Tintagel

Book excerpt: While playing on a cliff ledge in Cornwall, a young man, Dejon, discovers the Sword of Shaftesbury, which once belonged to the Celtic God, Bran. However, Dejon gets more than he bargained for, as he finds the wizard Cadgwith, father of Merlin, trapped within it. Cadgwith’s granddaughter, Sennen, is in mortal danger and upon releasing the wizard, Dejon is persuaded to help. In order to save Sennen from the evil sea lord Mullion, Dejon is transported to Tintagel in the year 410 AD. However, by mistake, Dejon’s rival Jamie falls into the spell and lands in the dungeon of the castle, where he meets Mithian, the hero of the local people; after several mishaps, all three escape the castle together. The King of Tintagel hates his stepdaughter, Ruth. She is a revered general and leads her own rebel army within the castle. She is a fearless fighter, respected by all sides. A slow and brooding love story develops in a battle for Ruth’s affections between her childhood friends Mithian and Delaboe, her comrades in arms, and Dejon. Mullion assembles a fearsome army and travels through time, joining forces with Quin, leader of a band of Cornish cutthroats and vagabonds. The teenage rivals bring twenty-first century humour and logic to those dark days of death before dishonour. Dejon uses the magic sword as a flying skateboard, encountering spirits, gods, druids – and even the Grim Reaper! Tintagel crosses Cornwall from north to south and from east to west with authentic references to the geography and the history of the time. At first glance it may seem like a fairy tale, but don’t be fooled – it is for adults only! A pulse-pounding read, Tintagel will appeal to fans of fantasy series such as The Chronicles of Narnia and Game of Thrones.