Cassian (The Immortal Highland Centurions #2) - Jayne Castel Page 0,88
men. When the English garrison realized they were doomed, they locked themselves inside the chapel, hoping to find sanctuary there. However, Wallace showed them no mercy and burned the lot of them to death inside it.
William Wallace, of course, is the famous Scottish freedom fighter. My depiction of Wallace isn’t the Mel Gibson, Braveheart version. Instead, I followed the historical records of him as a giant of a man with thick dark hair and beard. He was also reputed to have had a terrible temper. Not a man to mess with!
Wallace was once in love with a woman called Marion Braidfute. Their story ended in tragedy when Marion was murdered in the Scottish town of Lanark. Fueled by rage and grief, Wallace attacked Lanark and took revenge by killing its English sheriff, Sir William Heselrig. And yes, it’s true, Wallace did make the dried skin of Hugh de Cressingham—the hated English treasurer he’d killed at the Battle of Stirling Bridge—into a scabbard, hilt, and belt!
The year 1301, when our story starts in earnest, is also in the midst of the Scottish Wars of Independence (although they weren’t called that at the time). When this series begins, there was a period of unstable peace although later that year Edward I of England resumes his campaign. The laird of Dunnottar, Robert De Keith, was an English prisoner as I describe, and he did have a wife named Elizabeth, and a son called Robert. However, his brother, David, is fictitious, as is Lady Gavina.
While it’s true that Edward’s son did occupy the south-west of Scotland while his father focused on the other territories, I couldn’t find any mention of Edward residing in Stirling at this time.
However, that doesn’t mean he couldn’t have …
I did a bit of research into Edward of England. Indeed, he went by the name of Longshanks (due to his considerable height), and did have the moniker: the Hammer of the Scots (something that ties nicely into our riddle). At the time of our series, he would have been sixty-two years old. He was tall with dark-blond hair and ‘icy blue’ eyes. He was also reputed to be quite handsome, although a drooping left eyelid marred his looks slightly. Edward was said to have a powerful voice, despite a slight lisp, and a terrible temper when riled. He was clever and a good fighter. With all this in mind, I had a lot of fun writing the scenes with him in them.
Of course, David De Keith (whom I made up!) did not try and assassinate King Edward, but who’s to say a similar incident didn’t occur during Edward’s time in Scotland … he was certainly hated by the Scots.
John ‘The Red’ Comyn also features in this novel. He was a leading Scottish baron and magnate who played an important role in the First War of Scottish Independence. He served as Guardian of Scotland after the forced abdication of his uncle, King John Balliol, in 1296, and for a time commanded the defense of Scotland against English attacks. I couldn’t find out if he was actually in Stirling in 1301, but since he was Guardian, I thought it probable. Comyn stepped down from the role of Guardian in May 1301, so I played around with timelines just a little here!
You’re probably wondering if Stirling Castle does have a secret gate in the Nether Bailey? It did once. If you visit that corner of Stirling Castle, you’ll find an odd grassy mound by the wall walk. Long blocked up, this was the site of a postern gate. It acted as an emergency exit from Stirling Castle in times of trouble. Later on, it may even have been the secret way out taken by a mischievous James V, disguised as ‘the Guidman of Ballengeich’. Dressed as a farmer, James would allegedly sneak out to walk amongst his people incognito to hear what they thought of him.
Once again, we go back to the Kirk of the Holy Rude in Stirling. The kirk does exist, although (to my knowledge) there is no temple of Mithras underneath it!
I got the idea for the temple from a church in Rome, Italy. The Catholic church of San Clemente al Laterano (near the Colosseum) stands atop a 2nd Century mithraeum, a temple to the ancient Roman god, Mithras. I visited the church and temple many years ago (I lived in Rome for a decade in my twenties), but can still remember descending to the dark, damp, cave-like vault, and seeing the altar where a relief depicts Mithras slaying a bull. In the pre-Christian era of the Roman Empire, Mithras was a very popular god worshipped mainly by soldiers.
Of course, as with all my novels, I bend and shape historical fact to suit the story I’m telling. As much as I love research and incorporating fascinating details, they can never overshadow the love story.
