My Sunday Sample is from Heritage Avenged, the second of five Enchanted
Bookstore Legends, an
epic fantasy romance. I hope you enjoy this taste of the adventurous tale
of magic, danger, dragons, wizards, and romance. Find descriptions and
purchase links for all five books below.
Lost Volumes:
Enchanted Bookstore Legend Three
Staurolite: Enchanted Bookstore Legend Four
Quintessence: Enchanted Bookstore Legend Five
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.
*~*~*
Information about the Enchanted Bookstore Legends:
Seeking a
Scribe: Enchanted Bookstore Legend One
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.
Purchase Links for books in the series:
Quintessence: Enchanted Bookstore Legend Five
Seeking a
Scribe: Enchanted Bookstore Legend One
Lyra McCauley is a writer and loves fantasy novels,
but until she opens a selection from bookstore owner Cullen Drake, she has no
idea he’s a wizard character who lives a double life inside that volume…or the
story’s magic will compel her from the edge of depression to adventure, danger,
and love.
His gift to Lyra, the Book of Dragonspeir, was actually her copy, misplaced years ago.
Lost in her pain following divorce and death, she fails to recognize him as her
childhood playmate from the fantasyland. Friendship builds anew. Attraction
sparks. But Lyra doubts whether a wizard is capable of love. She’s torn—should
she protect her fragile heart or risk new love?
Opening the book’s cover, she confronts a quest:
save Dragonspeir from destruction by the Black Dragon before he utilizes power
of August’s red moon to expand his strength and overthrow the opposing Imperial
Dragon. Lyra accepts the challenge, fearing Cullen will perish if evil wins.
Along with magical animal guides, Cullen helps her through many perils, but
ultimately Lyra must use her own power…and time is running out.
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?
Lost Volumes:
Enchanted Bookstore Legend Three
When Lyra McCauley learns residents of Dragonspeir’s
Alliance are suffering with a deadly plague, she doesn’t heed the warnings of
her fiancé, wizard Cullen Drake, to remain safe in her human world. After all,
she’s the present Scribe—one of five strong women in her ancestry who possessed
unique magic, each destined to protect the Alliance against the evil Black
Dragon of the Dark Realm. With Cullen dependent upon Alliance power to maintain
his immortality, the stakes are doubled for Lyra.
She leaves her college teaching and puts herself at risk for
the community afflicted by black magic. To find a cure, she and Cullen travel
into the vile, lawless underworld of Terza to strike a bargain with an expert.
Their efforts further enrage the Black Dragon, vowing to decimate the Alliance
and avenge the murder of his heir.
Lyra must secure the three lost volumes of the Book of Dragonspeir. Written by the
three earliest Scribes, each book contains energy. Possession of the entire set
will enable overthrow of the Dark Realm. Following clues into dangerous lands,
Lyra and Cullen seek those volumes. His assistants, Kenzo the tiger owl and
Noba the pseudodragon, prove invaluable aids. Only if they succeed, will the
Alliance be safe and Lyra reach closer to the immortality she needs to live a
life with Cullen.
Staurolite: Enchanted Bookstore Legend Four
Lyra McCauley, current Scribe of the Alliance, is the only
one who can decode magic hidden in the recently retrieved ancient texts written
by her ancestors, the first four Scribes. Information in those writings can help
Lyra locate the four missing keystones, which will restore power to the
Alliance and allow overthrow of the Dark Realm. With peace restored, she and her
beloved, Cullen, could finally marry.
Time is short with the Black Dragon’s Dark Realm increasing
attacks to avenge the death of his heir. Many innocent lives are lost. Alliance
residents are forced into hiding. Magicals and blue dragons follow leadership
of the Imperial Dragon and the other three Guardians into battle to defend the
Alliance.
While Lyra unlocks the ancient magic, she opens herself up
to scribal powers from her ancestors. She alone can fight the deadliest of the
Dark Realm’s forces—the cimafa stealth dragons—but at a cost. The energy flux
threatens her health and ability to learn where to find the missing keystones.
Can Lyra overcome this shrewd tactic of the Black Dragon to decimate the
Alliance?
Quintessence: Enchanted Bookstore Legend Five
~the final volume~
Barbaric Dark
Realm warfare threatens to overtake all Dragonspeir lands, including the
Alliance. Lyra McCauley, the fifth Scribe of the Alliance, finds herself in a desperate
competition to gather four missing keystones. Those amulets of the four natural
elements guarantee victory for the side possessing them. The Dark Realm’s
alchemist, Eburscon, beats her to finding the water gem, the Pearl of Pendola.
Three more keystones remain: the fluorite containing earth energy, the
moonstone of the sky, and the fiery, dangerous Emtori Ruby.
The powerful
gems, stolen centuries ago, channel astral energies and can restore much-needed
Alliance power—the last hope. The wizard, Cullen, who is Lyra’s beloved, relies
on Alliance magic for his immortality and will perish if the land falls to the
Dark Realm.
Lyra uses her rare
magical energies of quintessence and the Staurolite, governor of the four
natural elements, to guide her to the hidden keystones. However,
greed and power drive opponents, who challenge her in close pursuit, planning
to destroy the Alliance, or to claim the power of quintessence for themselves.
The Dark Realm
captures the ten-year-old Alliance seer, Kessa. Her abilities can give them
information about the locations of the keystones, complicating Lyra’s plans. Will
her love, allegiance, and quintessence allow her to save Cullen, Kessa, and the
Alliance before the Dark Realm claims all of Dragonspeir?
*~*~*
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