Hammer Out A Future (Cart-Dragger Saga Book 1) Read online

  Blood of Kings - Illegitimate Mildred "Mildy" Pendragon wants just one thing: To prove to Camelot that she's as much a warrior as her daddy, King Arthur. With her cowardly Greek squire Ares and metrosexual best friend Lance at her side, she strives to prove her legendary bloodline through knightly deeds. But no matter what she does or who she beats, she cannot seem to win over chivalric society. On quest to save the fey from destruction by an evil mage, Mildy meets the mother she has never known and learns the bitter truth of her incestuous birth. She continues to fight for good despite her disillusionment, but accidentally kills Arthur's favorite knight and makes a bitter enemy of her father. Can she defy fate and save her family from imploding, or is the saga of the Pendragons destined to end in tragedy? http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EAXFMK6/?tag=bilthestaarts-20

  Lost from Legend - After losing his memory, Jack had moved on and started a family with the woman who saved his life. But when his former love finds him at his humble inn and reveals Jack was once a warrior king, he remembers her place in his heart. For all he adores his wife, he is hard pressed to reject the powerful queen who loves him. Urged to take back his throne and longing to complete his memory, Jack visits his homeland. There, he battles an elusive mage with ambitions to take the crown while his wife is terrorized by a ghostly stalker seeking revenge. But as he struggles to defend his loved ones from these mysterious foes, the mistakes of his own past may be prove to be his undoing. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HNTX01C/?tag=bilthestaarts-20

  The Red Rider - After killing the werewolf that took her grandmother's life, a young girl is outcast from her village over the perceived taint from contact with the lycanthrope. A decade later she is the famous Red Rider, slayer of hundreds of werewolves. When she learns of a new breed of more intelligent lupines, her skills are put to the ultimate test, and even the help of other warriors such as overweight knight Herbert and cage fighting champion Evie may not be enough to overcome the rising threat. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JBTNXUA/?tag=bilthestaarts-20

  Fists Against Fear - When financially struggling mixed martial arts fighter Jason accepts an illegal underground bout out of desperation, he meets his match in a mysterious iron-fisted young woman named Cheryl. They find each other to be kindred souls, and strike up a fast friendship. But after Jason learns of Cheryl's history of battling dark creatures and it comes back to haunt her, the two of them must stand together against supernatural evil. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KK41O2O/?tag=bilthestaarts-20

  Raiders of the Dry Coast - Julius knows nobody wants to be friends with the bodyguard of an insane wizard. Having served Zog all his life, he wonders if there can be more for him than being the lonely companion to someone who views him as little more than a helpful pet. He finally quits after his master drags him off to hellish worlds full of slimy tentacles in search of power over life and death. Julius comes home alone, only to discover Zog's magic has dried up the sea on which the surrounding countries depend. Outlawed by the world, he cuts a deal with a king to help restore stability to the realm in exchange for amnesty. He hires brawling adventurers Claudia and Leon, and the three endure blistering dust storms and desert heat while battling monsters and displaced pirates to bring peace to the coast. After one of them pushes themselves beyond reasonable limits to save his life, Julius learns to open his heart to the carefree young wanderers who become his first real friends. But when a spectre of his past comes back to haunt him, Julius' new friendships and conscience will be tested against that which even he fears. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OW7MXB6/?tag=bilthestaarts-20

  GLORIOUS - Ever since she glimpsed Virgil the Champion as a little girl, Gloria knew he was the only one for her. She spends her life dreaming of him, drawing his adventures and trying to teach others to "walk the path of champions." When she gets a chance to watch him fight in a tournament, she eagerly does so only to see him lose to the best warrior in the kingdom. Unable to accept this, Gloria vows to avenge his honor by learning his style in order to defeat his opponent. And so the delusional fangirl begins an unpredictable journey that will change her life, and the world... http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00TXE253Y/?tag=bilthestaarts-20

