The Quest

By KC Kendricks

Edan Romney believes he's on the trail of the most significant archaeological find of his life. He's tracked the legend from Bolivia to Chaco Canyon and beyond. His next stop is Alaska, but a sudden winter storm takes down his plane in the Colorado mountains.

 

Del Martinez is surprised there is a survivor when a small plane crashes at the end of his mountain meadow. His surprise turns to shock when he discovers it's Edan – the one lover he regrets losing.  With a blizzard closing in fast, Del needs to get Edan inside his cabin and warm, and then see how badly he may be injured. It's not a magical reunion as past hurts and indiscretions quickly bring contention.

 

Edan won't abandon his quest to find if what's written on an ancient scroll is true. Del can't forget seeing another man in Edan's arms – even if it was a setup. With the blizzard freezing outside, passion heats up inside. Both men know they must find a way to bury the past instead of digging it up.

 

-*-*-*-

Edan's chin lifted. "I have a scroll. Mackley tested it for me and authenticated it to be a thousand years old."

Del blinked. Was he serious?

"Mackley can't be trusted. You know that. He drinks in his lab. Crap gets messed up."

Edan shook his head. "Nope. I was right there with him. We ran the tests twice. The leather, I repeat, leather, is a thousand years old, give or take a decade or two."

A leather scroll that old? That was an incredible find. Edan's being here meant the scroll was legible…

"Who translated the scroll? Don't say Mackley again."

Edan smiled and lifted the middle finger of the hand holding his soup mug. "I did. You don't think I'd take the entire scroll to him, do you? I'm not an idiot. I snipped two corners."

Del lifted his middle finger off his mug in reply. It was an old familiar gesture between them, and often, like today, meant "don't imply I'm stupid" when questions with obvious answers were asked. "Okay. Point taken. Please tell me this fabulous find didn't get incinerated in the plane."

Edan tapped his middle finger against his mug and grinned. "You've gone batty, old boy. Did my phone survive my landing?"

"As a matter of fact, it did." Del stepped into the kitchen to retrieve it. "It's not on and I didn't mess with it past plugging it in for a charge."

He handed it to Edan and watched as he fiddled with it. After a few minutes, Edan gave it back.

"Take a look at that photo."

Del did as instructed, sliding the photo around until he'd seen every inch of it. The writing looked very similar to Sumerian proto-cuneiform, but with subtle differences. He glanced at Edan.

"And you found this at Tiwanaku? How is any of that site unexplored?" He knew archaeologists had scoured the site for years. "Did you test the ink on this?"

"Of course, we tested the ink. I didn't find that at the site, but a few miles away. I'd had a lousy day. You'd left angry and I was upset, and frankly, I was scared you really meant we were over. Our permit was about to expire. We were due to pack up and move out and I'd found nothing. Nada. So, I went for a walk to figure out how to get you to talk to me again, and, not watching where I put my foot down, I stepped into a hole."

"A hole. For real, Edan? A hole?"

"Yeah. A little sinkhole. Almost wet myself as the dirt fell in around me. Then it got weird."

Del snorted. "Like this conversation."

• Language: English
• Publisher: White Deer Enterprises/White Deer Books
• Release date: Oct 22, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393863410

KC Kendricks

KC Kendricks calls herself an accidental writer. After completing her first novel writing as Rayne Forrest, she was urged to submit it to a publisher, and everything snowballed from there. Today, the author has had over seventy books published. In July of 2021, she tried to retire but her employer offered her a deal to work at home. She accepted. Now she balances work, writing, and hearth and home in a controlled chaos. A native of scenic western Maryland, the author enjoys most activities that don’t include snow. In warm weather she might be found walking the dog, biking on the C&O Canal towpath, planting delicacies in her garden for the deer to munch on at night, playing in the creek, or lazing on the patio with her Kindle reader or laptop. She recently began to research her family history and can't drive past a cemetery without stopping to search for family sites. Her mission is to photograph old tombstones before the elements erode the stones and the names are lost to time. For more about KC Kendricks and Rayne Forrest’s writing life, please visit the Between the Keys blog at http:kckendricks.blogspot.com . If you’d like to know more about the author’s country lifestyle and her daily activities full of simple country pleasures (and a lot of work), please visit the Holly Tree Manor blog at http://hollytreemanor.blogspot.com . KC can be reached through her blog, Between the Keys. All comments are strictly moderated by the author and personal messages are treated as such. Follow the author on Twitter for up-to-date announcements at Twitter.com/KCKendricks.

Book preview

The Quest

by

KC Kendricks

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This book is a work of fiction. While references to actual places or events may occur,

the names, characters, incidents and locations are from the author’s imagination

and any resemblance to anyone, living or dead, is coincidental.

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Copyright © 2020 KC Kendricks

Cover art © 2020 KC Kendricks

All Rights Reserved

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All rights reserved. Reproduction of this digital e-book for file sharing or selling, regardless of whether any type of currency is exchanged, other than what the author grants in writing, other than brief excerpts for professional review, is strictly prohibited by law. Piracy is a crime.

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Published in the United States of America.

About

Edan Romney believes he’s on the trail of the most significant archaeological find of his life. He’s tracked the legend from Bolivia to Chaco Canyon and beyond. His next stop is Alaska, but a sudden winter storm takes down his plane in the Colorado mountains.

