Sage's Reign by Shakyra Dunn Book Tour and Giveaway :)
The Sage's Reign
The
Final Lesson Book 2
by
Shakyra Dunn
Genre:
YA Fantasy
Eternal
night looms over Adrylis.
After
her Grimoire is lost to the Order of Helix, Leilana is left to
prepare herself in a newfound way before her return to the crown city
of Linmus to help reclaim Prince Remiel's throne. One by one,
countries lay burning at their feet. Magic is on its last legs, but
the Orb of Concord is within their reach.
From
the opposite spectrum, the mastermind awaits, playing puppet-master
as they march to their doom. Time is against them as the final
moonless night looms above. The final test from the Warlords of Old
has finally come into play.
Sien
nocked an arrow carefully, her weapon still grasped in her hand as
she
trekked
down the corridor furthest left from the entrance. Her mouth and
tongue
were
dry, her breaths shallow. Being inside of this stronghold made her
feel
uneasy
enough already, and the foul stench of the medicine filling the are
did
nothing
to help alleviate her nerves. The creak of a nearby door alerted her,
causing
her to turn her back with her weapon ready to fire, only to find that
there
was
nothing in her path. Maybe it was the wind from an open window. She
lowered
her bow again, sighing in relief. The
idea of being so close to terrorists that destroyed her home was overwhelming.
They were willing to stop at nothing to have Rem’s power, likely to
hold him for ransom and have his lineage act as a catalyst for the
Orb of Concord.
If his untapped power was used for malice, there would be no country
left
to defend, let alone no war to draw out the end. “Playing
adventure, are we?”
Sien
jumped at the new voice. It was real, no doubt about it. They were hidden,
beyond well for what skills she possessed. She squinted her eyes, and every
half second, a silhouette swept through the halls before meeting
head-on. Centimeters
from her face, touching her nose, grazing Sien’s parted lips to
close them
shut again, stood a girl with long blonde hair tied with red bows
into two ponytails
cascading down her back. She was clothed in a black cloak, red rosaries
on either side. “We’ve
never had strange visitors in Megalina before.” The girl’s voice
was rather
seductive, and Sien felt more confused than aroused. “Hi, I’m
Faris! You’re
a real cutie.” “Megalina?”
Sien cut in, deciding not to acknowledge her obvious advances
in favor of answers. “Is that the name of this place?” “Right!”
Faris beamed, not seeming to mind the cold shoulder. “It’s a name with
many meanings—sanctuary, understanding, resolve. But we call it
‘home.’ It’s
torn and desolate, much like the rest of us. We have no place in this
world as isolated
magic-users.” The girl ran her fingers along Sien’s exposed
shoulder, her
scarlet locks becoming entangled in her aquamarine-coated nails. Sien swallowed,
her head spinning from her overwhelming anxiety in tandem with the
antiseptic odor, but she didn’t allow herself to drop her guard.
“But you … you’re
different. You’re a drifter, I can tell. You don’t act like the
others.” “I
use my gift to help others,” Sien retorted, prying herself free
from the girl,
pointing an arrow at her. “I don’t kill without reason.” The
girl folded her arms
behind her back, cocking her head to the left, a soft grin on her
delicate features.
Not a single line on her face went out of place; there was no fear resonating
in her. That made her dangerous. “That
makes you brave. Not a lot of people can keep their cool.” Sien
eyed the
girl’s movements closely. Her fingers were twitching, but hardly
enough to peak
Sien’s attention. Still, something about her calm demeanor was
unnerving. “Why
don’t you stay a while longer? We can play together!” Faris
swept her hand out, a stream of needles conjuring from her
fingertips. Sien
barely gasped when the needles pierced through every fragment of
skin, pinning
her to a wall. Her bow and arrow fell in front of her, blood seeping
from the
miniscule cuts on her body. They were multiplying each passing
second, and the
pain erupted all at once. She couldn’t close every wound no matter
how fast she
could channel her energy. There would be more to take its place.
“Your
aura interests me. It’s rare to find people blessed with the art of healing,
and those that possess it lose themselves along the way because
people become
so ungrateful. But the way that you carry yourself is dull.” Sien’s
heart skipped
a beat, and her struggle to escape her prickly prison had ceased.
Faris sat on
top of a nearby pillar, kicking her feet, her hands resting under her
chin. “You don’t
provide much entertainment. It’s going to be hard to remember you
if all that
you can do is act serious.” Sien
lowered her head, ignoring her budding tears. This girl was a mastermind
at manipulation, and she knew it well, but the words still cut to the core.
There was little that she had to offer besides some laughs now and
again, bottling
her pain in favor of spreading more joy to others. If she could make
one person
smile, it was worth a little more pain, but for what? Compared to
such magnificent
people in her group like a wayward prince, a future Warlord, and a
jack-of-all-trades
servant, where did she stand? She wasn’t strong and could fight
at a distance. Her magic was minimal, good for healing wounds. She
was nothing
but a walking burden. All
she could do was laugh now to mask her agony. Faris
raised an eyebrow. “Did I say something funny, darling?” As
much as Sien wanted to scream at her for annulled criticism, or even curl
up in a corner to resolve the issue right away, she couldn’t help
laughing at herself.
