Relatable characters, comprehensive world building, and of course, dragons make this a fast-paced, fun read.
Excerpt:
Drakon halted his horse at the end of the pass and stared at the
collection of houses and the fields beyond.
Last night he and his companion had
ridden well past moonrise so they could reach the village this morning.
Fall
had arrived. Reds, yellows and oranges blazed across the hills.
Why had this village remained untouched? Ten years ago, the lord of Sea
Cliff had attacked High Peaks
and ravaged the villages closest to the tower. Of the three settlements sworn
to High
Peaks
only this
one remained. The answer had to be treachery. Drakon wondered if he would learn the names of
the traitors.
*You will not,* the Old One said. *They are dead.*
Drakon tightened his hold on the reins. Every time the ancient yellow
dragon spoke to him, he felt warmth
and delight. Years ago, his inability to
speak to the dragons had doomed him to ten years as a slave.* I wish
they were
alive so I could see to their punishment. Their treason made me Lagon’s
prisoner and a thing
to be sold to the priestesses.*
*Better a slave than living under the evil one’s control the way the
heirs of the other towers do.*
A year had passed since Drakon’s escape from the temple of Fyre.
Though he had sworn to see the man
died, the lord of Sea Cliff
Tower
remained alive. A need for vengeance invaded Drakon’s thoughts. His family,
his
near kin and innocent villagers had been slaughtered on that dreadful day.
*Patience,* the Old One said.
“Behold the lush growth of the fields.” His companion drew his steed to
Drakon’s side. “Look at the height
and fullness of the fyrethorns. The harvest
will be abundant.” He raked his fingers through his gray-tinged
brown hair.
Drakon shook his head. “I see but do we need all this for one dragon?”
Radlan shrugged. “Who are we to cry about good fortune? There are few
dragons in the land. From what I
have heard there are five pair at Sea Cliff
and none at the other three towers.”
Drakon’s jaw clenched. His desire for revenge flared anew. If only there
was a way to defeat Lagon and
free the High Peaks
dragons.
*Have faith. There will be more dragons at our tower.*
Some of Drakon’s tension ebbed. *First patience and now faith. I’ll try. Before
I gain those virtues,
there’s a harvest to be completed.* He prodded the steed
with his heels and the horse trotted down the
trail into the village.
My Places
Buy Mark
http://bookswelove.net/walters-janet-lane/
5 comments:
A nice calm snippet - but hinting at problems - more dragons.
I love the cover! That red hair really jumps out at you.
I almost couldn't figure out how to leave a comment, but I finally saw the option! Great set up here--sounds like some amazing world-building!
Great cover and interesting excerpt!!
Greet cover! The blurb and excerpt in intriguing. Good luck. Thanks for sharing!
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