This virtual book tour is presented by Bewitching Book Tours.
Click HERE to see the tour schedule.
Welcome to The Wormhole and my day on the tour.
It is my pleasure to feature:
Eolyn by Karin Rita Gastreich
About the Author
KARIN RITA GASTREICH was born
near Kansas City , Missouri Costa Rica ,
she recently returned to her home town and is now a Professor of Biology at Avila University
Visit her at the blog for
Eolyn, http://eolynchronicles.blogspot.com and at Heroines of Fantasy, co-authored with
Terri-Lynne DeFino and Kim Vandervorthttp://heroinesoffantasy.blogspot.com
Blog for Eolyn: http://eolynchronicles.blogspot.com
Blog Heroines of
Fantasy: http://heroinesoffantasy.blogspot.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Eolyn/110814625640244
Eolyn
Karin Rita Gastreich
Karin Rita Gastreich
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Hadley Rille Books
ISBN: 978-0-9829467-4-9
Number of
pages: 325
Word Count: approximately 118,000
Book Description:
In a land ravaged by civil
war, the Mage King Kedehen initiates a brutal purge of the Magas.
Fleeing his wrath, Eolyn,
daughter of the last of the Magas and sole heiress to their forbidden
tradition, seeks refuge in the South Woods.
There she meets the mysterious boy Akmael, and forms a friendship that
thrives on shared magic. Destiny leads
them down a tortuous path of love, betrayal and war, until one day the Maga
Eolyn takes up arms against the new Mage King.
Must Eolyn slay the man she
loves in order to free herself and her people?
The answer lies in the
extraordinary magic she commands, and in the hidden power of a Maga’s
heart.
“Vigorously told deceptions
and battle scenes. . . with a romantic thread." – Publishers Weekly
Short
Excerpt Eolyn
Akmael
set the jewel on a polished oak table, next to the ceremonial mask he had
confiscated from Eolyn when they had brought her to him as a prisoner. The
silver web sparkled under the flickering light of the torches, and the folds of
her mask seemed to waver with the shadows. After a careful search, Akmael found
what he sought: a coppery strand of her hair, glowing with her magic and still
bearing traces of her exquisite aroma. With a quiet invocation to Dragon, he
wove the hair into the heirloom of his mother, snaking it tightly through the
intricate mesh. When he finished a sudden white glow flashed through the
medallion, fusing the strand of hair to the web and rendering it
indistinguishable from the other threads. Satisfied, Akmael stood and lifted
the circle by its silver chain. He drew a breath and began a new incantation,
one he had worked meticulously by integrating the lullaby of his mother with a
spell designed to separate the seam of a Maga’s ward.
Ehekahtu
Elaeom enem, eleaom
enem
Sepoenem fae
Elaeom enem, elaeom
enem
Renoenem mae
Ehukae
As
he repeated the verse, the stone walls melted around him and soft loam rose to
his feet. The web had taken him to a forest, ancient in aspect though
illuminated by energies very different from the South Woods. The pale light of
the new moon filtered through the canopy. A breeze shifted restless against the
trees. He thought he could feel Eolyn’s essence on the wind, but she was
nowhere to be seen. Disappointed though not deterred, Akmael lifted the
medallion to try again. Just as he spun the web to begin his invocation, a soft
rustle in the underbrush detained him. Eolyn appeared a few paces away in the
shape of Wolf, her true identity betrayed by the full spectrum of her
magnificent aura.
Akmael
caught his breath and held very still. The Gods must have favored him, for she
did not at first detect his scent. Stepping into the clearing, she searched the
leaf litter with her snout, her awareness focused on some favored smell
emanating from the damp earth. Her coarse gray fur blended into the shadows.
The faint moonlight glinted against her black eyes. She continued oblivious to
him, until in a sudden shift of attention she paused and looked up. She sniffed
at the air, her muscles tensed. Her ears turned in Akmael’s direction. She
growled then bolted into the forest.
Calling
upon the shape of Wolf, Akmael charged after her.
As
a girl, Eolyn had been a swift runner. As a wolf, she seemed impossible to
catch. She hurtled through the bushes, managing with nimble turns a rough
terrain unknown to Akmael. Branches caught at his fur and scratched his snout.
Tangled roots threatened to trip his paws. More than once she gained enough
distance to lose sight of her, yet Akmael kept tight upon her scent and did not
give up. His muscles began to burn. His tongue hung limp from his jowls. He
panted hot clouds into the air as he pushed his limbs to move faster and
faster.
Without
warning the undergrowth disappeared. Akmael skidded into a small clearing. The
she-wolf paced a confused circle in front of him, her whimpers soft and high
pitched. A steep wall of rock had cut her flight short. Upon sensing Akmael,
she swung around to confront him and bared her fangs in a vicious snarl. They
stalked each other, heads low and tails ominously still, quiet growls and sharp
barks building in a tense duet. Eolyn sprang first, striking his shoulders and
digging her claws deep into his fur as her teeth sought his neck. Akmael
twisted his throat out of her reach, forcing his snout underneath her muzzle,
leaving her snapping at his ears instead. Again he ducked his head, barely
avoiding the tearing hold of her canines. He had never seen Eolyn so intent on
drawing blood. Wedging his paws up through her hold, he pushed against her
muzzle and spread his claws over her face. With a sharp yelp, Eolyn stumbled
back, breaking their grapple. Recovering her balance, she lunged low, fangs
flashing in the moonlight. Just as her jaws snapped shut, Akmael reared up on
his hind legs, leaving nothing for her to take hold of. Coming down upon her
back, he caught the nape of her neck with his razor sharp teeth and forced her
decisively to the ground.
Eolyn
went very still, though her muscles remained tense. After several moments she
tried to shift her position, scooting a few inches along the ground. He
tightened his grip with a low growl, sending a clear signal that the strength
of his muzzle could break her neck. Again she paused. He felt her pulse against
his jowls, rapid and strong. The intensity of their conflict had left her fur
warm and damp at the roots. Her rich musk rose about him in waves, saturating
his senses to the point of dizziness. His loins tightened with need. Every
instinct of Wolf was urging him to claim her right then and there. Was such a
thing possible, he wondered. Did the Mages and Magas of old partake in the
pleasure of the Gods even when they shape shifted?
Eolyn’s
muzzle sank between her paws. Her ears twitched and she whimpered quietly. Her
pulse slowed. The tension drained out of her haunches and into the midnight
earth. Interpreting this as a sign of submission, Akmael loosened his hold and
stepped away.
In
an instant, Eolyn rose to her feet, resumed her human form and kicked him full
in the stomach. The force of her strike surprised Akmael. He hit the ground
with a yelp, and the shape of Wolf deserted him. His hand went instinctively to
where the blow burned against his side.
“You
have lost nothing of your strength and skill,” he said, “but don’t you think
that move was a little unfair?”
Tour wide giveaway!
2 signed print copies of Eolyn.
2 signed print copies of Eolyn.
2 comments:
Thank you very much for hosting me on your blog, Beverly!
Thanks for this amazing giveaway!
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