by Steward Gemmill
Fantasy
Out now in paperback and ebook
http://www.thetreasuresofdrumory.com/
Blurb:
The Treasures of Drumory, is as daring as it is endearing. Susjee Booth was once described as a mutation of a mutation: an incredibly small, strikingly disfigured little boy who came to possess extraordinary powers. Others described him as an alien, a description that would have amused his parents. For they hated him and came to abandon him in a remote area of the Scottish Highlands that happened to be the setting for a mini utopian state. In such a secretive and guarded society, a wandering individual such as he would be considered a grave and intolerable threat. As events unfold, he is befriended by two Drumorian boys: Qwon and Masoo, and in gratitude, he aims to serve them with blind obedience using his special powers. However, the trio’s exploits whilst eye-opening and wildly exciting for the Aldie boys, prove extremely dangerous and inevitably incur the wrath of their town council who will do anything to protect their secret society. They order the boys to renounce Susjee but Qwon at least cannot bring himself to do so. He runs away with Susjee and the council are forced to send out a special squad to bring him back. Their instructions are clear: if Sujee interferes, shoot him.
Read an extract of the book after the jump
Extract from The Treasures of Drumory, Vol. 1
© 2012 Steward Gemmill
Prologue:
With the breakdown of the traditional clan system in Scotland, when chiefs no longer needed fighting men and pursued instead personal wealth from new practises such as sheep farming, fairly prosperous farmers and common folk alike were forcibly removed from their homes and left to fend for themselves on the open moors. Houses were burned, crops were left to rot in the fields, all in the name of progress. Some of those displaced were able to bleed their cattle and mix the blood with oatmeal to provide them with the basis for a meal. Others less fortunate had to make do with a nettle broth or forage along the shorelines for shellfish.
Up to a quarter of a million highlanders suffered this fate, largely throughout the 18th century while the clergy sided with the lairds preaching that it was God’s retribution for their sins and anyone showing resistance would incur his wrath on the day of judgement. This isn’t so hard to understand when one considers the lairds were also the clergy’s main benefactors.
“It is difficult to gain a man’s understanding of something when his salary depends upon him not understanding it.”
With their ignorance of the English language and no competent leaders to voice their grievances to government officials, many of these peaceable folk resigned themselves to their fate. They began to build makeshift abodes along the coastal areas but their very existence proved so harsh many decided to emigrate to America and Canada only to be massacred by tribes of Indians not long after they went ashore.
Unbeknownst to most, two clans were spared this appalling fate. This was due to the actions of a rich individual loyal to the Jacobite movement. He secretly leased to them a fertile region of land that was to become the inspiration for a wonderful community that continues to thrive to this day. I cannot reveal its exact location and for added security I shall hereafter refer to it as Drumory; for upon learning of its remarkable treasures you would doubtless invade, plunder and pollute everything of value there. You must allow me therefore to spare you from yourself.
Drumorians revere every twig, rock and grain of soil that makes up the surreal ambiance in which they live. The same cannot be said of their regard for outsiders - outsiders being by definition anyone who lives out with the hills that surround Drumory. To further protect their identity and lifestyle, I shall not disclose the dates concerning the events I am about to describe. Some inquisitive journalist might trace their origin through old newspaper articles. They might still, but I’ll take that chance in the interest of bringing to the world my account of an amazing series of events that took place there. It is a story of great fortitude and adventure which once read, will reside in some corner of your mind forever.
End of excerpt
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