{"id":11399,"date":"2017-08-30T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-08-30T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.onelowerlight.com\/writing\/?p=11399"},"modified":"2017-08-26T16:33:12","modified_gmt":"2017-08-26T21:33:12","slug":"the-sword-keeper-excerpt-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onelowerlight.com\/writing\/the-sword-keeper-excerpt-1\/","title":{"rendered":"The Sword Keeper \u2014 excerpt 1"},"content":{"rendered":"

The candles were lit and the tables had already been served when the clatter of hooves announced the late arrival of a traveler. Tamuna paused in her work behind the counter to peer out the tavern window, but the sky had already faded, blending the leaves with the shadows.<\/p>\n

\u201cBetter put another spit on the fire,\u201d said Aunt Sopiko as she came back from serving tables. \u201cWhen that\u2019s done, see to the room upstairs.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, ma\u2019am,\u201d said Tamuna.<\/p>\n

She ran to the kitchen, hoping to finish her chores in time to catch a glimpse of the unexpected guest. The harvest season had just ended, and the villagers had already put away their corn and grain for the winter. Occasionally, a cowherder would come down from the high pastures, but never after sundown. No, it had to be a traveler bound for the faraway lands over the mountain pass.<\/p>\n

Tamuna had always had a love of faraway lands and peoples. Her aunt\u2019s tavern was one of the last places for room and board before the mighty Kevona Mountains, and consequently, it attracted many interesting travelers. But this late in the season, it was rare for anyone to come down from the pass.<\/p>\n

Of course, that only piqued Tamuna\u2019s curiosity even more.<\/p>\n

As she stoked the cooking fire, the door to the yard swung open, and Nika the stable boy came in carrying a bucket of water from the well. His curly brown hair spilled out beneath his gray woolen skullcap, and his boots were covered in mud.<\/p>\n

\u201cHi, Tamuna,\u201d he said, setting the bucket on the table. \u201cThought you might need this.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThanks,\u201d she said, smiling in gratitude. \u201cAny news from the village?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOld Giorgi\u2019s cow gave birth to a beautiful little calf. He\u2019ll probably sell her in the spring\u2014the calf, of course, not the cow.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnyway, she\u2019s a gorgeous animal. I really wish I could save up and buy her. Do you think your aunt could\u2026 well\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Tamuna drew a labored breath. She knew what Nika was asking, but her aunt was far too miserly to ever agree to such a request. If Tamuna asked her to raise Nika\u2019s pay by even a few meager coppers, she\u2019d probably be whipped for it. But Nika couldn\u2019t save very much either, since his family took almost everything he earned.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll do what I can,\u201d she said softly. Then, putting a hand on his arm, \u201cMaybe we can save up enough together.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

His face brightened. \u201cYou really think so?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSure. And with all the eggs the chickens are laying, maybe Sopiko will let us sell some at the market in Kutaisa.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOh, Tamuna!\u201d<\/p>\n

Nika threw his arms around her, enthusiastically kissing her on the cheek. He still smelled like dirty hay and horse manure, though, so she squealed and pushed him away.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy the seven rivers, Nika, haven\u2019t you had a chance to wash up yet? You smell like you\u2019ve been bathing with the pigs!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry,\u201d he said sheepishly.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, what are you still here for? Go and wash up already!\u201d<\/p>\n

She shooed him out of the kitchen, but just as he turned to leave, she suddenly remembered the traveler.<\/p>\n

\u201cWait\u2014did you see anyone come in?\u201d<\/p>\n

He frowned. \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe traveler who just rode in. Did you catch a glimpse of him? When I\u2019m\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, my stars!\u201d said Nika, his eyes widening like saucers. \u201cI wasn\u2019t in the stable when\u2014 Sorry, gotta run!\u201d Without another word, he dashed out the door and disappeared into the deepening twilight.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"The<\/a><\/div>

\r\n\tThe Sword Keeper<\/a>\r\n<\/h2>
$12.99<\/span><\/span>eBook:<\/span> $4.99<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>
\r\n\tAuthor:<\/span> Joe Vasicek<\/a><\/span>
\tSeries:<\/span> The Twelfth Sword Trilogy<\/a>, Book 1<\/span>
\tGenres:<\/span> Epic<\/a>, Fantasy<\/a><\/span>
\tTag:<\/span> 2017 Release<\/a><\/span>
<\/div>
\r\n\t

Tamuna Leladze always dreamed of adventure, but never expected to answer its call. That changes when a wandering knight arrives at her aunt's tavern. He is the keeper of a magic sword that vanished from the pages of history more than a thousand years ago. The sword has a mind and a memory, and it has chosen Tamuna for purpose far greater than she knows.<\/p>\n More info \u2192<\/a><\/div>

$1 off the ebook with coupon code: BUY DIRECT<\/a><\/div>
FREE ebook when you buy the audiobook direct!<\/a><\/div>
FREE ebook when you buy the paperback direct!<\/a><\/div>
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<\/div>\r\n<\/div><\/div><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The candles were lit and the tables had already been served when the clatter of hooves announced the late arrival of a traveler. Tamuna paused in her work behind the counter to peer out the tavern window, but the sky had already faded, blending the leaves with the shadows. \u201cBetter put another spit on the… Continue reading The Sword Keeper \u2014 excerpt 1<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[650,932],"tags":[474],"class_list":["post-11399","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sk","category-twelfth-sword-trilogy","tag-excerpts","entry"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7iXK-2XR","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onelowerlight.com\/writing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11399","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onelowerlight.com\/writing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onelowerlight.com\/writing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onelowerlight.com\/writing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onelowerlight.com\/writing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11399"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.onelowerlight.com\/writing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11399\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11420,"href":"https:\/\/www.onelowerlight.com\/writing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11399\/revisions\/11420"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onelowerlight.com\/writing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11399"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onelowerlight.com\/writing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11399"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onelowerlight.com\/writing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11399"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}