The Regents of Rhum

De: Jon F. Baxley

Narrado por: Virtual Voice

Episode two of THE SCYTHIAN STONE SAGA picks up in York where Geile Plumat (the main antagonist from Blackgloom) is on trial for his failure to capture Daynin McKinnon and retrieve the Blackgloom bounty. At the same time, Daynin and his allies are working furiously to rebuild and fortify Kinloch Keep on the island of Rhum, knowing that with such a huge treasure in their hands, they will undoubtedly be tested again by those bent on Kinloch’s destruction.

Kruzurk Makshare (Daynin’s mentor) is making all haste in divining the meaning of the Scythian Stone he was asked to deliver to Rhum. He has learned that the Stone may be the long lost Stone of Destiny, upon which every rightful king of Scotia (Scotland) has knelt since the beginning of time.

Far to the north, a new element has come into play—Icelandic Vikings who are sent on a mission to capture the Stone by an evil skrineyalder (sorceress). Unknown to the Icelanders, another Viking contingent in the east has also learned of the Stone and has set sail to take Rhum by storm.

Meanwhile, a third Viking army under Thorkell the Tall has landed on the Saxon coast near York, their aim being to capture the city and loot it. Fortunately for the Saxons, Geile Plumat is in the right place to face the Danish incursion, but will he stand and fight?

To hold off all of these converging elements and protect both the Stone and the treasure, Daynin and his friends must use every ounce of wit, guile and deception they can muster to defend Kinloch Keep. Brude McAlpin, the giant Pictish spirit who was Daynin’s unlikely ally in the first episode, plays a key role in that defense, as well as becoming an entirely separate element in a developing story line that encompasses even more of what die hard fantasy fans yearn for--magic!

Ultimately, Daynin must win against all odds in order to become the Regent of Rhum, a position from which he can unite the clans of Scotia, rebuild the McKinnon family and face the wrath of a Saxon crown that views all of Britain as theirs by right of conquest. The ending of Regents sets the stage for episode three, THE SCIONS OF SCOTIA.

Written from multiple POV’s (in the Tom Clancy vein) and with a wealth of historical detail, THE REGENTS OF RHUM promises a fast paced action/adventure/fantasy tale set in a believable medieval world. Romance readers, too, will find plenty of the spice they seek as Daynin’s life continues to entwine with the feisty Sabritha, destined to become the other half of the Regents of Rhum. Or is she?

For those of you who have not yet read THE BLACKGLOOM BOUNTY, fear not, THE REGENTS OF RHUM can be read as a stand alone story. However, it will greatly enhance your reading pleasure if you've read Book 1 before delving into Regents. That way, you'll be up to speed on all the characters, locations and previous events.

This is a very large book--over 200,000 words. If you run across terms that are unfamiliar to you, refer to the extensive annotations listing at the end of each volume. In fact, you might want to bookmark that list for easy reference.

Book 3 of The Scythian Stone Saga, THE SCIONS OF SCOTIA is also available via Amazon KDP. Your comments and reviews are welcomed. Thank you for your continued support of this series.