  The Blackbird's Song - Henry and Andrew are members of the Society for Conserving Artifacts, which seeks to save the relics of ancient civilization from the Last Church which deems them evil. When their efforts anger the church and they find themselves in over their heads, they are saved by Blackbird, a feral girl with superhuman fighting prowess. As the SCA's conflict with the church explodes into all-out war, her abilities become their only hope of breaking the tyrannical institution's hold over the continent. But when the truth behind the church's actions comes out, Blackbird and her new friends' resolve will face its toughest test. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00XXEJKCO/?tag=bilthestaarts-20

  The Brazen Blade - When her sickly brother is unable to attend military school as planned, young noblewoman Kathryn goes in his place. She impresses instructors and peers alike with her sword skills, and gains notoriety among them along with the nickname Kath the Blade. When one of her new friends is targeted by mysterious assassins and flees the school, she decides to follow in order to protect him. But even confident Kath is little prepared for the monsters, mercenaries, assassins, and scheming masterminds who stand in their way. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0172VJZT6/?tag=bilthestaarts-20

  First of Spears - Young prince Theo of Egrent longs for a way out of his impending arranged marriage with a boring earl's daughter. His life is changed by the arrival of Claire, a foreign diplomat and warrior known as the First of Spears who comes bearing demands from her liege. They swiftly fall for each other, but the power struggle between their kingdoms threatens to drive a wedge between them. As a third nation aided by a dark sorcerer seeks to invade Egrent and a mysterious new champion appears purporting to defend it, the pair must overcome all odds if they are to be together at last. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01CKSBZOO/?tag=bilthestaarts-20

  Duskfall - After famously aloof general Eliza learns that Prince Milton plans to steal the crown, she leaves the battlefront to warn her king of his brother's treachery. When things don't go as planned and she loses her strongest allies, she must find new ones alongside young archer Charles who discovered the prince's plot. Along the way, she forges new friendships and learns to open her heart again. But Prince Milton's ambitions go beyond the throne, and all Eliza has may not be enough to stop him. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01FB4OF3C/?tag=bilthestaarts-20

  Always Walk Forward - In a world wracked with eternal war between winged Anjeli and frightful Daimons, humans take shelter in magically shielded cities. Sam, the orphaned teenage daughter of a guard, lives and works happily with the other kids taken in by a playhouse director. Everything changes when her fellow young actor Eli is abducted without explanation by the secret police known as the Paladins. Calling upon the training from her late father, she sets out into the dangerous wilds alongside Eli's adoptive brother Vincent and Drea, a mysterious warriorlike older girl staying with them, to save their friend. But even as they make more allies and grow in resolve and strength, it remains to be seen if it will be enough against the Daimons and other perils that lie before them. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LG21OX2/?tag=bilthestaarts-20

  The Unworthy and The Damned - When a revolutionary claiming to be a Nephilim descended from fallen angels plunged the land into civil war, it fell to the strongest of warriors, Princess Eleanor to stop him. Years later after the princess is thought to have grown complacent, young merchant's daughter Celia is attacked by assassins while out on routine business. With the help of sympathetic assassin Edge and healer-in-training Lina, Celia investigates while being hounded by hired killers including a powerful necromancer at every step. But when the motives behind her family being targeted go deeper into the kingdom's secrets than expected, she may find herself in way over her head. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XQGP77X/?tag=bilthestaarts-20

  Also check out my short stories here! http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_pg_1?rh=n:133140011,k:b
illy+wong+short+story&keywords=billy+wong+short+story&ie=UTF8&qid=1424913116

  Sample of Hammer Out A Path

  The stocky young woman known as Cart-Dragger leaned forward where she knelt, to rest her forehead against the large shared gravestone of her parents and little sister. She sobbed, tears falling onto the flowers she had laid over the resting place of the former rulers of Galantria and their younger daughter. "I'm still so sorry I wasn't there to protect you," she gasped. "There isn't a single day I don't think about you, and picture your faces. But I hope wherever you are now, you can see me and that I've done and will continue to do you proud."

