The Lion’s Pride
By Natalie Crown
‘She is the reason
your friends are dead. She should pay the price for that
betrayal.’
Not long ago Kammy
had led a simple existence, stuck on an island, with only her Gran
and Jamie to care about. Now she knows she is half Semei and of royal
blood, in possession of an item that could bring about a war that
would destroy the world, and so the worlds within it. She cannot go
back and, despite everything, she does not want to.But she is haunted
by the man – the king – that shadows her.Bagor and
his army wait. In
three days he will march into Emire and he will take everything.Kammy
and her friends have one hope. They must find Danorrah; a cursed
city, lost to the memory of all. Bagor will hunt them, every step of
the way, determined to claim the Key and to claim her. It is all well
and good that Kammy does not want to go back to her old life, but she
will need the blessing of the Mother if she is to elude Bagor and
hang on to her new one.
Excerpt;
Extract from Chapter
Three
Kammy rolled the
chunk of bread across the plate. She had spent the last few minutes
slathering it with the Semei's salty butter in the hope that it might
appear more appetising. No such luck. She forced the bread to her
mouth and took a bite, chewing slowly. It tasted like nothing and
stuck to her teeth, but she knew she had to eat. She did not want to
be weak when she faced whatever horror was in store for them next. It
was the second morning since Bagor's ultimatum; surely something
horrible would happen soon.
She
sighed and her eyes shifted towards the bed in the corner. She wanted
to curl up beneath the sheets and sleep for days. Her body ached
whenever she moved and her eyes fluttered closed with increasing
frequency. But, staring at that bed, she remembered when Fii had told
her a story about the Mother and Kammy had thought it sounded like a
fairytale. Kammy looked away quickly. This world had come to mean so
much to her in such a short time, but it was no fairytale.
Fii had
come back for her and Fii had died. Many others had died too, but the
memory of Fii's blood would not release Kammy. She could still feel
it on her skin, clinging to her. How long had Bagor been watching?
Had he been there when the first arrow had fallen, enjoying the
chaos? Had he followed Fii, and then waited until she was dead so
that Kammy was alone? Had he been at Kammy's shoulder, close enough
to touch, the entire time?
Kammy
forced down another bite.
Would
they be shunned? For it was their presence that had summoned Bagor.
Shunned or not, it would be humans that were vilified. With every
strike from Bagor, the resentment would grow. Seeve would not be able
to bury it, respected as he was. The people would hate Bagor, but
they would fear him more. Humans would be the scapegoats for their
bitterness, Kammy knew. She only wished she could make them
understand that if the humans were threatened, they could hurt the
Semei in more terrible ways than Bagor could even dream.
Kammy's
gaze fixed on nothing, but her mind soared over the town and beyond
the walls. He was out there, but he could also be anywhere, and that
uncertainty made her skin tingle with trepidation.
Except,
that fury wavered. It did not lessen but it jerked sideways into a
confusion that sickened her. Kammy gave up on the bread and slumped
across the table with a groan.
For
whatever twisted reason, Bagor showed her kindness and she wanted him
to stop. She did not want to have to wonder why he treated her so.
Come
with me,
he had said and for one horrible second she had considered it. It did
not matter that she refused him in the end; she would never forget
her moment of cowardice. Because cowardice was what it was. If she
had gone with him she would be safe. If she were in Alashdial, she
would not have to see more blood
or watch more
death. She could hide away with all the material comforts that the
palace held. She had hoped that he was her father, just so she would
have an excuse to be so weak.
But she
had not gone with him. Kammy closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
She would see more pain and sorrow, there was no doubt. She would do
what Fii would have wanted, what she hoped her mother would have
wanted, though she could not be sure; Marianna Simbassi was as much a
mystery to her as Bagor, it seemed. For all Kammy knew, Mary Helselth
had been little more than a shade of an entirely different woman.
