A Light in the Window by Dan Lutts - Cover Reveal + Giveaway
Blurb:FLIGHTPURSUITCATASTROPHYALYSE DEJUNE FLED Caldon to avoid becoming a pawn in her matriarch’s attempt to have the Dejunes remain a powerful First Family among their noblesse allies. She intends to seek refuge at her uncle’s legionary camp deep within the forest-covered wilderness of The Marches while he tries to patch things up between her and their matriarch. But even the best of plans can go awry, and Alyse’s does when she is captured by brigands. She believes they intend to hold her for ransom but soon learns they have a worse fate in store for her.RILL LARKIN FINALLY achieved his lifelong goal of becoming a mage even though he alienated his family and his best friend in the process. Now a mage serving the powerful Estati Family, he is part of a search party that intends to find Alyse and bring her back to Caldon—by force, if necessary. But Rill didn’t anticipate having to deal with a band of brigands who vastly outnumber his small group of pursuers or with a brigand leader who loathes the Dejunes. Those miscalculation have horrible, life-threatening consequences for Rill.
Excerpt
Two brigands—a man and a woman—sprang at Kate with their swords. She parried their blades, and the three of them danced back and forth across the floor planks, fighting. Instead of helping their two companions, the others watched the three fight as if they were observing a sports contest instead of a desperate life-or-death struggle. When the man stumbled away wounded, two of the onlookers replaced him.
“That’s
right,” Eye Patch said. “Wear her out. She might be young, but she won’t last
forever.”
“Tag-team
match,” Pock Face said, laughing gruffly.
Eye
Patch sneered at Alyse, then nodded at a brigand and said, “Time to take the
golden goose.”
The
man walked toward Alyse. The smirk on his lips told her he thought Alyse was
easy prey. When he reached for her, she slipped under his arm and thrust her
dagger into his side. He stumbled away, clutching the wound.
“She
stabbed me! The little bitch stabbed me!” Then his eyes rolled up in his head
and he collapsed. Blood flowed from his side, painting the floorboards red.
Alyse
charged the brigands who were fighting Kate. She knifed one in the back.
With
a shout, the brigands on the sidelines raced toward her.
She
spun around to face them, but someone came up from behind and put his arm
around her throat. Another seized the wrist of the hand holding the knife and
squeezed. Alyse struggled, but the arm around her neck cut off her air, and the
fingers pressing her wrist felt like the jaws of a vise. Her hand opened
unwillingly, and the dagger clattered onto the pine planks.
Unsheathing
his dagger, Eye Patch approached Alyse, grabbed and twisted a handful of her
long chestnut hair, and jerked her head back. He positioned the blade against
her throat.
Alyse
dared not move or breathe while her heart slammed against her chest, like a
prisoner trying to break out of jail.
“Drop
your weapons, girlie,” he called to Kate. “Or I’ll slit her throat. Your
matriarch won’t like that, eh?”
Kate’s
opponents stepped back out of sword range. Kate looked toward Eye Patch,
keeping her sword and dagger up.
Eye
Patch drew the blade lightly across Alyse’s neck. Blood dribbled down her neck,
staining the front collar of her white linen shirt red. He leered at Kate.
“Want more blood?”
He
positioned his knife to make a deeper cut.
Kate
threw down her sword, her face a combination of anger and disgust.
“And
the dagger.”
The
knife clunked onto the planks.
Two
brigands seized Kate by the arms. Dagger in hand, a third walked up behind her,
grabbed a handful of her black hair, and yanked her head back to expose her
neck. Then the woman placed the blade just below Kate’s Adam’s apple and shot
Eye Patch a questioning look.
Eye
Patch nodded. “Kill her.”
Charm Wars by Dan Lutts
“Welcome to Caldon, a land of mages and magic, where the noblesse possess massive political and magical power and destroy anyone who threatens the noblesse way of life—especially the commoners.”
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About the Author:
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2 Comments
Sounds like a great story, I really loved the excerpt.
ReplyDeleteSounds fascinating
ReplyDeletePlease 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.