Karen’s Killer Book Bench: SHADOW AND LIGHT #Sword #Sorcery #Fantasy by Peter Sartucci

KAREN’S KILLER BOOK BENCH: Welcome to Karen’s Killer Book Bench, where readers can discover talented new authors and take a peek inside their wonderful books. This is not an age-filtered site, so all book peeks are PG-13 or better. Come back and visit often. Happy reading!

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SHADOW AND LIGHT
Sword & Sorcery Epic Fantasy
BY PETER SARTUCCI

BLURB

A young prince with a dream. An acrobat with a nightmare power. A ruthless wizard who wants both dead to clear his own way to the throne.

Can Enemies Become Friends? The last thing that acrobat Kirin DiUmbra needs is to get snared in the deadly succession politics of the Kingdom of Silbar.

The first thing Prince Terrell wants is to prove himself worthy to wear the Silbari Crown. But he’s going to need un-looked-for help if he isn’t to end up murdered.

Two young men are thrown together by fate in a desperate struggle for their lives amidst magical dangers and deadly enemies. They must fight their way through crumbling ruin and searing desert, past bloody-handed fanatics and hostile ghosts. But even death will pale before the painful truths they must face when together they stand before the Stone Throne, and challenge the arcane power that will choose the next King of Silbar. Come along on a lush fantasy adventure in an ancient and magical land.

“Heartily recommended! Convincing action, interesting characters skillfully realized.” S.M. Stirling.

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SHADOW AND LIGHT
Sword & Sorcery Epic Fantasy
BY PETER SARTUCCI

Excerpt

Kirin and Terrell’s first meeting

Terrell woke from bad dreams. Darnaud and his sword featured prominently, but the worst included Pen falling to poison. He shuddered and almost shook his head before he remembered the spider. 

His arms and back ached, his wrists were chaffed bloody, and his buttocks and the backs of his shoulders were raw from rubbing against the gritty stone floor. He stared up at the ocular overhead, a too-small circle of stars in an oppressive darkness. Darnaud had probably left Aretzo by now, on his way to murder Pen. 

Father Haroun, hold your hand over Pen in protection, he prayed. Grant that Irreneetha detects Darnaud’s evil and saves Pen from poisoning. And Mother Umana, lend me your strength. Help me face what I must with courage and dignity, even if it be death by torture. In the Name of That which cannot be named, I pray for this.

He heard a sound and looked to the east entry, expecting to see the monster again. Nothing. When he looked to the west, a billowing cloud of utter darkness flowed right through the ward spell. It advanced on him across the floor. 

Terrell didn’t know whether to greet the monstrous billow with words or screams. Abruptly it shrank to the size and shape of a man. A short man wearing an open robe knelt at his side and whispered in a deep voice, “You’re awake, good. Give me time to get these off and let’s get you out of here.”

Then he wrapped both hands around Terrell’s wrist and began squeezing the manacle. Terrell couldn’t imagine what the stranger thought that would accomplish, but before he could speak the solid iron broke into pieces. The man moved to his ankle and did the same thing, then the next ankle and finally the last wrist, each manacle taking less time than the previous. Terrell levered himself up and stifled a groan, gingerly checked his wrists and ankles while staring at his rescuer. 

The man looked to be carved out of black marble, but moving. Terrell guessed him to be a few finger widths shorter than himself, narrow-waisted but broad-shouldered and powerfully built. Terrell had never seen a mage as muscular as this one; he wondered if the darkness tricked his eyes. 

The stranger took a pack from his back and pulled something out of it. “Here. It’s the best I could do,” he whispered, and shoved silken pantaloons and shirt into Terrell’s hands. 

Terrell dragged the shirt on while his overstressed arms made every movement torture.  He fell when he first tried to get to his feet. The stranger helped him up and steadied him with a hand on his shoulder while he pulled on the pantaloons. The solid grip reassured him even though the man remained an inky shadow. 

That must be a disguise spell, Terrell guessed. Or perhaps a concealment spell? Though I’ve never heard of either one working like this. He tied the shirt closed with silken laces, then carefully explored the spider on his head. He’d been itching to touch it for days and found it more complex than he’d guessed. Pain warned him not to prod it any harder, so he desisted.

The stranger stared at his head. “Damn. Highness, that thing–” 

“Don’t touch it!” Terrell warned. “There’s a spike in my head holding it on. I need a priestess before I dare take it out.” 

The stranger nodded back, or at least seemed to; it was hard to see his features. “All right. Now let’s get out of here.” A hand drew him toward the east entry.

Terrell resisted. “There’s a creature out there. Look!”

The beast had returned. It lifted its horror of a head, jaws parted, and once more leaned on the ward spell. This time a second creature joined it, one even uglier than the first.

The stranger flinched. “Haroun defend! Right you are, Highness. Back the other way instead.”

They hadn’t made it five steps when a clatter of footsteps announced the guard and three other soldiers. Fenman snapped, “How’d you get free?” Then he did an almost comical double-take as he noticed the stranger. But the young Gwythlo officer immediately shouted to his men, “Swords out! Take them both!”

The stranger grabbed Terrell’s arm again and the room went black. A yank made his abused body protest and nearly pulled him off his feet as he stumbled through darkness.

About Author Peter Sartucci…

Peter Sartucci is a real estate appraiser, retired LARP producer, and dad of two kids who hides out in suburban Denver between a firehouse and a cemetery, where he enjoys the average noise level. He makes his living valuing ranches and conservation easements and estates, all of which he happens to be very good at and which give him lots of opportunity to daydream while driving long distances.

From those dreams he has managed to write and publish three apocalyptic alt-history books and five epic fantasy tomes, with a sixth on the way and more planned. He has occasionally conned people into reading his short stories too, and none of them have fled screaming yet! His stories can be found in the anthology ‘Dragon Hoard 2’ by Wolfsinger Press (edited by Carol Hightshoe), and in the ‘Wishing Well’ and ‘Particular Passages II’ anthologies published by Knight Writing Press (edited by Sam Knight). He hasn’t the writing business sense that God (any god) gave to a mitochondria, but has had the very good luck to be discovered by friends anyway. You can find him on Facebook – he’s the only Peter Sartucci there.

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Links to Peter’s websites, blogs, books, #ad etc.:

Amazon Kindle: https://amzn.to/4jjawPZ

Amazon Paperback: https://amzn.to/40npsVy

Happy Reading!

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Thanks, Peter, for sharing your book with us!

Don’t miss the chance to read this book!

4 thoughts on “Karen’s Killer Book Bench: SHADOW AND LIGHT #Sword #Sorcery #Fantasy by Peter Sartucci”

  1. Good morning, Peter, and welcome to Karen’s Killer Book Bench. I love epic fantasy books like yours. I can’t wait to read it. Thanks for stopping by to share the book with us today!

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