First published 2015
A lone traveler reaches the end of his long journey from Poland on May 6, 1770, arriving at the foothills of Thunder Mount near the Rhine. The stranger has ridden his Arabian horse Djerid from Maintz to reach this desolate region where granite peaks rise like frightened buffaloes beneath a ruined monastery. At the edge of Danenfels Village, he makes a deliberate choice that defies all logic. He removes the powder and bullets from his pistols. He unbuckles his sword and hangs it from his saddle. He discards his knife and scissors into the undergrowth. Then he abandons his faithful horse and plunges weaponless into the trackless wilderness. His actions suggest a man walking knowingly into mortal danger, yet determined to face whatever awaits him without the means to fight back. The mystery deepens with each discarded weapon, each step deeper into the wild mountains where something or someone waits in the shadows of Thunder Mount.
Genres: historical-fiction, adventure, mystery, 19th-century
Vibes: atmospheric, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: mystery, stranger-in-a-strange-land
Setting: Poland, Rhine, Danenfels Village, Thunder Mount
Period: 1770
174 pages · Paperback · CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform