TRIAD OF
POWER:
Available
Now at:
Book One of Three: During the time before the Great
Forbidding was created, it was believed the defiance of the Renegades could be
contained. To that end, the Council of Power called upon their Ancient Gods for
assistance. In response, the Gods ordered creation of the Triad of Power–three
swords, each one imbued with the essence of a gift unique to those who would
wield the weapons as the Guardians of Foress. Like all magic, each crafted
blade contained the driving sorcery of its creator–not all wizards are immune
to the weaknesses of men, and within the Triad, conflict itself was bred
without conscious intent or knowledge. So begins the legend, and the epic
fantasy of the TRIAD OF POWER.
Excerpt:
As contented peace steeped the air around them, and they were able to breathe in near silence again, Sherindal contemplated her surroundings. On her knees, with the Prince of Ember still sheathed within her, she had never known a moment of more perfect serenity and completion. Her senses hummed with awareness of everything: the texture of the bed linen, cool silk, caressing her heated skin, the subtle patterns swirling amid the tapestries that hung on the stone walls of the bedchamber, even the heavy scent of candle wax added another layer of appreciation to her happiness.
“You
really are magnificent, Sher,” Rienn whispered, his arms wrapped around her,
drawing her close.
She
leaned to one side, looped her arm around his neck and drew his mouth to hers
in a kiss that was filled with gentle passion.
“I do
love you, Rienn.”
Rienn
nodded. His hands on her waist moved her. She shivered as he slipped free of
her. “I’ll order a bath and some food,” he told her.
She grabbed
his wrist and shook her head. “Later. I want you to hold me.”
Rienn
stretched out and pulled her down to him, spooning her body to his when he
pressed her back to his chest.
They’d
only slept for minutes when the huge doors of the Prince’s chambers were flung
open and the spacious room was invaded by numerous men, all bearing swords.
“Rienn.”
The word
was a warning, and Sherindal slithered from the bed when he released her. She
scooped up her weapon as she rolled, oblivious to her nakedness. She whirled to
face the first rush of the attack. Somewhere through the early morning hours
since they’d made love, Rienn had thought to retrieve his breeches, she noted
from the corner of her eye. He had managed to gain his weapon, and they fought,
back to back.
Sherindal
hissed in fury and pain when the second of the men who engaged her slipped past
her defense and inflicted a wound near her waist. It was a surface injury and
she quickly rewarded him by slicing off his sword hand. Howling in agony, he
toppled back, then fled as he recovered his footing several feet away from her.
Rienn
had killed two men and was about to run through the third when Sherindal’s
voice filled the room, and the blade she wielded, Huntor, rose with her song.
The attackers froze momentarily, those two who remained, and she smiled when
the weapon cut them down, then drifted back to her outstretched hand, coming to
rest in her grasp with near peaceful ease.
“Your
blood-thirsty weapon has been sated nicely this morning,” Rienn observed with a
tense glance at the gleaming blade.
“Who are
they?” she asked, her tone cold as she met his gaze.
“Why
would you assume I know?” he retorted instantly. “This is hardly what I would
consider an invigorating start to the day!”
“Really?”
One eyebrow rose in emphasis of her sardonic tone. “It is one of the more
interesting diversions you might have provided, Rienn.” Her laughter was
faintly mocking, and not a little bit ironic.
Rienn’s
handsome features suffused with rage and he reached for her, gripped her bare
arm with fingers that dug into her flesh like steel bands.
“You can
be an evil bitch,” he whispered darkly.
Sherindal
smiled, and this time it was genuine. She nodded, kissed his chin, the closest
she could get to his mouth from her disadvantaged height, then she gasped as a
fiery lance reminded her of the slash near her left hip.
“Enough,
Rienn,” she said.
He
released her, scooped her into his arms, and placed her in the center of the
feathered mattress of his bed. He looked closely at the injury, yanked the bell
pull, and then went to the heavy wardrobe at the far end of the chamber.
His
guards were rushing along the corridor when he returned to the bed and helped
Sherindal into one of his linen shirts. She bit her bottom lip against another
stab of pain and laughed in macabre amusement when she spotted the duo who
entered the room.
“They
look rested enough, my love,” she muttered.
Rienn
glared at her, then turned an even fiercer visage to the men who should have
prevented the assault in his private rooms.
“Get
them out of here, then report to Radisan.”
“Radisan
will no doubt beat the life out of them, Rienn,” she remarked. “Your brother is
overzealous when it comes to punishment. He enjoys watching other people
writhe, especially when he is the orchestrator of their anguish.”
“Would
you rather I reward them for their lapse?” he snapped. “We could have been
killed, Sher!”
“Highly
unlikely. Get me my own clothes,” she requested. “I want to dress.”
“You’re
not going anywhere,” he warned from his position near the door. As the two
guards dragged the last of the fallen men into the hall, he slammed the door
into place and speared his lover with a look that frequently froze men in their
tracks. Sherindal rose from the bed to retrieve her belongings.
“Why?”
She
sighed and began to apply salve from the small medicine kit she carried. When
the wound was smeared with the peach-colored cream, she wrapped clean linen
around her hips, then continued to dress. Dark brown trousers, forest green
tunic, black boots and vest, and lastly the sword, in a sheath that she wore at
her back, the glittering hilt visible between her shoulders when she faced the
Prince again.
“Rienn,”
she said gently. “I would not leave you if it wasn’t necessary. This is
something I must do. I have no choice!”
Rienn’s
unusual eyes flared with anger, and he strode toward her, stopping when her
head moved so that she might hold his look. He towered over her, and often used
that height to keep her off balance when they were this close. She had told him
that he was a drug she was addicted to, and the sensuality of their passion had
grown with their aging. She would have made a perfect queen, but his father had
long ago threatened Rienn with banishment if he took Sherindal as his wife. The
old man had said on many occasions he would hold the throne forever from Rienn
if he dared to believe a witch would be an appropriate queen for Ember.
Sherindal seemed more than happy to be his consort, with none of the advantages
that position could have offered.
Ironically,
by his own decree, Rienn’s father had also insured he’d never have the
grandchildren he desired, for Rienn would not betray his love for Sherindal by
accepting another woman in his bed. The King believed that to be one more proof
of Sher’s sorcery, her hold on the oldest son of Ember’s Royal House. Love was
an emotion the old man mocked and disdained, and one he had never understood.
Rienn’s mother had died many years earlier, and they had been closer than many
sons and mothers. They had been friends and confidants. The Queen had approved
completely of Rienn’s choice of mate.
“I have
no choice.”
Available
Now at:
AUTHOR NOTE: A few years ago I released a book called Royal
Consort. It was a fun title, and combined my love of fantasy with my love of
romance with an erotic touch. Somehow, I never found the right publisher for
the book, and it just sort of died. Back in January, I requested return of the
book, and it has since undergone a major revision to become book one in a
trilogy. THE TRIAD OF POWER: First Quest was released December 22nd,
by Crimson Frost Books. When they
contracted the book, they asked if I would consider writing two companion
pieces for it, so it’s become my first trilogy. I'm really enjoying this story
now that's it's been revised and edited, and leading to two more adventures. I
hope you enjoy a peek at it, too!
Denysé
"Live the Romance, Become the Fantasy..."
** Predators & Editors Best Author 2012 **
http://www.denysebridger.com
** Predators & Editors Best Author 2012 **
http://www.denysebridger.com
