Author: Azaria M.J. Durant
(Darkened Destiny Saga #1)
Publication date: July 29th 2018
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
(Darkened Destiny Saga #1)
Publication date: July 29th 2018
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
An ancient power long kept dormant
stirs in the shadows once more as one boy embarks on a quest to earn his
freedom and the freedom of his world!
Magic has turned to myth, the Vaelhyreans of
old to legend, and the power wielded by the ancients has long been forgotten.
However, with Ealdred, a mere half-breed slave boy, myth becomes real, the
forgotten remembered, and the power of legend is reborn within him.
Ealdred is merged into a world of mystery,
brimming with deceit, where the remaining Vaelhyreans are in a desperate fight
for their very survival. When Ealdred is kidnapped by the power-mongering dark
lord Zeldek himself, he must make a choice; to commit his newfound magic to
Zeldek’s service or die. But when he meets Bellator, clever yet treacherous
servant of Zeldek, an alternative is presented to him: to escape from Zeldek’s
stronghold and embark on a quest to find a cursed arrow and free the
Vaelhyreans from the spell that keeps their powers at bay.
Yet how can he survive in a world where magic
is illegal, half-breeds are hated, and the four countries are on the brink of
war?
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Enjoy this excerpt!
Down on the
grass, fingers in the soft dirt, I am unable to finish my pledge. A shock of
cold rushes through my arms, gathering in my palms, and blue lightning flashes
from the sky. The ground around me
explodes, throwing Ralcher back onto the cobbled path. Rocks and dirt shower down on me, and I fling
my arms over my head to shield myself.
Crack!
The sound is
followed by muffled screams from indoors. Forgetting about myself, I look up
toward the building. Although my vision is blurred, I can see that it is
undamaged, which is more than I can say for the rest of the courtyard. The
cobblestones have been ploughed up, the grass left in ravaged clumps, and the
oak tree has been uprooted and thrown against the now crumbling wall that
surrounds the estate.
My gaze falls
to the ground close around me. Though scattered with dirt and stones, it is
otherwise untouched.
The rain
pours down harder than before.
Ralcher picks
himself up off the ground, stumbling in a full circle before his mad eyes come
to rest on me. “You did this!”
I shake my
head, shocked. That feeling of exhaustion is taking me again, and I blink,
trying to keep focus.
My voice is
weak. “I didn’t.”
An insane
glee takes hold of him. “You’re a sorcerer!”
“No, I’m not. I swear!”
“But you are! I saw your eyes glow.
You’re a sorcerer!” He pauses, realization dawning. “You just tried to kill
me.”
“No, please!”
I cry desperately with aching lungs. “I didn’t!”
“This has
gone too far, I’m afraid,” he says, and leaps over a mound in front of him,
charging toward me.
Terror rips
through me, giving me strength to run. I bolt for the wall, scrambling over
turned-over boulders, dirt, and roots. Ralcher is close behind, but I manage to
scale the wall before he reaches me. I leap down the other side, ignoring the pain
prickling in my ankle as I stumble toward the opening of a nearby alleyway.
The world is
spinning around me, but I manage to stay on my feet. I bump into the corner of
the wall beside the alley before stumbling onto the dark, grimy pathway,
clinging to the wall for support.
I’ve got to
be invisible before the city guards start looking for me. As soon as they
receive word of a sorcerer loose in the city, they’ll be after me. They’ll
close the city gates until they catch me. There’s no way I can get out in time.
They will
catch me, eventually. No matter what I say, they won’t believe that I’m not a
sorcerer. Ralcher’s the son of a powerful lord. I’m a nobody.
Panic begins
to creep in. Unless I figure out a way to escape the city, I’m doomed.
About the author:
Azaria
M. J. Durant is a young, passionate writer of fantasy with plans to branch out
into sci-fi and dystopian. She enjoys writing stories with action, adventure,
unexpected plot twists, and fleshed out characters that challenge gender
roles and expectations.
Azaria lives in Atlantic Canada with her family, cats, and dogs, and her big dreams to travel the world. In the moments when she isn’t writing, she is sketching concept art for her stories, participating in community theatre, or curled up with a good book and a bag of mint chocolates.
Azaria lives in Atlantic Canada with her family, cats, and dogs, and her big dreams to travel the world. In the moments when she isn’t writing, she is sketching concept art for her stories, participating in community theatre, or curled up with a good book and a bag of mint chocolates.
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1 comment:
Thanks for hosting today, Kari! :)
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