
The largest battles of course take place at the end of the book. At that point two opposing armies are outside Regidia, the capital of Adjuria.
On one side is Pader Brun, leading the Loyalist forces of the missing king. On the other side is Jossen Fray, the former and exiled king’s nephew who’s leading the Rebel forces.
So what do both of those armies look like?
You’re going to want to think of men on horses with lances and swords and armor and riding out across fields already soaked with blood;
You’re going to want to think of flanking movements and the wings of these armies moving about under uncertain orders;
And you’re going to want to think of those scenes in movies where the fighting gets so damn violent that blood gets on the camera.
Yep, that’s The Jongurian Resolution.
But it’s not all epic battles, not at all. There’s political intrigue, shifting alliances, and quite a bit of backstabbing. And let’s not forget the continent of Jonguria, where an emperor is about to be overthrown.
Yeah, there’s a lot of stuff going on in this epic fantasy trilogy novel. All the loose threads and subplots are tied up and brought together. The fights you’ve been waiting for happen and the fast-paced action that you’ve come to expect is all there.
The Jongurian Resolution is 114,000 words and 305 pages on Amazon. Buy your copy today!
Excerpt
It was true. Several of the archers had wrapped cloth around their arrows on the march to the lake and were now dipping them into buckets of oil and pitch. The first arrows were lit and loosed toward the ships, and although many of them fell into the lake or hit the shore, several managed to hit the first two ships. After just a few moments it seemed that the flames didn’t take, but then one of the sails began to burn slowly, then furiously. The wind was great enough on the lake that the flames jumped from the first ship to the second and soon its sails too were aflame.
“I didn’t think it would work!” Dar laughed when he saw the second ship catch fire.
His laughter soon died away, however, when a second volley of arrows flew from the shore, this one greater than the first two combined. It hit the men of the Royalist Army hard and more than a hundred of them dropped to the ground. To make matters worse the two ships that were on fire managed to cut their sails loose which then floated down harmlessly into the lake.
The archers, even in the face of such immense aerial attacks, wouldn’t give up. They lit up another batch of arrows and sent them flaming toward the ships. Fewer struck this time however, and without sails none of the flames took hold. Another volley was released from the shore and the archers and horsemen both turned and began to flee back to the larger army, many of them taking arrows in the back as they ran. By the time they’d covered the hundreds of yards from the lake there were little more than a hundred men left from the nearly five hundred Willem had dispatched to deal with the threat.
By that time the other commanders had gathered near Willem to formulate some plan. Once the Oschemians reached them the battle would take a turn for the worse and they could face defeat.
“How many have landed on shore now?” Tane asked.
Sten peered at the lake. “I’ve counted near four thousand already.”
“And they’re still coming,” Dar said. “The Oschemians, together with the Allidians manning the ships, will easily number ten thousand.”
“Maybe the Portinians will come sailing up behind them and the day will be saved once again,” Whent said with a mirthless laugh.
Willem frowned. “I wouldn’t count on it.”
“We’ve got nearly two hours of daylight left,” Fitz said. “I don’t know if we can hold the line that long when the Oschemians reach us and attack our rear.”
“We could try and back up into the trees behind the camp,” Tane said. “If we’re amongst the trees we might fare better.”
“That’s one option, let me hear others,” Willem said.
“We could put all of our best men at the point of the line and make one last push, hoping to break through,” Dar said. “If we create a gap in the Regidian line and get enough men through it they might stop fighting for the day.”
“And what of tomorrow?” Sten asked. “Will we have enough men to field an army once more?”
“I’m more concerned about today at this point,” Dar answered.
“Look!” one of the sentries yelled. He was pointing toward the city and all eyes turned and then widened in amazement. The North Gate had opened and from it spilled hundreds of citizens, most armed with small knives, clubs, and pitchforks, although a few had managed to secure swords and bows. They ran out of the gate and turned toward the Oschemians who were just beginning to march toward the fighting.
“That’s not all,” Tane said as he pointed at a spot on the city walls close to the lake. “It seems they liked the idea about the arrows.”
From the city walls the men could see hundreds of bowmen, most likely more concerned citizens who sided with the Royalists. They’d set up torches every few yards and the men were already lighting the tips of their arrows and firing them at will into the ships crowded near the shore not fifty yards from the city walls. As the arrows rained down one-by-one the sails of the ships once again caught flame and the wind carried the fires to the surrounding vessels. Sails were cut but it was too late; the wind was too great and soon dozens of ships were aflame, the others scurrying to get back out onto the safety of the lake, most with their troops still on the decks.
“Well, it wasn’t the Portinians but the town folk that saved the day this time!” Whent laughed.
“They’re firing at the Oschemians now,” Fitz said, and it was true. The men on the wall, having burned or scared away all of the ships, were now directing their fire toward the men marching north. They still set their arrows alight and the effect on the Oschemians was noticeable. Instead of running north to get out of the line of fire they were running east.
“Put all of our strength into the point!” Willem said quickly. “If we can bring the fight hard to the Regidians for this last hour they’ll have to break off the attack for the day.”