Title: Scry Wolf
Author: Christina Herlyn
Genre: Dark Sword and Sorcery
Book Blurb:
How to get a man who hates prophecies to fulfill one and save the magic of the forest...
Amili knows the magic of Griseo Wood is dependent on the Wolves who call it home. But their power has dwindled and their leadership has waned. When Tavek the Warlock scries a suggestion that the new Lord of the Wolves meets Queen Gratia of Alithia, Amili will face cruel Hunters, join forces with birds, and risk her life to make sure it happens. Meanwhile, Queen Gratia must be convinced that this new leader of a woods-people she has little to do with is actually worth a royal minute.
Excerpt:
Most men would likely wait to be addressed when standing before such a grim council, but Lykos walked up to the table and took command of the meeting first. His hand hovered over the burlap sack. “I brought you the head of Diavoalma.” He touched the egg with his other hand. “And the egg of a temeroserpen, which did not even touch me with its fiery breath.” He slid the sleeves of his tunic up to his elbows to show off his brown, unburned skin. “My petition to be your lord requires one more task.” He held his bared arms out to his side. “What shall it be?”
“It shall be what I see fit and when I see fit. You will not strong-arm our process.” She spoke from the doorway, her wild black curls nearly filling the space that her tall, slim body did not. Her cheekbones were as sharp as her tongue and her black eyes sparked with gold magic.
The Magissa was everything Amili had hoped to be when she first learned she held magic: commanding, regal, and radiating power stronger than the stench of the monster’s head on the table. Respect was difficult to gain when you were smaller than an adolescent and fond of braids in your silver hair. But Amili still narrowed her eyes at the Witch of the Wolves as her purple skirts swished past. She wouldn’t let this woman ruin their quest to save Griseo Wood just because she craved a little power.
The Magissa moved to stand at one end of the table and stare at Lykos whose face had not shown emotion since he’d smiled for his mother. If the Magissa wanted him flustered, she’d failed. She sized him up and read his caeli. Amili knew, because the air between the two of them charged with magic. Her eyes bore into his. “Perhaps you should come back tomorrow. Boy.”
Amili swallowed a growl. Tiern stiffened next to her. She shook her head, hoping Lykos felt her energy. This witch sought control over him. She’d run through a half dozen tactics in the short time since she’d entered, all to gain an upper hand that he refused to give. But Amili should have known by now that Lykos was not easily baited.
He inclined his head and arched one inky brow. “Today, tomorrow, next week, the results will be the same, regardless. You delay the inevitable.”
One of the men on the Wolf council stood and pointed at him. “Just because you are Kynn’s son does not mean we must accept your petition as our new lord!”
Lykos smiled and his dark eyes glistened like dangerous jewels. “No, my leadership, my command of combat, my slaying of the Leaping Devil, my capturing of a flying, flame-spitting snake’s egg, and my completion of whatever task you choose next, must result in your acceptance.”
“How dare—”
“Oh, stop it, Jarem.” The remaining woman on the council glared at the man until he sat down. Then she looked to the Magissa who had used the exchange to break eye contact with Lykos first and save face. “Please, give him the final task so we can be done with this.”
Irritation brightened the Magissa’s eyes before she smothered it and nodded. “As you wish.” A small smile touched her full lips as she addressed Lykos once more. “You will go to Theoss Glade and challenge the forest. If Griseo’s magic spares you, then you are the Lord of the Wolves.”
“What!” Amili shot out of her chair. “You would pit a forest guardian against the very entity he protects? What an idiotic, gross misuse of—”
“I accept.” Lykos bowed low and turned his head toward Amili while his face remained near his knees. He winked and shook his head at her.
“Who is this tiny disrupter?” The Magissa brought up the edge of her purple cloak as she pointed at Amili.
Lykos stood tall. “Amili is my personal healer.”
The Magissa smiled with strong, yellowing teeth more predatory than any of the Wolves, yet. “You will need her.”
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What makes your featured book a must-read?
“A swoon-worthy hero, a queen who rules with fairness and is intimately connected to one who controls with fear, a seer, and a forest witch. They all come alive with the author's every word. The fight scenes are drawn with vivid attention to detail and the battles keep us on the edge of our seats. The mystery and magic intoxicate. And, true to her Evolutionary Magic series, the dialogue is always witty and often irreverent. Herlyn does not disappoint.” – Amazon reviewer
Giveaway –
Enter to win a $35 Amazon gift card:
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Runs November 15 – November 24, 2022.
Winner will be drawn on November 25, 2022.
Author Biography:
Christina Herlyn is the author of the Andromeda Bochs urban fantasy series as well as the Dark Fairytales series that includes Scry Wolf and Touch of Red, a dark fantasy retelling of Little Red Riding Hood. She grew up in Texas and Oklahoma but now lives in the Midwest where she earned a BA in History from William Jewell College. She writes fantasy because dragons and witches wouldn't stay out of the perfectly normal historical novel she tried to write. She worships the sun and exercises just enough to avoid being the first casualty in a zombie apocalypse. Her husband and three kids probably know she's a writer, but don't ask them to name her books. To be fair, don't ask her the names of her husband and children while she's writing.
You can find all of Christina’s books plus free stories and news of upcoming releases at Christinaherlyn.com
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