Archive for Four Horsemen
Famine-Blurb and excerpt
Having been sacrificed by his village shaman, Famine knows what it’s like to do anything to survive. He wanders the world, sowing drought and starvation in his wake. Yet he hates being the Black Horseman more than anything in the world, except the man who ended his life all those centuries ago. Famine never stops doing his job, and never allows himself to fall in love.
Ekundayo wants a better life for himself, so he steals a diamond from the mine where he works. Nothing goes well for him after that, and he finds himself dying in the desert on his way to the border. When he’s rescued by Famine, Ekundayo isn’t sure if his luck has changed or not. The longer he stays in Famine’s company, the more Ekundayo discovers he just might be falling in love with Famine.
One bad choice of Ekundayo’s part, and a future together seems out of reach. Will Famine let his only possibility of love go or will he defy Death himself to keep Ekundayo?
Excerpt:
Famine shot a glance at Death. The hair and eyes were the same colour, but this Death was younger, and if possible, even more cynical than the one who originally showed Famine the ropes. This Death became a Horseman shortly after the French Revolution. Famine always wondered if he’d been instrumentally in starting the genocide, but he didn’t have the nerve to ask Death about it. He figured Death wouldn’t have answered him anyway.
He’d learned about the Horsemen and how there were always four of them-Pestilence, War, Famine, and Death. Each one had a purpose in keeping the balance between good and evil. Each Horseman would come in, and if the mortals didn’t heed the first warning, the death tolls grew until someone in power changed the situations if they could. There had been two Deaths and two Pestilences since Famine came to be a Horseman. Of course, the most recent Pestilence had gone back to being mortal, and War did so as well.
With two new Horsemen, Death seemed a little more rushed and not as interested in dealing with Famine’s issues. Not that Death cared all that much before. Out of all the Horsemen Famine had dealt with, this Death seemed the less guilt-stricken by what he’d done in his mortal life to get him the illustrious job as Death, the Pale Horseman.
“Will the others be coming here?”
Death shrugged one shoulder. “War will probably be showing up. I believe the warlords are getting restless, and it’s time for them to go on another rampage. I’m hoping this skirmish is the one to convince those in power to do something about the innocents here.”
The Pale Horseman didn’t sound convinced that it would happen, and neither was Famine. He’d been through too many centuries of wishing the mortals would pay attention to their warnings, but so far none of them had. Oh, wars would end, and diseases would be eradicated, but only for a little while before they started fighting amongst themselves again. As the balance between good and evil tips in favour of one or the other, the Horsemen rode out to even things again.
Famine glanced down at the dirt under his horse’s hooves. It was dusty and dry because no water had fallen in the area for more than six months. Before that, what rain did fall had been soaked up so quickly, nothing had a chance to grow. The ground was fallow like it’d been sown with salt. Famine had walked miles around the area, ensuring nothing would grow for decades to come.
“I have to go,” Death declared.
“All right. Oh, wait. How are Pestilence and War doing with their mortal lovers? Have you seen either of them?”
He wasn’t sure why he wanted to know. It wasn’t like he and the other two were best friends or anything. More colleagues than anything else. Maybe he wanted to know they were happy because he hoped for a good outcome for himself. Famine didn’t know if he did believe in his ability to fall in love. How could there possibly be someone out there who could fall in love with a man who sowed famine and drought wherever he walked?
Famine touched the medicine bag lying on his chest. When he’d first become Famine, he’d been given the bag full of salt, and told his power of drought and starvation manifested in it. He never took it off, fearing someone else would get a hold of it, and cause more problems. Yet Famine had been informed no one else could do what he did, which didn’t make him feel any better about his job.
Death pursed his lips, looking thoughtful for the first time since Famine met him. “They seem to be getting on rather well. I’m surprised at how well they are adapting back into the mortal world.”
“Do you talk to them or anything?”
“No. They remember their time as a Horseman, but we’re not allowed contact with them. They are to fully incorporate back into mortal life.” Death shook his head. “I’m not worried about them anymore. They will live and die like the mortals they fell in love with.”
