I’d like to welcome Brandan
and Joachim of Sanctuary of Nine Dragons:
Book Three by Christina Weigand.
RW: What’s your story/back story? Why would
someone come up with a story about you?
J & B: We’re twin princes, and we’re thrust into
adulthood in a world torn apart by war, kidnapping and betrayal.
We’re
crowned Kings of Mahorg and Crato, and we wed powerful women, but we each deal
with the loss of our parents in our own unique way. The choices we make set our
world on a cataclysmic course that only loss and sacrifice can deter.
RW: Can you tell us about your heroines?
J: My wife, Maeve and my daughter, Enit and
son, Airyn are my heroes. She pulls me from a very dark place and is to be my
salvation. She never gives up on me.
B: On first consideration I would say I don’t
need anyone to rescue me, but when I think about it further there are a couple
of people who I might consider a hero. One is my brother Joachim. No matter how
bad things got between us he never gave up hope that we could be a family
again. I can’t tell you who the other is, because that would be a spoiler. But
there is one other who makes a big difference in my life.
RW: What problems do you have to face and
overcome in your life?
J: Joachim:
My son has been kidnapped, my brother is missing and presumed dead, and the
people in my kingdom are threatening to remove me from the throne. They don’t
seem to understand, that I have to find my son and brother.
B: My
biggest problem is my brother. He refuses to acknowledge the fact that I am
better than him, and I should be king. His wife should have been mine and his
children mine. But I’ll show him, the wheels are in motion for him to learn
what I already know.
RW: Do you expect your heroes to help or are
they the problem?
J: As
I said before, Maeve and my children play a very big part in rescuing me from
the dark place that I travel too.
B: Initially
Joachim is the problem although at the end he does help. As to the other, once
again I can’t say anything as it would be a spoiler.
RW: Where
do you live?
J: When
I am at home I’m at the Palace of the Twelve Pillars in Wyrzburg.
B: I
currently don’t have a home. I do a lot of traveling around trying to figure
out where I belong. I have lived in Wyrzburg with Joachim, and in Dun Dealgan,
Palace of the Three Crosses, and in the mountains of Hyogo in a cave.
RW: During
what time-period does your story take place?
J&B: It is similar to Earth’s medieval period in
Ireland and Germany.
RW: How
are you coping with the conflict in your life?
J: Joachim: I don’t cope very well. No one
wants to help me find my son. All they do is threaten to remove me from the
throne if I don’t stop. Even Myrria, the dragon, thinks that I need to go to
the Sanctuary of Nine Dragons and find myself again. They have all abandoned me
and my son.
B: Conflict?
Hah! If anyone is in conflict with me I destroy them. You should see the things
I am going to do to my brother.
RW: Bubble baths or steamy showers? Ocean or mountains? Puppies or
kittens? Chocolate or caramel?
J & B: Steamy showers are not an option for us but neither of us like
bubble baths, so an ordinary bath when we have the time. Joachim prefers oceans,
he loves to swim and play in the water. Brandan is a mountain man. As for
puppies or kittens: Brandan prefers puppies and Joachim kittens. Chocolate or
caramel both men like chocolate with caramel.
RW: What is your secret
guilty pleasure?
J: Not sure how to answer that. I guess if I have a secret it
would be that I envy, Brandan. No not the evil part that wants to destroy
everything, but instead the freedom he seems to have. He has no fear and takes
on any challenge without worrying about the consequences. I wish I could be
more like that and ignore all the responsibility of a country and family, not
that I don’t love them, I just wish that the burden were lighter.
B: Secret guilty pleasure? I’m not sure it’s a secret, but I love
to hurt people who hurt me or try to defy me—I guess just about anyone,
especially my brother. Our father always favored him over me. So instead of
accepting it I vowed to show both of them who was the better person.
RW: I can never (fill in
the blank) because (fill in the blank).
J: I can never let down my
guard and escape my responsibilities because there is no one else that can do
it. It is expected of me.
B: I can never be just
like my brother, because he is too wimpy, never takes any chances and is just
overall boring.
Christina Weigand
Bio:
Christina Weigand’s a
writer, wife, and mother of three grown children and a teenage daughter. She is
also Nana to four granddaughters. She lives with her husband and youngest
daughter in Pennsylvania after a short sabbatical in the lovely state of
Washington.
She has three published
YA Christian Fantasy novels; Palace of
the Twelve Pillars: Book One, Palace
of the Three Crosses: Book Two, and
Sanctuary of Nine Dragons: Book Three. She’s also published Women of the Bible: A Study. Recently
the first two books in a MG Fantasy series were published: Sir E. Robert Smythe and the School Bully and Sir E. Robert Smythe and the Lost Detective with four more to be
published over the next two years. Through her writing she strives to share the
Word of God and help people young and old to realize the love and mercy He has
for everyone.
When she’s not writing
she’s active in her local Church as a lector, Bible Study, and helping children
develop a love for reading and writing. Jesus fills her home with love as she
shares Him through her writing.
SANCTUARY OF NINE
DRAGONS: BOOK
THREE
The Plot
Joachim banishes
Brandan to the prison island of Hyogo. His infant son, Prince Airyn disappears
from his cradle. A chain of events is set in motion that will pit brother
against brother, friend against friend, parents against children as Brandan and
Joachim struggle for control of their sanity and their very lives.
With Brandan declared
dead and his son missing Joachim sinks into despair and anger, from which those
close to him fear he may never return.
Is Brandan really dead
and if he is, who is manipulating the Mantion and enemies of Crato?
