Happy Thursday, friend! I am excited to host Nathan Burrage on the blog again. You may remember him from his fabulous Aussie-indie recommendations post some weeks back. Today, we are going to focus on the first book of his duology, The Hidden Keystone. Let’s welcome Nathan again and learn about his series.
Get to know the author: Nathan Burrage
Hi Nathan! Welcome back to Armed with A Book. Tell me and my readers a bit about yourself!
Hello and thanks for the kind welcome. Great to be here.
I live in Sydney, Australia with my wife and two daughters. We’re lucky enough to live close to a national park, so we receive regular visits from Australian wildlife such as water dragons, wallabies and marauding flocks of sulphur-crested cockatoos.
I’ve loved the Fantasy genre ever since I read Lord of the Rings at age 12. After serving an apprenticeship that involved plenty of rejections, my first short story was published by an Australian speculative fiction magazine back in 2001. My debut novel FIVEFOLD was released by Penguin/Random House in 2008 and subsequently translated into Russian.
More recent works include Almost Human, a collection of my short stories released in 2022 and The Salt Lines duology. The Hidden Keystone (book 1) was released in October last year and The Final Shroud (book 2) came out at the end of April.
What inspired you to write this book?
The Salt Lines saga is a loose prequel to my debut novel. FIVEFOLD is set in the UK in the early 2000s and was always intended to be a stand-alone novel. However, in the prologue, a cathedral is burned to the ground by its monks. That scene remained with me, occasionally prodding me to explore their story further.
Eventually I started researching what became known as the First Crusade, and the events that led to such an extraordinary undertaking. Soon I was immersed in conspiracy theories about secret fraternities headquartered in France, links between the ancient Essene on the shore of the Dead Sea and the striking similarities between their practices and those of the Cistercian Brotherhood, who in turn gave the Knights Templar their monastic rule (or code of conduct).
Who could resist such a story?
How long did it take you to write this book, from the first idea to the last edit?
The short answer is fifteen years elapsed from first draft to print. I wasn’t working on the two books continuously, but went through numerous cycles of submission, waiting for agents or publishers to respond, and then revision after the inevitable rejection. I even shelved the manuscript for a couple of years, but eventually returned to it, as I always believed in the story.
When I did revise the manuscripts, I tried to be as ruthless as possible. In the end, I pruned about 70,000 words from the original draft, which really tightened the story.
It’s been quite a wait, but I’m very happy with the result.
What makes your story unique?
The Hidden Keystone is a historical fantasy that unfolds across two, intertwined timelines. In 1099, we follow Godefroi de Bouillon and the remnants of his Christian army as they breach the walls of Jerusalem in what became known as the First Crusade. Just over 200 years later, Bertrand – a newly anointed knight – flees the safety of his Commanderie in the company of his Preceptor and two mysterious strangers, as the infamous persecution of the Knights Templar in France begins.
The novel takes inspiration from actual historical events and introduces elements drawn from the Kabbalah to reveal a secret, alternate history. Both timelines revolve around a mystical artefact called the ‘Keystone’, which is not, I hasten to add, the Holy Grail or True Cross. As the story unfolds, it becomes clear that the timelines are really the beginning and end of the same story.
In terms of structure and setting, the closest novel I can think of is Kate Mosse’s “Labyrinth”, although one of her interwoven timelines is set in modern times.
Who would enjoy reading your book?
Anyone who enjoys reading the historical fantasy or alternate history sub-genres, and particularly stories set in the Holy Land. There is also a mystery that is central to the plot, so readers who enjoy piecing together clues will enjoy that element as well.
Did you bring any of your experiences into this book?
I find travel is a source of inspiration for my writing, and as I was researching the First Crusade, I realised that I really needed to see Jerusalem and Qumran (where the Dead Sea scrolls were found) in person. I was lucky enough to make that trip in late 2008, and to visit parts of France associated with the fraternity of the Salt Lines.
Here’s an example of how that trip influenced the story: after the persecution of the Templars in 1307, few Commanderies remained in France. I was able to visit one and was fascinated to find a secret tunnel in the underground cellar that exited outside the encircling wall. This tunnel explains how Bertrand and his companions were able to escape from the King’s soldiers undetected.
What’s something you hope readers would take away from it?
I think the most rewarding fiction is thought-provoking and makes the reader work for its secrets. I also enjoy books that reveal more layers on a second read, and that’s certainly what I’ve attempted to create with this duology. So hopefully readers will finish the series with a sense of I haven’t read a story quite like this before.
