The Lost Tales of Mercia (29 page)

It was the last unexpected nugget thrown
Edmund’s way: this fellow truly had no idea who he was talking to!
Unable to endure any more surprises, Edmund got up and ran off
again.

This time he aimed his feet towards the
palace. The strange teenager’s cheerful and cocky mood had gotten
through to him somehow. If Eadric had not known who he was speaking
to, then perhaps he actually meant what he said about Ethelred?
Perhaps he could actually be trusted?

And perhaps if this Eadric—who despised
fighting and liked easy solutions—had an idea of any value at all,
then might King Ethelred actually heed it?

**

(Or go back to
TABLE OF
CONTENTS
)

Chapter 2

Eadric felt elated with power yet sickened
by anxiety all at once. He wondered if it would have been better to
have never met Aetheling Edmund, and thus King Ethelred, at all.
Perhaps meddling with nobles and royals was not such a pleasurable
pastime as it appeared. Perhaps a life among pigs, muddy though it
may be, was in some ways preferable. All he wanted to do now was
return to Bram’s estate and flirt with the curvy brunette in the
kitchen.

For better or worse, an alternative appeared
before Eadric quite suddenly. A young woman approached him, and
judging by her attire of embroidered linens, she was not a girl he
could ignore. For the third time in a week, he would speak to a
member of the royal family; and as it so happened, she was the most
beautiful young girl Eadric had ever laid eyes upon.

This aetheling was younger than Edmund,
perhaps only twelve years of age. She must have shared his mother,
Ethelred’s first wife, for her features were much darker than the
king’s. She had long hair the color of a maple tree ripe with
syrup, and deep brown eyes like the floor of a forest dappled with
shadows. But her beauty was not so striking as the determination
sharpening her gaze and pinching her small pink lips.

“Who are you, and what did my father want
with you?”

Eadric just blinked at her at first, still
dazed by the strength of her presence. How could a small, bony
girl—of royal lineage or otherwise—have this sort of effect on him?
“My … my name is Eadric. I’m from Mercia.”

“Mercia.” Her dark eyes sparked slightly,
like the embers of a fire. “Go on, then.”

“I don’t know why your father wanted to see
me, to tell you the truth.”

“You’re the one who made such an impression
on my brother Edmund?”

“Why … yes.” He wondered how often the
repercussions of that chance encounter would thrash against
him.

She did not look pleased. “Your advice to
him was foolish. I hope you did not give the same speech about
‘protecting one’s own’ to my father?”

Eadric shrugged helplessly. Was it possible
that he felt more nervous in front of this sharp young girl than he
had before the king?

“Tell me what you said.”

He struggled to regain his composure and
lift his chin high. He brushed back his thick curls with one hand.
“If he wants to share that with you, then he may. Otherwise, our
conversation remains a secret.”

“I am Aetheling Aydith, and I asked you a
question. You will answer it.”

Her show of authority sparked a flare of
rebellion in Eadric’s spirit, and a sharp smile curled up his face.
“Peace, my girl; you are far too beautiful to let these grueling
matters ruin the pleasure of your company.”

Her mouth gaped open a moment, and then the
water struck his face before he saw her move at all. He did not
even understand where the liquid had come from until he saw the
empty animal-skin in her hand. Icy cold drops poured down his neck
and matted his hair against his tunic. He blinked desperately to
clear the droplets from his eyes. Then he could do nothing but
stare at her in awe and fury.

“Churl or noble,” she said, “you’re either a
fool or a coward, like all the others. And I hate both.”

And then she stormed away.

Eadric rode back to Bram’s estate in a daze.
The water on his head turned to frost on his lashes and hair. Even
so, his body felt flushed with warmth. The events of the day made
his blood burn with both excitement and foreboding. Though the
manner of Aetheling Aydith had grated his nerves, he could not wipe
a ridiculous smile from his face. What an incredible girl!

Eadric the Grasper
released
October 5, 2010

Now available as an ebook or paperback from many
retailers

*

AUTHOR’S NOTE

The Anglo-Saxon Chronicles, as compiled by
various monks until the year 1140, were my primary sources of
information. So, too, were the Chronicles of Florence of Worcester
and the Chronicles of the Kings of England as written by William of
Malmesbury. Without the devotion of these men to chronicle the
chaotic events of their time, so little of the Dark Ages would be
known.

