THE HYDRA OFFENSIVE
by Joshua K Johnson
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
In the east, King Eadric Garrard has
crushed one rebellion but gets no rest as the rebellion in the West is rapidly
spiraling out of control. If he can't get things in line soon, his reign could
be at an end.
Raedan Clyve has traveled across the
Vast Sea to secure treaties and trade. Unchecked in his studies of magic, his
powers are growing beyond his control. The dark path he has set himself on
leads to destruction and chaos, but is it too late to turn back?
Kyrie Salas captains the Dragon's
Breath, chartered to carry the Western emissaries across the world. She sees
the potential in Raedan and seeks to harness it. But will her emotions get the
best of her?
War has raged, battles have been
fought, and lives lost. But the conflict for the future of Ansgar is just
beginning.
EXCERPT:
Cadmus
Reid was slow and methodical with his shots, carefully choosing his next mark.
He was looking for officers to cause chaos or sharpshooters to limit the risk
to his men. The Loyalists were hiding on the other side of the valley, behind
boulders and below the crest of the hills. The eastern skirmishers were
limiting their exposure, only presenting themselves long enough to find a
target and fire.
Cadmus
squinted as he looked up the sundrenched hills. The enemies had multiplied;
where once a handful of skirmishers had been, now dozens were firing. Every
hill on the eastern side of the valley was suddenly populated by a hundred
Loyalist soldiers.
“They’re
going to make their move soon,” Cadmus said to Gared as he reloaded again.
The
increasing volume of fire was meant to frighten the western skirmishers: only a
fool would expose himself to so much flying lead. Cadmus was unmoved by the
tactic. He’d used the same tactic five years ago in the fight to free the
Broken Plains Barony from foreign invaders and orcish mercenaries. A
particularly deadly group of orcs had taken up in a temple. He’d fired volley
after volley to distract them while another platoon had circled around to flush
the mercenaries out. He had never expected to be on the receiving end and it
bothered him that there was no effective way for him to counter the tactic. A
regular infantry company would have a light gun or two to throw shells at the
enemy from range. Skirmishers had no such luxury.
The
first boom of cannon-fire echoed over the valley and the shot whistled as it
fell. The enemy guns would have been placed on the plains beyond the far hills.
Their angle would be poor and they would be relying on the scouts to direct
their fire. The first rounds sailed over the western soldiers to slam into the
ground far behind them. Solid shot against his skirmishers would be dangerous,
but at least they weren’t explosive shells. The fragments of iron balls would
be deadly.
What
must have been a brigade of Loyalist troops flooded over the eastern hills,
some firing at Cadmus and his men, others trying to load their rifles as they
ran. Cadmus counted the flags.
“Signal
a withdrawal,” he said. “Make for the swamps!”
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Joshua Johnson is the author
of "Gunpowder Fantasy" The Cerberus Rebellion and the creator of the
Griffins & Gunpowder universe. When he isn't working or spending time with
his family, he writes novels, short stories and novellas.
He currently lives in
Northern Illinois with his wife and young children.
You can visit his website at
www.gunpowderfantasy.com
https://twitter.com/authorjkjohnson
https://www.facebook.com/authorjkjohnson?fref=ts
Kobo:
https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/the-hydra-offensive
Smashwords:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/554457
Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B010ITAYGC
Joshua will be awarding an ebook containing short stories set in the same world as the novel, titled The Chesian Wars.randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Use the link below to enter.
Thanks for hosting!
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