The King
in the Stone
Two Moon Princes, #2
by Carmen Ferreiro-Esteban
Publication date: July 25th 2016
Genres: Fantasy, Historical, Young Adult
by Carmen Ferreiro-Esteban
Publication date: July 25th 2016
Genres: Fantasy, Historical, Young Adult
A full moon,
A silver key,
And the unbending passion of two young lovers
will bring hope to a defeated kingdom
and, through their sorrow, deliver a king
who will change its fate.
A silver key,
And the unbending passion of two young lovers
will bring hope to a defeated kingdom
and, through their sorrow, deliver a king
who will change its fate.
BLURB
Vivid visions have haunted Andrea
since her arrival in northern Spain. In her visions, the ruins of the medieval
village she’s excavating comes alive, and, around the fires burning in the no
longer buried hearths, she sees people dressed in furs sharpening old fashioned
swords.
Even more upsetting for her that the headaches her visions leave is the fact that Julián appears in them—Julián, the king from her world whose rejection she is trying hard to forget.
But when a slide bury Andrea
under the mountain, Julian comes searching for her. Soon after they are
reunited under the mountains, the full moon opens a portal and sends them back
a thousand years into the past, to a time right after the Spaniards have been
defeated by the Arabian invaders.
Separated by a bitter winter,
Andrea and Julian are caught in opposite sides in the battle between the
Spanish last unconquered settlements and the Arabian army. A battle for
survival that will determine the fate of a kingdom and demand of them the
ultimate sacrifice: As the Arabs close on the mountains, Julián makes a
decision that will break Andrea’s heart and change them forever.
Book
Trailer:
Sequel to:
In the following
excerpt from The King in the Stone,
Julián makes a fateful decision.
I don’t know how long
I remained by the cliff staring down at Andrea’s broken body, so unnaturally
still in her white shroud of snow. I don’t know how long I remained by the
cliff lost in a world of my own. A world beyond feelings, beyond reason. A
world in which, I came to believe, time could flow backwards, and as long as I
didn’t move, didn’t breathe, it was still possible to reverse its course.
Andrea would rise from the ledge and climb to my side, and her blood would be
warm again inside her body and not a red stain over the snow.
I don’t know how long
I remained by the cliff dreaming impossible dreams. Then somewhere down in the
valley, a horse neighed and broke the spell.
I shivered. The rush
of the fight had left me by now, and the bitter wind blowing through the
mountain had covered my body with a frozen dust. If I didn’t leave soon I would
freeze to death. Forcing my stiff legs to move, I turned my back to the ledge
and started walking.
I didn’t remember
going back into the cave and retrieving the sword and the knife from the bear’s
body. I didn’t remember grabbing the cloak or picking up Andrea’s arrow from
the ground or walking down the mountain. The next thing I remember is someone
calling my name.
I shook my head to
clear my mind and looked around. I was back in the oak grove where we had
tethered the horses, and Irene stood in front of me.
I let go of the hilt
of the sword I’d instinctively grabbed, and nodded to the girl whose waif-like
face was tense with fear.
“Julián?”
I tried to talk. But
no words came.
Irene moved closer
and reached for my face. “You're hurt, Julián. Let me help you.”
“There is no time. We
must go. Now. Get the horses ready. I’ll get Theodorica.”
Turning my back on
her, I entered the copse.
Her feet and hands
bound, a dirty rag over her mouth, Theodorica was sitting on a stump. Her eyes
full of contempt didn’t leave mine as I approached her, and when I removed her
gag, she spat at me.
In anger, I lifted
her and held her against the closest tree. Theodorica struggled like a wild
animal trying to break free, and as I fought her back, something snapped inside
my mind, turning the throbbing ache at Andrea’s loss into a feral urge to make
Theodorica mine. Forcing her face still with one hand, I kissed her. I kissed
her long and hard. Not because I cared for her, but because Andrea was dead and
she alive, and in the aftermath of death we crave life.
I kissed her out of
pain, out of anger and despair. Out of hate. I kissed her until her body grew
willing under mine. Only then, I pulled back.
Without a word, I cut
her bonds.
Theodorica stared at
me.
“You got your wish,
my lady,” I said in answer to the question she had not asked. “I’m
coming with you to the Arab’s camp.”
From the King in the Stone:
A
sequel to:
Buy Link: Amazon
Author Info
Carmen
Ferreiro Esteban is the author of the medieval fantasy Two Moon Princess
(Tanglewood Press 2007), and Immortal Love (Crimson Romance 2012). Her own
translation into Spanish of Immortal Love can be found under the title Bécquer
eterno.
Carmen was born in Galicia (northern Spain) and went to college in Madrid, where she finished her Ph.D. in Biology. She worked as a researcher in Spain and California, before moving to Pennsylvania, where she now works as a writer, editor and translator.
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