A Brash Witch And A Fiery Villain 🔥
Jul 06, 2022 3:01 pm
Hearty salutations to the exalted nobility, merchants, craftsmen, clergy, lords, vassals, serfs, peasants, and all of your magnificent families!
If we have not met before, please allow me to introduce myself as Prince Otto von Bayern, Keyholder of Muniche and guardian of the Teuton people from the surrounding countryside. It is my privilege to converse with you today at the behest of C.L. Carhart, a chronicler from a time long distant from my own. She requested that I communicate with you about the account she penned of certain Teutons under my jurisdiction during the years 1044 to 1045.
First, though, I must extend heartfelt congratulations to 55lellison. You have won a $10 gift card to the eBook retailer of your choice! Please reply to this email to claim your prize.
I, for one, do not understand the concept of “eBooks,” nor do I comprehend how such a wide swath of commoners could claim themselves literate. But C.L. Carhart’s time is not my own, so I shall simply convey that message and move on to more important matters. 📚
An Insolent Interloper
In recent months, rumors have spread among the Teuton people regarding the sorceries I have studied in order to open the gateway of time. Some fear that I have delved too far into devilish magic, while others celebrate the glorious events I have witnessed. Curious as to how I managed such a feat?
Unfortunately, that mystic spell must remain concealed . . . from you and from the icy witch who begged it of me on the very day I granted her and her two foreign companions asylum in my city. I ought not to have welcomed her so carelessly under my reign and guardianship.
Swanhilde von Thaden travels time lightly. She apparently believes that I, the Prince of Muniche, shall take pity on her and confess our people’s darkest secrets . . . when she refuses to explain just how she and her companions arrived in my era to begin with. She must endeavor to earn my respect and trust before I would deign to grant her the secrets of time travel—and thus far she has merely proven herself to be a brash young fool.
Darker Developments
I would have simply put Swanhilde’s pleas out of sight, out of mind after our initial meeting. Some ten thousand people call Muniche their home; as her Prince I must protect and support my hometown. I should not find cause to cross paths with a penniless, time-traveling witch again.
Had she not pursued a relationship with my eldest brother, Augustin.
I shall be incredibly honest with you now. Whether I view Swanhilde disdainfully or not, no Teuton woman—or foreign woman for that matter—ought to imagine herself capable of unearthing love from my eldest brother’s black heart. Augustin commits crimes that would compel me to execute him myself, were he not the city’s rightful Keyholder. I have watched him ruin and discard amorous females without thought or care . . . and now the icy witch from the future has fallen into his grasp.
Red fire simmers in my veins when I see them dance together in elemental glory, when I see her gaze at his callous face in hopeless adoration. Augustin will shatter her heart and laugh . . . but he might also seek to use her against me . . . to pry the secrets of time travel from my blood.
I must separate them to keep the people of Muniche safe . . . and I might have to consult with our demon lord to ensure that they remain separated.
Curious to see what comes of this? Buy Mystic Passage from your favorite online retailer today, and try not to allow Swanhilde’s bleeding heart to arouse your sympathy. She does NOT belong with my brother Augustin. The two of them working together portend the fatal destruction of this city.
If you cannot afford the $4.99 list price, right now Mystic Passage is half price at Smashwords. You can buy the ePub or mobi version there to read on your preferred app or e-reader (or even your computer or tablet).
Here is the Smashwords purchase link:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1071961
And here is the link that explains how to load your file:
https://www.smashwords.com/about/supportfaq#kindle
New Worlds Await
If you prefer to binge read an entire series at once—or a collection of short stories—I urge you to scroll through the offerings in this promotion.
C.L. Carhart’s box sets of Books 1-3 and Books 4-6 in her His Name Was Augustin series can be found here.
[It behooves me to mention that I despise the fact that C.L. Carhart chose to name her entire series after my wicked brother. 👎 Swanhilde’s bleeding heart must have clouded her judgment.]
It is time for me to bid you a polite farewell, for I need to visit the archives to find the most appropriate method of separating Swanhilde from Augustin.
C.L. Carhart shall return next week to share pictures from her Great Western Road Trip, along with an early look at her current writing projects. I have heard rumors that she is outlining a completely new series—and that she has a couple short stories brewing for various anthologies.
I trust that you shall continue to support her as she unveils the histories of the Teuton people—her choice of series titles notwithstanding.
With Divine Respect,
Prince Otto von Bayern
Buy Mystic Passage from your favorite store: https://books2read.com/hnwamp
Half price at Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1071961
Get the first book in the series for FREE: https://books2read.com/hnwaag
Follow C.L. Carhart on social media for road trip photos: