TruthStone
Book
1 of the Truthseer Archives
by
Mike Shelton
Genre:
YA Epic Fantasy
One little lie won’t
hurt.
When fifteen year
old Shaeleen unexpectedly is given a TruthStone, every lie she hears
or tells causes her immense physical pain. As she struggles to
control her new power and curb the pain, she learns a powerful truth
that could thrust an entire continent into civil war. She must
choose: reveal the truth and stop the pain – or sacrifice her
own well-being to protect her kingdom.
For two hundred
years the five kingdoms of Wayland have been protected by the stones
of power. Now those stones are failing and a darker power is trying
to take control. With the help of her brother, Cole and a
newfound friend, Orin, Shaeleen sets out to gather and restore the
power of all the stones.
But will she succeed
before the endless lies destroy her?
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As
Shaeleen reached the edge of the crowd, an old, wrinkled woman with a gray hood
over her hair almost knocked Shaeleen down. The woman fell to the dirt in front
of her, and as she leaned down to help the woman, Shaeleen glanced around,
trying to figure out where the woman had come from.
“Are
you hurt?” Shaeleen asked, kneeling beside the elderly woman.
The
woman shook her head and peered up at Shaeleen, her hood sliding back off her
hair. Shaeleen gasped and put her hand over her mouth.
“Don’t
be afraid,” the woman said in a quiet voice. Her long, white hair hung straight
around her slender face, and she peered hard at Shaeleen. But it was the
woman’s upswept ears and pale blue eyes—a similar eye color to her own and her
brother’s—that clued Shaeleen in on the woman’s heritage. A heritage that
Shaeleen had always wondered if she and her brother shared with those from
Verlyn—though mixed and weak it would have to have been. Only her eye
color was similar to the woman’s, but that was enough to stick out in a nation
with predominately brown and green eyes.
The
woman was obviously not from the kingdom of Gelena but from Verlyn, an island
off the southeast coast of the continent of Wayland. An island where the
descendants of elves lived and, if believed, where the magic in Wayland had
originated.
Shaeleen’s
heart pounded. She’d seen the people of Verlyn from a distance before, but they
were usually aloof. The woman’s face held wrinkles that had been chiseled into
her delicate features over many years. She lifted up a gnarled hand toward
Shaeleen’s cheek, and it took all Shaeleen’s will to not move away.
“What
are you doing in the market today, my dear?” the old woman asked, stopping her
hand just short from actually touching Shaeleen.
“Buying
cloth for my mother, ma’am,” Shaeleen said.
As
a man came running up next to them, the woman cleared her voice loudly and
seemed annoyed. He moved more quickly than Shaeleen had thought should be
possible. The power of speed came from Antioch, but the man didn’t look like he
was from there.
“Keeper,”
the man said to the woman. His long, brown hair hung down loosely over his
brown leather vest and dark green shirt. Next to his leather pants hung a
silver sword, on which his hand rested. His blue eyes continued to roam the
marketplace.
“We
need to leave,” he added. “They have followed us here.”
The
woman looked up at the man then returned her attention to Shaeleen. “I do not
see any cloth with you, child. Are you sure that is where you were going?”
Shaeleen
blushed and felt guilty at lying, something that had lately become easy to do
to her father and mother. Without admitting her guilt, she changed the subject
by saying, “Let me help you up.”
The
woman brought her other hand out from behind her back and placed it in
Shaeleen’s outstretched hand to accept the help. As she did so, the woman
pushed something into Shaeleen’s palm.
Once
standing, the woman brought Shaeleen’s hands together, wrapping both of her own
wrinkled hands around Shaeleen’s, squeezing them tight around the object. A
soft, green light appeared around the edges of their hands, and something
strange and peculiar raced through Shaeleen’s body, increasing her heart rate
and stimulating her mind.
“What
are you doing?” Shaeleen said as she tried to pull her hands free. But the
woman held strong and looked Shaeleen in the eye.
“Take
it,” she said, her voice hoarse and low. “You are the one to save all the
stones. Their magic is fading. You have been prophesied.”
The
man with the sword moved to grab the old woman’s elbow. “Keeper Melindra, we
must leave!”
Melindra
turned to the man. “We have a few more moments, Galen. You just watch out for
trouble.”
Shaeleen
couldn’t follow what was going on. What had the man called the woman again?
A
keeper!
The
only keeper Shaeleen knew about was the keeper of stones from her history
books. Shaking her head, she couldn’t believe this crazy woman was one of those keepers. But the woman was from Verlyn, so something
was going on that Shaeleen couldn’t quite figure out.
A
sound in the crowd alerted Shaeleen, and she turned to look. Through the
swarming shoppers in the marketplace, she saw three men approaching. They had
the same slender builds and facial features as Melindra and Galen.
Shaeleen had
never seen so many from Verlyn traveling together before.
The
three men were turning their heads from left to right, glancing down each row
of vendors, searching for something—or someone. Shaeleen took a step back as
she realized they must be searching for Melindra.
The
old woman followed Shaeleen’s eyes and then seemed to stiffen. “Go,” she
croaked. “Don’t let them see you.”
“But…”
Shaeleen tried to speak. Then she felt something in her hand. She had almost
forgotten that the woman had given her something. She slowly opened her fingers
and found herself looking at a small, green stone. It was beautiful and
sparkled in the sunlight, holding her transfixed for a moment. This couldn’t be
what she thought it was. That wasn’t possible.
She
turned, to give it back to the woman, for she couldn’t accept such a gift,
especially from a stranger. But, by the size of it—a little smaller than a
chicken egg—she’d guess that her entire family could live forever on its worth,
and its value was worth much more than gold or silver if it was
indeed what she thought it was. Shaeleen’s mind raced momentarily with the
possibilities of wealth it would bring if she could sell it.
But
she finally shoved the stone back toward the woman. The old woman pushed
Shaeleen’s hand away.
“It
is yours now, but not for the riches.”
How
could the woman know what I had been thinking?
“I…”
Shaeleen tried to speak but felt a tightening of her chest.
“Don’t
deny it, child,” Melindra said sternly. “Those types of thoughts will only
cause you pain.”
This
is crazy. Why did she give me this gemstone? This is…
“Moldavite,
a TruthStone,” Shaeleen whispered.
“Hush,
child. You don’t want people hearing that, do you?”
Mike
was born in California and has lived in multiple states from the west
coast to the east coast. He cannot remember a time when he wasn't
reading a book. At school, home, on vacation, at work at lunch time,
and yes even a few pages in the car (at times when he just couldn't
put that great book down). Though he has read all sorts of genres he
has always been drawn to fantasy. It is his way of escaping to a
simpler time filled with magic, wonders and heroics of young men and
women.
Other
than reading, Mike has always enjoyed the outdoors. From the beaches
in Southern California to the warm waters of North Carolina. From the
waterfalls in the Northwest to the Rocky Mountains in Utah. Mike has
appreciated the beauty that God provides for us. He also enjoys
hiking, discovering nature, playing a little basketball or
volleyball, and most recently disc golf. He has a lovely wife who has
always supported him, and three beautiful children who have been the
center of his life.
Mike
began writing stories in elementary school and moved on to larger
novels in his early adult years. He has worked in corporate finance
for most of his career. That, along with spending time with his
wonderful family and obligations at church has made it difficult to
find the time to truly dedicate to writing. In the last few years as
his children have become older he has returned to doing what he truly
enjoys - writing!
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4 comments:
Congrats on the tour and thank you for the excerpt and giveaway. I appreciate the opportunity to win.
I enjoyed the excerpt thank you.
The whole series on Amazon looks great!
Sounds Awesome.
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