Do you have a favourite quote or scene in the book that you find yourself going back to?
It becomes clear early on that the two interwoven timelines are linked through a secret fraternity known as the ‘Salt Lines’. The story alternates between the two timelines, and there is a point of convergence in The Final Shroud that I doubt few readers will expect.
I’d love to say more but would hate to spoil the surprise.
The Hidden Keystone is the first book in the Salt Lines duology. Can you tell me more about the series?
The Salt Lines duology concludes with The Final Shroud, which was released globally on the 29th of April. The events follow on directly from The Hidden Keystone and resolve the respective quests in each timeline: the search for the mystical Keystone in 1099 and laying it safely to rest in 1307.
Here’s the blurb from The Final Shroud:
The Holy Land, 1099: Jerusalem has fallen. As the Christian factions vie for power, Godefroi de Bouillon and his companions unearth markers to the Keystone, a mystical artefact with the power to shape history. Yet progress has its price: Godefroi’s bodyguard lies gravely wounded; the Arabic cabal guiding Hugues is broken; and the forces of Severity are gathering to claim the Keystone.
France, 1307: Bertrand de Châtillon-sur-Seine was a knight for a single day before fleeing with the mysterious Salome. After a pitched battle that claims most of his brethren, Bertrand agrees to become Salome’s new Shroud, binding his fate to hers. A refuge lies across the English Channel, but will they reach it in time? And when will Salome finally reveal her secrets?The Keystone awaits, but is it meant for mortal hands?
What is something you have learned on your author journey so far?
When writing historical fantasy or alternate history, conducting research is a crucial part of creating a sense of the time and place your story is meant to invoke. This is especially true if your story involves supernatural or fantastic elements, as keeping the story grounded in historical fact can maintain the reader’s suspension of disbelief.
On the other hand, it’s very easy to include too much historical detail. You’ve done the research, so you want to include all that minutiae that demonstrates to the reader you know your stuff. I get it. But too much detail can really clog the narrative.
I think of historical detail as an iceberg. You want 10% of the historical facts above the waterline (i.e. visible in your story) but the 10% you choose to include should imply the 90% that doesn’t appear in the novel.
What’s the best piece of advice you have received related to writing?
In 2005 I was fortunate to be selected to attend a six-week residential writing workshop known as Clarion South, which focused on writing Fantasy, SF and Horror. (Clarion South is the Aussie version of the US workshops.)
During the course, I recall one of the tutors – Sean Williams – saying that “…pursuing a career in writing requires psychotic persistence.”
Almost twenty years later, I can’t say I disagree.
Where can readers find you on the Internet?
I’m not prolific when it comes to social media, but you can find me in the following places:
BlueSky, my website, Goodreads
The Hidden Keystone
Historical Fantasy, 2023
July 1099: sweltering in the merciless heat, Godefroi de Bouillon’s desperate army finally breach the walls of Jerusalem. Concealed within their ranks are members of a secret fraternity. The Salt Lines seek a mystical artefact called the Keystone, and they’re willing to sacrifice everything Godefroi values to possess it: the lives of his closest confidants, the only woman he has ever loved, even his very soul.
October 1307: when Bertrand joined the Brotherhood of the Temple of Solomon, no one anticipated the brutal suppression of the Order that followed. Forced to flee for his life, Bertrand unwittingly becomes the only person who can lay the Keystone to rest. But can he resist its temptations whilst evading the forces of the French throne?
With the veil of secrecy in tatters, truth has become the most dangerous possession of all.
Content notes:
Given the medieval setting, there are violent battle scenes, particularly the sack of Jerusalem. Reading the historical accounts alone was quite harrowing!
People with strong Christian beliefs may also find some of the secret, alternate history elements challenging.
In book 2, there is a sex scene that is pivotal to the plot, and one instance of suicide.
Book Excerpt from
The Hideen Keystone
Context: In this excerpt, we meet Bertrand who is observing his solitary, all-night vigil before being sworn in as a knight of the Templar Order. Kneeling and facing the altar of the small, dark chapel, he has been instructed to utter no word other than in prayer. His thoughts are meant to focus on his service to God, but memories of his lover Justine haunt him. And he is certainly not to be disturbed until dawn…
Bertrand directed a silent appeal for strength at the three windows. If only his spirit could be gathered up into the dark, inert glass. When the sun rose, he would be wrapped in light, protected forever from temptation.
