The Forbidden Kiss

By Christopher Mentzer

Derek Banter, known bard in the land of Vanora, finds himself in between gigs. He goes in search of adventure in the northern country of Ardenger. He is hired by King Cantrell to rescue his daughter from the clutches of an evil wizard known as Saydens the Black.

            His traveling companion is an old flame he’d just as soon forget ever meeting and together they storm the tower. The rescue doesn’t quite go as planned and the results are surprising. All through his quest, one statement rings through his mind: Do not kiss her, it is forbidden!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christopher Mentzer
• Release date: May 8, 2017
• ISBN: 9781386588696

Christopher Mentzer

Having read the Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis, and all fantasy books by David Eddings, Chris took a stab at Fantasy with minimal success.  He even attempted Science Fiction with a couple of buddies while in college. The bottom line was, he lacked discipline and the desire to stick with any one project. All that would change in 2005, because in November of that year, Chris entered his first writing challenge held by the National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) website. Although the goal was 50,000 words, he obtained his personal goal of 25K, which went on to be the foundation of book 1 of The Askinar Towers Trilogy. He later wrote foundations for books 2 and 3 in ’07 and ’09 respecitvely. His inspiration for the towers books came from John DeChancie’s Castle Perilous series and Doctor Who’s Paradise Towers. Chris lives in Mesa, AZ. He is currently employed in the retail industry working as a personal shopper. In his spare time, when not writing or stalking the social media streams, Chris loves to read books by fellow indie authors.

Book preview

The Forbidden Kiss

It was a crisp autumn morning as Sir Talbot rode out of the castle grounds of Vanora. He was headed to a local pasture to meet with his longtime friend, Banter. Derek Banter was his friend, companion, and an accomplished bard.  It had been over a year since he’d seen him and, since his recent marriage and honeymoon, he didn’t have the time to travel with him.

As he crested the hill he saw his friend sitting against an old oak tree writing, as usual, on a piece of parchment.  He was the same person he’d known a year ago except, in the pasture with him was a beautiful chestnut colored horse. Sir Talbot thought back to the last horse Banter had; Rachel’s Pride which was three years ago. To make a long story short, Derek accidentally ate a portion of her compliments of the seedy tavern called The Hangman’s Noose. The knight still chuckles every now and then recalling the look on Banter’s face as he burst out the door and vomited in a nearby alley.

Greetings, friend Banter, called Sir Talbot. 

The bard looked up and smiled. Talbot, it’s been too long. I see married life suits you.

Indeed. Although, the customary yearlong honeymoon was a bit much. The knight dismounted and approached his friend. The horse belonging to Derek seemed to be watching Talbot cautiously and took two steps closer.

What did you expect, my friend? When you marry the daughter of a tribal chief, you have to honor their customs. Banter stood and offered his hand to Sir Talbot. The chestnut horse snorted in disapproval.  The bard looked over. It’s okay. He’s a good friend.

The two of them shook hands and Sir Talbot could feel the horse’s eyes on him the entire time.

"That’s quite a horse you have there, Derek; a step up from Rachel’s Pride." Talbot tried to keep a straight face but, in the end, burst out laughing.

Derek looked pained at this comment and his horse, sensing his unhappiness, bit the knight.

Ouch! Your horse has quite a temper. Talbot rubbed his hand and stared at the animal.

Banter smiled. Not really, she can sense my feelings. We have a special bond unlike any other horse and their rider. The horse nudged Derek who, in turned, rubbed her nose.

How did you come across such a fine horse? Talbot asked still rubbing his hand and eyeing the horse.

Banter looked distant for a moment, almost sad. "It was shortly after you and your bride left on your honeymoon. I felt like a fifth wagon wheel in the kingdom so I packed up and went in search of a steady job. Being a bard didn’t seem quite the same without you. I prayed first to the goddess, Erica, and then I traveled far north to Ardenger arriving in the capital city of Ciudad. I learned that King Vaughn Cantrell was hiring a new court jester.  Being the creative type, I acquired