  Pulling her head away from the cold stone after a couple minutes, she stood and walked over to her best friend Jen's grave a few feet away. Her loss was much fresher in her mind than that of her family, for Jen had died not a year ago. Yet she forced herself not to cry, and smiled instead knowing this was what her friend would have wanted. "Hey, Jen. It's been six months since we defeated the imperials, and the city finally seems just about well off enough that we can start to think about aiding others." It particularly satisfied her to see the crumbling walls shored up at last, making Galantria look strong and proud once more. "So I'm going to Velinthe, where Ruth said the people have been underfed and struggling for years. Hopefully we can work something out, so they can get help."

  She placed a hand on the gravestone, and despite herself a tear escaped her eye. "Darn, how I wish you could come with me! What an adventure that'd be, and without the swords of the empire hanging over our heads. I miss you so much... by the way, did I tell you Gene's wife has another baby? That'll be her fourth—I wonder if I should think about having children soon? I'm about to be twenty-seven... but I'm so busy, and haven't fallen in love. I suppose twenty-seven's not that old, and there's still time. I'm probably in good enough physical condition to age better than some, too."

  She was the strongest known human warrior in the world after all, able to swing around a hammer with a head the size of her torso swiftly enough to deflect projectiles too fast for most to even see. With her great maul she'd battered down magical machines as big as buildings, and elemental titans hundreds of feet tall. She had been smashing giants for more than a decade now. But after curing the pain-induced insanity of the wild elemental soldiers the empire once controlled, she hadn't needed to use those abilities since dueling the former imperial general Strength months ago. She wondered if she ever would again. Right now the most use she made of her physicality outside practice was in playing ringball, leaping across the court sometimes over a seven-foot giantess to slam the ball down through the ring-shaped goal suspended ten feet above the ground. A world where her monstrous combat prowess became obsolete was probably better. But still... she missed it a little.

  "I've even started to drag around a cart less," she said to Jen. Back in her mercenary days one was needed to transport the bags of money she earned; now, bringing it with her around town seemed increasingly unnecessary. These days she often carried her hammer on her back, instead of lying in the bed of a wagon. "Soon my nickname might be obsolete too, and I'll just be Duchess Willow again." She smiled. "Although, traveling will be a good excuse to pull a cart after me again. You never know when one might come in handy, after all."

  She told Jen about some other recent happenings, such as how Russ had lost weight training with Strength and Scott's procedural refinements allowing repairs to be completed faster. Then she headed back to the manor where she would meet with her friends to decide who would accompany her to Velinthe. Because they helped her govern the city, at least some had to stay behind to keep things running smoothly. On the way, she passed a creature like a thirty foot bipedal beetle with metal plates for its carapace moving rubble from the site of a wrecked building. Some of the empire's weaponized elemental God Soldiers now lent their strength and magical powers to help rebuild Galantria, after she freed them from their constant torment. Less dust clogged the air than in years past, for much of the debris had finally been removed from the city. As she continued through the streets, she spotted a pair of metallic bird-lizards flying overhead. The sight of such strange beings in her home that would've likely been enemies in the past had been disconcerting at first, but one got used to it.

  Cart-Dragger reached the manor. Her longtime friends greeted her in the dining hall—chubby ever-enthusiastic Russ who led the guard, Scott the unassuming bespectacled head of infrastructure, outspoken middle-aged minister of agriculture Gene, and blacksmith guild master Mindy with her rippling arms and soft spot for children. With them were relative newcomers Lars and Ruth, former sellswords who had battled the remnants of the Red Empire with her, and Strength, one of the empire's infamous Four Virtues turned ally after Cart-Dragger proved her own "strength" by defeating her and her master Maximilian Rouge.

  "So who's going with me?" she asked. She looked to well-built Lars, whose partner Allen had recently retired as a warrior due to repeated head injuries and worked filing documents now. "I assume you're coming as you always do"—she turned her gaze to Scott—"and since Velinthe is built on a man-made island, your engineering knowledge could come in handy for determining if things are stable. Who else?"