Famine was glad to hear that. Living alone for centuries, and interacting with mortals very rarely made for a lonely existence. At least Pestilence and War were able to take time off once in a while. Next to Death, Famine was the busiest of the Horsemen. The African continent was in a state of constant turmoil, and he spent a majority of his time walking from one end to the other, spreading the drought and starvation to as many mortals as he could. He rarely travelled outside to the other countries in the world.
Hope you enjoyed the sneak peek. On Friday, you’ll get a peek at Death, which I’m hoping will be done by then or very very close to being done. 🙂 Have a great Wednesday.
War-Blurb and Excerpt
Book two in The Four Horsemen Series
Fighting the battle in his own heart, War must find peace before he can find love.
War destroyed an entire tribe of innocent people when he was human, all because his best friend lied to him. His guilt brings him a destiny he never planned. As the Red Horseman, War spends the centuries creating battles and wars between countries to restore balance in the world. While he accepts the job to atone for his sins, he wishes he didn’t cause men to kill each other. War lives a solitary life, without hope of ever finding forgiveness.
From the mountains of Afghanistan to the plains of Kansas, and to the steppes of Mongolia, Russell Heinz searches for peace. He’s battling survivor’s guilt after having two members of his army unit die within feet of him. His own mind shuts down, and Russell spends time in a mental ward, dreaming of a man with blood-red hair and all-black eyes. Unsure if the man is real or just a figment of his wounded mind, Russell heads to Mongolia, looking for forgiveness of his own.
Separately, Russell and War fight their own personal demons. Together, they find peace in a love tested by the fires of battle.
Reader Advisory: This book is best read in sequence as part of a series.
Excerpt: (unedited)
Baqir shivered as he grew colder from blood loss. He gritted his teeth to keep from shouting out and bring his guards in to save him. If he waited long enough, nothing could be done for him.
Blackness dotted his vision and he let his eyes close. He drifted along until he slipped under and lost consciousness.
“Open your eyes.”
Baqir frowned and forced his eyes open. Blinking, he stared up into the face of a pale haired man. Something about the man’s eyes bothered him. He studied the stranger until he realised the man’s eyes were pure black, no white parts or pupils.
“Who are you? Where are we?”
After sitting up, Baqir glanced around, trying to place the barren landscape. It didn’t look anything like the desert he grew up in and ruled until his death.
“Wait a minute. Didn’t I die? Did someone save me?”
“Get up.”
Stiffening, Baqir glared at him. “Who are you to tell me what to do?”
“I’m Death and you are War.”
“War? What the hell are you talking about?”
“There are four of us and we keep the balance between good and evil. If the world becomes unbalanced, we must step in to even it out. I am Death. I’m the last defence against the end of the world. Pestilence is the first line with you and Famine coming along. We can only hope mortals listen before I arrive.”
The stranger grabbed Baqir’s arm and yanked him to his feet. Baqir stumbled, but managed to right himself before he landed on his face. He touched his hand to his chest and pulled it back. No sign of blood anywhere.
“Was it just a dream?”
Death shook his head. “No. A boy whose tribe you massacred really murdered you in your tent. I need you to come with me.”
The pale haired man gestured to where a red stallion stood, pawing the ground. “He is yours. Come with me and I will show you what you need to do.”
“I’m not going with you.” He dug his heels in and shook his head.
“You don’t have a choice. Not anymore. You made it when you allowed the kid to plunge his knife into your chest without fighting back.”
“I understood his need for revenge. I destroyed his tribe because a person I thought I knew betrayed me.” Baqir shrugged. “I probably would have done the same if it was my tribe massacred.”
“Hmmm.” Death didn’t look concerned either way about it.
Baqir growled as Death grabbed his arm and dragged him over to the stallion. He struggled, but the man’s grip tightened enough, he almost cut off Baqir’s circulation. His mount turned his head to look at him and Baqir gasped.
