For those of you who've read my blog for a while, you know I'm a fan of Raine Thomas. She's friendly, supportive, fun, and a great writer--she also thanked me in the credits of her novel, so let's show her a warm welcome!
To celebrate her recent release of Defy, we're posting a nice teaser for everyone here to read!
Enjoy!
~
“Zachariah.”~
Awesome, right? Now get out there and pick up your copy of this amazing book!
Amazon - B&N - Smashwords
To celebrate her recent release of Defy, we're posting a nice teaser for everyone here to read!
Enjoy!
~
The pain was unimaginable. She dragged herself along the
ground with her one working arm, at turns scrabbling at tree roots or shrubs
and at others digging her hand as deep into the earth as she could manage
before hauling her broken body as far as possible. In the past hour, she had
moved approximately fifteen feet.
She knew she was going to die. The horrors that had been
visited upon her were so atrocious that she couldn’t even think of them now. It
was as though a black haze coated her memory.
But her attackers had left her in sight of a platform that
could get her to Central. They had no way of knowing it because, being
Mercesti, they were unable to see the heavily enchanted travel system. The
platform glimmered to her like a taunting beacon, however, bouncing lightly on
the waves. If she’d had the required energy left, she would have extended her
wings and flown to it.
Animal-like sounds left her throat as she struggled for the
strength to move. If she could somehow get to the platform, perhaps someone at
Central could help her. And if she was very fortunate, kyria Amber or archigos
Gabriel might even be in attendance. They could heal her.
Once more, she stretched her right arm in front of her. The
ground onto which she was emerging from the forest was sandy and open. If any
of her attackers remained nearby, they would see her. While that thought
terrified her, she couldn’t fight the instinct to survive. She knew she had to
try. So she pressed her hand into the blazing hot sand until she had enough of
a grip to pull herself. Then she strained her already aching bicep and heaved
herself forward as much as she could.
She didn’t even move a foot.
Although she thought her attackers had wrought all of the
tears from her, she realized now that wasn’t the case. They tracked down her
bruised and broken face, joining with her sweat and plopping into the sand
beneath her head. Heat radiated from the unforgiving surface beneath her,
burning her already punished skin.
A sound to her right had her stiffening in fear. She made a
whimpering sound as distinct footfalls grew nearer.
Her enemies must have returned to finish what they started.
The tears continued unchecked as she carefully removed her hand from the sand
in hopes she could do at least a little damage to the next male who hurt her.
She would fight until she couldn’t.
But the being approaching her stopped on her left side. She
tried to move her head toward her left and couldn’t. Another pained sound
escaped her.
The presence knelt. He said, “Ah, Luvania. What have you
gotten yourself into?”
She couldn’t turn her head and her vision was blurred by
tears and exhaustion, but recognition was immediate. Although she hadn’t heard
that voice in over fifty years, she could identify it. He still managed to
sound both impatient with the world and infinitely bored by it. And at the
moment, there was a gentleness beneath his tone she would never have expected.
“I am afraid your injuries are beyond my ability to repair,”
he said. “I have seen others emerge from the water where you appear to be
trying to reach. I can get you to the platform with your assistance.”
She couldn’t find the energy to speak, so made another sound
in her throat and moved her head in a form of a nod.
“This will hurt.”
He lifted her. Pain screamed through her body. She squeezed
her eyes shut against it. When she again opened her eyes, she realized they
were in the water. She must have passed out.
“Thought I might have lost you there,” he said. “Are you
ready for placement on the platform?”
Why would he not get on it with her? The thought floated
through her head and then faded as insignificant. They had only a couple feet
more to go. Extending her right arm toward the platform, she indicated she was
ready. He obligingly moved forward. When her hand came into contact with the
platform, more tears welled in her eyes. He settled her on it and stepped away.
“Good fortune to you, Luvania,” he said.
She once again thought to ask why he wasn’t accompanying
her, but by then she was lifting into the sky.
The trip took an eternity. She lost consciousness more than
once. Each time, she saw her rescuer’s face in her mind, though she hadn’t
actually glimpsed him during their encounter. Thoughts of him from the past as
well as what he had just done for her kept her focused, overriding the
brutality she had endured.
She wanted to thank him. Wanted to praise him for giving her
hope merely moments after she had given up and decided she was going to die.
She wanted to help him as he had helped her. Surely he needed her help if he
was living on the mainland and had removed himself from existence for over five
decades.
Her delirium grew. Thinking became difficult. But at long
last, through vision that was slowly fading to gray, she saw the outline of
Central approaching.
She had made it.
The platform eased its way into Central’s loading bay. The
darkness of the underground cavern had her blinking to try and focus. It did
her no good.
Her brain registered the sounds around her, but couldn’t
interpret them. The pain had leeched from her body. She understood then that it
had all been for nothing. Her efforts. His efforts. For nothing.
“Holy light!” she heard.
There were other sounds. Other exclamations. People touching
her. But she no longer felt anything. She registered only one lingering image.
“Luvania, can you hear me?”
Something flickered in her mind at the echoing voice.
Caoilinn.
“Luvania, can you tell us who did this to you?” the
Lekwuesti commander asked, her words filled with urgency.
She wanted to tell them. They needed to know. Others would
be at risk as she had been. There were dangers beyond any Estilorian’s
knowledge lurking on the mainland.
So she struggled to work her strained vocal chords as
darkness clouded her mind. There was something important she had to tell them.
Wasn’t there?
Then she remembered. The image she had carried with her on
the ride to Central. Someone she needed to help.
And with her last breath, she told them.
Awesome, right? Now get out there and pick up your copy of this amazing book!
Amazon - B&N - Smashwords
