Title:
Dream: Part 2 of Mental Damnation
Author:
Konn Lavery
Genre:
Dark Fantasy
Book Blurb:
Gatekeeper Danil found and used Krista in an unholy ritual which completes her infection of Mental Damnation. It is the very disease that collapsed her leaders and wrecked havoc among her people, how will she maintain her sanity through the visions of hell?
Excerpt:
Child . . .
Blind and Blameless.
Child . . .
Naïve and New.
Child . . .
Innocence fills you.
Child . . .
Curious and Cute.
Child . . .
Such a bane.
Child . . .
I welcome you to my domain!
You won’t lose me, Krista. I’ve always been here with you. I always will.
Krista sprung up from her prone position, panting heavily; blankets fell from her torso and onto her lap. Being exposed to the room’s cool air made her aware of how cold and dry the scales were on her neck and down her backside. The icy chill caused her entire body to shake and the sides of her head throbbed with each heartbeat. Her vision swayed and it was difficult to maintain a sense of balance. The area was bright—blindingly bright.
A deep voice shouted. “It moved!”
Krista looked around for the source of the voice, but the brightness of the room still overpowered her sight like she was gazing directly into a torch. Her eyes burned as she squinted, trying to see.
“Her eyes are on fire! I’ll get Paladin,” squealed a higher-pitched voice.
“She’s not burning, though,” the deep voice replied.
Krista kept moving her head: up, down, left, and right. Her eyes were adjusting to the light ever so slowly and she could now see the brick walls and stone floor. Krista looked over her shoulder and saw the rough outline of a humanoid watching her. Their arms were folded and their face, neck, and hands were of a light tone.
Who is that?
She sat straight up and kicked the blankets off to get a better look at the being. It was still challenging to make out the rest of the room; she could not see the walls but her eyesight was becoming more stable. She could make out some of the humanoid’s details. Yes, the skin was a light tone and its figure masculine—red hair down to his shoulders, a beard, and a suit of armour. The sight of him made her feel uneasy for some reason.
Pale skin . . . hair?
He unfolded his arms and stepped closer, his brown eyes locked on her palms.
Krista swallowed heavily and clutched her hands together, body still shivering from the cold. “Back away,” she snapped.
The male kept approaching her.
“Back away!” she shouted as the blood pumped to the roots of her scalp-feathers, causing them to stand up.
“My God,” the male muttered.
“Back!” Krista jumped backward on the soft sheets covering the cushioned surface she rested on, putting pressure on her wounded arm. The weight on the injury caused her arm to collapse and she yelped. Losing her balance, she tumbled over the edge of the cushion. Krista landed on the stone floor with her wounded arm absorbing the impact. She cried out in pain and lashed her tail in the air, trying to scare the humanoid away.
“Stay away from me!” she hissed.
“What did you do, John?” a stern voice demanded.
“I didn’t do anything! It started to act irrationally when it woke,” the deep voice replied.
Krista shivered on the floor, skin rubbing against the smooth stone surface. She crawled toward the platform she’d been on—it was clear now that it was a metal table with a mattress and a woolen blanket on top—trying to hide from the beings.
A humanoid with dirty-blond hair stepped forward and blocked her way under the table. He was muscular in build and was dressed mostly in red with black pants and leather ankle-high boots.
“It’s okay,” he said gently while reaching out to her with his large hands.
Krista shook her head and leapt to her feet using her good arm as support. Her balance was unstable as she bolted in the direction of the most open gap in the room.
I’m getting out of here!
Before she knew it, she ran into a green wooden shelf, knocking down some books. She stumbled to the cold floor as a couple more books—luckily, lightweight—fell on top of her.
The coldness of the room was unbearable and the brightness made it difficult to see. The situation fueled her headache. It was challenging to maintain her thoughts, no matter the effort she made. Her instincts were in charge and she only felt the overpowering need to run.
The dirty-blond-haired humanoid rushed over to Krista’s slumped body and looked down. “She’s not well.” He kneeled and gently picked her up, tightening his grasp to prevent her from squirming. “She’s cold as ice,” he observed, bringing her back to the table.
“Leave me alone!” Krista tried to wiggle free from the humanoid’s arms, but it was no use—he was stronger than her.
“She speaks perfect English!” the high-pitched voice exclaimed. Now that Krista’s vision was clearer she could see that it belonged to another pale male with curly black hair.
“Rather loud, too,” remarked the deep-voiced male—the one that had been identified as John, with red hair and a beard.
The dirty-blond-haired male gently placed her on the cushioned surface of the operating table. “We’re not here to hurt you, girl,” he said calmly, covering her with the soft blankets. “Your arm is deeply wounded and you seem to have a fever, so you need to rest.”
Krista relaxed her muscles and admitted to herself that the male was probably right. He knew of my injury. How was I hurt, anyway? She shifted her body to a more comfortable position and closed her eyes.
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November is a time to be thankful. What are you most thankful for this year?
I am thankful for my pet cat, Spank. I adopted her six years ago and we’ve been inseparable since. She enjoys curling up behind me while I write.
Why is your featured book worth snuggling up to?
Dream continues right where Reality left off. Although, it can be read on it’s own. For dark fantasy lovers, and binge readers, this will suck you into a world of evil and adventure.
Giveaway –
One lucky reader will win a $75 Amazon gift card.
You must have an active Amazon US or Amazon Canada account to be eligible. Open internationally.
Runs November 1 – 30
Drawing will be held on December 1.
Author Biography:
Konn Lavery is a Canadian author whose work has been recognized by Edmonton’s top five bestseller charts and by reviewers such as Readers’ Favorite, Literary Titan, and by award programs such as indieBRAG, The Wishing Shelf Book Awards, Literary Titan, and Dan Poynter’s Global Ebook Awards. His work has also been curated into the Edmonton Public Library’s Capital Press collection.
He started writing stories at a young age while being homeschooled. After graduating from graphic design college, he began professionally pursuing his writing with his first release, Reality. He continues to write in the thriller, horror, and fantasy genres.
His literary work is balanced alongside his graphic design and website development business. Konn’s visual communication skills have been transcribed into the formatting and artwork found within his publications, supporting his transmedia storytelling fascination. The previous works have also included musical scores primarily composed by Konn with occasional collaborators, also found within his audiobooks.
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