Sunday, October 2, 2011

New Excerpt

Just for Goddess Fish partygoers, here's a never before released excerpt from Dancing With Fate:

Tears filled her eyes and she reached for his hand and gripped it in hers. To have found love, only to lose it so soon. What had she done to displease the other gods so much they could play this cruel trick on her? She squared her shoulders in determination. There had to be a way.

"Promise me you will not cross the sea.”

Myrddin did not answer.

"Promise me."

"If it pleases you, my love, I promise."

"Thank you. I will ask my father to help us," she said, her voice low and heavy with emotion. "It would not be the first time a mortal loved a god and was allowed to enter Olympus and live among us..."

A glimmer of hope flickered across his face. Before he could answer, however, the blue sky turned black, and then glowed with a lurid orange tinge, like the flames of a distant forest fire. A wind sprang up from nowhere and whipped the branches of the trees. Some would have believed it a summer storm. Terpsichore knew otherwise, glancing at Myrddin's face she realized he knew it was not a natural force as well. Fear gripped her heart.

"Run, my love," she yelled above the howl of the wind, "Run!" Terpsichore leaned forward over Sal's neck, and the animal leapt into a swift gallop.

Harri needed no urging to take off after her.

Myrddin risked a quick look over his shoulder. In the sky, a quadriga, drawn by four horses snorting fire, bore down on them. He dropped the reins, standing up in his stirrups and turning, in an archer's stance. This was no earthly enemy.

His hand strayed to the bow slung in its baldric across his shoulder. Perhaps he could kill the charioteer with an arrow. Immediately, he realized this was unlikely, for he flew high above them. Myrddin was an expert bowman but his arrows would not reach that far, even though their pursuer was drawing ever closer. If only there were some way to stop him. Terpsichore, he must protect her. He concentrated his mind. A wave of water rose, higher than the trees. At the same time, a narrow chasm opened up before them. The two horses leapt simultaneously to land, safe, on the other side. As they galloped on, Myrddin looked back again. The chariot and horses burst through the torrent of water, the jets of fire from the horses' nostrils caused it to vaporize with a fierce hissing sound.

"What enchantment did you use?" Cora asked, turning her head toward him as they sped onwards. "Never mind," she said, the wind whipping her words back to her. "Nothing will stop Ares, he's closing in on us."

Myrddin risked another look back. The chariot had touched the earth on their side of the chasm. He caught the glint of gold on the horses' bridles, the charioteer standing tall and dark, the sun's rays striking his bronze helmet and breastplate.

"Ares?"

"The god of war!"

"What? Why is he after us?"

"He isn't...not us…he's after you." 


  You can purchase your copy at: (Available in most download formats including Kindle)

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As I said in my previous post, I'm out for a while, but as soon as I come back I'll answer any comments or questions.

3 comments:

Maria D. said...

Great post! Thanks for the excerpt

June M. said...

Great excerpt! Thanks!
manning_j2004 at yahoo dot com

Hywela Lyn said...

Hi Maria and June

Thanks so much for the kind comments, glad you enjoyed the excerpt.