21st Century Vinny in 13th Century

I'll be away in Spain for about a week - in the area where part of The Reptile Wars is set.  In the meantime, here is another excerpt.  Vinny has been mistaken for Vincent of Baalfire.  However, Radulph of Baalfire, astride his horse, Zel, is not convinced. In this scene, Vinny has just been dragged up on to the horse in front of Radulph:

Me?  Hold the reins.  As I take the reins, Zel shakes his head so violently that I would have

been thrown off if Radulph hadn’t gripped me tightly round the waist.  I’ve ridden before.

But never on a horse as wild and powerful as this creature.  So I stroke its neck.  Lean close

to its ear and ask it to be kind to me.

Nearby, one of the wardogs, a heavily-built mastiff, is going berserk.  Probably was born

berserk. Its handler, an irritable old farmer, covered in cowshit from the waist down and,

I’d say, chickenshit from the waist up, is having trouble controlling it.  I suspect he uses it to 

keep people off his land, though I’m sure the state of his clothes would do that pretty 

well.  Suddenly, the animal pulls free.  The poor old wretch of a farmer, rivers of sweat 

running down his face into his grizzled beard, beats it with his cudgel.  He kicks at it to

keep it from mauling him.  As it runs around wildly, Astryd screams and draws back into 

the crowd.  Right away, the animal is surrounded by a circle completely emptied of people.  

It glares at everyone ominously, eyes full of loathing.  For a moment it’s undecided.  

Then, without warning, it lunges wildly at the fetlocks of Zel.  When the stallion rears, I'm 

almost hurled to the ground.

“Easy,” I say.  “Easy.”  As if that’s going to make any difference.

As the hooves come down, they lash out at the mastiff.  Radulph mutters in my ear.  “You 

are not my son.”  I strain to listen and hold on to the reins and Zel’s mane at the same time. 

The wardog persists.  Snapping.  Snarling.  The stallion rears again.  Comes down again 

kicking furiously.  “My son, Vincent, is dead.”  The growls of the mastiff fire up the savage 

blood-lust of other wardogs, who add to the frenzied yelping.  “Of this I am sure.  You 

have fooled my wife.  Impostor.”

A third time, the horse rears up and its hooves come down hard.  This time solidly on the 

brute’s skull.  “I know this,” says Radulph.  “For I killed him.”  There’s a moment of silence.  

The wardog slumps to the ground.  For a few seconds, the hind legs twitch.  Then it lies 

still.  Forever.  A jagged crack across the skull.  Pink saliva trickles from its mouth.  Blood 

mingles with the dust. 

Characters: King James of Aragon, El Drac, Harald the Merciless

The Reptile Wars - a complete historical fantasy was, nonetheless, based on actual events and one or two real people.

Sir Peter Balfour: (not his real name) is an evolutionary scientist exploring links between the genetic make-up of reptiles and human beings, in particular the development of the human brain from its early reptilian beginnings.

King James of Aragon: also known as James I the Conquistador lived from 1208 - 1276.  After uniting Aragon, he conquered the Kingdom of Valencia.

El Drac: also 1208 - 1276 was a Moorish commander in what is now southern Spain.  He signed a treaty with King James in 1245.  The local people would bring naughty children into line with the words:  "Be good or El Drac will eat you!"

Harald the Merciless: Harald Ruffsnape is called after the notorious and vicious King of Norway about whom stories were common in medieval England.

BUT WHO IS VINNY?

Forgot About the Murderers

Oh, I forgot to mention the two murderers Vinny meets on his journey to Aragon.  They are called Mr Luc and Mr Rangel.  Here is a short excerpt from that encounter:

“Got ya, Mr Rangel.  Now, my boy, speak up, ‘cos we are murderers.”

“Shut up, Mr Luc, please.  Don’t say we are murderers.  Not murderers.  Not murderers as such,

 young man.  Just a little homicide.  That’s all.  Just a little.  Homicide.  From time to time.  Not…

 regular.”

“Homicide?”  I say, stepping under Zel’s head to the horse’s left flank, where I’ve tied my

 scabbard to the saddle.  The threat is clear enough.  “Yeh, I’ve heard about homicide.  Not very

 nice, is it?  Not very friendly.”

“Ah, but we,” explains Rangel, covering Luc’s face with his massive hand and pushing him to the

 ground, “we have the homicide pardon, you see.  From King James himself.  We have the

 parchment.  Show the young man the parchment, Luc.  The Pope has said prayers for our

 murdering ways.  So that we might join the crusade against the Muslim Moors.  And the King has

 pardoned us, as we have the leftovers of murdering skills.  From a previous life, you understand.

 Such that are required for the crusading manner of employment.  Show the young man the

 parchment that was passed from the King’s blessed hand to our very own.  The piece of 

 delightful parchment that says what has gone on – in the murkiness of our past – in a murdering

 sort of way – is now all forgiven – with the King’s very hand – signed at the bottom – in proper

 writing.”

More About The Reptile Wars

This is a story about a crazy scientist's son, Vinny, who gets caught up in the subject of his father's dangerous research into evolution and the potential for genetic crossover between human beings and reptiles.  Vinny falls through a rip in time and comes face-to-face with the aggressive, predatory nature of the reptilian brain played out in a war between Christians and Moors of the 13th century.  Here, he has to deal with Harald the Merciless, a strange undead manipulator called Phar Lazar and his drugged-up puppet, Prince Ynyr.  On Vinny's side are Eneko Azenari, a wolfkiller, and a giant poet called Gonzalo de Zanj.

But this is only the start of this story, or the beginning may be yet to come.  For two books are to follow: one featuring the writings of Gonzalo de Zanj, centuries later, when they get into the hands of an extreme religious cult in Victorian times; and another, set in 2883, when some of these characters are still to be found attempting to control the human life span.

New Release - The Reptile Wars

While Janyka is having trouble looking after David and Del is about to leave Audrey the Marauder, the novel - The Reptile Wars - in which it all began has just been released.

The paperback will be out in a few weeks but you can download it here:

US:  http://www.amazon.com/The-Reptile-Wars-Earth-ebook/dp/B00JPL5SKM/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1397743471&sr=8-2&keywords=the+reptile+wars

UK:   http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Reptile-Wars-Earth-ebook/dp/B00JPL5SKM/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1397743178&sr=8-5&keywords=the+reptile+wars

In it you'll discover Janyka's attempts to get the root of her troubles and how the future came to be.  In The Reptile Wars, the future is never far behind; the past is just ahead.