Hi everyone. Today I am doing a sneak peek for my WIP that I am currently working on. Check out the first part of Chapter 1 of The Emerald Knight below. Cover reveal will be coming soon. Happy reading :).
The Emerald Knight
Tales of Tarza Book 3
by: K.M. Jenkins
~ EXCERPT ~
Decks A-hoy!
Chapter 1
The planks shifted under her weight as waves hit the deck along the boardwalk. Sea salt sprayed her face from the splashing waves. Seagulls flew in the sky above, singing their songs as her eyes trailed over the mass of people. She slowly made her way through the crowds of people towards the docks where the ships were stationed for port. The smell of sweat, body odor, and fish filled her nose, making her want to gag. The boardwalk had a tendency to shift from the pressure of the waves when it hit hard against the bannisters, making it hard to keep her balance. She stumbled over a loose plank and cursed. They need to fix these boards before someone breaks their neck, Rachel thought. The never-ending waves left her disgruntled and wishing the current would recede. But it wouldn’t do that for another night or two. Right now, it was high enough for the ships to come to port and unload their wares for the capital city to use.
Rachel turned right down the boardwalk when she saw fisher boats, ferries, and large cargo ships standing tall against the banister as their men unloaded crates for the kingdom. There are so many people down here today. Her eyes danced from crowd to crowd with people wearing fancy clothes to working attire. Every class was represented on the pier today it seemed.
Rachel stepped up on the railing to look over the edge to get a better view. She didn’t know where exactly the ship she was looking for docked, but it seemed like an enjoyable adventure as her eyes danced among the common folk. I just have to find the Double Dodger, supposedly supposed to be near the cargo ships. She noticed people leaving the ferries with small belongings, but nothing too hideous to weigh them down. From the look of things it looks like the ships are by size, she thought, trying to get a good view from her spot on the landing. “Best get going if I plan to make a welcoming parting,” she whispered to herself. She jumped down from the railing and stumbled into a large brick of a man.
“What is the meaning of this?” He yelled, turning to look at her.
She froze only to take in the Quarter-master. Arnold stood before her with a frown in his face with graying eyebrows glaring at her with his sunny blue eyes. Apparently, someone isn’t too friendly today. “Sorry I didn’t mean to bump into you, Quarter-master.”
“Yeah, I bet ye didn’t. Now why in the blazes is one of your status doing down here in the gallows?” he growled through clenched teeth. He never liked her but it wasn’t because of any fault of her own. Arnold is Arnold, and he has a thing for giving women hell when he is on the job running the shipping corridor.
She smiled.
“Just visiting a special guest.”
He sneered at her.
“And…who by tell is this special guest?”
Rachel froze. She didn’t know if she wanted to reveal her intentions completely to Arnold. Her father didn’t actually know she was down here at the gallows, as Arnold calls it. But she was nosey and wanted to meet this Lord Amberhill before he got dragged into council meetings all day. He would not be around the castle for very long and Rachel wanted to get a heads up on who he was.
“Well, are ye going to share the name or wat?”
“A random lord visits the king, and he requested I give him a greeting. That is all. And you should know that the king doesn’t give information to why he meets with his noblemen to the common folk. Besides it is probably only a good friend of the kings.”
“Just a friend of the king. Then why did he send you?” He growled.
She bit her lip. Why in deed? “I’m trying to put the best foot forward for my future as the future ruler, you know. That means showing up and giving pleasantries when I can.”
She winced when Arnold snorted at her. “Ya…over me dead body.” Rachel sighed. She was always trying to prove herself to the men of this kingdom. It wasn’t her fault that things went tips up every once in a while.
BOOK V.I.P. READERS LIST!
Starting the first week in February I will start releasing a chapter bi-weekly to my Book V.I.P. Readers List. These are FREE unedited chapters from my current WIP. If you want to see the story unfold through the writing process you can join by this link here: https://www.subscribepage.com/bookvipreaderslist_kmjenkins.
The first book to go through the releasing process is The Emerald Knight. Enjoy a cover reveal later on in the month.
Make sure to subscribe to K.M. Jenkins' monthly newsletter for writing updates, cover reveals, release dates, and more here: https://www.subscribepage.com/author_km_jenkins
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