Her Reputation (The Empire: Book 1)
Page 46
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SNEAK PEEK
Her Favor
The Empire Trilogy: Book 2
Phoenix took in the empire’s landscape in awe. The area near the capital had been filled with lush greens, vibrant yellows, and bright reds. Where at home she would see squirrels and mice, here there was a multitude of lizards and snakes and other reptilian creatures she didn’t recognize. As they moved farther inland, the air got drier. Trees were replaced with bulbous plants sticking out from the ground and covered in mean-looking spines and gigantic flowers. Strange animals peeked out from the shadows beneath the thinning vegetation at the party’s passing. The dirt became more gravely, even sandy in spots, and the greens of the plants became less bright, but no less beautiful. Majestic rock formations split the earth and shot upwards towards the heavens.
Phoenix took out a tiny bottle from beneath her shirt where it hung on a long chain. It had been a gift from Siajan upon her arrival to Tyekath. She shook the bottle and smiled in delight once again at the melody that magically sprang forth from its depths. Bright lights within, like miniscule stars, danced to the song. She watched, mesmerized. Though her parents had attempted to make charms that she could activate without talent, the ease with which she was able to make this magic thrilled her. Her parents were under the impression that the empire’s citizens were missing out by being cured of talent and forced to only use magic through potions, but Phoenix wasn’t so sure.
Their imperial guide drew her attention and pointed to the west. She followed his gaze and saw that there was a rock wall surrounding what must be a small town. She nodded enthusiastically at his query of her interest in visiting the place. So far, everyone in the empire had been welcoming and friendly.
As they entered the town, people began lining the street, staring at them in wonderment. She didn’t think that the Elaeld people looked so strange, but from the reaction they always seemed to elicit from the empire’s citizens, she supposed they must. Phoenix nodded to a waving little boy, who giggled and ran into his house.
The carts lining the streets were filled with many wares that Phoenix had never before seen. One held animal pelts of beasts she couldn’t begin to imagine, with all manners of strange colors and shapes. At another, food items were being sold, and Phoenix fought back a shudder as a boy crunched loudly into what could only be described as an enormous ant on a stick. At the same cart, there was a tentacle of a sea creature, clearly marinated in some sort of reddish sauce and currently roasting over the vendor’s fire. The smell it produced was pleasant, but Phoenix wasn’t sure she’d be able to ignore the suction cups and rubbery-looking texture in order to actually consume the thing. Yet another cart had an assortment of garments, some that didn’t look overly unusual, but others that she guessed were perhaps for the different climate; strange goggles and headscarves that would be useful in the glaring sun. They made the people trying them on look like giant bugs.
All of a sudden, a loud humming started, echoing in the back of her head. It grew louder and more pronounced, turning into a harsh wailing. The sound waned and ebbed like a tide, getting louder as it shrieked and then quietly retreating back to a hum, only to begin again.
The townsfolk immediately stopped whatever they were doing and rushed off, disappearing into buildings. Shutters slammed shut, doors banged closed, and heavy canvases fell over carts.
Their guide lifted his hands around them, herding them towards the inn. Confused, Phoenix and the rest of her party complied, though her guards all had their weapons drawn and at the ready. Natalya’s head whipped this way and that, searching for the unknown foe, while Alina’s head was thrown back towards the sky. The motion had caused her hood to fall back away from her face, and Phoenix gave an involuntary shudder.
Her attention was torn from the frightening countenance as she was pushed through the open door, and the guards closed in protectively around her. She couldn’t see, and could hardly breathe in the packed environment. Someone elbowed her in the ribs, followed by a mumbled apology. She caught a glimpse of the rest of the inn, crowded with people from the streets. The townspeople looked ashen with fear, eyes wide like deer hearing the excited yipping of coyotes as they closed in for the kill.
Someone stepped back in front of her, shielding her view, and she listened to the silence around them. In the commotion, she hadn’t even noticed the alarm had stopped. She could hear short shuddering breaths, as though they were waiting for some inevitable unknown event.
Darkness descended on them. Phoenix peeked out from behind her guard and saw that the light, previously streaming in from the cracks around the shutters, was gone. Utter blackness enveloped them. Someone let out a whimper.
Then it began. A great bellowing that rocked her very soul. Great whooshing sounds filled the air, like the beating of many wings rushing through the street outside. She felt something moving over her, giving her the sensation of a snake slithering around, its tongue tasting her.
“It’s the Nightwind,” someone whispered ominously…
Continue the story in Book 2 of the Empire Trilogy,
Her Favor by Laura R Cole
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BOOKS BY LAURA R COLE
The Eleventh World Saga:
BloodRunes Trilogy
Unleashed Fury
Those Who Fear the Darkness
Leoht
The Forgotten Trilogy
Serpent’s Lair
Bricrui
Light the Reign
The Empire Trilogy
Her Reputation
Her Favor
Her Secret (coming 2014)