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    The Greatest of Books
    The Greatest of Books
    The Greatest of Books
    Ebook49 pages33 minutes

    The Greatest of Books

    By Rosa Marchisella

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    About this ebook

    To clear his name, disgraced knight, Baxton Al'Mur is magically bound to the impossible task of retrieving Deh Wersend Al Baku, known as The Greatest of Books, from a legendary troll or die horribly. No one has ever faced the troll and lived. Soldiers have fallen. Wizards have failed.

     

    Death would be a blessing for Baxton, but the Curse of Life has bound his best friend's fate to his own. For Lenigh's sake, Baxton must succeed. But, success has a terrible price. Wherever Baxton and the book go, so follows the unstoppable troll.

     

    As the body count rises, Baxton has to make a terrible decision: Sacrifice hundreds of innocent people to complete his mission or betray the last person he loves to keep his world safe from the troll.

     

    ** Praise for The Greatest of Books **

     

    "The Greatest of Books bursts into action from the very first chapter. It has a fast paced, propulsive, kinetic, and dark story line. There is never a boring chapter. Marchisella has created a ferocious book whose pages are a whirlwind of action and sacrifice ... It is a heart-stopping, heartrending, thrilling tale, well worth the read." - Jessica Barbosa, Readers' Favorite

     

    "Ominous, vicious, and worth it! Marchisella breathed life back into the legendary troll and gave me chills."

                – Joshua Robertson, Thrice Nine Legends

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherEmber Park Imprint
    Release dateJan 25, 2018
    ISBN9781989016039
    The Greatest of Books
    Author

    Rosa Marchisella

    Rosa Marchisella is the author of the gripping Touch of Insanity series and bone-chilling novella, The Greatest of Books. Her stories focus on fantasy, paranormal, and thrilling adventures. A dynamic and prolific story-teller, Rosa has earned critical praise as a writer, stage actress, vocalist, public speaker, and artist. Her hobbies include gardening, hikes, and playing games with her kids.

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      Book preview

      The Greatest of Books - Rosa Marchisella

      Chapter One

      Baxton

      image-placeholder

      Baxton stared at the flaking sign painted with dire warnings of the damned troll and his thrice-cursed treasure. The fallen knight yearned to heed those warnings. Death lived in Troll’s Hand Pass — a horrible, unspeakable vanishing leaving no evidence you ever existed.

      Trolls held no value for art, magic, or jewels. They ate flesh, bone, leather, and metal. Everything was food, except The Greatest of Books, Deh Wersend Al Backu. The legends never said what made the relic deserving of its title, but being the only item in history not eaten by a troll lent it credence.

      Baxton forced himself to look away from the sign. Every fiber of his being screamed, Flee! but Att Raman’s compulsion spell drove him and his companions to complete their mission: retrieve Deh Wersend Al Backu and bring it to King Torgen. Or die trying.

      He shuddered inside the protective shell of his armor. They were destined to fail, like the legions of soldiers and wizards who had tried before them. Baxton was neither hero nor hunter on this mission. I am prey.

      After the night’s wild rainstorm, he expected a morning filled with birdsong and busy insects, but the forest held only the sound of hushed expectation. The wind avoided this region, as if afraid of being caught in the branches of the cowering trees. Perhaps it was. The horses struggled through the deep mud in the eerie quiet created by Att Raman’s silence spell.

      Baxton saw their prize nestled between the roots of a massive tree stump, like a sleeping babe. He reined to a halt and signaled for the others to stop, not daring to go closer. Att Raman’s spell may have silenced the men and their mounts, but the troll might feel the vibrations of their approach.

      Frey’s dark-ringed eyes darted back and forth. Steps away lay a death more horrific than his imagination could invent. Sweat plastered the rapist’s dark hair to his head, and he trembled like a deer at the scent of a wolf. His nostrils flared and collapsed with each breath.

      Darbin shifted in the saddle and unsheathed his short sword. Moon-faced and stoic, the man stared straight ahead through strands of rusty hair. His stone-gray eyes surveyed their surroundings with disinterest.

      Att Raman had promised a bonding spell to keep Baxton safe from any treachery his companions might conceive. He grimaced. Spell or not, a man who butchered his wife in front of their children was someone to watch with both eyes.

      The visor of his helmet hid the sneer of contempt for his companions . . . and himself. The men were a constant reminder of his disgrace and loss. Baxton would have greeted death willingly beside his beloved Tanis if he had not been pulled from the flames. His father-in-law, Baron

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