To stalk a publisher...

A book has been found hidden beneath the Acrtic ice

It has been hidden for hundreds of thousands of years

Waiting

The book tells the story of the world... a story that will soon end

A story that will be finished forever

Only two people can change that story

Only two people can rewrite the end

And time is running out

But those two people... those two saviours, they're just teenagers... and neither one wants to save the world...

The Ruby Shield is the first of five books in the Peris Reis Chronicles. The other four are preliminary titled as;

The Emerald Sword, The Sapphire Key, The Amber Pendant and The Diamond Star 

© Emma Shortt 2008

Please note that all material on this website is copyrighted by Emma Shortt. Any retranscription or reproduction is illegal.

Excerpt 1: The Ruby Shield

Perhaps if Jack hadn’t been so busy turning his thoughts over in his head as he pushed open the kitchen door he might have realised that he was not alone in the house after all. He might even have seen the dart whizzing towards him before it hit.

   But he didn’t, all he felt was a sharp pain in his chest as the tranquiliser entered his muscle and all he saw was a hazy blackness filling his vision.

   He was unconscious by the time the man in the military uniform hauled him up from the floor, slung him over his shoulder and carried him out of the now empty house to the car where an elegant grey haired woman waited...

© Emma Shortt 2007

Excerpt 2: The Ruby Shield

...it was as if they both knew what was coming before it even did.

   ‘Jack…’ Vicci said softly.

   He gripped her hand tightly before saying the words that he knew would open Pandora’s Box – open it perhaps forever.

   ‘What were the instructions?’

   Dr M paused as if he didn’t want to say the words any more than they wanted to hear them, but of course he had already opened the box from his side, there was no going back now, not for him.  

   ‘They talked about us,’ he said finally, ‘the writings talked about us.’

   ‘What did they say?’ Jack asked hesitantly as Vicci gripped his hand even tighter.

   ‘They saw us, they talked about us, the three of us,’ Dr M replied, ‘They called me the guide and you... you they called you the destined ones.’

   No one spoke for a moment, and then - ‘The destined ones, what does that even mean?’ Vicci asked angrily.

   ‘It means that it will be up to us of course.’ Dr M replied, ‘we will have to do it.’

   ‘But do what?’ asked Jack desperately, ‘Do what??’

   And Dr M smiled sadly and held his hands out to both of them and then simply said the words, the words which opened the box forever, ‘The reason you’re both here… to save the world of course.’

© Emma Shortt 2007