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| About the Book |
Book Title: Clement: The Templar’s Treasure
Series: Clement (Book 3)
Author: Craig R. Hipkins
Publication Date: 4th May 2022
Publisher: Hipkins Twins
Page Length: 233 Pages
Genre: Young Adult Historical Fiction
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| Read An Excerpt |
Dagena
was led into the town by Guy, who had been instructed by Sven to not let her
out of his sight. This pleased the sailor, as he took great pleasure in the
young girl’s discomfort. All the villagers; men, women and children, nearly 300
people, had gathered around the bonfire, which was shooting flames nearly
twenty-five feet into the sky. They had been waiting for the arrival of the
Normans, numbering around 60, with their formidable iron swords. Some of them
were wearing chain mail and helmets, but most were dressed in long tunics and
cloaks. It was a rare sight for the Nipmuck’s to behold. Although a lot of the
villagers were intimidated by Sven’s small army, the Nipmuck sachem was not one
of them.
Shoshonin
sat on a bearskin, a safe distance away from the fire. He was a large boned man
with bulging biceps and long grey hair that fell past his muscular shoulders.
Dagena estimated he was about fifty years old, perhaps a bit older. His face,
bronzed by the sun, was weathered and scarred. He had been blinded in his left
eye, the result of a death match with a Pequot warrior in his youth. The
deformed eye had turned milky white. He barely stirred when Sven strolled into
the village, but a few minutes later, when he saw Dagena, he rose to his feet.
He was an imposing figure dressed in his bearskin. Around his waist was a belt
made of wampum with its white and purple beads, which denoted his high status.
Sven was watching the Nipmuck sachem’s reaction with interest. It was obvious
he had never seen a Norman woman before, especially one with red hair. He
walked around her, studying her carefully, examining her delicate features.
However, when he went to touch her hair, she swatted his hand.
“How
dare you!” Dagena exclaimed in his native tongue. This attack surprised him.
His face widened and his grotesque looking eye seemed ready to bulge from the
socket.
“You
speak my language?” he questioned, hardly believing a Norman could be capable
of such a thing. To him, the Norman tongue seemed to be an incomprehensible
series of garbled utterings.
“A
little,” she responded indignantly. She had practiced with Clement on the Bon
Air and learned just enough of the language to get her in trouble.
He was towering over her. She cringed feeling his formidable gaze upon her. She thought of something. She knew Sven did not understand the Nipmuck language, nor did he have a desire to learn it. She was the only Norman in this village who understood both tongues. She smiled inwardly. She could use this to her advantage. Perhaps she could play both sides against each other, but she would need to be careful.
So far, Sven had only gained an alliance with Shoshonin by actions. He had joined them in their attack on a Wampanoag settlement two days after their arrival and then the Nipmuck’s had cemented their alliance by ambushing Adalbert’s party the next day.
“Sit!” the Nipmuck sachem exclaimed loudly.
She
remained standing… defiant. She would show him she did not fear him. His face
turned sour, but, at the same time, he was mystified. No woman had ever
disobeyed him. He turned to Sven, who was watching the encounter with a dull
interest.
“Do
your women disobey you?” Shoshonin asked in his own tongue.
Sven
lifted his head and shrugged. “I do not understand you. What are you babbling
about?” He asked Dagena to translate for him.
She
smiled. Here was a chance to humiliate Sven. She looked back and forth between
the two men.
“Sven
says his women rule over him,” she lied.
Shoshonin’s
face dropped and, at first, he looked confused. Dagena thought maybe her
response was lost in the translation. However, a slight smirk started to form
around his mouth and then he suddenly burst out into a fit of laughter. The
merriment was contagious. A few of his warriors, who had gathered around them,
also began to laugh and point at Sven with mocking gestures. The Norman merely
looked at them and shrugged, not understanding what they were so merry about,
but suspected it might have something to do with Dagena’s translation.
“What
did you tell them, girl? Why are they laughing at me?”
Dagena
boldly walked up to him. Her upper lip was raised and her nostrils flared.
“Bring
me back to Clement or I will destroy you!”
The
laughter stopped and the Nipmuck’s looked at one another in wonderment. Sven
had been sitting down on a log but he slowly rose. She did not cower, but merely
looked up at him. His menacing figure loomed over her. For the first time, she
had a good study of his face, the thick curling moustache with the red hideous
scar running down his cheek. He was a vicious looking brute. He looked nothing
like his nephew and she wondered how the two could possibly be related by
blood.
“If
you do not take me back, I will ensure Clement shows no mercy when he catches
up to you!”
He
grabbed her by the front of her cloak and pulled her to him so that their faces
were only inches apart. She winced, closing her eyes, expecting to feel a
stinging blow. She felt his hot breath on her.
“You
little pig! I’m going to make you watch when I flay that little yellow haired
dog from the top of his head to the tips of his toes.”
He
shoved her away from him toward Guy, who was standing next to Webcowit with a
look of cruel pleasure on his face. The sailor held her by the hood of her
cloak and winked at her. She caught a quick disapproving glance from Webcowit
but she knew it was not directed at her but the way she was being treated.
“Take
her somewhere and do not let her out of your sight!” Sven roared.
Guy
was elated. “Aye, sire. It will be my pleasure.”
The sailor pushed her along. She glanced back at Webcowit, hoping he would follow them, but he merely stood watching. She wondered where his brother was. Were they planning something? But if they were, why did they let Guy capture her and bring her all the way here? She knew they had taken orders from Shoshonin. He was their sachem, but they had obeyed him and were no longer bound by those orders. Their duty had been fulfilled. She could only hope…until Clement arrived. She wondered. Where was he?
Buy Links:
This novel is available on #KindleUnlimited
Universal Link: https://books2read.com/u/mKd7qd
Amazon UK:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Clement-Templars-Treasure-Craig-Hipkins-ebook/dp/B09ZNHQG3L/
Amazon US:
https://www.amazon.com/Clement-Templars-Treasure-Craig-Hipkins-ebook/dp/B09ZNHQG3L/
Amazon CA:
https://www.amazon.ca/Clement-Templars-Treasure-Craig-Hipkins-ebook/dp/B09ZNHQG3L/
Amazon AU:
https://www.amazon.com.au/Clement-Templars-Treasure-Craig-Hipkins-ebook/dp/B09ZNHQG3L/
About the Author
Craig R. Hipkins grew up in Hubbardston Massachusetts. He is the author of medieval and gothic fiction. His novel, Adalbert is the sequel to Astrolabe written by his late twin brother Jay S. Hipkins (1968-2018) He is an avid long-distance runner and enjoys astronomy in his spare time.
Social Media Links:
Website: www.hipkinstwins.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CraigHipkins
Facebook: www.facebook.com/craig.hipkins.9
LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/craig-hipkins-7a042357
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/craighipkins3/
Pinterest:
https://www.pinterest.co.uk/craighipkins/
Amazon Author Page:
https://www.amazon.com/Craig-R.-Hipkins/e/B004RDJMNC
Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19975162.Craig_R_Hipkins
Twitter Handle: @CraigHipkins @maryanneyarde
Instagram Handles: @craighipkins3 @coffeepotbookclub
Hashtags: #HistoricalFiction #YoungAdult #YAfantasy #Medieval #BlogTour #CoffeePotBookClub
Tour Schedule Page:
https://maryanneyarde.blogspot.com/2022/05/blog-tour-clement-templars-treasure.html
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