The Eighth: A short story

by Luke Ryan

A boy stands on the edge of a Celtic battlefield with angry, rough men to his back. Ancient heroes, magical objects and mysterious adventures befall the kings and heroes that have led him to this grassy field, but he is just a boy with a dented metal sword in his hands. His father died in a field like this. Will he suffer the same fate in the name of some glamorous adventure of the men who ride horses with gold spears and white tunics?

13 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 5, 2018

About the author

Luke Ryan was born in the United States, but his family moved to Pakistan when he was three years old. His father was a doctor and his mother a nurse, and they were aid workers in the northern parts of the country.
After nine years in Pakistan, they moved to Thailand, where Luke lived for five years.
After high school and some roaming around the United States, Luke joined the U.S. Army. There, he became an Army Ranger in the 75th Ranger Regiment. He went on four deployments to Afghanistan, eventually becoming a team leader.
After he left, he roamed America for a while longer, then eventually settled in Florida where he earned his bachelor's degree in English Literature.
From there, he became a journalist with SOFREP, and has been writing with them ever since. He also writes fiction and works with film any chance he gets.