The King's Questioner by Nikki Katz - Book Tour + Giveaway
The King’s Questioner
Nikki Katz
Published by: Swoon Reads
Publication date: January 14th 2020
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
From Nikki Katz, the author of The Midnight Dance , comes The King’s Questioner, an epic YA fantasy featuring royal drama, dark magic, and a secret that could topple a kingdom.Kalen is a mental picklock, able to access a person’s memories and secrets by touch. His skills make him the perfect questioner to the king, and he spends his days interrogating prisoners of the crown.But when Kalen’s estranged childhood friend, Prince Cirrus, falls into a sudden coma, the king begs Kalen to intervene. By accessing Cirrus’s mind, Kalen saves his life—and uncovers a terrifying secret. The prince has a sister, banished long ago, and she is the key to the destruction or survival of the kingdom.With the help of Cirrus and a silver-haired thief named Luna, Kalen must find the princess and bring her home. Or risk death at the hands of his king.
Excerpt
A loud knock woke
Kalen the next morning.
“You dressed?”
Terrack’s voice rang through the door.
“Does it matter? The
door is locked.”
Kalen stretched and
rose from the pallet before walking over to open the door. Terrack blocked the
hallway with his bulk, and his mouth moved like a horse’s as he chewed on a
piece of bark.
“Actually, I just
wondered if you had a girl in there.”
“Have I ever had a
girl in here?”
“There’s a first time
for everything,” Terrack smirked. “To what do I owe the pleasure of your
company so early
in the day?”
“I’ll give you one
guess.”
Kalen steeled himself
for yet another headache. “Give me a minute.”
He shut the door and
splashed water on his face from the basin. He quickly changed and grabbed a
pair of gloves be- fore returning to the hallway. Terrack hadn’t moved. Kalen
shut the door, turned the key in the lock, and followed the large man down the
hall.
“Who is it?” Kalen
asked.
“Ship captain,” said
Terrack. “Arrived yesterday.”
The Antioegen ships
Damien mentioned.
Kalen’s worry over
his impending headaches disappeared. This would be interesting. Much more
interesting than a woman falsely accused of stealing correspondence.
They wound down the
curved staircase into the darkness of the cellar. Rough stone walls caught at
the sleeves of his coat, as if clawing him into the depths. The cool air was
thick with moisture that gathered at the back of his neck. They reached the
cellar floor, and Terrack turned in a different direction than the one leading
to Kalen’s normal interrogation room. Kalen’s chest heaved with a silent sigh.
This way were the holding cells.
Kalen despised having
to go into the mind of someone shackled by chains.
They approached the
two cells, heavy doors facing each other from across the narrow hallway. The
slits in one door allowed flickers of dusty light to dance into the hall.
Terrack pushed that one open, and Kalen got his first glimpse of the prisoner.
The captain was tall,
in his mid-thirties perhaps, with sun-weathered skin. Limp, long hair fell into
his eyes, one of which was nearly swollen shut. He stood upright, his arms
hanging at his sides. His wrists were wrapped in metal cuffs threaded with a
heavy chain linked to the wall behind him through a ring just above his head.
His breaths came fast and shallow, like he couldn’t fully inhale. Kalen
imagined that underneath the captain’s jacket and all those gold buttons were
whip marks or bruising . . . or both.
“Why is he in
chains?”
“The Law’s orders. He
put up a good fight when he arrived.”
The prisoner
attempted a laugh but winced as soon as his chest expanded. The sound was more
of a wounded cough. Footsteps echoed in from the hall behind them, and the
King’s Law swept into
the room. His black cloak swirled and settled around him, flashes of the green
silk interior visible as he threw back his shoulders.
“Good. You’re here.”
Ryndel nodded at Kalen. “I think we’re ready to get started.”
Author Bio:Nikki Katz is an author and editor living in sunny San Diego with her three children. With a BS in aerospace engineering, Nikki first put her writing skills to use publishing four nonfiction books. She moved on to writing young adult fiction, her favorite genre to read as well. The Midnight Dance is her debut novel.
2 Comments
Thanks for being on the tour! :)
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome! :)
DeletePlease try not to spam posts with the same comments over and over again. Authors like seeing thoughtful comments about their books, not the same old, "I like the cover" or "sounds good" comments. While that is nice, putting some real thought and effort in is appreciated. Thank you.