Please
enjoy this excerpt from the exciting and beautifully written YA fantasy, Mother’s
Curse, by Thaddeus Nowak. Then read on to learn how you can win
huge prizes as part of this blog tour, including a Kindle Fire, $450 in Amazon
gift cards, and 5 autographed copies of each book.
Excerpt
Feeling
slightly better for having a bit of light to keep with her, she continued down
the street, occasionally looking through a window to see the remains of a room.
After the third storefront she passed, she wondered at the reason all of the
furniture and even drapes, carpets, and accessories had been left behind. Even
in the desperate flight from Antar, people were still taking their belongings.
They removed their drapes, even ones far less decorative then what Stephenie
suspected were here. Why would everyone desert a city and yet leave almost
everything behind as if they were simply going across town to visit a
friend? She was hesitant to consider an answer. This city had been
deserted and abandoned for a long time. Antar castle and city above had
been there for as long as memory could recall and the original castle even
before then. Had any of those above known about a city deep in the rocks
under their feet, there would have been stories.
Stephenie
used her stolen crystal to look into a shop that reminded her of a bakery, with
a large oven in the back wall and the remains of shelves still partially
attached to a side wall. The sparkle of something shiny and shaped like a
pendant caught her eye. Looking closer at a mass on the floor, she paused
and then stepped quickly away from the window as a shiver of fear rolled down
her spine.
She
closed her eyes, but the unmistakable image of a human skull laying on the
floor would not leave her sight. She shivered again and looked up and
down the street. Perhaps they didn’t leave.
Mustering
her courage, Stephenie slowly approached the window again. She forced
herself to look at the mass on the floor. Wiping away some of the dirt on
the window, she could make out the arms and runners of a rocking chair mixed
with what was likely clothing and the decayed bones of the person who’s head
had rolled several feet away after the chair had collapsed. Bits of hair
and desiccated skin clung to the skull, which was fortunately staring away from
the window. The person died sitting in a chair and no one came to remove
or bury the body?
Stephenie
sniffed the air and thought about the strange odor she had been noticing since
she had entered the city. It was a musty sweet smell. “Is this a
plague city?” She felt her throat tightening with each breath and again
quickly retreated from the window. She turned toward the way she had
entered the city, ready to run back to the large doors and flee, but the
dryness of her throat and the sound of water stopped her. If this is a
plague city, then I am as good as dead and I might as well die after I’ve had
something to drink.
Slowly,
she turned around and continued down the street, no longer bothering to look
into the store fronts. The rot and death they held did not interest her
anymore.
She
passed several side streets, but continued following the slowly turning main
street because the sound of water was getting louder in the direction it was
heading. After a short time, the street opened into another large plaza
at least a hundred feet in diameter. Several streets exited the round
plaza, but at the very center, lit with several points of glowing light was a
fountain. Its water pushed up from a center mound and cascaded down
several stone statues into a series of white marble bowls. The fountain
was a dozen feet high and thirty feet across.
Drawn
by thirst, Stephenie quickly reached the edge of the fountain and could feel a
cool mist splashing over her. Knowing she would die slowly and painfully
from whatever disease had killed the residents of this city, she did not care
if the water was poison as long as it tasted fresh. Taking a small sip,
she tested the flavor and found it cleaner than what she was used to in the
castle. Scooping up more water with her hands, she drank deeply before
noticing how dirty her hands had become. After quickly rubbing away the
dirt, she moved a couple feet away and continued to drink until her stomach
felt full.
Relieved
of her thirst, she sat down next to the fountain and buried her face in her wet
hands. She sobbed with frustration and relief in one confused wail.
While she would not die of thirst, how was she going to get out and warn her
father and Joshua about her mother’s betrayal? She cradled her cut arm in
her lap and leaned back with her eyes closed. I’ve got light and some
water, but what good would warning everyone do if I bring a plague to
them? She shook her head. Damn it, why do the gods hate me
so? Fundamentally, she knew her tie with Elrin, even if a result of her
mother’s doing, was her real damnation. She could not bring herself to
worship the demon god and she dared not seek out the other gods for fear the
priests would sense her connection to Elrin.
Opening
her eyes, she stared at her foot prints along the cobbled street. A lone
trail to remind her that she had to do whatever it was she was going to do on
her own. There was no one to help her.
She
sat silently staring into the distance for some time. Then she blinked
her eyes, uncertain that she was not imagining it, but after a moment, there
was definitely a strange luminescence moving down the street. As it grew
closer, she scrambled to her feet, recognizing the dim outlines of a human
form. The apparition was moving in her direction. She quickly moved
away from the fountain, but as it closed on the fountain, it appeared not to
notice Stephenie at all. Instead, it held its, or her, hands as if carrying
something. When it reached the fountain, it leaned over as if scooping up
water.
As part of
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Mother’s
Curse is a
coming of age story about the youngest Princess of Cothel and her efforts to
save her father and brother from her mother’s schemes, while at the same time,
coming to terms with what it means to be a witch. Get it on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or iTunes.
Daughter’s
Justice continues
Stephenie’s journey of discovery, where she must overcome national opposition
to her being a witch as well as lead her friends and protectors on a mission to
stabilize her countries finances. Get it on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or iTunes.
