I am happy to present a short peek inside the upcoming fantasy adventure series Wizard of Ends, an upcoming fantasy adventure series by indie author Vanessa Finaughty. So sit back, get comfortable and enjoy this exclusive extract from the first draft. Oh, and the author assures me that Book One of the series will be free!!!
A deeper growl interrupted Lashlor, and he spun to face the sound. An adult gabbertok stood staring at them, salivating.
“Kill it, wizard,” the queen commanded.
Lashlor reached for his bow, but the queen’s incredulous voice froze his arm midway.
“What are you doing?”
“Preparing to kill it,” he said, without taking his eyes from the gabbertok.
Lashlor sensed the queen’s displeasure when she said, “I meant use magic. You’re taking a chance with my life… our lives… for what?”
“Magic should not be used unless there is no other way and the situation is life or death.”
“It is life or death!” exclaimed the beefy Guard of Ends, taking a step back when the gabbertok took one closer.
“But there is another way,” Lashlor said, drawing an arrow.
“Unbelievable,” the queen muttered.
“Wizard, please!” Beefy pleaded. “My wife is preg-!”
The gabbertok roared, a sound like no other, piercing yet deep, and utterly terrifying. It gave one last snarl – as if it had any hope of intimidating them more than it already had – then charged.
Lashlor nocked and released an arrow, but the great beast twisted aside mid-air and the arrow flew harmlessly past. It landed just short of them, glanced back to make sure its offspring was still okay, then turned and snarled, its sharp fangs glinting menacingly in the moonlight.
Standing tall beside Lashlor, Queen Narraki commanded, “Wizard, fulfil your promise to protect me.”
Lashlor loosed another arrow, this one hitting the gabbertok square in its left eye. It screeched, an unholy sound if he had ever heard one, then turned to race back to its young. The two charged into the bushes. She was trying to get the young gabbertok as far from the humans as possible, he knew, in the hopes they would not kill it too. Lashlor almost felt sorry for both – the little one, for its father would eat it without the mother around to prevent it, and the mother, for she would die within minutes.
Filled with sadness, Lashlor slung his bow over his shoulder again. “My Queen.” He bowed. “As always, at your service.” He straightened and looked at the Guards of Ends. “So what now?”
Queen Narraki turned on him. “What were you thinking?” Her eyes flashed with anger, yet her tone was even.
Lashlor shivered. “That my archery skills would save us.”
The queen eyed him, then took a step back. “You aren’t one of those mad wizards, are you? The ones who get themselves killed by living in a fantasy world?”
Lashlor smiled. “No, My Queen, I am most certainly not.”
Did you enjoy it? Want to read more? You aren’t alone. One thing’s for sure, it’ll be a tough wait. In the mean time we’ll just have to settle for other books from the same author. To that end, a short biography and links to where you can follow the author are provided below. (Disclaimer: This blog is an affiliate of Smashwords and therefore any purchases from that retailer may result in a small amount of money making its way into my pocket.)
A Brief Author’s Bio
Her passion for the written word started her career as an editor and copywriter and she ran a writers’ critique group for close on seven years. She’s been writing ever since she learnt how, has always been an avid reader, and currently lives on coffee and her e-cigarette.
Her interests include reading, photography, the supernatural, life’s mysteries and martial arts, of which she has five years’ experience.
Follow Vanessa’s blog
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Watch for our upcoming interview with Vanessa Finaughty.
