ABOUT THE EMISSARY:
Title: The Emissary
Publication date: September 23, 2014
Publisher: Month9Books, LLC.
Author: Kristal Shaff
For hundreds of years, dark clouds covered the skies of Adamah, and an ageless king ruled. Those who emerged with one of six extraordinary Shay powers were forced into the king’s army, an unmatched force with inhuman Strength, Speed, Accuracy, Perception, Empathy, and Healing. With the army behind him, the king—a man who wields all six abilities—was invincible and unquestioned in his rule. To most, serving the king was an honor. But for others, it was a fate worse than death.
When seventeen-year-old Nolan Trividar witnesses the transformation of his brother from kind to cruel after entering the king’s army, he vows never to follow the same path.
So when his own power—the Shay of Accuracy—comes upon him at the Tournament of Awakening, Nolan conceals his emergence instead of joining the king’s ranks. For years, he traitorously hides his power, pretending to be only a gifted scribe. But when Nolan comes face -to-face with a deserter, the man discovers his secret.
To evade detection and a death sentence, Nolan escapes with the deserter and flees into a night filled with dark creatures who steal both powers and souls. He joins a resistance, a village hidden deep in the forest, filled with others who secretly wield a Shay. But his peace is short-lived when they discover that the dark clouds, undead creatures, their own decreasing powers, and even the king, are all connected.
Prologue
It
happens sometimes—the power of the Shay. It consumes those it chooses. Nolan
had watched the others when their Shays emerged. He studied the torment on
their faces and the building of the light in their eyes. He memorized each
subtle change as the all-encompassing power took over them. It didn’t come
about often during the tournament, but when it did, he paid attention to every
detail. He’d be ready. At least that’s what he hoped.
He’d
survived so far, gotten past the other trials unchanged. But, the powers come
randomly. So knowing that, Nolan prepared … just in case a Shay chose him.
“Wake
up, idiot,” Kael said.
Shaking
away his thoughts, Nolan returned to the trial at hand. The Trial of Accuracy—his
last test before returning home, back to his dad and uncle, back to the normal
life with the fishing boat and the sea.
Kael
glared at him. The brother he once knew gone with those hate-filled eyes. Kael
wore black breeches, gold cape, leather jerkin, and a deadly sword sheathed at
his side: the uniform of the Rol’dan, the king’s power-filled army. Kael shoved
the bow into Nolan’s hands and pointed to a grassy hill. On the other side, an
archery range waited.
The
others watched as Nolan stepped out, Kael’s wide strides alongside him. Silence
fell, apart from the gentle flapping of Rol’dan flags. The dew-coated grass
cushioned the sound of their footfalls as they climbed the hill.
The
trials were too much, really, too much for any fifteen-year-old. Barbaric.
Cruel. Yet the others watched Nolan anxiously, expectant. Opportunity, they
claimed, even though fear ticked across their faces. The only opportunity Nolan
saw was for the Rol’dan archers to turn them into practice dummies. Now it was
his turn.
Gloomy
clouds pressed overhead and churned, adding to the darkness of Nolan’s mood.
They reached the top of the hill and the range came into view. At the base of
the hill, a line of ancient trees reached to brush the murky clouds, providing
the backdrop for a solitary ringed target.
“Over
there.” Kael pointed to a quiver of arrows embedded into the ground. A Rol’dan
solider stood next to it, his arms crossed, staring at Nolan with a sly smile.
Reluctantly, Nolan joined him.
Getting
into position, the target blurred at the edges—a result of Nolan’s flawed
sight. The distance was too far, yet he could still make out the shapes of the
archers standing on either side of the colorful target, their bows drawn, their
eyes glowing with their Shay.
He
swallowed. This would not be good.
“Ready!”
Kael grinned.
Pulling
back the bow, Nolan aimed and let an arrow fly. It whistled through the air,
ending with the rustle of leaves. Nolan’s stomach dropped. He’d missed the
target all together.
The
twang of a Rol’dan bowstring sounded. Nolan’s leg collapsed. He cried out as a
blue-feathered arrow shaft embedded into his thigh. Blood oozed from the wound,
his leg trembling uncontrollably. He’d never felt anything quite like it
before.
“Get
up!” Kael yelled. He strode over and threw the bow at him—Nolan hadn’t realized
he’d dropped it.
He
tried to rise but dropped to one knee as pain stabbed once again through his
leg.
“I
said get up!” Kael said, glowering.
Nolan
stood, with effort. Concentrating on breathing, he attempted to focus somewhere
else instead of on his throbbing leg. Raising his bow again, his arm shook
violently. He pulled back and released the arrow too soon; it thudded into the
ground.
The
return arrow came, hitting in the same leg. Tears formed in his eyes as he fell
to the ground again.
Kael
poked him with a polished black boot. “We don’t have all day.”
Then
Nolan felt it. Past the pain. Past Kael cursing in his ear. A pressure began to
build. He closed his eyes just as the Shay of Accuracy blazed to life inside of
him.
Gritting
his teeth, he held back a scream as the change happened. He squeezed his eyes
tightly closed, feeling the warmth of the light illuminating under his lids.
With every effort he could muster, he pushed down the foreign sensations. The
intensity faded slightly, and he looked at Kael, expecting a shocked expression
on his face as he witnessed Nolan’s transformation. Instead, Kael glared. He
hadn’t seen the change.
Tremors
shot through Nolan’s leg as he stood. Kael shoved the bow at him again. The
Shay power still lingered, fighting its way through Nolan’s restraint. He held
the bow and the power inside swelled. He forced it down again, causing more
agony than the arrows in his leg. He groaned.
“For
Brim’s sake, Nolan,” Kael said. “Just get the nightforsaken thing over with,
will you?”
Pulling
back the bow, the Shay guided him toward the center of the target.
The
thought of his peers waiting on the other side of the hill made him pause. They
all wanted a Shay power. For with the power, came the prestige of the Rol’dan
army. Nolan knew if he made the shot, life would be easy. His father would love
him. The others would all envy him. He would be an honored and respected
Rol’dan.
Kael
scowled, impatient.
Nolan
remembered a time when Kael had smiled easily. Of course, that had been before
joining the Shay Rol’dan. The other soldiers nearby all wore the same,
arrogant, angry expressions. Nolan knew he would become the same. The Rol’dan
would change him into one of them. Selfish. Bitter. Cruel. It was the
inevitable fate for all who came into one of the Shay powers. A traitorous
death awaited those who refused.
Aiming
for the tree, he held his new Accuracy as it fought to break free. He released
the string and the arrow whipped through the empty space, impaling a leaf with
perfect precision. He blinked, astounded at how easy it had been. It seemed
like he’d failed, but Nolan had shot exactly where he’d intended.
He
refused to be a Rol’dan.
Nolan
closed his eyes for the return fire, waiting for the arrow that would seal his
traitorous secret behind a commoner’s fate.
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ABOUT KRISTAL SHAFF
Kristal Shaff grew up with books (and used to drive her mom crazy when she wouldn’t leave the library); her first job was even shelving books at the library. She loves anything creative, and you can often find her exploring strange and fantastical worlds in her choices of movies and fantasy fiction. Kristal resides in Iowa with her farmer husband, numerous pets, and 3 awesome kids (plus one more on the way though the journey of adoption). When she isn’t writing, she is a professional face painter who enjoys making children smile.
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Winner will be drawn October 25, 2014
Five (5) winners will receive a digital copy of The Emissary by Kristal Shaff (INT)