As if the blood red colour of the horse’s coat wasn’t clue enough, the blood red eyes told him the creature wasn’t a normal horse. Reaching out, Baqir rested his hand on the stallion’s shoulder. An electric shock raced through him and the horse snorted like he felt it as well.
“Get on. We have things to do and I don’t have much time to get you up to speed.”
Dazed, Baqir climbed aboard the horse and settled into the saddle. The moment his butt hit the leather, Death nudged his pale horse and they leapt into action. He gasped as he saw the cliff they raced towards without any hint of stopping.
“What the hell,” he shouted as the horses jumped off the edge.
A clap of thunder and a flash of lightning blinded him, and all went black around him.
Centuries had gone by and Baqir slowly forgot most of his life before he died. Oh he remembered what he’d done to deserve the hell he lived in now, but he didn’t remember faces or names. He went by the title War since he was the Red Horseman. So many wars and battles. So many mortals dead because of greed or revenge.
“When will this be over?”
War stood on a cliff higher up the mountain, overlooking a pass. Both sides of the ten-year long war shot at each other. Over the centuries he did this, he’d grown deaf to the sounds of battle, though the noise of the dying still bothered him at a soul deep level.
“Some form of this conflict will continue for decades more, but one side of this particular war will be leaving soon.”
He turned to meet the impassive gaze of Death, his fellow Horseman. Not the same one who’d shaken him from the darkness and told him his entire life would be different from that moment on.
“How do you know?”
Death shrugged, his face expressionless. He made a snake seem warm and cuddly. “They’ve paid dearly with blood and money for a never-ending war. They will return to their own country where their own people threaten to revolt.”
As he turned back to look at the fight below him, weariness waved over War. He’d been a Horseman for more centuries than he could remember. Battles and fighting was all he knew. At moments like these though, he wished he could give it all up for a lasting death.
“Go home. Ride your horses. Train the young ones. Forget about this for a while.”
Death gestured towards the mayhem going on below them. War nodded as a large red stallion paced up to him.
He mounted, but before he left, he asked, “Will this ever stop?”
“What?” For a moment, Death seemed puzzled by War’s question.
“War and the constant need to destroy each other and the world.”
The Pale Horseman looked at him with a strangely understanding glance. “Soon it won’t matter to you anymore.”
War frowned, but Death turned away, ending the conversation. It was time for him to return to the steppes of Mongolia, where his herd wandered and he could forget about battles for a while.
As he rode off, Death sighed. Melancholy and despair radiated from War, yet Death had seen what was in store for the Red Horseman and what he’d said had been true.
Soon War wouldn’t care about being a Horseman. Change was coming quickly.
Hope you enjoyed the sneak peek. Have a great Monday, everyone. 🙂
Last Month of the Year
Happy Hunk Day
TGIF
New Cover…
Hal Sims runs a non-profit hospice named after his older brother. For ten years, he’s thrown himself into running the charity, and keeping his brother’s memory alive. Hal doesn’t have time for a relationship, especially with a rich golden boy like Tavis Komen.
Tavis Komen wants to change his life, and decides volunteering at Rupert’s Legacy is the first step to a better him. Meeting Hal Sims hits Tavis in ways he never planned.
When one of the hospice residents takes a turn for the worse, Tavis and Hal come together to comfort each other, and Tavis shows Hal there is joy to be found in a season that Hal has lost all interest in.
Also, good news. I finished Bring Him Gold, my Valentine’s Day story, which is a sequel to Embrace My Reflection. It’s a follow-up to see how Ronnie and Lucius are getting along. 😀 This one will be released on Feb. 12th from Amber Allure. Just in time for your loved one to buy it for as a Valentine’s Day present…lol.
Now I’m going to try and finish Death before the end of the month. Woot! That way all of the Horsemen books will be done, and I can start the next trilogy I have scheduled at Total e-Bound. My homage to Cher…or at least the titles are…lol
I hope you all have a great Wednesday. 😀
New in Print….
NSFW Monday Morning
Yay! It’s Friday….
Hunk Day