Kammy
rubbed at her eyes and shook herself. Not long ago she had led a
simple existence, stuck on an island, only caring about her Gran and
Jamie. Now, she was half Semei and of royal blood, in possession of
an item that could bring about a war that would destroy two worlds.
But she could not go back, and regardless of her fear and confusion,
it was a relief to find that she did not want to.
There
was a knock at the door and before Kammy had a chance to lift her
head somebody pushed inside the room. Kammy twisted in her seat to
look over her shoulder.
Tayah
stood in the doorway with her arms folded. Her braid was immaculate
and her eyes wide with energy. Kammy stared at her in wonder. She
wished she could be so put together in the face of such tragedy.
'Come
on,' Tayah clapped her hands, 'Seeve is ready to meet.'
Kammy
nodded and stood. She ran a hand through her hair and decided that
she didn't particularly care what it looked like. In the great scheme
of things, what did it matter?
Kammy
grabbed her belt, checking for the familiar weight of the Key. 'Let's
go then.'
ABOUT THE WOLF’S CRY, BOOK 1 OF THE SEMEI TRILOGY
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
I grew up in a
village called Swilland, in the countryside of Suffolk, England.
There wasn’t much around, other than farms and fields, but for the
most part I loved it, and I still do. I’m a passionate person by
nature. I don’t just LIKE things, I LOVE things. Whether it’s a
book, a film, or a sports team. Once I decide to enjoy something, I
enjoy it to the MAX.
I’m a terrible
cook. I prioritise essential social media work over keeping my flat
tidy, because I know best. I
Onto my love of
reading and, consequently, writing – it was my dad that played a
big role in encouraging me to read. He didn’t push me towards books
necessarily; he simply read a lot himself. Then I would pick up his
books and read them after him. I was reading high and epic fantasy
from a very young age. I guess that might explain why I have always
loved adventure stories with magic and intrigue and princes and
princesses in.
I was aware that I
wanted to ‘be a writer’ from a very young age. I was convinced I
would be the first best seller that hadn’t reached double figures
in age yet! I wrote about the Danshees, furry creatures that lived
through a mirror. I wrote about a Sand Bottle that transported a boy
into a world of magic. I wrote about a sick girl finding a music boy
that healed her, but transported her back in time. (Wow, I always
have loved alternate universes…)
When I was eight I
wrote my first novel called The Land of No Return. Despite the title,
I am determined to return to it one day. I feel like I owe it to my
past self. So, as you can see, I have always been writing. There have
been times when I have gone weeks without scratching down a word.
Then there are days where I churn out multiple chapters and only my
body’s silly desire for sleep and/or food can stop me.
I write because I
enjoy it. I write fantasy because I enjoy it. I try my hardest to put
something of myself into my writing. I like to think my characters
have depth, I like to think that my fantasy worlds reflect upon the
real world in some way. You guys will be the judge of that but even
if you don’t agree I know that I at least try and I can do no more
than that.
These days I live in
North London and I love it. I work full time and London is a hectic
city. Juggling work, writing and a social life is tough but nobody is
forcing me to do it so I can’t complain. The dream is that writing
will be my career one day but it doesn’t matter if I never quite
make it. I love writing too much to ever pack it in.
I am desperate to
get a dog. My mum suspects I miss my cats at home more than I miss
her. I am a devout Arsenal/Ferrari/Rafael Nadal fan. I get all mad
when confronted with a case of social injustice and then I get all
mad when people take the fight for social justice too far. I mostly
keep those thoughts to myself and simmer with rage. I watch good TV
and bad TV, because I can. What I can’t do is enjoy bad books
(subjective opinion of course). I just can’t.
GIVEAWAY
$25 Amazon gift card
& copy of The Wolf's Cry or The Lion's Pride in paperback (INT),
two (2) additional winners will receive a copy of The Wolf's Cry or
The Lion's Pride in paperback (INT)
Ends Aug. 18th
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I love the cover! Sounds like a great read!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for taking part in the book tour!! It's so exciting to finally have this book out there :)
ReplyDeleteThank you for the giveaway!
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