Blog Tour and Book Excerpt for "Sword Brethren"

Book Title: Sword Brethren

Series: The Northern Crusader Chronicles

Author: Jon Byrne

Publication Date: 28th November 2024

Publisher: The Book Guild

Pages: 416

Genre: Historical Fiction (Action/Adventure)

Any Triggers: There are several mild profanities, a non-graphic rape scene and several descriptions of battle and death.

Sword Brethren

by Jon Byrne

Blurb:

1242. After being wounded in the Battle on the Ice, Richard Fitz Simon becomes a prisoner of Prince Alexander Nevsky of Novgorod. Alexander, intrigued by his captive’s story, instructs his scholar to assist Richard in writing about his life.

Richard’s chronicle begins in 1203, when his training to be a knight is disrupted by treachery. He is forced to flee England for Lübeck, where he begins work for a greedy salt merchant. After an illicit love affair, his new life is thrown into turmoil, and he joins the Livonian Brothers of the Sword as they embark on imposing the will of God on the pagans of the eastern Baltic. Here, he must reconcile with his new life of prayer, danger and duty – despite his own religious doubts, with as many enemies within the fortified commandery as the wilderness outside. However, when their small outpost in Riga is threatened by a large pagan army, Richard is compelled to make a crucial decision and fight like never before.

Buy Links:

Universal Ebook Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/boVKlV

Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sword-brethren-jon-byrne/1146519606?ean=2940184429601

Waterstones: https://www.waterstones.com/book/sword-brethren/jon-byrne/9781835740798

Author Bio:

Jon Byrne, originally from London, now lives with his German family by a lake in Bavaria with stunning views of the Alps. As well as writing, he works as a translator for a local IT company and occasionally as a lumberjack.

He has always been fascinated by history and has studied the Medieval world for over twenty years, building up a comprehensive library of books. In his research, he has travelled to all of the locations mentioned in the book (East Anglia, Bremen, Lübeck, Latvia, etc).

Sword Brethren (formerly Brothers of the Sword) made it to the shortlist of the Yeovil Literary Prize 2022 and the longlist of the prestigious Grindstone International Novel Prize 2022. It is the first book in The Northern Crusader Chronicles.

Author Links:

Website: https://www.jonbyrnewriter.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JonByrneAuthor

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Jon-Byrne/author/B0DJC6PL8D

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/52458339.Jon_Byrne

Book Excerpt:

Next morning we were woken by the bells ringing for Prime. Outside, rain drummed down and a biting wind lashed around the yard, buffeting the shutters that covered the windows. I dressed quickly and we hurried to the abbey church to say our prayers, laughing at the sight of some monks, who had hitched their habits up to reveal bare legs, running across the rain-soaked mud. Wilhelm and I joined them, shivering in the nave of the church as the monks sang a hymn, followed by psalms and a reading.

My mind wandered to what would await us later in the day when we returned to Cranham, but our journey had been successful. Abbot Samson had agreed to safeguard the documents for a fee, or donation, of ten shillings, which I considered a staggering amount but was much what Wilhelm had expected.

Afterwards, we went to the infirmary to see if Thomas had recovered enough to travel back with us to Cranham, if that was indeed his intention. He declared he was fit, able and willing to come and speak with my father about employment. ‘It’s many leagues closer than Normandy,’ he said, showing us the bandage around his arm. ‘And one master is as good as another.’

We left Simon’s body in the care of the abbey and departed shortly afterwards. The weather had still not improved and after collecting our horses and picking up Thomas, we passed out the same gate of the abbey that we had entered and back into the town. In contrast to the busy streets we had seen the day before, it was almost deserted. We took the town’s eastern gate, clopping over the bridge and the swollen waters of the River Lark. I sat hunched in my cloak, letting the horse make its own way, shivering as the track wound through waterlogged fields. Water dripped down my neck from my cap and my limbs ached like a taut bowstring, ready to snap. Although the journey back to Cranham would only take half a day, it was too long as far as I was concerned. We travelled in silence.

Sometime later, we reached the track that led back to Cranham, retracing our steps from two days previously. The rain had not relented, and visibility was poor. Ahead, through the mist, I could see a wagon slewed across our path. One of the wagon’s wheels was broken and two men crouched down repairing it. The scene looked innocent enough and I nudged my horse to ride single file past them, my two companions following behind.

When I drew level with the first man, he abruptly stood and grabbed Cobalt by the reins. Instinctively, I pulled her away, but I glimpsed a flash of steel. The horse’s sudden movement saved my life as the dagger missed me but scored Cobalt’s flank, causing her to rear up and my attacker to step back to avoid getting kicked. I drew my sword hearing shouting behind me. ‘Get the boy!’ cried the man who had attacked me.

There were more figures around us and Cobalt jumped forward, knocking another man over as the first drew a sword and came for me. My horse circled round, and I leant out from the saddle, as Sir Hugh had taught me, and hacked at the first attacker. It was like striking the quintain in arms practice. The man screamed as my blade cut his upper arm and he dropped his sword and fell to the ground. Behind me, Wilhelm and Thomas were engaged with more attackers, and I pulled Cobalt round to come to their aid. Another man screamed a challenge from out of the rain and attacked from the right, swinging an axe. But he slipped in the mud and went tumbling past me. Cobalt jumped over him, the blood from her wound mingling with the rain, while I went to help my companions.

But Thomas had fought his way past the wagon, parrying several blows and slashing back at his attackers. Behind him, Wilhelm was also defending himself desperately. I drove Cobalt into the back of a man blocking off Thomas and Wilhelm, sending him sprawling into the mud.

For a moment the way ahead was clear and I shouted for them to ride. I wheeled Cobalt round again, parrying another blow with my sword, sending shooting pains down my arm and almost causing me to drop my weapon. Wilhelm and Thomas thundered past me, and I dug my heels in, leaning forward as Cobalt sprung ahead again, galloping after the others and leaving our attackers behind.

I glanced quickly over my shoulder, seeing the outlaws disappear into the rain behind us. We let the horses run, bent low in our saddles to avoid the branches of the surrounding trees. I could see the squat houses of the village looming out of the mist ahead. We slowed down and I bent over to look at the rain-washed streaks of blood down Cobalt’s flank. The wound didn’t look deep.

‘They got the packhorses,’ Wilhelm said. That was ill news, my mail hauberk was on one of them.

‘But they did not get us,’ I said. ‘And I wounded one of them!’

‘Ja. Nevertheless, it is concerning to see how dangerous the roads have become for innocent travellers. Two attacks by outlaws in as many days… and so close to Cranham.’

‘When I tell my father, he will send men to track them down and bring them to justice.’ I hoped above everything that I would be allowed to accompany them. Something about the incident nagged at me, but I could not think what it was and put it out of my mind. By now the rain had died down to a mere drizzle and we rode through the deserted village. Ahead, I could see the gatehouse of the castle and we picked up our speed again, trotting over the wooden bridge and through the open gateway.

It was then my life changed for ever.

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