A Veil of Shadows (The Shadow Gate Chronicles #2)
Genre: YA Fantasy
Release Date: September 22nd 2017
NeverHaven Press
Summary:
A desperate search leads to a new world
Naomi and Gavin are on the run. Having narrowly escaped Azzmon’s
clutches, they find themselves hunted by Malick, another Shade Lord. He has
amassed an army of foul creatures, and the city-state of Tarravale stands on
the brink of chaos. Naomi’s ability to open Shadow Gates makes her an alluring
target, and the Shade Lord will stop at nothing to possess her. The children
must find a way to escape before their new world is buried in an unwinnable
war.
Buy Links: Amazon
Excerpt:
Naomi was desperate to get away. She looked for any
opening in the crowd but found a growing sea of figures filling in the shadows
of the night. Another surge pressed up against her back, and she stumbled
forward as someone pushed her from behind. Naomi fought to get back into the
crowd, but something grabbed her hand. She was yanked out into the line of
dancing fiends, lunging around the fire before she remembered her armor. The drunken,
foul thing she’d stripped at the edge of the foothills had been one of the
goblins, and it was apparent they expected her to join in on the dance.
The beat came from a row of goblins seated in a line
close to the fire. The creatures slammed their fists on crude instruments in a
semi-coordinated arrangement. Naomi was pulled into a loose circle, prancing
around the musicians. Terror instantly set in and she froze. It took two
well-placed jabs in her side to get her moving again.
It all started with a hop. Naomi focused on the creature
in front of her and did her best to ignore the hooting and hollering of the
surrounding spectators. She caught on to the steps as her growing panic mixed
with a strange determination to get it right. It took a few moments for her to
grasp the basic moves, and then she added in a few of her own to make it her
thing. She tried to forget that she was boogying in the very center of an enemy
camp. Her mental block had little effect on keeping out the roar of the crowd,
but it allowed her to remain focused on what she was doing.
Her unfitted armor came with its own share of issues. The
chest plate was too big for a teenage girl while managing to be too short at
the same time. Naomi was forced to hold onto her helmet with both hands to keep
it from slipping off as she danced. The pace of the drums picked up,
encouraging the performers to do the same. The train of goblins moved at an
alarming speed, and before long Naomi had to hop, skip, and jump to keep up.
The entire ordeal culminated in a group howl that scared her half to death.
A sudden bellow of applause from the crowd mixed with
shouts and whistles. One of the onlookers seized Naomi by the shoulders and
shook her furiously. She thought he might strike her before he finally lifted
his head back and laughed as loud as a foghorn. The man let her go, and she
stumbled backwards. The goblins broke from the line, and Naomi found herself
alone by the fire. Her predicament quickly shifted from bad to worse. The
surrounding sea of goblins unlatched their armor, and it wasn’t long before
Naomi was the only figure wearing a helmet.
The attention started with a few glances, first from the
goblins and then the men and serpent-kind as they headed back to their own
gatherings. Naomi walked away, keeping a straight line for the open divide
between the goblin circle and an adjacent gathering of men. She heard the
patter of boots following after her. They called out in the goblin’s foul
language, but she didn’t dare turn around. The calls echoed from one gathering
to the next, and the commotion was enough to draw several curious eyes.
The first real sign of trouble came from a hard pinch on
her arm. A hand took a firm hold of her cloak and wouldn’t let go. Naomi
strained to pull away but couldn’t. She saw figures moving toward her from the
corners of the gathering. The goblins appeared to know something was up, and
her chances of escape shrank by the moment. She finally gave in and spun
around, coming face to face with a goblin’s bulbous head, its eyes glowing
bright yellow in the firelight. Another powerful pull flung her around in the
opposite direction, and she was sure the ruse was up.
About the Author
Michael W. Garza often finds himself wondering
where his inspiration will come from next and in what form his imagination will
bring it to life. The outcomes regularly surprise him and it’s always his
ambition to amaze those curious enough to follow him and take in those results.
He hopes everyone will find something that frightens, surprises, or simply
astonishes them.
Author
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