THE REMEDY by Serena Chase is the second book in the Eyes of E'veria series. I'm currently reading the first book THE RYN and hope to have a review up soon.
EXCERPT:
The path widened
and the knights moved into a more protective position around me. Julien and Kinley galloped side by side at
the rear and Gerrias was beside me.
Turning in my saddle, I met Julien’s eyes. His face was set and ready
for battle. I turned to look at Kinley. He mirrored Julien’s expression. Before
I could turn back to face forward, the Dwonsil warriors rounded a bend and
came into sight, closing the gap between us with unbelievable speed.
There were five
of them. We were outnumbered and they had arrows at the ready, possibly wrapped
with hairs from a Cobeld’s beard. We had dressed for speed, not battle. My
knights wore no chain mail or armor.
The warriors
nocked their arrows.
“No!” I breathed.
As if of one
accord, each archer fumbled and his arrow fell to the ground. None noticed the
others’ clumsiness. Instead, each deftly reached to string another arrow.
Did I do that? I wondered, even as the truth of
it washed over me.
My great-grandfather’s
words coursed through my memory. “Each
time you use one of your gifts,” he had said, “it is only by the permission of the Giver.”
I closed my eyes
and let Stanza’s reins slacken in my hands as my arms dropped and my palms
rose. My face tilted toward the sky.
Please, Giver of Gifts. Protector and Sustainer, I pleaded
silently, tell me what to do. Show me how
to best use what you’ve entrusted to me!
Sudden heat
warmed the pendant hung hidden beneath my tunic. My hand flew to where the
carved Emblem of The First rested against my skin as a memory from a childhood
dare danced across my mind.
My eyes flew
open. Could it work?
It was worth a
try.
I tied Stanza’s
reins to the pommel of the saddle, hoping the knights hadn’t noticed the grin
that had sprung across my lips at the memory of an escapade involving Rowlen
and Lewys, and the dare I had accepted—and achieved—at the age of twelve. The
question was: could I do it again?
I bent my left
leg under me and shifted my body in the saddle. This is so much easier when you don’t have to bother with skirts!
Bending my other leg, I gripped the saddle and rotated my backside. I
straightened my legs and secured my feet in the stirrups, though backward,
facing Julien and Kinley.
Stanza forged
ahead, unbothered by the unorthodox position of his rider. It was gratifying to
know that my horse trusted my instincts, but when I finally looked at Julien
and Kinley—I couldn’t say the same for the knights.
“What are you doing?” Kinley roared. “Turn around!”
I shook my head,
hoping we would live long enough for him to forgive me, and concentrated on the
ever-decreasing gap between the warriors and us. Just as they let another batch
of arrows fly, I closed my eyes and spoke to the shafts of wood.
“Fall.”
Without opening my
eyes I saw each arrow abruptly nosedive into the ground. The arrows shook with
the vibration of the impact. I allowed myself a small smile at the disbelief
that crossed the minds of the warriors, but did not have time to dwell on it.
They had quickly reached for fresh arrows.
We galloped
through a shallow canyon. My thighs ached from gripping Stanza’s sides and my
knuckles whitened on the back edge of the saddle as I knocked the new arrows
from their bowstrings.
I turned my
head. Just beyond us was a fissure in the dusky orange rock of the canyon. Its
sides were steep and reached at least as far above us as the vaulted entry of
Holiday Palace, but its path was narrower even than the hallway that led to the
palace’s Grand Hall. Wide enough for two skilled riders to enter at a time, it
would be a tight fit for a skittish horse or horseman. Thankfully, none of our
group fit into either of the former categories. But would it lead us out—or to
a dead end that would trap us?
I looked down
each side of the canyon, but I could note no other exit. The fissure had to be
the way out.
The Dwonsil
warriors seemed to have an endless supply of arrows.How long would it be before
one of them evaded my notice and struck one of my friends?
The gestures and
nods being exchanged between my friends seemed to indicate that the knights had
formulated a plan. I might not be able to interpret my knights’ nods and
gestures, but I could peer into Julien’s thoughts to gauge their intent.
Julien met my
eyes, nodded, and tapped a finger at his temple, giving me the permission he
knew I sought.
His colors
rushed over me the second I sought his mind. I had to push away his tension,
his fear for me—even his love—to find that which I sought.
I grasped on to
the thread. His thoughts were clear, warm, and true. You are the Ryn. I trust you.
I loosened my
hold just a tad and sought Gerrias’s and Kinley’s thoughts in tandem.
They were of one
mind and both assumed Julien was, too. And rightly so, as I’d seen the plan in
his thought, just awaiting my approval.
Kinley and
Julien intended to turn and fight, delaying the warriors as long as possible,
while Gerrias took me through the fissure to meet up with our friends at
Shiridyn Bridge.
I shook my head.
Julien and Kinley were finely skilled knights, but against five Dwonsil
warriors, and arrows which may or may not be wrapped in a Cobeld curse, the
risk was too great. No. I could not,
would not, lose them. Not when this predicament was entirely my fault. But how
could we all escape?
I knocked the
next arrows from the warriors’ hands before they touched them to their bows and
looked over my shoulder at the narrow way out of the canyon and then up its
rocky sides. A way out was a door, right? Could I . . . ?
With a wave of
my hand I sent another round of arrows to the dirt, and then spoke into the
knights’ thoughts.
Follow me through the fissure!
Kinley and
Gerrias shook their heads.
A strange
strength welled up within me, a feeling of authority I had never experienced
before. The sudden swell of Julien’s anger, however, directed at his brother
and mine, surprised me, and although he did not voice it aloud, Julien’s
authority as our company’s leader clearly backed mine. Whatever his next nod
and gesture conveyed, it was clearly not to be argued with.
Kinley and
Gerrias exchanged a quick glance, but each nodded their reluctant compliance.
Beside me,
Gerrias spoke to Julien. “This is not wise. We need to draw them away from her.
She must be protected at all cost!”
“Don’t do this, Rose,” Kinley pleaded. “Let us
protect you!”
“You are protecting me. Now I need you to
trust me as well. They will not be able to follow us.”
As Kinley ground
his teeth, I sent another plea for strength to Rynloeft above that my words
would prove correct.
Sudden shade
alerted me that we were entering the fissure. I disabled another round of
arrows, and even more swiftly than I’d turned to the rear, regained a normal
riding posture. Untying the reins from the pommel, I leaned forward to urge
Stanza faster. It was a tight squeeze with Gerrias beside me, but soon we
exited the rock-walled passageway and entered a slightly wooded glen, followed
closely by Julien and Kinley.
My hand pulsed
where I held Julien’s kiss. Did he know how much his belief in me, his counsel,
the very potency of his presence, strengthened me?
I circled Stanza
back around until I faced the fissure.
Gerrias reached
for his sword. “What are you going to do?”
“It’s a door,” I
said, gesturing to the fissure. “I’m going to close it.”
SERENA'S BIO:
A life-long lover of fairy tales, Serena Chase is the author
of THE RYN (3/26/13) and THE REMEDY (April 2013). Together, these two novels comprise an
expanded re-imaging of the classic Grimm fairy tale, Snow White & Rose Red and are the first two books in the Eyes
of E’veria series.
A frequent contributor to USA Today’s Happy Ever After
blog and Edgy Inspirational Romance, Serena
lives in Iowa with her husband, two daughters, and a white golden-doodle named
Albus. She has been known to live
vicariously through her hair, however, so don’t be too surprised if she looks a
tad different from one day to the next.
We all have our vices.
Connect with Serena on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, &
Goodreads.
I'll be part of the blog tour sometime during April 22, 2013 thru May 31, 2013