Can Maeve save her
country and her husband from the tentacles of evil pervading the land?
An Excerpt:
Joachim cringed as he
thought about what he had to do. The council had decided. He didn’t agree
completely, but in the end, Joachim knew it was the only way; something had to
be done. Maybe Brandan would give him a reason not to send him away.
King Brandan stomped
into the room. “Why, Brother, have you no throne prepared for your poor,
missing brother? I’m hurt. I expected more from you and my sister-in-law. Maeve,
dear, couldn’t you have helped him prepare better?” He stepped toward her,
quickly grabbed her hand, and kissed it.
Joachim lunged at him,
pushing him from the dais. Brandan staggered and then regained his balance and
gazed at his brother. “Why such violence, especially when I am so recently
injured?”
Stepping off the dais,
Joachim stood eye-to-eye with his brother. “Enough! You’re no more hurt than I
am. And you have no business touching my wife, or sitting on Crato’s throne.”
Brandan laughed, pushed
him aside, and stepped up to claim his throne. Joachim grabbed his twin’s
shoulder, spun him around, and punched him in the mouth.
Rubbing where Joa’s
fist had landed, Brandan smirked. “Well, my brother has finally developed some
stones.” He raised his other hand to hit Joachim.
Matthias stepped
forward, sword in hand and grabbed his arm before he could hit Crato’s king. He
pulled the king’s brother away, so Joachim could reclaim his throne.
Jerking himself free,
Brandan straightened his tunic. “This has been fun; but as you seem to be in no
mood to visit, I shall take my leave. Come to me when you’re in a better frame
of mind.”
“Stop! You are going
nowhere until I say you can.”
Brandan stopped and
looked at his brother. “What did you say to me? Is that how you talk to a
fellow king and brother?”
“Yes, it is. As of this
morning, you are no longer a king, and I’m not sure I should even call you
brother.”
“Why dearest brother,
whatever do you mean?” Brandan asked.
“Ever since we were
boys, you have done everything you could to make trouble. I was always willing
to forgive you and hoped you would change your evil ways. But no more! You have
pushed me—pushed this country—too far this time,” Joa thundered at him.
“What are you rambling
on about?” Brandan sneered and bit a fingernail.
“Brandan, I should
sentence you to execution, but there are two things keeping me from that.
First: you are my brother, and I hold onto a hope, however faint, you can be
reformed…”
Brandan chortled. “Not
a good bet, brother.”
“Second, I strongly
suspect you of making two attempts on my life. Unfortunately, I don’t have
enough evidence to prove it was you. I punished one innocent man because of the
little evidence we do have. I do not wish to make that mistake a second time.”
Brandan laughed again. “So,
if we’re finished here, I’ll be leaving.”
“As I said before, you
won’t be going anywhere until I say so. I may not have what I need to sentence
you to death, but after your actions toward the queen this morning, I have some
recourse.”
“What are you talking
about? I did nothing she didn’t ask for.”
Maeve rose from her
throne. Joa put his hand on her arm to stop her.
“Brandan, I suggest you
remain quiet until I finish.”
“Brother, you do not
have the authority to do this. We are equals.”
“Do you not see the
Adept Council before you? We met and discussed this matter at length... They
have given me the authority.”
“This tiresome group of
old men?” Brandan laughed. “They have even less power over me than you do.”
Ignoring Brandan’s
comments, the king continued. “First, I strip you of your title. You are no
longer King Brandan but will henceforth be known simply as Prince Brandan.” He
paused and swallowed. He didn’t know if he could continue. The lump in his
throat felt as big as a koali fruit. He swallowed again. Maeve grasped his
hand. Warmth and reassurance enveloped him. He knew what he had to do.
“When we have finished
here, Rupert, Salochin, and Master Frederick will take you to Rupert’s tower.
There, they will strip you of your magical powers. When they are finished,
Matthias and Wilhelm will escort you to the Port of Wyrzburg, where you will be
put on a ship bound for Hyogo, the prison island. There you will remain for the
rest of your life. You are never to return to Crato or Mahorg. You will live in
the mountain abbey with the monks and work side-by-side with them.”
“You’re a misguided
fool.” Brandan sneered. “If you believe that by exiling me, you are saving
yourself from evil—think again. You may have peace and rest comfortably for a
short while, but don’t assume I won’t find a way to come back and destroy you.”
He stepped up to the thrones and leaned forward, placing a hand on each. The
guards on either side of the king stepped forward to stop him. Joachim raised
his hand signaling them to stop.
Brandan glared at the
guard and muttered, “Freisen!” The man froze where he stood.
Brandan turned back to
his brother and sister-in-law. “No, Joa. This is not over and what I did to
your guard is nothing compared to the evils you will suffer by my hand.”
While he was speaking,
Rupert chanted a binding spell. Matthias came forward and placed his sword tip
to Brandan’s back.
The king put his good
hand on his brother’s shoulders and pushed him upright as he stood. “You have
done enough! Matthias, escort him to Master Rupert’s tower.”
As the prince was
escorted from the room, Joa slumped back into his throne. It was done, he
thought as remorse washed over him. A tear crawled down his cheek as Maeve
squeezed his hand.
Contact Christina:
Website: www.weigandchris.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/caweigand
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CAWeigand
Wattpad Page: http://www.wattpad.com/myworks
Video Trailer Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIkNu78-BME
Buy Links:
MuseItUp Bookstore: https://museituppublishing.com/bookstore/index.php/museitup/fantasy/christian-fantasy/sanctuary-of-the-nine-dragons-detail
Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/1118475269
