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The legend begins when love and evil collide.
Blurb:
The
Dark Isle has been a refuge for evil since time began in the world of Winatuke,
and the most depraved and wicked of them all is the witch-queen, Mahara, who
rules over the malignant kingdom of darkness.
Mahara
has taken a captive, a prince of the Nimway people, and she plans to use him
for the revenge that burns in her soul. By forcing her own daughter, Isadore,
into marriage with Prince Gabriel, she hopes to gain the power she craves over
the Nimway—especially her ex-lover and Isadore’s father, Raven.
Her
scheme goes awry when love begins to grow between Isadore and Gabriel. Isadore
realizes the only way to save Gabriel is for them to escape together, but at
the last minute, that plan fails. Separated from Gabriel, Isadore is
forced to continue to the Nimway kingdom of Valmora alone to seek help from her
mother’s enemies.
Once
Isadore gains their trust, Gabriel’s brother, Raphael, volunteers to travel to
present-day Earth to get help. To save his brother, he must bring Raven back to
the world of Winatuke, and ask him to risk his own life in the battle against
Mahara’s evil forces.
It seems an impossible task. How can they ever defeat Mahara?
With the evil forces she can summon at will, it seems Gabriel’s life will be
forfeit. But Isadore refuses to allow that, risking her own life to save him.
Forced to follow her heart, Isadore wonders if she can ever win her father’s
trust or Gabriel’s love. She only knows she must defeat her mother’s evil
vendetta for all time. No matter the consequences she must vanquish THE
WITCH-QUEEN…
Excerpt: (Isadore and Prince Gabriel)
Isadore reached the bottom of
the stair and made her way with tentative care down the narrow passage to the
prisoner's cell. She had never ventured this far before. The dungeon was an
awful place. It smelled of damp stone, urine, and fear.
In the shadows of the cell, she
made out the Nimway's form as he stood facing the wall beyond the iron bars
with his back to her. He stood tall with a broad back that tapered to a narrow
waist and hips. From his back sprang two large, yellow wings etched in black.
They reminded her of the stained glass windows now falling from their frames in
the abandoned chapel of the north wing. The glow from a burning torch shone
through his hair and, in spite of its unkempt length and its need of washing,
it gleamed like a golden halo in the flickering torchlight. There he stood,
magnificent and beautiful, the Heir Apparent to the throne of Valmora, Prince
Gabriel of Fionn.
He must have sensed her
presence because he started to turn toward her. Her heart pounded against her
ribs. She could not catch her breath. Inside her mind her thoughts ran in
excited disarray. But a smart rap on her shoulder gained her immediate attention.
A gasp escaped her when she turned to find her mother standing close behind
her. Mahara had found her out. "What do you think you are doing,
Isadore?" Her black eyes darkened and narrowed with suspicion. Without
waiting for an answer she grabbed Isadore’s hand in a painful grasp and jerked
her around. "Come with me NOW," Mahara commanded.
Excerpt: (Prince Raphael and Rose)
He gazed into her frightened
eyes. "You must never take my world, the Nimway or the Black Blood Clan so
lightly. There are battles being fought between good and evil every day of
which you know nothing." He clasped her arms tightly in his hands.
"So know this: Mahara wants one thing more than any other—your father. She
has the blood lust. She will use any means that will get her what she wants.
Raven managed to slip through her hands and, worse, he took his true love with
him. If you think, she has forgotten this affront you are very much mistaken.
She never forgets. Even now, she is thinking of a way to take revenge, and when
she figures out how to carry out her diabolical plan, God save us all."
He loosened his grip on her
arms and noticed with dismay the red marks his hands had made. Raphael bent
down and kissed the marks on her arms. She sighed then leaned her head back
with her eyes closed. He could not help himself as he embraced her in his arms.
She dropped her head on his chest and wove her arms around his waist. His heart
hammered in his chest. "I am sorry." He spoke softly in her ear. His
breath caught as he removed the yellow, plastic clip from her hair and released
its dazzling brilliance that fell to her waist in flowing locks of fiery
copper.
It was almost painful being in
her embrace. She held on to him because she was afraid. He knew that. But the
nearness of her made him drunk with joy all the same. He tangled his hand in
her hair and slowly lowered his mouth to hers. She responded to his kiss and
Raphael burned with desire somewhere between heaven and hell. Oh God, how I want her, how I love her. If
only there was some way—
She pushed away from him. Her
voice was too high when she spoke and it wavered. "No. This can't
happen." Her hand flew to her mouth as if to wipe away his kiss.
"This can never be. Your dream was just a dream. Dad won't believe this so
called telling dream of yours or your
terrifying prediction. I can tell you for a fact you need never be concerned
that I would ever entertain the idea of entering the dark world of Winatuke
where you live. So, you can cease your concerns." She turned on her heel
and left him standing there.
