CONCOURSE

Book 1 of
The League of Knights-Errant

The Concourse…
Where the worlds of the multiverse are joined through transit points hidden in patches of dense fog, large rings of cold fire, as well as sharply delineated continuity breaks. These openings can take those who know how to journey the complex web of paths into times and places of worlds and histories unknown; subject to only one rule: a traveler cannot return to a point in the past of a world and history that lies before any previous visit. Only from one place—the mythical Anchor World, which is also said to harbor a well with the elixir of life—is it said to be possible to circumvent this restriction.

The League of Knights-Errant…
An ancient fraternity, founded over a what are thought to be more than a thousand Earth-years ago in Scotland. Its aim: to prevent those who search for a path to the entry point of the Anchor World and—aided by their minions, known as Sta’h’k’ee—hunt for the two Bearers of a legendary Map, to help them find the labyrinthian way through the Concourse’s maze of possible paths from ever succeeding. For then the adversaries could gain control of the Anchor World, which is the well of the Elixir and also provides access to point in time on every Concourse world. But the Map can only be followed if both of its Bearers are physically together and can be coerced to cooperate with their captors. Lore has it that the League was funded to prevent this from ever happening.

Declan…
A physicist living in Sydney, who became disillusioned with how his peers avoided asking the questions he thought they should be asking, finally abandoned his profession to focus on his other passion, traditional Japanese sword craft. It provided him with an outlet for his energy, as well as allowing him to spend time teaching it and rising in he ranks of his ryu. Still, here, too, he found himself ever more disenchanted with his sensei’s and peers’ aims and philosophy.

Aydee…
One of the Bearers of the mythical Map. Like Declan, her origins are shrouded in mystery. Both are orphans, left behind as infants in the care of foster parents; Aydee on a world named ‘Naseeth’, Declan on Earth. Like her parents, Aydee and the father of their child also had to leave it behind; on the world ‘Hangh’, in the care of someone they knew would allow it to be safe and grow into adulthood.

Aria and Cyrene…
Two of the League’s four knights accompanying Declan on his journey to find Aydee. They are Aslatreex, trained lethal assassins from a place called Land of The Ring Mountain on a world called Tethys. After the events that freed all Aslatreex from their bonds—part of the story in Aslam—they set out to find their homes and families. On their journey they entered a bank of dense fog, which turned out to be a transition point. It sent them to of the transition points in the League’s compound.

Ari and Trace…
Two of the League’s four knights, accompanying Declan on his journey to find Aydee. Ari is a former Mossad operative and assassin, who chanced upon the League’s compound in Scotland during a mission, and decided to remain with them. Trace was recruited by Franz, the knight acting as the League’s current Caretaker and head of the ruling committee; placeholders in those roles until the ‘Knight of Knights’ finally arrives to take over the reins of the organization.

Sydney, Australia…
Nine years ago—just over two years after Declan changed his life and became established in his sensei’s ryu, Aydee entered the dojo and asked to be taught the art of the Japanese sword. Assigned to the now-senior sempai Declan as her mentor, the attraction between them soon led to the inevitable. She was Declan’s first and last love. When she suddenly disappeared with only a note—‘No choice. I love you. Please be safe. Aydee.’—leaving behind one of the two rings she always wore on her left middle- and ring-fingers, it turned his life upside-down and inside-out.

Years later Erick, a man about Declan’s age, joined the dojo; also was assigned to be mentored by Declan. Two years after that everything in Declan’s life changed again; this time forever. Urged by Erick and with the help of the League, Declan set out across the Concourse to find Aydee, who was hiding or maybe even lost in the labyrinth of the Concourse. Pursuing him are an unknown number of the near-superhuman and murderously focused sta’h’k’ee—agents of the unknown powers wanting control of the Map—hunting him and his companions on the quest.

NOTE 1: This is the first novel in the story of The League of Knights-Errant. It will continue in Sta’h’k’ee.

NOTE 2: This novel contains love scenes with mildly explicit sexual elements.