CHARACTER GLOSSARY
The three immortal centurions:
Maximus—from Ostia, Italia
Cassian—from Brigantium, Hispania
Draco—from Valentia, Hispania
William Wallace—Scottish freedom fighter
The De Keiths
Robert De Keith (former laird of Dunnottar, currently imprisoned by the English)
Elizabeth De Keith (Robert’s wife)
Robbie De Keith (Robert and Elizabeth’s young son)
David De Keith (Robert’s younger brother—current laird of Dunnottar Castle)
Gavina De Keith (David’s wife, née Ivine)
Donnan De Keith (Steward of Dunnottar)
Iona De Keith (Donnan’s wife)
Heather De Keith (Donnan and Iona’s eldest daughter)
Aila De Keith (Heather’s younger sister)
The Irvines
Shaw Irvine (laird of Drum Castle—brother to Gavina De Keith)
The Galbraiths
Logan Galbraith (laird of Culcreuch Castle)
Lena Galbraith (Logan’s wife)
Cory Galbraith (Logan and Lena’s son—the eldest of four sons: Rory, Aran, and Duglas)
Iain Galbraith (cousin to Cory, former blacksmith of Fintry)
Blair Galbraith (Iain’s younger brother, smith at Dunnottar)
The English
Edward I, King of England
Hugh De Burgh (Edward’s commander)
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Thanks so much to my readers. I hope you’re loving the series so far!
I’d also like to thank the wonderful Otago/Southland Chapter of RWNZ (Romance Writers of New Zealand), and the organization as a whole. I wouldn’t have gotten this far without your amazing help and support.
And thanks to the love, assistance, and support of my husband, Tim, each book is the best we can make it. Thank you, my love.
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Find out more about the hero and heroine of Book One of THE IMMORTAL HIGHLAND CENTURIONS
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MORE WORKS BY JAYNE CASTEL
HISTORICAL ROMANCE SET IN DARK AGES BRITAIN
THE KINGDOM OF THE EAST ANGLES
Book #1: Dark Under the Cover of Night
Book #2: Nightfall till Daybreak
Book #3: The Deepening Night
The Kingdom of the East Angles: The Complete Series
THE KINGDOM OF MERCIA
Book #1: The Breaking Dawn
Book #2: Darkest before Dawn
Book #3: Dawn of Wolves
The Kingdom of Mercia: The Complete Series
THE KINGDOM OF NORTHUMBRIA
Book #1: The Whispering Wind
Book #2: Wind Song
Book #3: Lord of the North Wind
The Kingdom of Northumbria: The Complete Series
HISTORICAL ROMANCE SET IN DARK AGES SCOTLAND
THE WARRIOR BROTHERS OF SKYE
Book #1: Blood Feud
Book #2: Barbarian Slave
Book #3: Battle Eagle
The Warrior Brothers of Skye: The Complete Series
THE PICT WARS
Book #1: Warrior’s Heart
Book #2: Warrior’s Secret
Book #3: Warrior’s Wrath
HISTORICAL ROMANCE SET IN MEDIEVAL SCOTLAND
THE BRIDES OF SKYE
Book #1: The Beast’s Bride
Book #2: The Outlaw’s Bride
Book #3: The Rogue’s Bride
The Brides of Skye: The Complete Series
THE SISTERS OF KILBRIDE
Book #1: Unforgotten
Book #2: Awoken
Book #3: Fallen
Book #4: Claimed (Bonus novella)
THE IMMORTAL HIGHLAND CENTURIONS
Book #1: Maximus
Book #2: Cassian
Book #3: Draco (release date December 3, 2020—available on preorder)
Book #4: The Laird’s Return (epilogue Christmas novella, release date December 5, 2020—available on preorder)
EPIC FANTASY ROMANCE
LIGHT AND DARKNESS
Book #1: Ruled by Shadows
Book #2: The Lost Swallow
Book #3: Path of the Dark
Light and Darkness: The Complete Series
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Award-winning author Jayne Castel writes epic Historical and Fantasy Romance. Her vibrant characters, richly researched historical settings and action-packed adventure romance transport readers to forgotten times and imaginary worlds.
Jayne is the author of the Amazon bestselling BRIDES OF SKYE series—a Medieval Scottish Romance trilogy about three strong-willed sisters and the men who love them. An exciting spin-off series set in the same story-world, THE SISTERS OF KILBRIDE, is now available as well. In love with all things Scottish, Jayne also writes romances set in Dark Ages Scotland ... sexy Pict warriors anyone?
When she's not writing, Jayne is reading (and re-reading) her favorite authors, cooking Italian feasts, and taking her dog, Juno, for walks. She lives in New Zealand's beautiful South Island.
Connect with Jayne online:
www.facebook.com/JayneCastelRomance/
Email: [email protected]