Blurb:
Born under a dark moon, Norna has to battle rumors that she is tainted by evil and unworthy of being anything more than a servant. Discarded by her mother, she runs away from her aunt, a priestess who wants her to enter the temple.
Instead, Norna chooses to be a Healwoman, and a chance encounter with a novice hoping to be a priest helps her discover she has talents of water, air and fire at her disposal. With these gifts she is called on to battle treachery and attempts to prevent the promised prophecy of the god and goddess. As she battles evil powers, she loses her heart to Shandor, the man she met when her journey first began. She must come to grips with Britha who plots against her. Shandor has his own enemy Vorgan. When the pair of foes unite, the battles begin.
Excerpt:
Britha paced across
the courtyard of the posada. Two days
wasted. Two days of boredom. Two days of assisting Mabe while she treated
the commoners. At least the Militos had
left and taken their laughter and joking about her prudishness. They had no idea who she was or how
experienced she was in love play. She
hadn’t been about to waste her talents on common soldiers.
As she peered down
the road, she saw a man wearing a gray cloak that changed colors. He didn’t walk, he swaggered. When he drew closer, she smiled. This man was no commoner and he wasn’t much
older than she was. His ice blond hair
hung to his shoulders and his skin was a deep rich brown, almost the color of
chocha. She leaned against the wall.
When he entered the
courtyard, his eyes appraised her. She
met his gaze and read interest in his dark eyes. He entered the posada. She followed and stood near the entrance to
the common room. He removed his
cloak. Her gaze lingered on his broad
shoulders and muscular chest.
“Publican, a room
for the night.”
The burly man
bowed. “Your name and reason for
traveling?”
“Vorgan, aspirant to
the priesthood on a quest for the Gate of the Shadows.” He flipped the man a gold coin. “This should cover my stay and the things I’ll
need when I leave.”
“I’ll have a room
prepared and make sure the bathing room is available.” The publican bustled away.
Britha stepped
closer to Vorgan. “Don’t you take a risk
by traveling alone?”
He turned. “I’ve no fear. Soon I will be Thiasi mid Vor. Healwoman, what is your name?”
The timbre of his
deep voice sent shivers along hr spine.
“Britha, cousin to Bodlesa, Keltoi of Keltoi.”
His eyes narrowed
with interest. “Have dinner with me.”
“I would enjoy
that.”
“Give me an hour to
get settled.” He raised her hand to his
lips and ran his tongue over the knuckles.
“I’ll be ready...and
waiting.” Britha hurried to her room on
the woman’s side and opened her pack.
She pulled several vials of skin oil she’d blended. After sniffing each, she chose one with an
earthy spiciness. This Vorgan was
delicious. Recalling how her fingers had
itched to stroke his skin brought heat to her lower abdomen. The speculation she’d seen in his eyes when
she had mentioned her cousin made Britha believe she might have found an ally
for her own plans.
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What a fantastic description of the aspirant priest. You capture his arrogance as well as his insight.
ReplyDeleteUh oh - this man turns out to be a villain? He's very tempting...
ReplyDeleteYour snippets are always so wonderful, I can slip right into the scene.
ReplyDeleteLoved the snippet. I was pulled right into the scene and your descriptions made the scene come alive.
ReplyDelete