QSFer Nita Round has a new FF fantasy book out, Dragon Riders of Vorden book 1: Black Dragon Rising.
Outcast. Healer. The girl they shunned may be the kingdom’s best hope.
Kanastya Herbanya has always been an outcast. With her pointed ears and slight build, she stands out as different.
Orphaned young and raised by her grandmother on the edge of the swamp. Kanastya lives quietly on the fringes healing wounds, gathering herbs… and guarding a deadly secret. She knows dragon lore, and in the four kingdoms, secrets like hers could mean death.
For generations, the Sundered lands have known peace, but now war is brewing. Rogue dragons have returned and are attacking the four kingdoms with relentless fury. The kings of Vorden need dragons, but to raise them quickly requires blood and sacrifice.
Kanastya is chosen as one of those sacrifices.
Torn from her home and thrust into a brutal selection meant for nobles, she finds herself among strangers who see her as a threat or a tool.
As danger mounts and alliances shift, Kanastya must decide whether to remain the outcast they expect—or become something far more powerful than anyone is prepared for.
Get It At Amazon
Excerpt
Friends and Enemies
Kanastya Herbanya stood on the edge of the cliffs overlooking Haffen Bay. Gusts of chilly wind tore at her hair, and her thin tunic flapped so hard she feared the worn material might rip. Only the grip of her bare toes, hooked over the jagged rock, prevented her from plunging off the cliff. That and her sense of balance. She closed her eyes. Her knees flexed as her muscles automatically adjusted to the changing chaos of the winds across the crags. Like this, she imagined herself flying, and if she flew far enough, she might even find a place that didn’t treat her like an outsider. Some place where her differences didn’t matter.
She opened her eyes and gripped her basket close to her side. In her thoughts, she heard her grandmother’s stern voice: Woolgathering gets no chores done. As usual, she couldn’t ignore her gramma’s wisdom. There were medicines to deliver, and if she delayed at the cliffs, she risked other complications.
Across the mud and sand exposed by the low tide, townsfolk searched for the fruits of the seas left behind. Older women and smaller children swarmed the sands and the rock pools for shellfish. Others sought long worms in the estuary, and there were always crabs in the pot traps.
Further out, a smudge of black, caught between the cyan sky and the blue-green of the sea, drifted east to west. The fishing fleet. If she could see them, then it meant they were heading in the direction of home. They would not dock for a few hours yet, and once they did, the whole of Haffen would change. Every street from the waterfront into town would fill with baskets of produce and people buying or selling their wares. From the locally captured shellfish, all the way to the catch of the day.
If they saw her, though, they would point fingers at her, curse her, or worse. Kanastya did not want to be close enough for that. She turned away from the cliff and rushed down the path and on toward the marshlands. She took a long, circular route to stay out of sight. The gusts of the coast lessened the farther she walked inland. A moderate breeze rustled the gorse and straggly trees with a decidedly gentle touch. On the downside, without the winds to cool her down, the heat of the sun burned through her thin tunic until beads of sweat ran down her back.
What she did not expect to find on this loop around the edge of town were the young people of Haffen engaged in a mock battle. Militia training like this was not really a surprise to her. Everyone was obliged to attend to the defense of their home. Even the girls. Everyone. Except Kanastya. She could never train with them. Not with her deformed ears and her pale skin that never tanned or burned in the sun.
Despite her fears of being ridiculed or worse, she stopped close to a short but thick hedge and watched them.
“Form up. Lock spears!” Panye Smith, the blacksmith’s son, said. He was the youngest there but was a natural squad leader. In response, his troops shuffled about as they formed into a defensive square and set their long spears to repel an incoming attack.
On the other side of the battlefield, Lord Darcson’s eldest, Evinsol, stood tall and full of confidence. He carried a throwing spear. “We’re coming for you,” he screeched. “Ready, men.” His troops also carried spears and shields, and they clacked their weapons against the rim of the shields to make as much noise as possible.
Although it was interesting to watch them fight, Kanastya had to move before they saw her.
Too late.
“You!” Evinsol yelled. “Freak!”
Kanastya automatically touched her ears and the delicate points that graced the tips. She took a step backward, even though she knew it was too late to hide.
Note: While the main character is a lesbian, it’s not specified in book one. She will discover her sexuality over time
Author Bio
Nita Round is a British author who creates vibrant and unique new worlds as quirky as she is. She takes inspiration from her studies of history and blends together ‘what was’ and creates fantastical worlds, ‘what could be’.
Monsters, heroines, magic, and the strange are all woven into tales of hope and courage. Where women battle evil, something with nothing more than a stout heart, and no matter the odds, ultimately prevail.
When she’s not writing, she’s an avid gamer, who loves to escape to any world, any format, any console, and any time. Also plays Role Play Games (AD&D, Werewolf, Cthulhu) and is sadistic enough to be the dungeon master on occasion.
| Author Website | www.nitaround.com |
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