  "Take me!" Russ said. "You never let me come with you when you travel." He glanced at Strength. "Now that I finally have a decent second in command, you should be able to."

  "Are we sure we can trust that imperial hulk?" Mindy asked, flashing a suspicious look at the seven foot curly-haired woman who sat there with a cool expression. Ruth fidgeted a bit uncomfortably, no doubt because she too had been born in the empire. "She's only been with us for a few months, who knows where her loyalties truly lie?"

  Cart-Dragger shrugged. "Considering the masterminds behind the attempt to revive the empire are dead and its surviving supporters have probably given up, I don't know who she would betray us for. I think we have a good understanding between us too." During their second fight, when Strength challenged her to a rematch which would determine if she accepted Cart-Dragger's leadership, she had gotten a sense of being kindred spirits as they tested each other's limits. "Besides, the rest of you will be there to watch over her and see that she doesn't misbehave."

  "I'm not sure if any of them could stop me," Strength said in a casual tone that put Mindy and Gene visibly on edge. "But don't worry, I'll be a good girl. Although it's blatant favoritism that I'm still not captain of the guard instead of him."

  "One can hardly be ousted from his post he's served well in for years just because there's a scarier-looking candidate now. And you'd better be good, or I'll sort you out when I get back. Anyway, if me, Lars, Scott and Russ are going, the rest of you should probably remain here. That's an interesting coincidence actually, that most of the men are coming and all you girls are staying home."

  Ruth grinned. "Definitely considering I'm usually one to go out. Well, I suppose you'll have to represent our gender for us."

  "I'll do it by crushing any evil enemies we meet with my hammer!" Cart-Dragger said with a laugh.

  They set off, her arms happy to feel the weight of the cart as she pulled it behind her once more. On her back she wore her trusty quiver of javelins, which she used for ranged fighting and other improvised tricks. Scott regarded the wagon, empty except for her hammer, curiously as they headed down the streets. "Do you really have to bring that thing? Even if we do find a need to transport objects later, we could probably get a vehicle from Athendar or Velinthe."

  Lars grinned at her almost childishly cheerful expression. "You've known her how long, and don't realize it's nostalgia for her? I bet you have some old keepsake you hang onto just because it's familiar and comfy. For her, it's the habit of dragging a cart."

  "I know that. But I mean, a big old wagon is kind of an unwieldy 'keepsake.'"

  It wasn't even the one she had gone on most of her continent-spanning adventures with, as that had been destroyed in the last confrontation with the imperials. But pulling any similar vehicle behind her g
ave her the same feeling of freedom. "It's not like I don't have strength to spare for bringing it along. I'll hardly slow you down because of it." Even with a fully loaded cart, Lars who was more used to long treks than the others had struggled to keep up with her pace when they first met. "Besides, this will help keep my body in shape."

  "As if that was ever a problem for you," Russ said, patting his round belly. "Gods only know how you can eat more than me sometimes and stay so small."

  At barely over five feet, she weighed almost as much as an average man. Most wouldn't think that small, though she did look a tiny bit lighter given how much of it was dense muscle under a thin layer of fat. Still, her once-lithe friend weighed over half again that much while not being nearly as solid. "I burn it to fuel my explosive power," she said with a dramatic flourish. "If you did that more, you wouldn't be as fluffy."

  "Well, I have been training harder with Strength lately. I hope this trip will help me continue to shrink."

  Before they could leave Galantria, they passed by the beetlelike God Soldier which had been clearing rubble before. Cart-Dragger wouldn't have given it more than a cursory glance, except that it bellowed drawing her attention. She looked to see it rear up higher, then collapse, crushing a tan workers' tent set up nearby. She hoped nobody was in there... Running over while the men stared, she asked, "What happened? Are you all right?" She didn't know if this particular elemental could talk, but some did. At least from what she saw of the flattened tent under its head, there were no flattened bodies down there with it.