The
Dragon in the Garden
The
Watcher Rising Series #1
by
Erika Gardner
Genre:
Epic Urban Fantasy
There
is magic beneath the mundane and in The Dragon in the Garden, Siobhan
Orsini witnesses it all. No lie can fool her, no glamour or illusion
can cloud her Sight. She sees through them all and wishes she could
close her eyes. Returning to face her past, Siobhan inherits her
grandparents’ house in California’s wine country. She encounters
a talking dragon, a hot fallen angel, a demon lord, a Valkyrie, and,
oh yes, her ex-boyfriend. And that is just in the first twenty-four
hours.
It’s
time to find out why she has this power.
Siobhan
seeks out the Oracle and learns that only her Sight can help mankind
navigate the travails of an ancient war. Our world is the prize in a
battle between the dragons, who would defend us, and Lucifer’s
fallen angels, who seek to take the Earth for themselves. Using her
gift, she will have to make a choice that will decide humanity’s
future.
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Before I could run, Ian caught one of my arms with a painful twist.
Unlike earlier, his expression exuded neither neutral nor curious. It had
turned predatory. The hatred in his eyes, no longer veiled, burned. Something
had changed. I swallowed hard. My mind raced. The conflicting kaleidoscope of
images filled my vision. I struggled to move, but stayed immobile in his
impossibly strong grip. Terror built then exploded inside me.
Ian roughly grabbed my shoulders and spoke intently, “Haroa. I see you, Watcher.”
“Lo, Innon!”
I spun at the powerful shout, breaking Ian’s grasp and the visions’
hypnotic spell.
The man I had helped yelled at Ian in fury. “No, Innon!”
Ian stepped back. His face contorted with rage. “Turel, I found her. I see her. This is my right.”
The dark-haired man folded his arms. He radiated authority. “No, for now
I see her and there are laws that
will not be broken. The human Haroa shall be present. She is in my Sight and in
Our gaze. You will submit or pay forfeit, Innon.”
The two men locked stares. I gasped as the man called Turel began to
glow. The light, the sunshine in his eyes suffused his entire being. Shifting
waves undulated above him. The area above his back and shoulders concealed a pocket
in reality. As Daisy once hid her bulk from my five-year old self’s eyes in the
garden, Turel masked his wings.
Turel’s light grew brighter, more dazzling than a morning sunrise. He
barked a command. “Hit’alem, Innon, I say begone.” Ian shot one more covetous
glance at me and disappeared.
“Holy shit.” Tim sat up and stared at us, his face dazed.
I shielded my eyes with one hand
as I stared at the glory of an angel revealed.
Turel cupped one hand under my chin, tilting my face to meet his gaze. He
kissed one of my cheeks and then the other. His expression softened as he
regarded me. “Siobhan Isabella Orsini, my blessing is on you,” he intoned.
How did he know my name?
“My name is Turel. I am one of the Two Hundred Fallen. We are the
Observers of this war. You have my blessing and my protection as foretold. May
you always see true. Shalom.” He
pressed his lips to my forehead.
“I can offer my blessing and my protection over your home,” he offered.
“Do you wish me to include your garden, too?”
I opened my mouth, but for once, nothing came out of it. I tried again.
“What?”
“I say unto you, do you want me to include the garden?”
Thinking of Ian in my yard earlier, I found my voice. “Yes, I need my
garden protected.”
Turel winked at me. “Good girl.”
Erika
is a sixth generation San Franciscan of Irish descent. She attended
the University of California at Davis and completed degrees in
Medieval History and Biological Sciences. A lifelong lover of books
and a scribbler of many tales from a young age (her first story was
completed at age five) she turned to writing full-time in 2011.
On
a personal level she loves spicy food, twilight, dark chocolate (with
sea salt-yum!) and nickel slots at Vegas. Erika lives for time with
friends, a nice glass of red wine, “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” &
“Doctor Who” and good conversation. Her favorite things to do are
running, cooking, reading, needlework, gardening… and of course,
writing. Erika's music of choice is heavy metal. To pick her out in a
lineup you should know that she is very short, fairly loud, and has
dark eyebrows. The rest, as her hero Anne McCaffrey once said in her
bio, “is subject to change without notice”.
Erika
resides in Northern California with her incredibly hot husband, their
three amazing kids, and their chocolate Labrador named Selkie. To
reach Erika regarding her books, wine recommendations, or to debate
which Iron Maiden album is the best (clearly, it’s Brave New World)
Follow
the tour HERE
for exclusive excerpts, guest posts and a giveaway!
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