A candle on the altar suddenly flared. Strange, silver sparks crackled and snapped through the flame. The hiss and splutter were loud in the stillness of the chapel. A second taper flickered into silver, followed by the remaining candles.
Bertrand sat back on his heels in astonishment. Silver lines and whorls had appeared in the dark glass behind the altar. The vines, normally so wan in candlelight, sparkled a vivid green. Each flower had become a burst of yellow petals.
The silver threads combined to form a tree whose slender trunk rose from the base of the central window and brushed the uppermost arch. Five circles glistened in the central bole, spread evenly from apex to base. Two boughs split off from the main trunk, each stretching up the panes on either side to support three more of the strange circles.
Bertrand recalled Brother Laurent’s words as the old Chaplain left him to his solitary vigil. To see clearly, you must first gaze within.
Had Laurent known this vision would appear? If so, what did it mean?
The silver sparks in the candles began to fail. Already the unearthly tree was fading. Bertrand noticed the second circle in the central pane had remained darker than the rest. By day this part of the window was a brown stain that resisted all attempts at cleaning. Now a ruby glow infused that blemish, revealing a rose with five petals.
The candles gave a final sputter, and the tree sank back into the depths of the glass. Forgetting his vow, he murmured, “A tree with the heart of a rose.”
“Extraordinary, isn’t it?” The words were gruff, and pitched low, as if the speaker was trying to mask their true voice.
Bertrand twisted towards the sound. After remaining still for so long, his back cracked at the sudden movement. A figure leaned against the south wall, just beyond the circle of candlelight. Dressed in an ordinary black habit, the speaker was slight and had drawn the cowl low to hide his face. Bertrand gaped, shocked at the blasphemy of this intrusion.
“You show restraint. That’s good.”
The priest skirted the candlelight. “Judging from your expression, you have many questions. An inquiring mind can be a dangerous trait.”
The only warning he had was the soft scuff of leather on the tiles behind him. Bertrand rose into a crouch as strong hands seized him. He flung an elbow at the second intruder, but it failed to connect. Tiles slammed into Bertrand’s face. Before he could recover, his arms were pulled back and efficiently bound together.
“Forgive these precautions,” the first man said, “but it’s important that I have your attention.” Footsteps drew closer. With his face squashed against the tiles, Bertrand could see nothing.
“You’re weary and no doubt berating yourself at having broken your silence. So, I’ll be brief. Despite your past disgrace, I’ve come to offer you a choice. Say nothing of this visit and you’ll be welcomed into the Order as Chevalier Bertrand.”
Shame prickled across Bertrand’s scalp. Did this stranger know about Justine?
“Or you could aspire to something far greater. You could bear witness to a deeper truth, known only to members of the Salt Lines.”
Bertrand stilled.
The Salt Lines.
He had caught whispers about the secret Fraternity. Sometimes a snatch of conversation from the top of the stairs in his father’s chateau, other times late at night, when troubling dreams had woken him and he went unnoticed by powerful relatives who had drunk too much wine.
The Salt Lines were part of his ancestry and never to be spoken of. Questioning his father had taught him that much. But he had gleaned enough to know they involved the deeds of his ancestors in Outremer, the fabled Holy Land. No doubt Armand had been initiated into their mysteries, but his brother had also refused to speak of them.
“We require a commitment,” the priest said. “A statement of good faith.”
An object slid across the floor and stopped in front of Bertrand’s face. It was a simple wooden cross, unadorned, like those pilgrims or penitents might carry.
“If the cross remains whole and undamaged by dawn, we’ll know you’ve chosen not to join us. There will not be a second invitation.”
How could they ask him to defile the cross? Bertrand ached to denounce this sacrilege but that would mean breaking his vow of silence again.
Slow footsteps paced across the tiles. Bertrand caught the sound of the latch of the door in the south wall. “A good Christian would think ill of me for what I’ve asked of you. Believe me when I tell you the Salt Lines are the foremost servants of God. Remember, a tree that bends in strong winds won’t snap.”
The door creaked and a gust of wind swirled through the chapel. “We’ll leave you now, as we found you. If you try to follow us, your vigil will have been abandoned and you’ll never wear the white of a chevalier. Do keep that in mind.”
The hands pinning Bertrand untied his bonds. Heavier footsteps hurried across the tiles. Bertrand rose to his knees and caught sight of a large shadow passing through the doorway.
He glanced around the chapel, but all remained still.
Interested?
Purchase the book here. Find The Hidden Keystone on Goodreads and IndieStoryGeek. Watch the trailer.
Thanks for taking the time to join us for this interview!
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