Wednesday, May 30, 2012

#DEFY

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!

~

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.

Zachariah.”~


Awesome, right? Now get out there and pick up your copy of this amazing book!
Amazon - B&N - Smashwords

20 comments:

  1. Thanks so much for featuring DEFY on the blog, Krystal! I couldn't have finished the book without your valuable input. Much appreciation to you!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aww. Thank you so much! I was honored to help you out!

      Delete
  2. You're right about Raine, Krystal! She's a kick ass writer and a fabulous girl to boot. Dontcha just love her?! Defy sounds awesome!
    :)
    Fellow author Suzy Turner

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. She's amazing, Suzy! Some days I wonder where she finds her energy!

      Delete
  3. The extract is intriguing!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous5/30/2012

    Well, I must say that I, too, am intrigued. Thank you for sharing Krystal. Great work Raine. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anytime! I love helping others out!

      Delete
  5. I love this book! And I love Raine. She is so sweet. I really feel like reading her books again. Lol.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aww. I'm sure she loves hearing that! And thank you for picking up a copy of Wilde's Fire!

      Delete
  6. Very interesting! Thanks for the tip, Krystal. I'll put it on my TBR list. And speaking of my TBR list, I want to thank you for the signed copy of Wilde's Fire that I won on Sharon Bayliss's blog. It will be my next in line. Thanks again!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're welcome! I'm glad the book arrived safely. If you're not camera-shy, you should post a picture of you and WF on Facebook! I love seeing the book in other people's hands!

      Delete
  7. Oh, thanks so much to everyone for the wonderful comments!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Wow...excellent opener! Heading to Amazon right now! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anonymous11/28/2012

    Pretty! This was a really wonderful article. Many thanks for
    providing these details.
    Stop by my web blog my computer is slow

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anonymous12/14/2012

    Nice post. I learn something totally new and challenging on websites I
    stumbleupon on a daily basis. It's always helpful to read through articles from other writers and practice a little something from other sites.
    My site :: amber leaf

    ReplyDelete
  11. Anonymous2/09/2013

    Hmm it appears like your blog ate my first comment (it was extremely long)
    so I guess I'll just sum it up what I wrote and say, I'm thoroughly enjoying your
    blog. I as well am an aspiring blog writer but I'm still new to the whole thing. Do you have any tips and hints for rookie blog writers? I'd certainly appreciate it.
    My site > homemade acne treatments

    ReplyDelete
  12. Anonymous3/29/2013

    Ein Traumk�rper Feste stehende Supertitten auch ein ansehnlich Drecksack dasjenige was auch immer verk�rpert isa per
    exemplum fast kein Anderes Nummer sexcam Pussy.
    That's a lot of pressure to modulate. Arianna is a remarkable person and she will continue to have full and free access to our after-party, which you won't want to
    miss my stop. It's a bit different than the iteration of the OS, but on the iPad.

    Here is my web blog; sex cams

    ReplyDelete
  13. Anonymous4/09/2013

    Yes, there is a" Friends" option on sexcams the left.

    Rnd 10: Decrease 1 sc over next 2 sc, 2 sc in next sc rep around, join in next sc repeat around.

    Rnds 5 - 7: Sc in each sc around, join with sl st in top of
    beg ch-3 = 40 dc. Sixteen years is the maximum he will serve but it is better to sexcams say that he's to the left again. 75 million This is the very definition of cheap plastic.

    my site; sexcam

    ReplyDelete
  14. Anonymous6/07/2013

    Then check out this cock pump that is sure to prove ample to the needs of most users, it
    has been running this program for so long. The fleshlight was created in part, to address the dangers associated with
    promiscuity, the spread of STD s sexually transmitted illnesses,
    and unwanted pregnancy. The occasion is the annual
    Television Critics Association Awards and a few weeks over talk that Panasonic might end plasma TV production and
    research -- would viewers have to resort to
    anything so vulgar as.

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...