The Zeiihbu Master (Aerenden #3) by Kristen Taber - Giveaway & Excerpt

Separated and on opposite sides of the kingdom, Nick and Meaghan face different pursuits which could change the balance of power in Ærenden forever. 

While Nick trains the villagers to be soldiers, Meaghan and a small rescue party venture into Zeiihbu to find Faillen's young son, before Garon can use the boy's power to destroy those still fighting against his rule. 

Everyone knows Meaghan could be on a suicide mission, but when Nick stumbles upon a secret concealed in one of the southern villages, he realizes that Garon might not be Meaghan's greatest foe. The enemy most likely to kill her is someone who has also promised to keep her safe. 

Excerpt

Meaghan stood. Turning to face the front of the cave, she yanked two blades from her belt and focused on the razor beasts that launched at the wind. One hit the force straight on, and then another. Both bounced back, but the third broke through as Talis’s power weakened. A fourth found no resistance as the wall dissolved, allowing the rest of the pack to gain access.

The cave entrance stretched no wider than two of their pack animals, but that fact did not seem to deter the razor beasts. They pushed forward, their yowls menacing as they attacked. Over the bodies of the beasts brought down by Faillen’s arrows, Meaghan saw dozens more waiting.

She cast her first knife at a cat stalking Cal. The animal staggered, and then continued to advance. A second knife brought the beast down, and she grabbed the last two knives from her belt. One ended the life of a cat that broke free of the pack and raced toward Talis. The last pierced the skull of a cat that bounded in her direction. Another beast charged toward her and she cast about for a weapon. She found only a pile of rocks on the ground beside her.

Desperate, she grabbed one and lobbed it at the beast. The air shattered into shards of brown and white.

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GIVEAWAY!
You could WIN an eBook copy of the highly rated The Child Returns (Aerenden #1) in any format of your choice! Check out the other Aerenden posts for more chances to win. Contest ends April 10, 2014 at midnight.

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The Gildonae Alliance (Aerenden #2) by Kristen Taber - Giveaway & Excerpt

Several months after Meaghan's return to Ærenden, the kingdom's war has taken a turn for the worse. The Mardróch army hunts the new King and Queen, destroying villages in its wake. And Meaghan and Nick, training for battle in their remote section of wilderness, are far from safe. Danger hides in shadows and behind innocent faces. Allies become foes. Each day is a fight to survive. But in the end, only one threat matters. And it's a threat they never see coming.

Excerpt

Standing on the field, this close to the action, the reality of the situation struck her. Not fifteen feet away, she watched a young woman about her age fall from a knife wound to the neck. The middle-aged man who had murdered her raised crazed eyes in Meaghan’s direction before taking an electric orb from Artair. The burn mark the orb left behind seared through clothing and flesh, leaving an unmistakable stench she would always associate with death. The man toppled over his victim.

Behind the piled bodies, another person fell. This man, his wrists free of ribbons, became a symbol of victory for her allies. But he looked no different to Meaghan. She did not see an enemy. She only saw the lifeless form of a human being, the soulless eyes of someone’s father or son. And in that man’s vacant stare, she understood the truth Nick had been trying to tell her. To survive the battle, she would have to take a life. She had trouble killing the fake Mardróch in her field test and he had been a grotesque creature with no hint of humanity left within him. How could she kill someone who looked like he could be her neighbor? How could she stare into the eyes of someone with a recognizable soul and dim that light?

The thought drew bile up the back of her throat. She could not kill. And if that was her answer, she would not survive.

WHERE TO BUY!

eBooks: Kindle     Nook    iBooks     Kobo     Smashwords

Paperback: Amazon     Barnes & Noble

Audio: Audible      iTunes

GIVEAWAY!
You could WIN an eBook copy of the highly rated The Child Returns (Aerenden #1) in any format of your choice! Check out the other Aerenden posts for more chances to win. Contest ends April 10, 2014 at midnight.

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The Child Returns (Aerenden #1) by Kristen Taber - Giveaway & Excerpt

Seventeen-year-old Meaghan has no idea her perfect life has been a lie--until she witnesses her parents' brutal murders at the hands of red-eyed creatures.

After nearly sharing their fate, she escapes with her best friend, Nick, who tells her the creatures are called Mardróch. They come from another world, and so does she. Now that the Mardróch have found her, she must return to her homeland of Ærenden or face death.

Left with little choice, she follows Nick into a strange world both similar to Earth and drastically different. Vines have the ability to attack. Monkeys freeze their victims with a glare. Men create bombs from thin air. Even Meaghan's newly discovered empath power turns into a danger she cannot control.

But control becomes the least of her worries once the Mardróch begin targeting her. When Nick confesses he knows the reason they want her, she learns the truth behind the kingdom's fifteen-year civil war--a long-buried secret that could cost Meaghan her life.

Excerpt

The odor or rotting flesh overwhelmed her senses, searing her nose. Instinct forced her to inhale to clear it from her airways and she smiled with the realization Nick’s theory had been correct. The Mardróch’s power had no effect on her.  She stood, lifting the boy into her arms.

A hiss of surprise erupted from one of the creatures. “The immune one,” he spoke, his voice a guttural mix of road gravel and raspy breath. “We’ve been looking for you. There’s a prize for your death.” He let out a rattling noise that sounded like screws bouncing in a tin can. Laughter, Meaghan realized, and her blood chilled. “Run,” the creature croaked. “It will make for a better story.”

He raised his hands. Blue lightning arced from fingertip to fingertip and Meaghan tightened her grip on the boy, backing away as she looked for a way out. Nick stood a dozen yards from them, unseen by the Mardróch, though he remained frozen as if hypnotized by their power. His face was white and she thought she saw the glint of tears in his eyes. He no longer blocked her. His fear rolled over her, followed by a deep grief that squeezed her heart. She hardened her heart against it, knowing as he did that he could not help her, and kept scanning the field.

Nothing offered hope. The trees behind her seemed too far, but they were her only chance. She turned toward them as a flash of lightning blew apart the ground beside her. She felt heat singe her skin and swallowed, controlling her panic as she ran.

WHERE TO BUY!

eBooks: Kindle     Nook    iBooks     Kobo    Smashwords

Paperback: Amazon     Barnes & Noble

Audio: Audible     iTunes

GIVEAWAY!
You could WIN an eBook copy of the highly rated The Child Returns in any format of your choice! Check out the other Aerenden posts for more chances to win. Contest ends April 10, 2014 at midnight.

a Rafflecopter giveaway