Legacy of the Grand Master
Book Seven of the
Knights of the Saltire Series
Legacy of the Grand Master
Book Seven of the
Knights of the Saltire Series
By
William Speir
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher.
Text Copyright © 2016 William Speir
All rights reserved.
Published 2016 by Progressive Rising Phoenix Press, LLC, www.progressiverisingphoenix.com
ISBN: 978-1-946329-02-8
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Printed in the U.S.A.
Cover Photo: “Stock photo of a sexy female assassin” ID: 600599267 by Jamie Carroll. Image used under license from Shutterstock.com.
Illustration “The Arms of the Order of the Saltire” by William Speir
Cover design by William Speir
Visit: http://www.williamspeir.com
Formatting by Polgarus Studio
Visit: http://www.polgarusstudio.com
Introduction
I first began writing The Knights of the Saltire in 2010. At the time, it was intended to be a stand-alone book, but before the first draft was completed, ideas for the next two books in The Order of the Saltire Trilogy had come to me. By the time The Knights of the Saltire was first published, I had already started writing the sequel trilogy, The Sentinels of the Saltire. This was followed by Legacy of the Grand Master, which was originally intended to be the first book in The Children of the Saltire series but remains a stand-alone novel.
In 2012, I took the opportunity to revise the first three books and release the trilogy in a single hardback edition. This was followed by a release of the first and second trilogies in ebook format. I have since written several other novels, and as my writing improved, I felt dissatisfied with the quality of the Saltire series. So in 2015, I made the decision to revise all seven books in the series and release new editions.
Unlike the previous books in the series, this book does not begin with chapters designed to establish origin stories or context. It begins with the coming of age story of the central character – the daughter of the main character in the previous books. I felt that the story didn’t require this book to follow the normal structure of the opening section of the other books in the series.
I’d like to thank my wife, Lee Anne, for her tireless support of my writing career. She encourages me and helps keep me focused and grounded. Without her love and support, I could accomplish nothing. I also want to acknowledge my children: Sonya and her husband Tom, and Brad and his wife Susie and son Colten. They are my inspiration.
I’d like to thank my sister Linda Speir for her valuable edits, critiques, and suggestions. I am grateful for the time and effort she has put into helping me with my writing.
A final thanks goes to my fans, who show their appreciation daily by buying my books and encouraging others to do the same. I hope that you enjoy the revised series. This is for you.
William Speir
April 2015
To all of the fans of the Knights of the Saltire series.
Table of Contents
1
The dark figure crept softly along the edge of the large darkened room – the only illumination coming from the small security lights in the upper corners. She was dressed all in black and wearing socks with small rubber dots on them for traction. She could barely hear the sound of the rubber against the hardwood floors as she crept forward. She paused and looked around the room again, knowing that there were cameras in the room watching for any movement, but she couldn’t determine where they were located.
She crouched down and slowly slid forward on her belly, being careful not to make a sound. When she reached the corner of the room, she paused again, straining to hear the sound of approaching footsteps. The room remained silent. The beating of her heart was the only sound she heard. I haven’t been discovered yet.
She looked around the room again, trying once again to determine where the cameras might be. Mentally, she calculated the best vantage points from where to watch the room’s entrances and exits. She saw the archway leading to the next room. I’ll be spotted instantly if I try to go through the archway. She looked around the wall next to the arch, trying to find another passage to the next room.
Directly above her, there was an opening in the wall, designed to make it possible for someone in one room to pass things to someone in the next room. It was large enough for a small person to get through, and there was a ledge at the base of the opening that looked sturdy. She carefully slid backward away from the wall so she’d have a better view of the opening and the ledge.
She debated whether or not to attempt to use the opening in the wall to get to the next room. There have to be cameras aimed at the archway, but is the same true for the opening? After several moments, she decided to chance it.
The ledge at the base of the opening was about four feet off the floor. If I try to climb up, I’ll be fully exposed the whole time. Even if some of the cameras in the room have motion sensors, it’ll be better to jump to the ledge and move through the opening quickly into the next room. Then I only have to worry about where the cameras in the next room are located.
She carefully raised herself off the floor and into a crouching position, tightening her leg and arm muscles in preparation for the jump. She leaped up with tremendous force, landing in the center of the ledge. She scrambled across the ledge into the next room and paused to listen. There were still no sounds of approaching footsteps.
She smiled as she looked around the next room to see where its cameras might be located. There was a counter just below the ledge, and it ran underneath cabinets to the left and the right that were mounted above the opening. She moved to the right, using the cabinets as cover from any overhead cameras. She reached the corner of the room and paused again, looking around.
Even without looking, she knew that the target of the night’s operation was sitting on top of the cabinet directly over her head. There would undoubtedly be more than one camera pointed directly at the target, making any approach