Heidi Reads...: Book Tour, Excerpt & Giveaway: The End of the Magi by Patrick W. Carr

The End of the Magi
By Patrick W. Carr
Christian Historical Fiction
Hardcover, Paperback, Audiobook & ebook, 384 Pages
November 5th 2019 by Bethany House Publishers

Centuries before the magi arrived in Bethlehem,
a prophecy sets a young magus on his path . . .

Following his vision of the coming Messiah, the prophet Daniel calls forth a select group of men who will count down the calendar until the arrival of Israel's promised king. Centuries later, as the day draws near, Myrad, a young magi acolyte, flees for his life when his adoptive father and others are slain by a ruthless Parthian queen.

Equipped with very little, in haste Myrad escapes the city and, searching for a way to hide from the soldiers scouring the trade routes, tries to join the caravan of the merchant Walagash. The merchant senses that Myrad is keeping secrets, but when the young man proves himself a valuable asset, an epic journey filled with peril, near captures, and dangerous battles begins.

With every day that passes, the calendar creeps closer to the coming Messiah. And over everything shines the dream of a star that Myrad can't forget, and the promise that the world will never be the same.

Praise for the Book

"Carr retells the story of the Magi in this bustling biblical adventure . . . . Myrad's divine vision of the star and his arduous trek battling his own physical problems to pay homage to the Messiah capture the majesty of biblical narratives and will appeal to Christians well versed in scripture."--Publishers Weekly

"Patrick Carr brings us a captivating tale in The End of the Magi. Based on the Holy Bible, he weaves a fictional tale of the adventures of a group of magi from the east looking for the Messiah. Myrad is a strong main character even though he doesn't see himself as strong. He has great character traits and these help him find triumph over tragedy. . . . The End of the Magi is a great holiday read and gives us much to think about in our journey to know God better."--Fresh Fiction

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Excerpt

Chapter 31

“We need to slip away from whoever is watching us. Your messiah’s family must be warned. Herod will be looking for the child.”

Myrad blinked, confused. “Why do you care what happens to the Messiah?”

“If Herod finds and kills your messiah, the threat to his sovereignty has been eliminated,” Masista said. “He will be less likely to march on Parthia.” He glanced toward the door. “We must get away from the soldiers they’ve posted to watch this inn.”

A light knock at the door prefaced Roshan’s entrance. “We have a pair of guards watching the inn,” she said. “If we’re going to leave, we’ll need a distraction.”

“Can they be drugged?” Walagash asked.

Masista shook his head. “They’re Romans. They won’t accept food or drink from a stranger while they’re on guard duty.”

Roshan pointed back the way she’d come. “When I passed through the inn’s kitchen, I saw the innkeeper’s servant preparing food and drink to take outside. When I asked him about it, he said it was for the Romans keeping watch.”

“It seems your God is with us,” Masista said. “We have lax guards standing watch.”

“How long before they bring them the food and drink?” Yehudah asked.

Roshan shrugged. “An hour perhaps.”

“Do what you need to do,” Yehudah said, rising to his feet. “I’ll rejoin you as quickly as I can.”

“Where are you going?” Masista demanded.

“We need information of a different type, and we’re not going to get it from Herod or his Romans.” He looked at Roshan and Storana. “How long will the guards sleep?”

“As long as we wish.”

“Two hours then,” Yehudah said.

“Shouldn’t someone go with you, magus?” Walagash asked.

Yehudah shook his head. “The guards won’t follow one man, but they might split up to follow two.” He slipped out of the inn.

Roshan and Storana left the room too but headed for the kitchen, leaving the rest of them to wait. An hour later, they returned. “It’s done,” Roshan said.

Before long, Yehudah returned as well. Nothing in his expression provided a clue as to where he’d been or what, if anything, he accomplished there. Moving as quickly as the demand for silence permitted, they left the inn. To Myrad, the clatter of hooves as they rode away screamed for attention, but there remained enough traffic on the streets of Jerusalem to cover their noisy departure. After a brief conversation with Yehudah, Walagash ordered the caravan to go back the way they’d come, taking the road to Emmaus.

“If we are seen or someone remembers our passing,” Yehudah said, “we don’t want to give Herod any idea which way we’ve gone.”

Once outside the city, they stopped to muffle their horses’ hooves with strips of cloth. Twice after they departed from Jerusalem, they left the road in secret and hid, waiting for signs of being followed. None came.

Next to Myrad, Roshan breathed a sigh that carried regret.

“What’s wrong?” he asked her.

“The men assigned to watch us will be put to death.”

Hakam twisted to look at them, his mouth twisting. They’re Romans.”

Storana’s eyes narrowed to mere slits. “They were men doing their job—”

“Look,” Yehudah interrupted. By the light of a gibbous moon, Myrad saw him pointing back toward Jerusalem.

Hanging in the sky above Herod’s palace shone the King’s star. It bobbed once, moved southward, then stopped. The star stayed there in its new position as if waiting for them.

“What do you see?” Roshan asked.

Myrad pointed. “The star’s moved.”

“What does it mean?” Walagash asked.

“It means the Messiah’s not in Jerusalem,” Yehudah said.

Hakam’s voice carried a note of justification. “And Herod’s place has been given to another.”

About the Author

Patrick W. Carr is the author of the acclaimed fantasy series The Staff and the Sword. A Cast of Stones won the 2014 Carol Award for Speculative Fiction and the 2014 Clive Staples Award. A Cast of Stones and The Hero's Lot were both finalists for 2014 Christy Awards. He teaches high school math and makes his home in Nashville, Tennessee, with his incredible wife, Mary, and their four sons.

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