Judah's Scepter and the Sacred Stone

A. Brittain D.

Description

Princess Teia, daughter of Judah's last king, begins a harrowing journey after she's rescued by the Prophet Jeremiah from the burning city of Jerusalem. They flee to Egypt, where amid Teia's efforts to cope with devastating loss comes an unexpected awakening of her heart when she meets Eochaid, a foreign prince. The two young nobles fall in love, but are soon forced to part and follow their preordained destines of ruling separate nations. Against the backdrop of daring escapes on land and sea, raging sword battles, and deadly sorcerers, an emotional journey ensues across multiple continents for both Teia and Eochaid. All the while they're unaware that God's steady hand guides their paths as part of his plan to restore Judah's everlasting throne-as symbolized by the sacred stone that Israel's patriarch Jacob once used as a pillow in the wilderness.

Sujets

• Historical romance
• Historical fiction

Informations

• Publié par: First Edition Design Publishing
• Date de parution: 01 octobre 2016
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781506902319
• Langue: English

Extrait

Praisefor
Judah’sScepter and the Sacred Stone


“Brittainseamlessly weaves historical fact, legend, and
biblicalreferences into an engrossing tale of faith and love.”
— Publishers Weekly

“Captivatingfictional debut.
Anunforgettable tale that offers broad appeal….”
— RTBook Reviews, Top Pick

“Thepopularity of books featuring stalwart princes,
charmingprincesses, and tales of derring-do never wanes,
and D.A. Brittain has produced an admirable one. Readers
whoenjoy a story filled with adventure…will definitely find it here. A welcomefirst novel from an author to watch.”
— BlueInkReview

“…theperfect blend of the Bible, historical fact,
andromantic fiction.”
— Readers’ Favorite Reviews
Gold Medal Winner inChristian-Romance-Historical Fiction


Brittainoffers a well-researched, solidly described novel
basedon legend and history.…”
— KirkusReviews

“Judah’sScepter and the Sacred Stone finds proof of God’s
ultimateplan in the events of the past.”
— Foreword Clarion Review
ForewordINDIES Award Winner in Religious Fiction
JUDAH’S
SCEPTER
ANDTHE
SACREDSTONE

D.A. BRITTAIN

First Edition DesignPublishing
Sarasota, Florida USA
Judah’s Scepter and theSacred Stone
Copyright ©2016 D. A.Brittain

ISBN 978-1506-902-29-6 HC
ISBN 978-1506-902-30-2 PBK
ISBN 978-1506-902-31-9EBOOK

LCCN 2016942727

July 2016

Published and Distributedby
First Edition Design Publishing,Inc.
P.O. Box 20217, Sarasota,FL 34276-3217
www.firsteditiondesignpublishing.com

Cover Design by VanjaDimitrijevic

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Nopart of this book publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,or transmitted in any form or by any means ─ electronic, mechanical, photo-copy, recording, or any other ─ except brief quotation inreviews, without the prior permission of the author or publisher.
All Scripturequotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, NewInternational Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc.™All rights reserved worldwide. Scripture quotations from Jeremiah 44:12-14 inChapters 23 and 30 are taken from the King James Version of the Bible. (PublicDomain.)
Author’sNote: I have incorporated several word-for-word biblical quotations as part ofthe running text of this story, and thus they are not cited as references inmost instances. For a complete list of the Scripture references I’ve used,please see “Appendix 2: Biblical References” at the end of this book. Thank youfor your understanding.
This book is a workof fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or realplaces are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, names, places, andevents are products of the author's imagination, and any resemblance to actualevents or places or persons living or dead is entirely coincidental.

Library of CongressCataloging-in-Publication Data
Brittain, D. A.
Judah’s Scepter andthe Sacred Stone / written by D. A. Brittain.
p. cm.
ISBN978-1506-902-30-2 pbk, 978-1506-902-31-9 digital

1. FICTION /Christian / General. 2. / Historical. 3. / Suspense.

J921
Acknowledgements


I want to thank myhusband, Dennis, for all his love and support, which allowed me to pursue andfulfill my long-held dream. Much appreciation also goes to my mother, Aggie,and to all of my family and friends for cheering me on. To my sweet friend,Leah, whose love and friendship have been there through all the years, from thefirst to the last word written. No words can express my gratitude to her forbeing there for me when I shared the joy and the tears that came while writingthis story. My heartfelt thanks go to the group, Hillsong UNITED, whose music becamethe soundtrack to my life as the words poured out of me and onto the page.Their songs continue to draw me closer to God. And to my editor, John DavidKudrick. I will always be grateful for his friendship and the guiding hand thathe offered to this first-time author throughout the many months of revisionsand rewrites. I can’t thank him enough for his sound advice and theprofessional skills he applied to enhance, smooth, and polish a very roughmanuscript, helping turn it into a story that I am now pleased to present toyou, the reader.


Every good and perfect gift is from above,
coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights,
who does not change like shifting shadows.
He chose to give us birth through the word of truth,
that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.

