Serpent
on a Cross
Book
One
Wendy
C. Garfinkle
Genre:
Medieval Fantasy/ Jewish Fantasy
Publisher:
Booktrope Publishing
Date
of Publication: September 2, 2014
ISBN:
978-1-62015-507-3
ISBN:
978-1-62015-523-3
Number
of pages: 176
Cover
Artist: Loretta Matson
Book
Description:
Dennah
Dubrovnika is a formidable hunter and talented healer. However, she
cannot control her own powers, which have suddenly reawakened in the
aftermath of her mother’s violent capture by a powerful warlord who
destroyed their village in his wake. As she races to free her mother,
Dennah is accompanied by Jeth, the man she loves. But she’s
increasingly, inexorably drawn to the mysterious Skallon who is
allied with her greatest enemy.
Will
Dennah be able to gain a measure of control over her magic or will
she lose everything and everyone she loves to its raging inferno?
Serpent
on a Cross is Book One in a Jewish fantasy adventure series set in
Medieval Eastern Europe.
Excerpt:
Stomach
churning, a sour taste in her mouth, Dennah hovered above the
massacre from her nest in the ash tree she’d climbed at the edge of
the forest.
Guilt
twisted a knot in her belly as she remembered Mamen’s order to
flee, but she couldn’t leave; she might be needed. So she’d
climbed the tallest leafiest tree she could quickly find, its
branches extending almost to the roof of their cottage. She fastened
the leather bracer on her left forearm, finger guards on her drawing
hand, in case she was forced to shoot the ash bow. After stringing
it, she set it and the bag of arrows in the cradle of two limbs a
little above her and out of easy reach so she wouldn’t be tempted
to fire down upon the invaders.
From
her perch she saw the soldiers enter the shtetl, thundering over the
ramparts as if they were fagots; they crushed the golden fields of
barley, and wheat, forcing the defenders to give way or be trampled
beneath hammering hooves. Seeing the guardsmen attack the horses to
unseat the soldiers, her heart raced. Get them! What right have they
to attack our home?! Anger boiled just under her skin. Her gaze
sharpened and the branch grew warm beneath the grip of her fingers.
Though there was no breeze, the limbs of her tree swayed gently.
Almost
without thought, as if her hands had a will of their own, she pulled
bow and quiver within reach and nocked an arrow. With precise aim,
she inhaled, drawing the cord back, hearing the soft familiar creak
as it stretched. She released on the exhale. Gracefully, the arrow
sped toward its target, a soldier who’d edged up behind Marek and
raised his sword. The shaft caught him in the throat, sunk deep and
broke through the skin at the back of his neck. He fell with a thud,
blood mixing with fertile ground in a muddy pool beneath him.
Relieved of its burden, the soldier’s horse veered away from the
melee.
Marek,
eyes narrowing, seemed to find her hidden in the ash. He nodded
slightly and turned to face another foe. A surge of pleasure warmed
her at his wordless approval. Then there was no more time for
thought; only action. Again and again her arrows flew true; but she
was careful to watch for enemy soldiers looking in her direction. Her
stomach dropped when she saw first Yuri, then Selwyn, and finally
Yakkov surrounded and disarmed. A quick inventory of her quiver
yielded only four arrows. Not enough to free the guardsmen. I’m
sorry.
About
the Author:
Wendy
C. Garfinkle was born and raised in South Florida. She moved to
Northwest Texas in her early 20s, but returned to South Florida eight
years later. She holds five degrees, including MA and MFA in Creative
Writing from Wilkes University. She’s a poet, reading addict, and
collector of interesting clothing tags, which she recycles into
bookmarks.
She
has served as a copy editor and reader for Hippocampus Magazine, an
online nonfiction lit journal, and as a reader for the James Jones
First Novel Fellowship. Wendy is a crime analyst for a local law
enforcement agency, and lives with her teenage son.
Tour giveaway 5 ebook copies of Serpent on a Cross
1 Paperback copy Serpent on a Cross (US only)
2 Amazon giftcards ($10 each) 1 pack of Swag open to US Shipping
a Rafflecopter giveaway
My jaws literally as on the floor as it can be..I have to have surgery, but this is a jaw dropper!!
ReplyDelete