1312 AD. The once-mighty Knights Templar have been crushed. Betrayed by King Philip IV of France and abandoned by Pope Clement V, the order’s legacy is scattered to the winds. For Sir Emmanuel of Nysa, the fall is much more personal.

Plagued from birth with cryptic prophecies surrounding his stigmata, he must now venture alone into the lawless and unknown corners of medieval Europe to find the truth behind his burden. What he discovers is a world steeped in turmoil and a truth that will challenge his faith, his belief in humanity, and everything he has come to understand about himself.

I came up with the idea for Exile of the Cross shortly after reading We Are All Legends by Darrell Schweitzer. In that novel, the cursed protagonist, Sir Julian, walks an earth pulled straight out of Arthurian legend in search of redemption as he faces supernatural horrors and demonic pockets of humanity, in a blend of sword-and-sorcery, horror, and dark fantasy.

Although there’s an overarching narrative to that novel, I wanted to create something more rooted in reality while still containing pockets of supernatural horror. My protagonist, much like Sir Julian, wrestles with his past demons in pursuit of redemption while trying to unlock the mysteries laid before him.

On top of that, there are prophecies surrounding his birth that point toward something holy, but all he finds is death. This taints his view of religion and gives him a great jumping-off point to search for his true faith in a time when the world seems hellbent on tearing it down.

Coming soon…