Here are the first few pages of Embremere. Enjoy!
CHAPTER ONE
The circular stone was pulled away as Grivvin struggled
against the guards. A hole, roughly twice the width of his shoulders was
revealed, the sound of the churning water crashing below easily heard. The
ferocious storm had not relented for six days, battering the city of Embremere
and costing the fishermen many days work. The rain beat so hard against the
cathedral windows on this night, that he fully expected them to shatter from
the force.
"Can you stop the storm now, Wychan? You'd better give us a
display of your abilities or you'll be feeding the bottom dwellers,"
growled the guard known as Thax. Like most of the royal soldiers, he kept his
head shaved, giving him a most sinister appearance.
"It doesn't work like that, I told you!" Grivvin
explained as he tried to back away from the gaping hole to no avail.
"You are a Wychan, fool! Of course it works like
that. Your father was a Wychan and his father before him. Since your dear
sisters are away, you are the last of the bloodline. Now, stop this bloody storm!"
"My father's power didn't reach its full strength
until he was nearly forty years old. I'm only seventeen and there's no one left
to teach me! How can you expect me to bend the weather to my will at my
age?"
Footfalls echoed throughout the room as another figure
joined them. Grivvin could not see the man, despite twisting in the guards
grip.
"You have the books. Can you stop this storm or not,
Wychan?" said the commanding voice. Grivvin recognized it, the voice of
Kelt, Prince of Embremere, he of jet-black hair and soul.
"Your grace....I-"
"Can you stop it?"
"No, your grace, but I-"
"I have heard enough! Throw him in!" Prince Kelt
ordered and walked off into another chamber. "I've had enough of his
disobedience. Wychan, eh? The word seems to mean incompetence."
"Wait, wait! You can't do this!"
The Prince chuckled, his voice barely audible. "I can
do anything I want, boy."
With a shove, Grivvin dropped through the hole. He had
enough sense to inhale deeply just before the turbulent waves took him in. The
force of the water was unbelievable and struggle as he might, it tossed him
about like a ragdoll. And it was cold, his muscles tightening in response as
the current pulled him along violently and at an alarming speed. His body spun
several revolutions, causing him to lose all sense of direction. With the
darkness of night, he could not be sure which way was up.
Suddenly, something wrapped around his waist, entangling
him, preventing him from swimming for the surface. His lungs were near to
bursting as he fought against the thing, hands pulling at its thick, cold
length. He knew that soon his body would surrender, the air in his lungs no
longer enough to sustain his life, and on reflex, he would gasp for air. Upon
inhaling the water, he would drown. It was inevitable. Something slithered
beneath his arm and tugged hard, trying to pull him away to some deep and
hidden lair. The pressure in his head was now unbearable and he felt his
consciousness slipping away as he rose in the water. Something had pulled him
free of the thing, but it mattered not. His air was gone. He had nearly reached
his lungs capacity and would die here, floating in the Lake Embremere. He felt
his head break the surface, moonlight filling his eyes as he opened them in
shock. He gasped painfully for air, spitting out lake water, the constriction
of his chest excruciating.
“Stop flailing about! You’ll drown us both!” someone
called out next to him, she that had pulled him from the creature’s grasp. She
had slipped her arm over his chest and was pulling him along on his back. He
did his best to stop struggling and allow the panic to fade. He would not die
this day.
Now, I know you're interested in what happens next, aren't you? Download the Kindle version of this new fantasy novel from Amazon by clicking HERE.