Her face probably looked so horrible. She always scrunched up her
nose when
she was fighting tears, and her eyes always got puffy and red even
when
she
wasn’t letting it all out. Crying was the most terrible feeling in
the world. Letting
go of the burdens and weeping made it seem like all hope was lost the moment
they started to fall. Faris
scoffed, stomping her foot, the sound of her heel clanking against
the metal
floor echoing. “Stop laughing! For a cute girl, you’re really not
dignified at
all!” “I-I’m
sorry,” she responded, continuing to laugh. “It’s just, you’re
judging someone
that you don’t even know. I mean, not that I don’t think I’m
boring too, but
you can’t go around saying things like that. It makes you look as
undignified as
me.” Faris’s
mouth fell open. “I-I-” Her lips curved into a scowl, and she
flung a finger
forward, pointing at the girl. The action sent a few needles flying,
grazing the
side of Sien’s face before sticking into the wall next to her. “You
are unbelievable!
How dare you say something so outlandish!”
“I’m
not too wise, but idiocy is easy to read,” Sien pointed out. “I
get nothing
but backlash from Solus every time that I try to come up with ideas. Leilana
can be so focused on her goals sometimes that I fear breaking her
from her
thoughts. Rem is so conflicted that it’s hard to tell when his head
shifts from left
to right. Even my little sister criticizes me. You wanna tear me
down, you’ve got
to do better than that. I’ve gotten a lot better at getting my head
out of my ass when
it counts.” Faris’s shoulders were trembling. “So, what’s
your insecurity? Do
you go the typical route of tearing people down because you’re
lonely and unaccepted,
or do you just like causing mayhem for no reason at all?” “Don’t
belittle me!” Faris plunged needles into the girl’s stomach, and
Sien shrieked.
The Final Lesson
The
Final Lesson Book 1
"Trust
none but yourself."
Leilana
Erovina's got a bid for power as she takes the final test to become
one of her realm's Warlords. As such, she sets out to travel the
lands of Adrylis and log magical totems from respectful folk with
only one hitch—no ancestral help. The quest is a pilgrimage to
learn the basics of human nature. Some would call concepts like
gentleness and passion fables of the heart.
In
another perspective, war brews in the kingdom of Linmus, throwing
Adrylis into chaos. Prince Remiel Vesarus finds himself in exile,
vengeance on his mind for those who tore his life asunder. His
attendant Solus Brenner at his side, they plan on restoring their
kingdom against all odds.
Fate
has drawn these two parties together. Conjoined at the hip, the
traveler, prince and right-hand will learn the old saying of magic:
"It always comes with a price."
Leilana
must have read through the notes that Hinju provided half a dozen
times now, and she still couldn’t comprehend melding human emotions
with magic. There was so much about the concept that seemed
off-putting. The radio on her desk was blaring, the discussion heavy
on news of the kingdom of Linmus. The details were nearly lost before
she decided to acknowledge the static-filled device. “It has been five days since the kingdom of Linmus was struck. No
one is certain of the circumstances, and there appear to be no
survivors from the castle grounds, with few having fled the city
limits. Among the fallen are King Somano Vesarus and Queen Rira
Lurin-Vesarus. The only remaining heir to the throne, Prince Remiel,
has been declared missing-” Leilana reached for the dial of her pocket radio and turned it down
to a lower setting, continuing to look over her notes. She was
stumped on the field of laughter. There were so many interpretations
that Hinju could have specified for his notions, and instead, he
stuck to the most literal statement. Laughter is the expression of true happiness. Encountering someone
that may possess the totem of laughter is most evident in how they
carry themselves—they walk in the present, ignoring the past and
looking to the future with open arms. Come on, seriously? How many people still had reasons to laugh and be
merry with war at their doorstep? How could they live a life where
the future wasn’t even guaranteed? Closing the spiral-bound notebook, she turned the radio up to listen
to the news about Linmus again to find infomercials about ‘the land
of sunny springs, Kinsley’ playing. They were holding a formal to
shed some light in the world of chaos. It wasn’t the first time she
had heard of Kinsley, but from acquired knowledge, it wasn’t her
ideal vacation spot. Too much sun was bad for the skin. She laid her head on her desk, giving a passing glance to the open
window, where the school’s pride stood gallantly in the form of a
mahogany tree. The skyline reflected a melodious blend of ginger,
rose and amber, the premature light hovering over Adrylis promising a
bright start to this pilgrimage she was granted. She turned to look
over her room. It was minuscule but fit for one due to its custom
options. Her floor was scattered in paperwork here and there, the
wall space taken up with quotes she had written down from her
professors:
‘Inspiration is everywhere.’
‘Magic stems from the comprehension of others.’
‘Happiness is not one note.’
Every moment spent in determination, every step in any direction held
meaning. That was something she had come to learn through her time
cooped up in this room, bound to her elements, spending each day
diligently reviewing magical spells and the mystic word of Lasette.
This would be her last time in this room as a student. When she set
foot in this tiny space she called home again, she would be either a
Warlord or a failure. She didn’t want to consider being trapped as
a lowly Arcana for all eternity. Such a fate seemed too cruel with so
much possibility at her doorstep.
Shakyra Dunn can't stray away from the impression that there is always an adventure around every corner! When she isn't playing the role of the Creator, she is marching through the worlds of her favorite video game characters or taking drives around her city to see the sights. Born in Chicago, Illinois, she currently resides in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, striving to experience more than the little town.
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