Riona
Authors: Linda Windsor
RAISE FOR
L
INDA
W
INDSOR’S
H
ISTORICAL
N
OVELS
T
HE
F
IRES OF
G
LEANNMARA
#2:
R
IONA
“Linda Windsor deftly weaves a tapestry of Irish myth and legend with the glory of knowing Christ, creating a masterpiece of medieval fiction.
Riona
is more than a novel, it’s an experience—a journey to a faraway time and place where honor and faith are lived out amid the clamor of swords. A glorious read!”
L
IZ
C
URTIS
H
IGGS, BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF
B
OOKENDS
“With a lyrical voice worthy of the Isle of Erin, Linda Windsor’s
Riona
is a wonderful novel, peopled with memorable characters who will lay claim to your heart. I believe I could see the green hills and feel the kiss of mist upon my cheeks with every page I read.”
R
OBIN
L
EE
H
ATCHER
, C
HRISTY
A
WARD-WINNING AUTHOR OF
R
IBBON OF
Y
EARS
T
HE
F
IRES OF
G
LEANNMARA
#1:
M
AIRE
“This story has it all: spiritual inspiration, history, and love.… Ms. Windsor’s voice is crisp, vibrant, and professional in its delivery, providing readers with characters who will live long after the last page. Linda Windsor provides readers with a lush Celtic saga sure to touch their spiritual soul with a promise of love both secular and religious.
Maire
is a breakout book sure to find its way to many a bestseller and reader’s keeper lists, creating a whole new sub-genre where a Windsor book is going to be the classic standard to achieve.”
R
OMANCING THE
C
ELTIC
S
OUL
“Linda Windsor’s talent for creating a faraway land and time is flawless.”
R
OMANTIC
T
IMES MAGAZINE
“A captivating fictional chronicle of Christianity’s dawn in Ireland. Remarkable for its appeal as both a historical saga and inspirational novel,
Maire
achieves success that few other books can boast.”
S
UITE
101.
COM
“This enthralling tale reveals Gods miraculous power at work and how His love conquers all. The thrilling finale will bring chills—as well as the assurance of God’s incredible omnipresence. A definite page-turner.”
I
NSPIRATIONAL
R
OMANCE
R
EVIEWS
“Maire
is an exciting work of historical fiction that brings to life the Celtic heritage mindful of the great Beowulf. The current story line is exciting and fast-paced, while centering on the conflict between Christianity and Druidism. The lead couple is a charming duo, and the support cast fills the Dark Ages with light. Readers will want to read this tale even as they impatiently await the sixth century
(Riona)
and seventh century
(Deirdre)
novels.
M
IDWEST
R
EVIEWER’S
C
HOICE
“Ms. Windsor’s writing is creative and informative to say the least. She captures the reader with her characters’ wit and charm, keeping them enthralled until the very last word. The love between Rowan and Maire is a joy to watch and will keep your faith strong and true.”
R
OMANCE
R
EVIEWS
T
ODAY
“An exciting fictional tale of love, faith, and war.… The plot is smooth from start to finish and holds the reader enraptured, unable to put the book down.”
B
OOK
B
ROWSER
“Maire
has a host of exceedingly wonderful characters who support the exceptional storyline … excellent reading and definitely a keeper.”
R
ENDEZVOUS
R
OMANCE
R
EVIEWS
OVELS BY
L
INDA
W
INDSOR
T
HE
F
IRES OF
G
LEANNMARA
S
ERIES
Book 1:
Maire
Book 2:
Riona
Book 3:
Dierdre
It Had to Be You
Not Exactly Eden
Hi Honey, I’m Home
This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogues are products of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
RIONA
published by Multnomah Books
A division of Random House, Inc
.
Published in association with the literary agency of Ethan Ellenberg Agency.
© 2001 by Linda Windsor
Scripture quotations taken from:
The Holy Bible
, King James Version
Multnomah
is a trademark of Multnomah Books,
and is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
The colophon is a trademark of Multnomah Books.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without prior written permission.
For Information:
M
ULTNOMAH
B
OOKS
12265
ORACLE BOULEVARD, SUITE
200 •
COLORADO SPRINGS, CO
80921
L
IBRARY OF
C
ONGRESS
C
ATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION
D
ATA:
Windsor, Linda.
Riona / by Linda Windsor.
p. cm. – (Book two of the fires of Gleannmara series)
eISBN: 978-0-307-75669-5
1. Knights and knighthood–Fiction. I. Title.
PS3573.I519 R5 2001 813′.54–dc21 2001002100
v3.1
Once again, to my family—Jim, Jeff, Kelly, and Mom—
without whom I could not possibly have dedicated
the time needed to complete Riona
.
Dear readers
,
In an effort to maintain historical accuracy, I’ve used several terms or mentioned historical figures that may be unfamiliar to you. You will find these explained in the glossary at the end of the story
.
Speaking of the glossary, the earthy speech with which I have Erin present the foreword, the glossary, and the bibliography is not reflective of the educated Irish, either by past standards or by those of today. It is intended to effect the earthy speech of an old storyteller or
seanchus,
and is reminiscent of that which filtered down through my grandmother from her grandmother, an uneducated mother of eleven. This lady supported her children as a laundress, surviving three husbands. I am proud to claim her as an ancestor. Like those who fled to Ireland in the dark ages of western Europe, she was a brave, devout, and honest soul who came to America with a dream: building a better life for her children
.
Linda Windsor
OREWORD, FROM THE
H
EART OF
E
RIN
…
I
greet you a free soul, good friend! Sure, it’s been a long time and ye’re a joyful sight for these sore eyes. All the while I’ve been collectin’ me memories of me sixth century after the death of our Lord Jesus, and the second hundred years of me children’s enlightenment of God’s Word. My heart leaps like a mountain spring over a fall with excitement and pride, for them seeds of knowledge the good Lord planted the century before took root and grew beyond the ken of the angels themselves.
I am none other than Erin—the blessed Green Isle to the North of history and legend alike; Thomas Cahill’s savior of civilization; motherland to warriors and bards, kings and saints, magic and miracle. Ye read as much, did ye not, in the first of me series of stories,
Maire, Fires of Gleannmara
? Aye, ’twas there ye saw the first flame of Christianity kindled in me heart.
Now, in the wake of Patrick and his likes, a new Erin emerges, where secular and clerical schools have grown to quench me children’s thirst for knowledge while churches multiply to nourish their souls. I’m proud to say that public education began right here on me shores.
But what would ye expect in a place where literacy was near a religion in itself? Why in one generation me children mastered Greek, Latin, and some Hebrew. And their own Irish was so pure there was no dialect, no matter where ’twas spoken. When they weren’t mastering a language, they was inventin’ one, like that secret one, Hisperica Famina, made up as it were of bits o’ Latin. And books, my heart, they were turnin’ ’em out the likes of which was unheard of. Sure, I lay claim to bein’ the world’s first publisher. What with libraries fallin’ to barbarian flames all over the continent and in Rome itself, there were me priests and druidic bards preservin’ history and culture alike on pages for all time. And, I might add, fit as I am to bust me britches, that in the process of savin’ such masterpieces of the past, their whimsical doodles and witty commentaries jotted in the margins come to be admired as an art form in itself.