Character Spotlight--Merek Flynn

Merek. . . oh yes, now we get to the bad guys! B-)
Merek and Kevin used to be good friends, but as they grew older, they also grew apart. Merek left Dublin when he turned twenty, and returned six years later. They events that happened when he returned created the backstory for The Silent Blade.  Merek now has a band of men and they await the day when they can get revenge on one of the O'Briens, Kevin. They will get revenge in any way possible.
Merek is tall, though not as tall as Kevin. He has broad shoulders and dark black hair. He is the same age as Kevin and can wield a sword with little difficulty, although he is not a master at the sport of swordsmanship. He is ruthless and will do anything to achieve his goal, but if he chooses can be quite charming and chivalrous.

The charming side of Merek. ;)

At that moment, a shadow entered the shop Eira looked up to see the two men standing in the doorway. They were of average build both being around five feet ten inches tall.One of them had a rugged look about him; his sandy hair was windblown and the stubble on his chin showed he was in need of a shave. The other had darker brown hair which was neatly combed into place and a beard that was neatly trimmed.

“Excuse us, but can you tell us where to find a doctor?” the dark-haired man asked.

The blacksmith looked up from his worked, but before he could answer, Eira spoke up.

“My Father is a doctor, sir. I could take you to him.”

The man nodded, “Thank you, lass. But It’s not for us. You see, we have a friend who is hurt out on our ship and he’s too bad to be moved.”

“Oh, I’m sure he’d come to him. What happened?”

“Well, we were on our way home from trading when a fierce storm came up. He was up in the rigging when a wave tossed the boat and caused him to lose his grip and he fell onto the deck. He’s got a large splinter in his arm and we’re afraid he might have broken his leg.”

“Sounds like ye have had quite a time of it,” the blacksmith remarked as he handed the sword back to Casimir.

“Aye, sir.” The man nodded.

Casimir stepped forward and extended his hand. “My name is Casimir and I’m a friend of Eira. We’ll be happy to take you to the doctor, he’s not to far from here.”

Their hands met in a firm handshake and the man spoke, “My name is Merek and this is my friend, Rowan.”

The blond-haired man nodded, but Eira noticed he kept glancing uneasily around the shop.

“Do you know how to use that sword, girl?”

Eira looked up at him in surprise. The man hadn’t spoken since they’d entered the shop. She glanced down at the sword that was partially hidden under her cape, “Yes, sir. I can use it a little.”

Casimir laughed, “A little? Why Eira can handle it almost as good as I can and better than most!” As they were talking, Casimir had led the way out of the blacksmiths shop and started through Dublin. In minutes they were walking up the small lane that led to the O’Brien house. 

The sinister side of Merek B-)

Merek narrowed his eyes as they followed the four that were quickly disappearing from sight. “His sister. He’ll come if we have his sister.”

Rowen drew back in surprise, “And how are we going to get her? She wears a sword and I don’t doubt she knows how to use it.”

“What’s that matter? We can have Henry and Stace to find her.”

“I still fail to see how this is easier than just getting the boy.”

“Let me put it this way; would you rather fight a young man who is well over six feet tall, or a girl who is slim and at most five feet seven?”

Rowen nodded, “Point taken. We need to leave today.”

“Alright, I’ll go and get Henry and Stace. They shouldn't have any trouble.”-- Excerpt from The Silent Blade.

Character spotlight--Kevin O'Brien

Kevin is 30 years old and the eldest of the O'Brien siblings. He is much like Willem in his physical appearance, tall and muscular with reddish-blond hair, although his personality is more like Eira's.
Of the four O'Brien siblings, Kevin and Eira are the closest despite their age difference, They have very similar interests and personalities, and Eira has referred to Kevin as "her knight in shinning armor."
For one particular reason, Kevin has not been around much the last couple years, hoping his staying away from the family will keep them safe and out of danger. Unfortunately, it didn't.
Kevin is also a master with the sword and one of Eira's favorite pastimes is for him to teach her more, although Kevin has realized there isn't much more he can teach her. ;)

Kevin located the stream with little difficulty, but stayed back in the trees for a moment as his gaze fell on Eira. She sat next to the stream, her sword by her side and her full dress forming a circle around her. Her black hair cascaded down her back in soft waves and her blue eyes were sober and thoughtful. I have a beautiful sister he thought with pride. But not only on the outside, she’s just as beautiful on the inside.

He smiled, “Eira.”

She turned slowly, almost as though she believed he wasn’t really there. When she caught sight of him standing there, she jumped to her feet and flew across the grass toward him. He began to run toward her and they met halfway. He picked her up and swung her around while she laughed. When he finally set her down, her face was flushed and a huge smile lit her face, “Kevin! It’s so good to see you!”

