, the real strength of the story lies in its characters.
Cruikshank has crafted some wonderful characters to fill his well-realised world, with likeable protagonists, deplorable villains and a supporting cast that are full of surprises. I found myself caring about these characters and wanting to know more about them as the story unfolded.
Fire of the Covenant kept me engaged right to the very last page and had me craving the next book in the series.
Highly recommended.
