Through the end of May, I’m running a Smashwords promotion on all titles in the Rys Rising series. These novels were the fifth through eighth books that I’ve written. They serve as the prequel series for my first fantasy series, The Rys Chronicles.
Rys Rising is an epic fantasy that tells of events 2,200 years prior to The Rys Chronicles. At this time, the ancient kingdom of Nufal is ruled by the magical tabre race. The tabre created the rys, but did not like the results. Tabre religious leaders were also split on whether the rys should have been made at all. This is source of internal strife within tabre society that complicates their ability to defend themselves throughout the story.
Nufal is under attack by the rys as led by Onja, an ambitious and powerful rebel. She plans to destroy the tabre utterly and install herself as the ruler of all. The series portrays this momentous time from both sides of the conflict, and often from the point of view of the humans serving their magical masters.
Save on Ebooks at Smashwords
I’ve activated 50% off coupon codes at Smashwords through the end of May. This creates an excellent opportunity to download a great fantasy series at a reduced price. The epic can be your mental summer getaway inside your tablet.
Read an Excerpt from Savage Storm: Rys Rising Book II
At
the outskirts of the camp, Amar halted his group and had men unload
the two boxes of treasure. Amar proceeded to the center of the camp
in search of Lax Ar Fu. Four men followed him, carrying the heavy
boxes.
The
Lord of the Kez was under a large tree where a freshly killed deer
was hung up and being gutted. With the bloody spear still in his
hand, Lax Ar Fu was flush with high spirits from the hunt and he
turned to greet Amar with a disarmingly happy expression.
“At
last my young rogue returns to his lord,” Lax Ar Fu announced in
only a mildly scolding tone.
He
held his arms wide and swaggered out of the shade. The hot sunshine
sparkled on his hard bare chest draped in a fresh catch of gold
necklaces strung with quartz and gemstone beads. His smooth scalp
revealed every nuance of his skull and the black makeup around his
eyes made his brow and cheekbones look especially strong.
Amar
saluted him and dropped respectfully to his knees. “For the glory
of Vu, I bring the Temulanka retainer and the ransom for the
Sabar’Uto Princess,” he said.
Lax
Ar Fu chuckled. “So you turned over your little pet that you kept
hidden from me,” he remarked triumphantly, glad that Amar had given
up something he obviously coveted.
“I
did not hesitate in my duty,” Amar said. He remained on his knees
but watched Lax Ar Fu carefully as he sauntered closer.
The
men set the boxes down and opened them.
Lax
Ar Fu said, “Rise, Amar, let us admire my treasure together. You
have done well. I have much to teach you this summer. It will be good
to have you close for a change.”
Amar
got up. He watched impassively as Lax Ar Fu poked through the
treasure boxes with the end of his spear. At the second box he
commented that it looked a bit less than full. He then turned his
black-clad gaze onto his notorious lieutenant. “Have you been
stealing from your brothers?” he said.
“Why
would I take so little?” Amar rejoined with a hint of offense.
Concern
flickered across Lax Ar Fu’s features, but he quickly buried it
with a leader’s confidence. “You were supposed to be here two
days ago. Yesterday at the latest,” he complained.
“We
paused to celebrate our triumph in teaching the Temulanka to respect
Vu,” Amar explained.
“It
must have been quite a celebration,” Lax Ar Fu murmured. “I
suppose you took some time to play with your little princess before
turning her ruined ass over to the Temulanka.” He laughed lustily
as if Amar had played the funniest joke ever.
Amar
disliked Lax Ar Fu talking about Demeda and he wished that thoughts
of her did not bother him, which left him doubly irked.
Lax
Ar Fu returned his attention to the second chest and squatted next to
it. He shifted some gold and silver ingots around the box, mixing it
with the jewelry, and said, “Either you let the Temulanka short us
or someone has been dipping into my treasure.”
Amar
walked around Lax Ar Fu and placed himself so that the box was
between him and the Kez Overlord.
“Are
you seriously accusing me of stealing from you?” Amar said.
Lax
Ar Fu looked up at his brash young outlaw. He had easily detected the
exposed claws behind Amar’s words. A tingle of excitement shivered
along Lax Ar Fu’s nerves. He had a sense for when a man was going
to challenge him. It had been years since the last time he had
dispatched an uppity Kez brother, and Lax Ar Fu did not flinch from
the primal call to defend his rank. Battles such as this were what he
was meant for.
Amar kicked shut the chest and Lax Ar Fu had to snatch back his fingers. “I can hardly steal what is mine,” Amar said.
