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The Sun God's Heir
by Elliott Baker
Blurb:
In 17th century France, a young pacifist kills to protect the woman he loves, unwittingly opening a door for the reincarnation of an ancient Egyptian general determined to continue a reign of terror begun three thousand years ago. Taking up the sword will not be enough. Rene must reclaim his own ancient past to stop the red tide of slavery from engulfing the world.Joined by a powerful sheikh, his sword wielding daughter, and a family of Maranos escaping the Spanish Inquisition, they fight their way through pirates, typhoons, and dark assassins to reach Morocco, the home of an occult sect that has waited for Rene through the eons.
Excerpt:
The boatswain, a large man with scars on his arms and face, walked over to stand in front of René. “Chain him to the mast.”
Their gazes met.
“Don’t look at me, boy,” he said, backhanding René in the
face. “Look down at the deck when I talk to you. You’re some over-fed nobleman’s
kid thinkin’ you make the rules. I’m surprised you ain’t cryin’ for your mama.
You got a mama, boy?” he asked and laughed. When René didn’t answer, he hit him
again. “I asked you a question, boy. Don’t try my patience, cause I ain’t got none.”
“My mother died when I was born,” René said, watching the
man’s feet to see how he moved.
He was cataloging everything he could see out of the corners
of his eyes.
“Well, not to worry, you’ll be seeing her soon.” The
boatswain turned to walk away and then turned back and hit René again. “I had
to do that,” he said, and walked away laughing.
Though they had chained him in a way that didn’t allow him
to sit, René had enough slack to turn and see most of the ship. He was aboard
an English slave ship. She was an older carrack in design, still with the large
forecastle. She had seen better days, though. The fact that she was still on
the seas suggested either a cutthroat reputation or an experienced captain.
Under the wear, the ship was surprisingly clean, her ropes and sails newly
repaired and in good order. Second rate though she might be, she was seaworthy.
This was a veteran crew, competent in their tasks. It wouldn’t be easy getting
free, and even if he could, where would he escape to in the middle of the
ocean? Don’t rush fate. One thing at a
time. Do what you can do, he heard the Maestro say. It was clear he would
have to pick a fight, and hope he could survive long enough to begin creating allies.
The next time the big boatswain walked by, René laughed.
“What are you findin’ so funny, boy?” The boatswain stuck
his face within inches of René’s.
René had noticed the boatswain had one leg shorter than the
other, and was certain the big man would be touchy on that point. “You walk
funny, that’s all,” said René, raising his voice. It was of no use to him if he
got beat up and no one knew why.
All work within the sound of René’s voice crashed to a
complete stop. Silence reigned. René had guessed right. Now he could only hope
he would survive his insight.
The boatswain stood in absolute disbelief, his face turning
redder by the moment. “What did you say?” Spittle flew from his mouth.
Even the captain had turned to watch. René counted on the
fact Gaspard’s agent had given the captain a great deal of money, along with
explicit instructions that didn’t include throwing a dead boy overboard. What
he didn’t know was how close to dead the agent considered acceptable.
“I said you walk funny,” René said—louder this time, so
there would be no mistaking it.
“Do you know what a cat is, boy?” the boatswain said,
clearly beyond rational thought. René could see the veins standing out in his
neck and temples, his eyes shot red with blood. “A small animal?” René asked.
There was a laugh from the men standing around the mast. The
boatswain took one look around, and the laugh died.
“You, James, bring me the cat. I don’t think this boy has
ever seen a real one. Your education has been sadly incomplete, boy. You’ll be
thankin’ me for this. I promise you.” The boatswain’s voice was a rough
whisper.
James walked over and handed the Cat-O-Nine-Tails to the
boatswain. As he caught René’s eye, he sadly shook his head. The cat had nine
long thongs of blood-encrusted leather dangling from a handle, knots tied along
the length of each thong.
“This here’s a cat, boy. As you can see, it ain’t no small
animal. Now, there’s a skill and a talent to usin’ a cat, both of which I’m
proud to say I have. You see, you need to take care the thongs don’t get all
stuck together with blood and skin, which they’re wont to do. If that happens,
the cat’ll take yer organs right out, and that’s always a bad thing. So you
need to run your fingers between the thongs every couple of strokes, to keep
‘em separate. I gotta tell you—as much pride as I take in usin’ the cat,
sometimes I’m forgetful. I try to keep count, but before I know it, I plumb
forget to clean the damn thing. I surely hope that don’t happen today.”
“I also have a skill and a talent, and I will kill you with
it,” René said quietly.
For one second, the boatswain paused, confusion written
across his face. “Turn him around, and chain him up. You there, strip off his
shirt.”
***
BUY LINKS
Award winning international playwright Elliott B. Baker grew up in Jacksonville, Florida. With four
musicals and one play published and done throughout the United States, in New
Zealand, Portugal, England, and Canada, Elliott is pleased to offer his first novel,
The Sun God’s Heir. A member of the
Authors Guild and the Dramatists Guild, Elliott lives in New Hampshire with his
wife Sally Ann.
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