Synopsis
A warrior of a legend long forgotten returns to his homeland. World-weary and tired of a killing, he has returned at the behest of the very man who had him banished so many years ago. He must fight one last duel, kill one more man, to earn the right to live the remains of his days in his ancestral home. Things do not go to plan and instead of a bittersweet homecoming, he finds himself hunted by men and stalked by a beautiful assassin. He can only turn to the most unlikely allies, the woman he betrayed and a dead man.
What is it About?
Think Clint Eastwood Spaghetti Westerns, mix it in with Raphael Sabbatini styled swordplay and swashbuckling, and your getting warmer. This story started with a bloke walking down a street. What's he wearing? Who is he? Where is he going? A week later I had a 3000 word short story on my plate. Foolishly I submitted it to the Critters and had chewed up and spat back at me. The rewrite resulted in a second 'Act' to be written too. Now I find myself liking this unsuspecting sword genius and the other dodgy characters that inhabit his world. I started thinking about the idea of a serial, but find myself warming to the Red Dawn becoming a novella. So watch this space for character bio's, excerpts and other info on the Red Dawn. P.S. The more astute of you will have noticed that the sword on the banner is a shamshir rather than a western duelling weapon like a rapier, or Caleb's preferred weapon, a sabre. There is a story behind this, but I'm not telling just yet.
Character Profiles
Caleb Elezar
Fighting Style: Master of Les Devante, a scientific method that fuses math with swordplay.
The House of Elezar is one of the eldest noble families of Cordulasia. The family fell on hard times when most of their lands were confiscated by the Ferozian Empire due to Caleb's ancestor's prominence in leading the defence against the Empire's invasion of the western lands. The Ferozian Governor however allowed the Elezar's to retain their ancestral home and its grounds in respect of their honourable conduct during wartime. The family did not recover their former glory even after the Ferozian Empire ceded the western lands back, due to political unrest in their home countries. The Duke of Cordulasia claimed all liberated lands as ducal property available to lease to vassels and bondsmen with wealth enough to afford the Duke's prices.
Caleb showed a natural gift for swordsmanship, winning himself a scholarship to the Duke's Academy at a tournament. His skills saw him rapidly through the ranks until he won the honour of being named the Duke's Champion, aged 19. His reputation grew as the Duke's enforcer, with the Duke's enemies and rivals being drawn into duels that were always fought at Dawn and always ended in bloodshed and often death. At the age of 24 he fell foul of the Duke's wife and was exiled. His wife, misled by rumours was heartbroken and took her own life. Caleb vows never to kill again and sets out on a journey of learning. After thirty years of exile, Caleb receives an offer from the Duke to terminate his exile. All he has to do is break his vow.
Sir Gabriel Dagan
Fighting Style: Les Javiero, a classical style of fencing taught at the Duke's Academy.
The Dagan family are middle-class merchants that funded Duke Boaz's army during the war with the Ferozian Empire. Once the Ferozian's had been expelled, the Duke rewarded the Dagan's by giving them lands and the title of Baron. Gabriel was admitted to the Duke's Academy aged five and proved to be a very gifted fighter. He won the Duke's Duelling Tournament aged 14, and continued to do so every year thereafter until he was given the position Caleb once held; Duke's Champion. This marked the beginning of Gabriel's career as the Duke's enforcer, his physical prowess and aggressive style making him a formidable opponent.
Gabriel is a serial womaniser, but his luck turns for the worse when the Duke's daughter, Lady Annalina Boaz, falls in love with him. His father sees this as an opportunity to elevate the family through marital ties and insists that Gabriel seek permission from the Duke to pay court to Annalina. The Duke however is not best pleased with his lackey's lack of respect for propriety and place.
Lady Carmel d'Ayala
Fighting Style: Unknown style of close quarter knife fighting, prefers throwing blades
Lady Carmel d'Ayala is the adopted daughter of Count Ayala of Afrisini. She is a close friend of the Duchess of Cordulasia. Her true origins are a mystery. Mindful of the dangers of being an attractive young maid, she has honed the skills of knife throwing to an art. She unawares of her mysterious past and believes that she is the dayghter of the Count and late Countess. She is intelligent but headstrong and often finds herself in situations that are difficult to get out of. That's when the knife-fighting skills come in.
Davine
Fighting Skills: Bar room brawler, prefers bottles, clubs and kitchen knives to swords
Davine is a figure from Caleb's past. A victim of her birth and a broken-heart, Davine's life has been hard, but now she runs her own operation. There are things in her past that she must face and her association with Caleb will soon come back to haunt her. Davine is cynical, unbending and tough. She doesn't want to get involved in anyone else's business, but trouble will soon come knocking at her door.
Extracts
"Spectators screamed for blood, both nobles and commoners alike. Few amongst them were trained swordsmen but they all knew for certain that they were witnessing perhaps the greatest duel that they would see in their lives. On the pavilion side of the duelling court stood the Duke's Champion, Sir Gabriel Dagan. On the stockade side of the court stood Caleb Elezar, once a legendary sword fighter known as the Red Dawn. Duke Boaz himself was standing in as the referee. The battle had already been fought past an average fighters ability and stamina. Initial odds had favoured the Duke's Champion, the legend of the Red Dawn now no more than old fighter's tales."