Excerpt Tour + #Giveaway: The Speaker by Andi O'Connor @OConnorAndi @GoddessFish

The Speaker

by Andi O’Connor

GENRE: Fantasy

BLURB:

The Vaelinel Trilogy continues with this absorbing sequel to Silevethiel! Alone and hunted by the Drulaack, Irewen takes advantage of her only option for survival. Pushing her concerns aside, she lets the dead keep her.

But her refuge doesn't last long. Driven out of their hosts by Laegon, a handful Drulaack have returned to the Spirit World. No longer having the protection of the dead, Irewen is forced to return to Vaelinel.

​Finally reunited with her companions, the burdens placed on them are taking their toll. Thoughts of suicide and mistrust plague the company. Slowly unravelling, they must conquer their personal battles before standing against the evil threatening the land.

​For the Corrupter thirsts for revenge. And he'll stop at nothing to satisfy his hunger.

Excerpt:

Biting his teeth against the pain, Laegon managed to turn just enough to parry Sülleren’s return swing. He swore under his breath, trying to focus through the spots clouding his vision. He fell to his knees, dizziness fought to take control. He was losing too much blood.

Sülleren raised his bloody sword high in the air, a devilish grin plastered across his face. Laegon grimaced as drops of his own blood fell on his face. Just as he thought the blade would come crashing down, Brégen’s enraged roar reverberated through the air.

Sülleren was barely able to turn around before Brégen’s front paws rammed into his chest and knocked him to the ground. The Guardian landed on top of him, sinking his sharp claws into the councilor’s unprotected skin. The elf’s scream augmented to a high-pitched squeal when Brégen pushed more of his weight onto his victim’s chest.

The popping sounds of ribs breaking could somehow be heard amidst the screaming. Roaring in triumph, Brégen then lowered his head and ripped out Sülleren’s throat. The howling turned to gurgling and then silence.

With his surroundings spinning about him, Laegon struggled to keep Brégen in focus. The lion wrinkled his blood-soaked nose in a look of disgust and disentangled himself from Sülleren’s body. Bounding over the dead elf, Brégen’s expression quickly morphed into one of concern. Laegon tried to wave off the Guardian’s distress, but no matter how much he urged his hand to move, it wouldn’t budge.

His stomach turned when Brégen nudged his snout beneath his chest. The lion’s head slid further underneath him, and his entire body screamed in pain when he flopped onto Brégen’s back.

Fighting the tendrils of unconsciousness taking hold, Laegon ran his fingers through the lion’s thick tawny fur and gripped it as tightly as he could.

“Get…Perendin,” he whispered.

Then the world went black.

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Andi O'Connor is the award-winning author of The Dragonath Chronicles, The Vaelinel Trilogy, and The Legacy of Ilvania. Her critically acclaimed novel, Silevethiel, is the 2015 Best Indie Book Award winner for Science Fiction/Fantasy and the 2015 New Apple Official Selection for Young Adult. Silevethiel was also named to Kirkus Reviews' Best Books of 2013. The Speaker is the 2018 Independent Press Award Winner for Fantasy and a Finalist in the 11th Annual National Indie Excellence Awards. Andi’s novel, Awakening, is a 2018 Independent Press Award Distinguished Favorite for Fantasy.

You can frequently find Andi as an exhibitor and guest panelist at Comic Cons throughout the country including the Rhode Island Comic Con, Awesome Con, Philcon, Conclave, WizardWorld, and Chessiecon. You can connect with Andi on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. For more information, visit Andi’s website.

Social Media Links:

Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Instagram ~ Website

Purchase Links:

Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble ~ Books-A-Million ~ Kobo ~ Author Website

Giveaway:

$20 Amazon/BN GC

a Rafflecopter giveaway