Meet Heather Storm, one of the main characters of my fantasy buddy-cop novel, Shadow Over Moonbrooke (which is totally free to read on any device btw)! She’s a hard-working, high-strung knight working in the capital city. When she fails to capture a thief, she becomes focused on tracking him down. Find out more about her below!
Heather was born in the mining town of Titan Rock. The town sat atop a mountain, and their entire economy and culture was tied to the labyrinthine mines dug beneath. Young Heather wanted nothing to do with such a lifestyle, and instead practiced swordplay in secret.
One night, Heather saw across some brigands attempting to rob the mines. Naturally, she charged them, sword at the ready. In the fight that ensued, she suffered a cut across her forehead. She stumbled away from the attack--right into a hole, where an even deadlier threat loomed...
The mines under Titan Rock had become connected to the laid of a drachnid, unbeknownst to the people there. Imagine the head of a dragon, the body of a tarantula, and two enormous red compound eyes bulging out. It’s no wonder Heather got one look at that thing and ran. In fact, she didn’t stop running until the next morning, when she finally chanced upon a patrolling knight. He didn’t believe Heather about there being a monster under Titan Rock, not until he brought her back there to find the town destroyed. After that, the knight took Heather to the capital city, where she quickly became a knight herself.
A good 30 years later, Heather still loves being a knight. Sure, sometimes she gets a little too attached to the letter of the law and loses the spirit. And yeah, between her inscrutable Titan Rock accent and her single-minded devotion to knighthood, many find her unapproachable or even bossy. But Heather loves the kingdom and its people. She strives to practice fairness and compassion in pursuit of justice. And if all else fails, she’s gotten really good with the sword.
Actually, despite all this love of swordplay, Heather wishes deep down that it could remain just that--play. After all the strife and horror of Titan Rock, she just wants the world to be peaceful. Then she could spend more time fishing. (She’d still need a sword, though, what with the creatures lurking in the water...)
Fortunately for her, Shadow Over Moonbrooke opens on a period of peace. While many of the other knights become complacent and slack off, Heather is as hard-working and vigilant as ever. Still, she finds comfort in the routine of her night patrols. In fact, that repetition has only further sharpened her senses to anything out of the ordinary--like, say, the subtle blur of a thief ducking into a dark alleyway...