Del Martinez is surprised there is a survivor when a small plane crashes at the end of his mountain meadow. His surprise turns to shock when he discovers it’s Edan – the one lover he regrets losing.  With a blizzard closing in fast, Del needs to get Edan inside his cabin and warm, and then see how badly he may be injured. It's not a magical reunion as past hurts and indiscretions quickly bring contention.

Edan won’t abandon his quest to find if what’s written on an ancient scroll is true. Del can’t forget seeing another man in Edan’s arms – even if it was a setup. With the blizzard freezing outside, passion heats up inside. Both men know they must find a way to bury the past instead of digging it up.

Intro

Edan’s chin lifted. I have a scroll. Mackley tested it for me and authenticated it to be a thousand years old.

Del blinked. Was he serious?

Mackley can’t be trusted. You know that. He drinks in his lab. Shit gets fucked up.

Edan shook his head. "Nope. I was right there with him. We ran the tests twice. The leather, I repeat, leather, is a thousand years old, give or take a decade or two."

A leather scroll that old? That was an incredible find. Edan’s being here meant the scroll was legible...

Who translated the scroll? Don’t say Mackley again.

Edan smiled and lifted the middle finger of the hand holding his soup mug. I did. You don’t think I’d take the entire scroll to him, do you? I’m not a fucking idiot. I snipped two corners.

Del lifted his middle finger off his mug in reply. It was an old familiar gesture between them, and often, like today, meant don’t imply I’m stupid when questions with obvious answers were asked. Okay. Point taken. Please tell me this fabulous find didn’t get incinerated in the plane.

Edan tapped his middle finger against his mug and grinned. You’ve gone batshit, old boy. Did my phone survive my landing?

As a matter of fact, it did. Del stepped into the kitchen to retrieve it. It’s not on and I didn’t mess with it past plugging it in for a charge.

He handed it to Edan and watched as he fiddled with it. After a few minutes, Edan gave it back.

Take a look at that photo.

Del did as instructed, sliding the photo around until he’d seen every inch of it. The writing looked very similar to Sumerian proto-cuneiform, but with subtle differences. He glanced at Edan.

And you found this at Tiwanaku? How is any of that site unexplored? He knew damn well archaeologists had scoured the site for years. Did you test the ink on this?

Of course, we tested the ink. I didn’t find that at the site, but a few miles away. I’d had a lousy day. You’d left angry and I was upset, and frankly, I was scared you really meant we were over. Our permit was about to expire. We were due to pack up and move out and I’d found nothing. Nada. So, I went for a walk to figure out how to get you to talk to me again, and, not watching where I put my foot down, I stepped into a hole.

A hole. For real, Edan? A hole?

Yeah. A little sinkhole. Almost pissed myself as the dirt fell in around me. Then it got weird.

Del snorted. Like this conversation.

Praise for the writing of KC Kendricks

KC Kendricks never disappoints!"—Fallen Angel Reviews

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..beautifully moving in all the right places...KC Kendricks gives us a well-crafted tale- The Romance Studio

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Good to the last word....- Sensual Reads

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...Seriously entertaining and totally engaging...- Joyfully Reviewed

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...solidly written contemporary romance...-Jessewave

Table of Contents

About

Intro

Praise for the writing of KC Kendricks

The Legend of Wintress

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Epilogue

A bonus read from Shining Victory

Books by KC Kendricks

About the Author

Dear Readers,

The Legend of Wintress

And my grandfather’s grandfather’s grandfather, to the time of the beginning, passed down the tale of how from far off Crusis they came across the seas in strange ships that barely touched the water, fleeing the cold death of their lands. With their numbers so vast they could not be counted, and fearing them gods, the People made them welcome.

They were not gods.

One by one they died, then in twos and more, until we could not bury them fast enough, and their white queen said let the wind and sands take them.

And in the third century of their exile, when only the fifty remained, they left on foot, following the white queen’s vision, led by Wintress herself, who had always walked among them and never died.

Chapter 1

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Edan Romney slipped into his chilly study, refusing to turn on the lights until he tightly drew the drapes. He’d forgotten to call ahead and have a fire started, and so the hearth was empty. The winter dampness permeated the room, but the cold didn’t reach him.

His hands shook with equal amounts of trepidation and excitement as he slid the fragile, ancient scroll from its protective sleeve. Gently, so gently, he laid the precious, aged leather on his mahogany desk and coaxed it open, anchoring the corners with whatever items lay within reach. Edan reread the glyphs, his heart pounding as he scribbled down the translation so he could return the scroll to his safe.

Wintress. He’d searched for her since he’d seen the first reference to her ten years ago. He’d chased her trail from Tiwanaku to Chichiniza to Chaco Canyon since finding this scrap of leather Bolivia. He and a discreet forensic scientist had verified it to be authentic – and at least a thousand years old. 

Then he calmly placed it in his briefcase as if it meant nothing to him and boldly walked out the door with it. He’d found it, after all. He’d make better use of it than some government official.

Edan poured himself a generous three fingers of bourbon to steady his nerves. Finding definitive proof that Wintress was a real being, not just a myth, had far-reaching implications. If it were made public, it would change the world. As a respected archeologist, it was his duty to verify every fact of every find. He’d always been able to do that. This