Happy Easter, Weekend Writing Warriors blog hoppers! I’m not religious, but I do like the Easter season because it has the best candy. I’m partial to Reese’s peanut butter cups – the mini ones, not the eggs which don’t get the chocolate:peanut butter ratio right.
This week’s excerpt is from the newest book in my Heartsbane Saga of fairy tales retold in a world of Vikings. Book 3: Little Amethyst Abaya is a retelling of Little Red Riding Hood, and I should probably just shut up about when it’ll be out because, although I have the best of intentions, my work schedule seems to be kicking my butt and leaving me very little time for writing and editing.
This snippet is from the opening prologue. Mihrimah is the daughter of the general in charge of a remote citadel. Her father and all the men garrisoned at the citadel were called back to the capital. She was supposed to stay put but snuck out to say goodbye to her beloved. Last week ended with her throwing a rock at Tefvik to get his attention.
* * * * * * *
Tefvik’s head jerked up and he looked around wildly before spotting her. He dropped down on one knee as if adjusting his boot lacings. No one around him seemed to notice. Once the men rounded a bend, Mihrimah ran up to him. He swung her into a hug as their lips met.
Too soon, he pulled away. “What are you doing here?” he hissed in a low whisper.
“I couldn’t let you leave without saying goodbye.”
“It’s not safe for you out here, all alone!”
“You know I’m a better fighter than half these men.”
* * * * * * *
And the rest of that scene:
Tevfik’s brow furrowed. “But even you can’t take on these wolfmen.”
“It’s just the caliph politicking again, and dragging us into it this time.”
“No, it’s more than that. It seems there’s some actual truth to these tales.” He shook his head. “You need to return to the citadel as quickly as you can. And I need to rejoin the column before your father—”
“What in the name of the Messenger are you doing?” Mihrimah’s father bellowed as he came towards them.
She stared at him calmly, as if finding his daughter with one of his soldiers was of no need for concern. “I didn’t have a chance to say goodbye.”
* * * * * * *
About Little Amethyst Abaya:
Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.
With Heartsbane nearly decoded, Nyah finally knows the curse Prince Brandulfur suffers from and how to cure it. But when she and her friends travel to get the needed serum, a powerful caliph takes them prisoner and offers an ultimatum: a suicide mission to rescue a general’s daughter and enough serum to cure Brand’s whole court, or indefinite imprisonment in his castle.
To add to the peril, she soon uncovers a plot by Brand’s archenemy that will pull the known world into a battle between religions and cultures, with Brand at the heart of it. It seems so fantastical, no one will believe her.
But that’s never stopped Nyah before. With no one to trust, she’ll have to cast her lot in with the worst of the worst, and maybe, just maybe, at least some of her friends will make it out alive.
Little Amethyst Abaya is the third book in a series of fairy tales retold in a world of Vikings.
Other books in the Heartsbane Saga:
Book .5: “The Maiden in the Tower” – Carys has resigned herself to a life of servitude, locked away in a tower, until a chance encounter with a stranger leaves her daring to hope for more.
Book 1: Captive and the Cursed – When Nyah’s sister is kidnapped by barbarians, Nyah offers herself in her place. But she soon learns the barbarians aren’t what she expected, especially their cursed leader.
Book 1.5: “The Brave Little Thrall” – Fahim Al Rasheed has spent his life studying foreign cultures, but he never thought he’d actually have the chance to experience them. When his journey of a lifetime leaves him and a young barbarian king marooned in a hostile country, he’ll have to rely on more than book learning to make it back home alive.
Book 2: Sleeping Shaman – Nyah and her friends travel halfway across the world seeking a cure for a barbarian curse, only to discover that the man they’re seeking has gone missing. Nyah must navigate dangerous rivalries and conflicting cultures before time runs out.
Book 2.5: “Ezichi the Beautiful” – Only Banu Sasan, the fabled witch of the desert, can help a young bride complete a task. But what will she require from Ezichi in return?
Uh-oh. Father doesn’t seem too happy. I have a feeling she’ll somehow find a way to join in the fight against the wolfmen.
P.S. I so agree about Easter being awesome for candy, but I’m partial to Cadbury mini eggs and the pastel-coloured peanut m&ms. I agree that the Reese’s eggs don’t get the chocolate/peanut butter ratio right!
She just seems so foolishly overconfident to me that I really worry for her LOL! Great job of getting me to really buy into the character…Enjoyed the snippet…
She is one determined young lady. I hope her daddy doesn’t lock her up in the citadel. I agree about Easter candy and Reese’s. Peanut butter and chocolate. What could be better than that???
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So now he has to decide which is worse, sending her home alone or taking her along. Either way, I’m sure she’ll manage to get into trouble.
Remember the coconut nests with little jelly beans for eggs? They don’t seem to make them anymore. Sigh.
Busted! I wonder if she’ll be able to stand up to her father’s displeasure. She seems like a very cool customer. Looking forward to next weeks snippet!
She’s very calm and collected . . . but I wonder if she realizes she may have put him in danger. Her father probably wouldn’t do anything to her –but him? She may’ve put a target on his back.
She kept her cool, but surely she’s worried about her father’s reaction.
She sure is calm with her father bellowing as he approaches. I’m curious to know what happens next.
She’s very calm while being caught in a situation that seems like it will be a huge problem.
I LOVE good milk chocolate with cocoa butter in it, not any shortening. Weirdly enough, I also LOVE fake white chocolate–the kind with shortening in it, not cocoa butter. lol. And spice jelly beans and Jelly Bellies. Marshmallow peeps after they’ve been open for a couple of days. Pastel Cadbury eggs.
~sigh The list could go on and on… :-)