I also want to thank the historians and
authors listed below. Their research and writings helped to shed
light on an otherwise dark and mysterious time as I sought to find
Eadric’s story.

Campbell, James et al. The Anglo-Saxons.
Phaidon Press Limited, 1982.

Crossley-Holland, Kevin. The Anglo-Saxon
World: An Anthology. Oxford University Press, 1982.

Freeman, Edward A. Old English History for
Children. London, MacMillan and Co., 1869.

Gransden, Antonia. Historical Writing in
England c. 550 to c. 1307, Volume 1. London: Routledge. 1974.

Gregory, T, comp. The Shropshire Gazetteer:
Including a survey of the county and Valuable Miscellaneous
Information. M. Harvard College University. Baldwin, Cradock, and
Joy, London, 1824.

Hooper, Nicholas and Matthew Bennett. The
Cambridge Illustrated Atlas of Warfare: the Middle Ages. 1996.

Lacey, Robert and Danny Danzinger. The Year
1000 : What Life Was Like at the Turn of the First Millennium.
Little, Brown and Company, 1999.

Lappenberg, Johann Martin and Benjamin
Thorpe. History of England under the Anglo-Saxon Kings, Volume 2.
1845.

O’Brien, Harriet. Queen Emma and the
Vikings. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2005. Print.

Ramsay, James Henry. The Foundations of
England; or, Twelve Centuries of British History (B.C. 55 – A.D.
1154) London, 1898.

Silver, Thomas. The Coronation service or
Consecration of the Anglosaxon Kings as it Illustrates the Origins
of the Constitution. Baxter, Printer, Oxford. 1831

Thrupp, John. The Anglo-Saxon Home: A
History of the Domestic Institutions and Customs of England (from
the Fifth to Eleventh Century). London, 1889.

Ward, Christie. “Courtship, Love and
Marriage in Viking Scandinavia.” Viking Answer Lady. Web, July 2010
@ http://www.vikinganswerlady.com/wedding.shtml

Wilson, David Mackenzie. The Archaeology of
Anglo-Saxon England. Methuen and Co. Ltd, 1976.

**

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jayden Woods is the pen name for Jenny Gibbons. She
grew up on a farm in rural Tennessee, then pursued her dreams of
film-making in Los Angeles. After receiving a BFA in Screenwriting
from the University of Southern California and working on a
primetime TV show, she decided to return to her original passion of
writing novels. Since then she has lived in St. Louis with her
wonderful husband and three beautiful pets, throwing all her will
and energy into becoming a successful writer.

www.jaydenwoods.com

**

Praise for
Eadric the
Grasper

Released October 5, 2010

“In the debut of her Sons of Mercia series,
Woods tells a ripped-from-the-chronicles story—most of the
characters and major events are factual—with an entertaining blend
of period realism and Zorro-ish dazzle.”

—Kirkus Discoveries

“A surprisingly easy and quick read
considering the epic nature of the novel, Eadric the Grasper takes
the reader through the twisted journey of an intelligent peasant (a
swineherd) ... If I was forced to make a comparison, I’d say the
book, in theme, feels like the Historical version of the award
winning American television show, “Breaking Bad.” A good man,
forced by situations far beyond his control, makes the the best
decisions possible, but they lead him down the dark rabbit hole
...”

— Sean Crouch, Screenwriter,
Numb3rs

“If you had given up finding derring to
match do in an exciting historical romance because Sir Walter Scott
was dead, weep no more. Eadric the Grasper by Jayden Woods brings
homicidal Vikings, ferocious lovers, and frequent murder most foul
to brilliant life in literary 3D. Turn away from thy Twitter and
grab it.”

—Ron Friedman, Creator of
GI Joe, The
Marvel Action Hour
; Writer of
The Transformers: The
Movie

“Many of the characters refer to [Eadric] as
a coward, but I never thought of him in that way. If anything, he
acted boldly and through astute observation of the swift changes
coming to England, he did his best to forge a good life for him and
his family. Still, his boldness accompanied a strange and dangerous
naiveté that did not allow him to appreciate the full consequences
of his actions at times. As in life, Jayden Woods’ Eadric remains a
complicated character.”

—Lisa Yarde, Author of
On
Falcon’s Wings

Vol. 2 of Sons of Mercia,
Godric the Kingslayer
,

releases September 27, 2011