In this excerpt from my upcoming book, Beat of the Pakiri, my protagonist Lark has just returned home from a near disaster, while out practicing her new unauthorized spell. As she faces the wrath of the realm’s leadership, you’ll find out why even the powerful teenaged protagonist fears this intimidating Fae leader.
You’ll also meet one of the little winged faeries… who has earned a king of a name.
The Acting Magistra of Karakia—among the most powerful spell casters in the realm—wasn’t someone Lark ever wanted to cross, let alone annoy. Summer Windish stalked forward, her elegant frame stiff, hazel eyes blazing, with energy wafting off of her like a sirocco wind. With her brunette hair lifting in billowy waves around her head, she engendered the dark queen Galadriel’s visage as she rejected the offer of The One Ring.
The human movie image playing through Lark’s mind cut off abruptly when the acting magistra stopped inside her comfort zone and leaned in.
“Lady Lark, what in the realm do you think you are doing? Throwing new spells around without appropriate clearance or support. As if we don’t have enough elemental upheaval already! And, doing it in the lap of our enemies and kidnappers of your parents, our leaders. What were you thinking?”
Lark drew back, grasping for the confidence to deal with her situation. She remembered how her father handled conflict, even among the most powerful Fae in the realm, when he was the Magistrate of Karakia. The mental image of his fierce frown and piercing brown eyes buoyed her inner strength. Feigning a calm demeanor, she turned her father’s adopted stare on the acting magistra.
No matter what Summer Windish said, trying the unauthorized elemental spell was the right thing to do. And, it had almost worked. If the blasted Stones family hadn’t shown up to interrupt her, she and The Earth Mother might have actually helped to partially reverse Delfaerune’s elemental devastation.
She tightened her lips and continued to stare levelly at the acting magistra, who clearly waited for a response. Allowing the silence to stretch, Lark took the moment to compose the emotion vibrating through her body. How better to diffuse a heated accusation than to change the topic?
“How do you even know what happened? I’ve just returned.”
“You can’t possibly know of the machinations the Division has in place to keep the realm, not to mention you, safe, M’Lady. Do you think we’d just allow you to go running around the realm alone and unguarded?”
Lark’s gaze moved to her bodyguards, who stood among the security contingent in formation around River. She thought she’d been so smart to escape her Bulky Boys before dawn this morning. Guess not. When her gaze caught Leif Derrick’s, he hung his head. Next to him, Sonny Wattyr turned an alarming shade of red as a little winged faerie, sporting a bedazzled white cape, flew over their heads. The creature landed his little blue suede shoes on the guard’s broad shoulder and stared at Lark, his wide grin spreading between long sideburns.
What in the realm is the notorious “Elvish” doing here?
Let me know what you think, will you? 🙂
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Write on!
Ann Narcisian Videan
Write. Edit. Publish. Word-of-mouth strategy.
Check out my books on Amazon and Kindle.
ann@annvidean.com
