BLURB:
Lorana, sold by her father to the slavers, resides in the harem in the citadel of the wizards. Her desire is to escape before she is given as a reward to one of the two wizard trainees who are competing for a spot on the council. She knows how to brew a cordial from firethorn berries and a poison from the thorns. When Arton, one of the young men is poisoned by the thorns she must care for him. She feels an attraction to him but she must escape. One night she hears the voice of a dragon. She thought the wizards had destroyed all the dragons on this side of the mountains. When the wizards leave to collect men to sell to the slavers, she takes the opportunity to escape with few supplies and a determination to reach the dragon. Arton is a fledgling wizard and is about to be tested for the council. His mentor has died. His mentor wasn’t his father. The wizard purchased Arton from the slavers years ago. The present chief wizard would like to thwart Arton’s quest because he wants his son and trainee to join the council. Arton and his rival are evenly matched. The escape of Lorana becomes a quest. Which of the young wizards returns her to the citadel will win the competition and gain her as a reward. Cregan the rival decides to search on the desert. Arton chooses the hills. Because of Lorana’s care of him when he was poisoned he is attracted to her and he still craves a seat on the council. Can Arton find Lorana first and will he make her a prisoner or allow her to remain free?
EXCERPT:
Retreat to the beginning. He wasn’t sure where that was. Slowly emerging memories burst the cocoons tightly coiled in his head. Cregan had pushed him into the fyrethorn tangle. Thick spikes had pierced his skin. Pain had been constant and excruciating. His body had heated like being immersed in the sun. Bitter drinks swallowed brought heated perspiration and gentle touches.
He tried to sit. The lies and the truth meshed. He opened his eyes. Her sky blue eyes reflected her smile.
Who was this comely woman? Her hair was as dark as midnight. She wore a drab gray dress that hid her body from his sight. Memories of her gentle touches swamped him.
“Who are you?” His voice rasped as though unused.
“Lorana. Do you feel well enough to sit up? You’ve been four days recovering from a massive dose of fyrethorn poison.”
Her response gave the answer to one of his questions. His gaze focused on her mouth. Her lips were pink and the upper formed a perfect bow. Had she kissed him? His hand touched his forehead and he felt a small trace of heat. There? Yes. His fingers brushed his lips. They remained cool.
“Can you sit up?” she asked again.
“I can try.” With his elbows he managed. Dizziness made him waver. He gulped deep breaths.
She slid his legs to the edge of the mattress. He swayed but managed to remain upright. Lorana dropped a robe over his head. He slid his arms through the openings. The soft black cloth settled around his body hiding his reaction to her presence. He inhaled the sweet scent of lace flowers rising from her skin. Beneath the aroma he smelled not just any woman but Lorana.
Regaining his strength became important. There were other challenges he must win. More than anything he wanted to win the council seat and the reward,
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3 comments:
Wonderful excerpt. I settled right into the scene.
Loved your excerpt. Thanks for sharing! Good luck!
The hard work that went into this series of stories is evident. I've featured the complete collection in this month's Roost Recommendations post. https://ornerybookemporium.blogspot.com/2021/09/roost-recommendations-september-2021.html
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