My Sweet Saturday Sample is a morsel from my latest release, an epic fantasy romance, Heritage Avenged: Enchanted Bookstore Legend Two. This is the second of a 5-part series.
In this scene, Lyra and Kenzo, her magical owl friend, must travel into the cold, granite territory of Versula to meet the evil alchemist in his retreat away from the Dark Realm. She badly needs a favor from him in order to help Cullen, her wizard lover, who has been seriously injured. Along the journey, Lyra gains a ride across the unusual, rugged terrain with some dragon friends, Gea and Yasqu. Even with these dragon escorts, the pair are not exactly welcome guests to the retreat.
Once
all were arranged, the two dragons took flight again, this time remaining low
by following a maze of canyons. With her agile maneuvers into hidden passes, it
was apparent Gea knew her way through Versula. The gold dragon’s wings rippled
as if she swam rather than flew. The smooth ride allowed Lyra to relax and take
in the stark beauty they passed. In many ranges, the dragons sailed around huge
mushroom-shaped granite tor.
They
traveled a long time, maybe close to an hour. She and Kenzo alone would have
spent weeks, even if they knew this route.
A hazy
light of dawn allowed her to see more details. Farther north, the stone became
mottled with dark gray circular patches against a tan background. Statues
rested amongst the tor—goddesses in flowing gowns posed with an array of
unfamiliar animals. Wings, horns, and fins attached to odd-shaped bodies in
unusual positions. What looked like a giant platypus wore short curling horns
on either side of its duck bill as well as wings set on its shoulder blades. A
child-like goddess stood frozen with her hand stroking the fur on its back, her
head thrown back with a wide smile covering her face. Lyra wondered if Tarom ever
willed his statues to life since they wore such animated expressions. That would
certainly be a playground for the bizarre.
The
odd spectacles held Lyra’s attention and also made her curious about the nature
of the man she intended to convince to train her. The stone figures certainly
served as road signs, indicating they approached his retreat. But with cimafa
as guards, he didn’t have any real need to hide.
Gea
made another turn, and at the end of that chasm stood Tarom’s retreat. An
imposing Gothic castle façade sat against a promontory, hundreds of feet above
the level they flew. Designed from the local gray granite, it stood apart from
the surrounding gloom with its ornate form. Pointed arches made the building
seem even taller and more foreboding. Slender towers surmounted lower ones,
achieving dizzying heights. A skeleton of flying buttresses flanked the walls.
Wide arched windows were festooned with networks of tracery, while leaded glass
rose panes decorated the gables. As they drew closer, Lyra saw intimidating
gargoyles adorned the junctions of roof planes, serving as waterspouts.
The
sound of laughter, like from a group of happy children, echoed off the walls of
the ravine. Lyra snapped her head back and forth, looking for the sources, but
only saw immobile granite figures. After hearing more laughter from a deeper,
male voice, she fixed her eyes on the walls. At this close distance, many more
statues populated the outer grounds of the castle, some made distinct on
pedestals, while others stood hidden in inventive ways among outcroppings.
Finally,
she discovered a source of noise. One goddess let out a peel of warbling
giggles as she elbowed the shoulder of a half goat, half man beast. Her
neighbor raised a hoof to point at Lyra and guffawed as though seeing some
hilarious spectacle—not a warm welcome at all.
Gea
slowed for the first time since taking flight.
A
single cimafa patrolled the sky around the promontory.
The
hairs on Lyra’s arms stood on end. No rider or ice drakes accompanied it, but
that one could be more than enough trouble. She watched its slender black
barbed tail slither up and down. Sleek and armored with spines, it didn’t have
Gea’s thick musculature…didn’t need to when its defense was sucking souls away
from ill-fated attackers.
Heritage Avenged: Enchanted Bookstore Legend Two
Lyra McCauley receives an alarming letter from the coroner
who evaluated her deceased aunt, originally thought to have died of cancer. The
news causes Lyra to take leave from her job and travel from sunny Tampa to the
frozen island community in northern Michigan. Questioning whether Dragonspeir
magic was responsible for her aunt’s death, she resolves to learn the truth and
accepts the Imperial Dragon’s appointment into the Alliance sorcery training.
Additionally, becoming proficient in magic craft is the only
way she can bridge the gap between her mortal human world and her lover’s.
Cullen, a 220-year-old wizard, is dependent upon his Dragonspeir magic for
immortality. He is her only family now; she cannot lose him.
Evil forces block her and try to steal her inherited scribal
aura. Riding a stealth dragon, a cloaked rider pursues Lyra. Both the Alliance
and Dark Realm alchemists lay tricks and traps. Her aura equals that of the
first and most powerful Scribe, but will Lyra’s novice training allow her to discover
the truth…and find a life with Cullen? Or will the
Dark Realm keep them apart?
About the series~
About the series~
The Enchanted Bookstore Legends
are about Lyra McCauley, a woman destined to become one of five strong women in
her family who possess unique magical abilities and serve as Scribes in
Dragonspeir. The Scribes span a long history, dating from 1200 to present day.
Each Scribe is expected to journey through Dragonspeir, both the good and evil
factions, then draft a written account. Each book contains magic with vast
implications.
Lyra was first introduced to
Dragonspeir as a young girl, when she met the high sorcerer, Cullen Drake,
through a gift of one of those enchanted books. Using its magic, he escorted
her into the parallel world of Dragonspeir. Years later, she lost that volume
and forgot the world and Cullen. These legends begin where he finds her again—she
is thirty-five, standing in his enchanted bookstore, and Dragonspeir needs her.
When Lyra reopens that enchanted
book, she confronts a series of quests where she is expected to save the good
Alliance from destruction by the evil Black Dragon. While learning
about her role, Lyra and Cullen fall in love. He is 220 years old and kept
alive by Dragonspeir magic. Cullen will die if Dragonspeir is taken over by the
evil faction…Lyra becomes the Scribe.
I'm
looking forward to seeing what sweets some of my fellow authors on this hop
will serve. Be sure to check them out on the main blog page for Sweet Saturday
Samples.
Marsha A. Moore is a writer of fantasy romance. The magic of art and nature spark life into her writing. Read her ENCHANTED BOOKSTORE
LEGENDS for adventurous epic fantasy romance: Book One, SEEKING A SCRIBE, and Book Two, HERITAGE AVENGED.
She has also authored the Ciel's Legacy series, with fast action mermaid/pirate storylines: TEARS ON A TRANQUIL LAKE and TORTUGA TREASURE. For a FREE ebook download, read her historic fantasy, LE CIRQUE DE MAGIE, available at Amazon and Smashwords.
5 comments:
This drew me right in with the vivid description
Beautiful description of the world you've created. That cimafa sounds like a nasty creature.
Aaaaand another series goes on the TBR pile. #SweetSat writers are dangerous to my budget and schedule!
Gunnar
Sandy, Gunnar, and Lindsay, thanks for your comments. This is one of my favorite settings in the novel--definitely a creepy and unique place!
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