Title: The Leopard Stratagem
Author: T.A. Uner
Genre: Historical Fantasy
Book description:
Camus
Scorpio, the vicious criminal overlord, who for years tormented the good
merchants of Rome, is dead. His ruthless army of thugs and bloodthirsty killers
wiped out by the avenging force of Tullus the Leopard King, the Leopardess
Celestra, and their Troupe.
But the victory is a costly one. Anna, Tullus’ lover, is dead, and her
departure serves as an open wound to all her friends in the Troupe. Needing
time to collect himself and continue developing his magical abilities, Tullus
decides to seek out the wisdom of a reclusive wizard named Hradack, also known
as the Leopard Master and a product of the Age of Paladins.
In Rome Eliana becomes involved in political intrigue and finds herself caught
up in a conspiracy involving a persecuted race called the Dryads.
Decimus, now a prominent Centurion in the Praetorian Guard, is assigned to a
new Roman Legion in Switzerland, where he faces the biggest challenge of his
military career.
As Tullus’ power in Elemence grows, he foresees a hideous plot by an unknown
enemy called Serpentus, who has kidnapped his Troupe friends and is holding
them hostage on the island of Capri.
Unbeknownst to Tullus, Serpentus seeks revenge against the Leopard King and
Celestra, and has armed himself with arcane powers. Under the tutelage of a
fanatical cleric, Serpentus harbors plans of destroying the Leopard King and
Celestra before embarking on a destructive path of conquest.
Links
Author Bio
T.A.
Uner is a former Management Professional who spent over 15 years working for
various fortune 50 companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
An accomplished public speaker and event promoter, he is also a graduate of
George Mason University, and holds a Bachelors degree in Speech Communication
and History.
A finalist in The 2010 Moonlight Mesa short fiction contest, his first short
story, “The Banker’s Wife,” was published internationally in an anthology
titled, Award Winning Tales. Mr. Uner lives in Virginia. He is the author of
the Leopard King Saga and other works.
He looks forward to more readers discovering the life-like characters that
inhabit his stories.
Excerpt:
The Leopard Stratagem
One/Unus
A fierce gust of wind stung Tullus'
face while Celestra fought to keep up with him.
The cold had announced itself hours
ago, imposing its arrival like an unwanted guest on the
two dauntless travelers. Tullus' Leopard-print
breeches had frozen to his legs and he wondered how much more of this cold he
could endure.
Thin, powder-white mist surrounded
Tullus and Celestra. Around them a frozen wasteland devoid of life. Celestra growled her disdain:
no doubt the Leopardess hadn’t encountered weather this cold during her
lifetime.
“I think we’re lost, Girl,” Tullus
said. He pulled Vulcan’s map from his backpack and eyed it confusedly. Tullus
squinted at the map’s handwriting, but could make nothing from it. The frozen
haze made the map almost illegible. He summoned the Lucis spell and glanced at
the map under the illumination of the yellow Lucis orb. After reading it for a
few moments, he looked up and cursed; Celestra had disappeared. Now he could
add her absence to his list of grievances.
He called out to the Incantra but
she did not respond. Tullus drew his cloak tighter across his chest. His boots
were stiff and his feet were so cold he could barely move his toes, while his
body felt like a stiff slab of meat that had been left out in the cold overnight.
Celestra appeared in front of him, her spotted coat emerging from beneath the
invisibility cloak of the Furtim
spell. She growled.
“What is it, Girl?”
Celestra pointed her right front paw
towards a dim outline of a cylindrical object in the distance. Tullus cast the Oculus spell and
noticed it was a tower of some sort. It looked old, but still intact. He smiled
for the first time in days–finally, a stroke of good luck had come their way.
“Lead on, Girl.”
They trudged on towards the tower as
the fierce wind fought to claim them in its frozen grip.
As the tower grew closer, Tullus
eyed its oblong shape that twisted upwards toward the glacial sky, its exterior
webbed in ice. They found a wooden door crusted in ice. Tullus tried opening
the door but it was frozen. He summoned what Vigor he had left and threw his
shoulder into it. After two attempts, and with Celestra’s added might, the door
slammed open.
Inside was dark. Tullus again cast
the Lucis spell, and the glowing orb reappeared above his head, offering much
needed light in addition to warmth. Tullus pulled the door back in and the
howling winds deceased. It was still chilly inside; but for now they were safe
from frozen death.
A stone staircase spiraled upwards
to a second level. Tullus and Celestra followed it. It ended in a stone landing
which opened up into a large, shuttered, stone room containing a long, dusty
table surrounded by wooden chairs.
Tullus removed his backpack and slumped down in one of the chairs. Despite its
careworn condition it supported his weight.
Tullus surveyed the room. A pantry
stood against one of the walls; next to it was an alcove where an old wooden
sign was posted. The following words inscribed on it in gold Latin print:
Outpost III: Home of the 14th Air Wing
known as The Star falcons
Commanded
by Metux the Younger