He grinned and tousled her hair, laughing as she ducked, “It’s good to see you too.”--Excerpt from The Silent Blade

Character spotlight--Casimir Lannon

Here's another character spotlight!! I'll post an excerpt from the first chapter of the book tomorrow, but until then, here's the character spotlight :) 

Casimir Lannon is Willem's best friend and also a close friend of Eira's. At eighteen, he is two years older then the them and he also feels it's his place to look after Eira (when Willem isn't around. ;). He grew up in Dublin, his father is the village chieftain and his mother was killed when he was a child.Growing up as a chieftains son, Casimir has always felt a sense of responsibility towards others, and blames himself if anything goes wrong while he's with them. He is tall, well over six feet. He has dark brown, almost black, hair and he can wield a sword easier then anyone else can use a fork. Eira has taken lessons from him, and has learned to love swordsmanship, much to the dismay of her
mother. :)

Casimir glanced at Eira who was beginning to walk away from the clearing with Willem. “I’ll deal with you later.” he shook his finger at Trent and began to walk towards the twins.

“I’ll be waiting.” Trent called after him.

Casimi shook his head, I’m going to be with him for the next several hours?

“Eira, wait.”

Eira turned.

“What was it you needed earlier?”

She looked down sheepishly, “Nothing really.”

“No, there was something. What was it?”

“Just, be careful! Please. I don’t want you or Kevin or even Trent hurt.”

“I wouldn't worry too much about Trent.” Casmir muttered.

“What did you say?”

“”Oh, nothing, nothing at all.”

“You’ll be careful, won’t you?”

Casimir smiled, “you’re really worried aren’t you?”

“Well wouldn’t you be if your best friend and older brother were in danger?” Eira asked indignantly.

“Of course. I promise, we’ll be careful And you be just as careful as you want me to be, you hear?” he smiled at her.

She nodded, “Alright. It’s a deal. I’ll be praying.”

“And so will I. Now, I’ve got to go and so do you.” he pointed to the men who were already following Aeden out of the clearing. Willem was waiting for his sister at a respectful distance.

Casimir lifted her chin,. “Now, I’ll see you later.” he grinned at her, then began to walk back towards Trent.

“So how’d it go?" Trent asked, a mischievous grin on his face, “Are you ready for the duel?”

“You know what? On second thought I don’t think you’d want to face a duel with me right now. I try not to use my sword when I’m irritated.”

“Are you sure? I mean I wouldn’t want you to miss out on practice on account of me.”

“The sun is below the trees. We need to get started.” Casimir turned and began walking in the direction of Merek’s camp.

Trent grinned and began to follow, “Alright. Whatever you say!”

Casimir groaned, This is going to be a long night.

Character spotlight--Willem O'Brien

So are y'all ready for the next character spotlight??? Well, today, instead of getting one excerpt from the book, you'll get two. And before you think I'm being nice, it's only because I kinda need the extra part to help describe Willem. :)

Willem is Eira's twin. . .but the two are nothing alike! Willem is the older of the two, and his personality is very different from Eira's. Willem tends to think things over before he acts and it's not often his temper gets the best of him. . .although when he does get angry, you want to steer clear! He enjoys studying and is currently apprenticed to his father who is a  healer (doctor).  His looks are also just about as different from Eira as his temperament. And here's where the excerpt comes in to describe him for you :)

'Aaron started when he saw Willem, Why he looks more like he could be Kevin’s twin! The brothers had the same reddish-blond hair, green eyes and muscular build as well as a height that well exceeded six feet. He smiled slightly as he realized the fact that it was Willem and Eira who were twins; the two looked nothing alike.'

So, yeah. That pretty much describes Willem! He takes after his mothers scottish background in his looks. :) He plays a big part in The Silent Blade and. .. yeah. . .I'd better not say anymore!

“Hold still, Eira.” Willem had unlaced the leather shoe and was trying to gently pull it off over the swollen foot. Supper was over and Willem had finally found time to look at her ankle. The soup had turned out quite tasty as Eira knew it would. Thankfully, neither Rowen or Merek saw him helping and Stace hadn't said a thing.

“It hurts!” she exclaimed suddenly as she pulled her foot back.

He sat back and looked at her, “It'll hurt a lot worse If you don’t let me look at it.”

“And what exactly are you going to do? It’s not like there’s some special salve that will help a sprained ankle.”

Willem gave her the you’d-better-do-what-I-say-and-don’t-ask-any-questions look.  Eira groaned, but sat still as Willem continued to gently ease the shoe off. Even though Willem was usually easy going, there were times you simply didn’t cross him. Eira had learned to sense when her older brother was set on having his way--and this was one of those times.

~Except from The Silent Blade