Title Of Book: Portum(Portum Book 1)
By: Kate Ridley
Genre: Fantasy
Sub-Genre: Dragons & Mythical Creatures

Blurb:

Rebelling against the constraints of living underground, a group of teenagers plot their escape.
Two are successful, but now best friends Chris and Bertram are trapped outside, in a strange world full of new dangers.
Rescued by strangers, the boys are taken through a landscape of wide-open spaces and sunshine to a place of relative safety.
And dragons.
Can their friendship survive?
Portum follows their adventures as they become accustomed to their new surroundings, making friends and enemies along the way.

Excerpt:

At 5am the following morning, Chris stood at the arranged spot, waiting. By quarter past he was getting worried. Then he heard shouts that sounded like Baz and Archie. He heard loud voices which sounded like authority. And heavy boots headed in his direction.
He looked up the tunnel, then back towards the noises. Thoughts of his family flashed across his mind. He knew the price he would pay for doing this, but he had to know. The only way he could save his friends was to find out the truth.
He turned and ran up the tunnel, towards the outside world and freedom.
Chris ran around a bend in the tunnel and stopped. Panting, he leaned against the wall but heard nothing, felt only the cold, damp stone. Bending double, his hands on his knees, he tried to catch his breath. At the sound of booted feet approaching, he turned and, still breathing heavily, began his ascent once more
He caught glimpses of tunnels leading from either side of the main passage. There were dim lights set in the walls and he could see a series of doorways, each sealed with wood. But he had no time to look, he had to keep going, or all would be lost, for all of them. He would be caught and left to rot in the deep caves.
The huge, heavy wooden door was in sight now. The sound of boots seemed further away. Perhaps they were having trouble with the steep incline in their heavy equipment.
Breathing heavily, he arrived at the door. It was as tall as two grown men and four times as wide. Fortified with iron, in the dim light from the wall sconces he could see the huge bolts which kept the population confined, or the outside world at a safe distance, depending on which story you listened to.
Footsteps were approaching. Chris froze, reaching for the blade in his belt which would ensure extra time in the caves if he were caught. But these were not the heavy boots of the guards, this was a much lighter tread. He could hear panting.
‘Chris! Wait!’
It was Bertram, exhausted, running as fast as he could towards him.
‘They got the others, but I wasn’t where I was supposed to be.’ Bert grinned through his panting, leaning against the wall. He held out his hand, which Chris gripped in their usual salute. Bertram nodded at the doors. ‘We doing this then?’
Chris returned the grin and touched the bolts. No alarm, which he thought strange when you considered how paranoid the Elders were about escapees. Carefully, he slid back the first bolt, then the second. Someone had greased them, they ran smoothly. He turned the huge round handle and together they pulled, grunting with effort. The heavy door swung open noiselessly.
There was a rush of warm, fresh air and a brightness which their eyes had never seen. Squinting and shielding them with their hands, they stepped out of the door and into the world for the first time. Green filtered through their fingers. They kept their eyes lowered. A well-worn path led away from the door towards a cliff face.
‘Hey, look,’ Chris pointed. ‘Wonder what that’s all about?’
‘Supplies?’ Bertram guessed. ‘Oh come on Chris, you can’t be surprised that they know what’s out here. They just don’t want us to know about it.’
‘Yeah, I guess, but why? I mean look at it!’ Chris gestured to the lush greenery around them.
Bertram shrugged. ‘Who knows? They’re all control freaks. Thing is, we know now, we can tell people!’
They looked at each other as big grins spread over their faces.
‘We did it!’ They said together, embracing each other. Bertram slapped Chris on the back and he felt tears welling in his eyes.
Their celebrations were cut short as they heard footsteps approaching. The heavy step of the guards. Quickly they ran and hid beneath some huge, green, flat, things. Peering between the greenery the two young men watched as a group of guards emerged and looked around. They were shouting to someone in the tunnel, then they turned and went back inside.
Then came the sound of the door being firmly shut and the bolts being shot back.
‘Well that’s that then.’

Where to buy Portum

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09WJ3JMPB

Meet Kate Ridley:

Kate Ridley is a coffee-fuelled, animal-loving fantasy fiction writer. Born in York, she lived in North Yorkshire for most of her adult life before relocating to Derbyshire where she now lives with her partner and two mad rescue dogs. When she’s not writing or cooking up plots, Kate spends her time reading, listening to music, baking, gardening, and walking.

Let’s Get Social

Website: https://kateridleyauthorcouk.wordpress.com/
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Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Kate-Ridley/e/B09WPVY6GM
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22954568.Kate_Ridley

Deception: Wahrheit Book 3

on Kickstarter

The Book

WAHRHEIT is a huge, sprawling epic fantasy that features political intrigue, assassinations, mystery, adventure, battles, a little bit of fun, and yes, even dragons. It’s my take on those incredible stories that captured my imagination and took me on a ride I’d never forget. It’s packed full of colorful characters that fans love, faced with incredible adversity that they fight to overcome, sometimes successfully, sometimes not. I hope this series goes down as one you remember forever.

The Truth is a weak thing. It has no power. The only power the Truth holds is the power we grant it.

For six hundred years, the kingdom of Wahrheit was ruled by an unbroken line. It rose on a wave of technology and magic and stood alone—a bastion of stability built on pillars of economic and military might. The nation and her people thrived due to the strength of soldiers and the protection of dragons.

But the line has ended—the king is dead.

Noble houses vie to carve out their own domains. Foreign armies march across Wahrheit’s soil for the first time in memory. Without leadership, the king’s army watches helplessly. The fae, a source of enchantment and treachery, work unseen to secure their share of Wahrheit’s blood. And far beyond the kingdom’s borders, a growing threat looms—an empire built to right a bitter wrong.

Only a small band of conspirators stand between the kingdom and chaos: Otto Tilly, captain of the king’s Dragon Knights, the steel fist that shields the weak. Gerhard Fisher, a spy and assassin, who owes more than his life to the former king. Ilse Brinke, the quartermaster, the keeper of the kingdom’s secrets and magic. The wizard, an ancient soul who understands the cost of failure. And by fortune’s curse or fortune’s favor, two orphans from the growing war must carry the kingdom forward. As has always been, the burden of the future lies across the shoulders of the young.

Support Deception: Wahrheit Book 3 on Kickstarter