The Children of Never Book Tour & Giveaway

Lizette
awakens to a nightmare, for her daughter has been stolen during the
night. When she goes to the Baron to petition aid, she learns thatsimilar incidents are occurring across the duchy. Her daughter was
just the beginning. Baron Einos of Fent is left with no choice but to
summon the war priests.

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Christian
W. Freed was born in Buffalo, N.Y. more years ago than he would like
to remember. After spending more than 20 years in the active duty US
Army he has turned his talents to writing. Since retiring, he has
gone on to publish 17 military fantasy and science fiction novels, aswell as his memoirs from his time in Iraq and Afghanistan. His first
published book (Hammers in the Wind) has been the #1 free book on
Kindle 4 times and he holds a fancy certificate from the L Ron
Hubbard Writers of the Future Contest.

Passionate
about history, he combines his knowledge of the past with modern
military tactics to create an engaging, quasi-realistic world for the
readers. He graduated from Campbell University with a degree in
history and is pursuing a Masters of Arts degree in Military History
from Norwich University. He currently lives outside of Raleigh, N.C.
and devotes his time to writing, his family, and their two Bernese
Mountain Dogs. If you drive by you might just find him on the porch
with a cigar in one hand and a pen in the other.

Baron Einos awoke to unfamiliar sensations. Cold, almost unbearable, filled his
bedchambers. Winter was a memory and spring well underway. This southern duchy was well
south of the northern ice flows and far enough east of the Barbacus River to avoid the heavy
winds. A thick blanket and small fire in the hearth were more than sufficient for keeping Einos
warm throughout the shortening nights.
The Baron wiped the crud from the corners of his eyes, yawned, and sat up. His bearskin
blanket fell away, exposing his naked chest. Young for one of the ruling class, Einos was broadacross the shoulders and slabbed with muscle. His sand colored hair draped across his shoulders.
Bright green eyes scanned the chamber.
His wife, still sleeping, shifted beside him and exhaled deeply. Einos resisted the urge to
rouse her, at least until he was satisfied nothing was amiss. Not finding anything of concern in
the immediate area, he slipped from the bed and donned a thick robe that fell to the floor. The
fire had gone out, leaving the chamber in darkness. Frowning, Einos reached for the short sword
he kept beside the bed. Fent was a relatively peaceful duchy, but one does not rise to power
without creating enemies capable of extreme violence.
He took a step, then a strange noise froze him in midstride. Einos gripped his sword
tighter. “Who goes?”
The sound of sobbing returned. Einos frowned, certain he’d heard a child. There were
numerous children in the keep, though none his own. Aneth, his wife of nearly a decade, was
heavy with child and due by the end of spring. He suspected the draft coming through the cracks
in the walls provided the strange sounds, but one could never be too cautious.
Einos fumbled for a match and lit the candle nearest his bed. Soft light turned his
bedchamber into a shadowed realm. Einos remained still, listening against the dark. His efforts
were rewarded by uncontrollable sobbing coming from the far corner. Sword in one hand, candle
the other, the Baron of Fent took a step closer to the sound.
His exposed toes kicked the chamber pot, spilling old piss over his foot. Einos snarled a
curse and kept going as the sobbing intensified. A wall of light crept across the stone floor until
it reached the huddled figure of a young child. Einos cocked his head as he tried to get a clear
view of the face. Knees drawn with arms wrapped around them, the child, a girl by the length of
her hair, had her face buried.
“Child, why are you here? Who let you in?” he asked, his normally rough voice softened
so as not to frighten her further.
The sobbing increased as the girl lowered a fist and began pounding on the floor.
Einos, concerned, set the candle on the nearest table and crouched. “There is no need for
that. You are safe here. Tell me your name, child.”
Curls fell over her shoulders as the young girl lifted her head and turned to face him.
Einos tripped and fell backwards as he gazed upon what remained of her face. Both eyes were
gone. Dried blood streaked down her cheeks.
She reached a hand for him and cried, “Why did I have to die?”
The girl screamed. The candle flickered, then went out, leaving the lord of Fent alone in
the darkness. Einos scrambled back and managed to light the candle after several tries. When he
cast the light into the corner, he found only stone. The girl, if she had ever been, was gone.

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