Julian Noyce - Author

Books

Tomb of the Lost - Prologue & Chapter One

BABYLON, PERSIA, JUNE 323BC

The man’s head moved back and forth as he lay in the bed. His lips moved, trying to form words, though no sound came out. He opened his bloodshot eyes at the feel of someone’s touch on his sweating forehead. A cool cloth gently dabbed at his face.

“Is that better my King?” a voice enquired.

Alexander ‘the great’ of Macedon opened his red eyes again and struggled to focus with blurred vision on the face peering down at him. He turned his head this way and that. There were a dozen faces there and he screwed his eyes up to see better. Faces became names as he recognised the men around him.

Craterus, Ptolemy, Seleucus, Nearchus.

They were the companions.

Beyond them a line of men filed past silently. For hours they had passed the Royal bed, believing their King to be dead, relieved to see him alive. Nothing could stop them from seeing him once more..................

CALVARY, JUDAEA, APRIL 3RD 33AD

The man sat alone, lost in his thoughts. The world in front of him hazy and pink. The sun warm on his face. He sensed the weather would change soon, he could taste it in the air. The wind buffeted his cloak around his legs. He tasted the breeze on his lips but it told him nothing. Somewhere nearby some women were sobbing, earlier they had been wailing. There were four of them, four mourners. Even though they had been wailing as one he had picked out each individual voice. Now though, their sobbing affected him even more. He could feel their individual grief.

Then their sobs were drowned out by the raucous shouts of men to his right. One man shouting louder than the others. Then the sound of click - clack as dice were thrown across the playing table. The dice were gathered up and the lone man could hear them rattling inside the leather shaker before they were ejected onto the playing surface again. More raucous applause followed as the twelve dice players shouted with excitement..........

The Spear of Destiny - Prologue & Chapter One

Julian’s latest novel, the third in the Peter Dennis adventures

Drake’s Gold

has now been published and is available on Kindle.........

HAVANA, CUBA, MAY 1586

The sound of the men’s marching feet on the cobbles was drowned out by the constant thumping of cannonballs striking the buildings around them. Their faces were illuminated by the many fires burning in the night sky. Around them was absolute pandemonium as soldiers rushed to man the fortifications. Panicking horses ran past them and the citizens of the city rushed to seek shelter from the attack.

The men entered the Castillo De La Real Fuerza through the main gates and the guards moved out of their way. They climbed quickly inside the castle, the oldest fortifications in the Americas. Dust and plaster rained down on their heads and armour as the building shook from the bombardment.

Captain General Martin Sancho Alvarez held onto the handle of his rapier to stop it getting entangled in his legs as he rushed up the steps ahead of his men. At the heavy banded double wooden doors he bade them to stop and rapped hard on the wood and rushed in without waiting for a reply.........

Drake’s Gold - Prologue & Chapter One