Knight Dependent

Knight's Journal #6

by Brian J. Lang

With his strength in Coccium affirmed, Aidan begins to look to the north, planning expansion. But the Picti have captured Loncastre, and so he must tread carefully and with strategic caution to establish a wider range for his strength. He takes the monk and several of his Trusted to a potential location for a northern fort. But while there, he finds his brother held hostage by the Picti and executes a daring rescue that leaves him, his brother, Riona and the monk pursued across Bowland Forest.

In dire need of aid, they will scramble for days, seeking caves, hiding their trail, staying one step ahead of their pursuers... until time runs out.

In the wake of the Roman Empire's fall, the isle of Britain was left shattered into pieces. The inhabitants tried to maintain their foothold against the Irish, the vikings, the Saxons and the Picti. Into this chaos, one man sought to become a Knight... and in the process became a legend.

118 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 30, 2017

About the author

When I was sixteen years old, I was reading "Billy Budd" by Herman Melville for my English class. My friend and I were pretty much bored out of our minds. My friend said to me, "We could probably do better than this." To which, being sixteen, I agreed.

Thus I embarked on becoming a writer. My first attempt was laughable, a James Bond clone that proved one thing only: I could conceive of and write a story from page 1 to page n but that didn't make it a good book. Thus, Ian Gemini (yep, that was his name) was laid to rest.

Over the course of time I improved, stealing less and creating more. I went to school at Washington College in Chestertown, Maryland and studied English with a Creative Writing focus. I learned from published authors. I had to keep my mouth shut while my peers ripped my work to shreds. Most importantly, my writing continued to get better. I wrote a novel as my thesis and at some point I may go back, pull it out of mothballs, and see if it stands up.

At some point I decided to shift away from thrillers and write fantasy. I found my creative juices tended toward more of the fantastical, of magic and monsters. I found an amazing writing group willing to give me feedback about my story and characters.

I found my voice, and as a writer that's a critical component.

It's clear that at sixteen I was full of hubris. And now, I am full of humility. To Mr. Melville, both an apology and a "thank you." Without "Billy Budd" I would not have become a writer myself.