–James 1:17-18
“I will not violate mycovenant
or alter what my lipshave uttered.
Once for all, I havesworn by my holiness—
and I will not lie toDavid—
that his line willcontinue forever
and his throne endurebefore me like the sun;
it will be establishedforever like the moon,
the faithful witness inthe sky.”

–Psalm 89:34-37



“Unless the fates havefaithless grown,
And prophet’s voice bevain,
Wherever is found thesacred stone,
The Wanderer’s Race shallreign.”

–Celtic Bard
(Translated by Sir WalterScott)
Prologue


Scotland: Presentday
The four men forgedahead, invisible in the heavy blanket of fog shrouding them and the castle thatstood high above the sleeping town of Edinburgh. Sea-mist clung to hair andclothes as the men moved single file through the wet, winding streets. Theirobscured figures soon crept past the guardhouse and then the long row of muzzle-loadingcannons before they finally entered the upper ward, where the ascendingcobblestone street led them into the castle’s main square.
A soft patter offootsteps resonated for a moment, but then went silent near the east door ofthe Royal Palace. There, the first man in line drew a long, tarnished key fromhis pocket. Turning the key in the door lock, he listened for the click of its release before he pulled on the iron latch. The heavy wood door creakedand moaned as it opened.
The second man inline stepped into the narrow entryway and deactivated the alarm. With anotherkey, he unlocked and opened the small interior door. While he and the first manwaited outside, the last two men walked inside, crossed the threshold, andmoved toward their goal.
The ancient crownroom was nearly dark. The only light came from the mini bulbs illuminating thelarge case in the center of the room. Within that case, the Crown Jewels—theHonours of Scotland, the most treasured regalia in the land—rested in full displaybehind thick glass. Nestled in lush blue-velvet fabric sat the beautifullyetched silver scepter and sword. A foot above them, on a gold-tasseled, red-velvetpillow, rested the solid-gold jeweled crown.
The two men movedto the back of the case, where they slipped their own keys into the locks embeddedin the brass- and wood-framed door there. On a silent count of three, they eachturned their keys, then watched the glass door swing slowly open. Reaching in,they lifted out the object they sought: a large, cracked block of sandstone.
They carried thebattered stone outside and lowered it into a cushioned chest that had beenbrought to the door by the two men who awaited their return. After resettingthe alarm and securing all the locks and doors, the four men hoisted the heavychest. As they crossed the courtyard, five chimes rang out from the palacetower’s clock—perfect timing thus far.
The finelybedecked commissioner of Scotland soon greeted the men as they carried thechest into the castle’s Great Hall: “Thank you for bringing the stone here at thisearly hour,” he said. “There is still much to be done before the ceremonybegins.” Then the commissioner paused and finally offered a wan smile. “It is asad day for some of us to see the most ancient symbol of Scottish kingship leavethe castle. I wonder if we will ever get it back.”
——
By 9:00 a.m.,dozens of distinguished guests had arrived in the castle’s main square and enteredthe Great Hall to view the stone. Twenty-two inches long, thirteen inches wide,and eleven inches thick, the ancient artifact sat on a dais of red velvet inthe center of the hall. Later, His Royal Highness William, the Duke ofCambridge, opened the formal transfer ceremony with a short speech soon followedby a twelve-gun salute fired from the castle.
At exactly 10:00a.m., six bearers of the Royal Banner of Scotland—“The Lion Rampant”—walked intheir bright red-and-gold uniforms ahead of the stone that now sat in itsuniquely modified glass-roofed vehicle. The bulletproof Bentley inched alongfrom the castle’s upper, middle, and lower wards before it proceeded across theesplanade in public view, then down to the bottom of Castle Hill.
Large crowds linedthe streets of Edinburgh. Many had waited hours; some had even camped out overnight.All sought to secure a good spot to watch the royal procession that began with fifty-fivemembers of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, who received rousing cheers andapplause as they played “Scotland the Brave” on bagpipes and drums whilemarching in their red tartan kilts in front of the stone’s motorcade.
The morning wascold but sunny and bright for those who had turned out to see the pageantry.The British monarch’s bodyguards, the Royal Company of Archers, walked behind thestone in their dark-green uniforms and peacock-feathered hats, followed byeighty members of His Majesty’s Royal Marines Band, who kept up the revelry by playinga rousing melody.
The crowd’sexcitement swelled when they saw William and Kate, the Duke and Duchess ofCambridge. Cheers grew loud as they waved to the royal couple—as well as to ahost of other nobility that included the Duchess of Kent, the Secretary ofState for Scotland, the Lord Lyon King of Arms, the Lord High Constable ofScotland, and other members of royalty that followed in a procession of eightvehicles.
The motorcade stoppedwhen it reached the front of St. Giles’ Cathedral. Members of British royalty werefirst to walk into the magnificent house of worship, as a fanfare was soundedby twelv