More from Song and Sword, the first novel I published, since I’m working on a sequel and need the motivation. This follows immediately after last week’s snippet.
Dakkas has been tracking the Orcs that took Kashrya.
As darkness gathered he found himself on a mountain trail. He was not familiar with this passage, but it was at the foot of it that he had lost the Orcs’ trail as they traveled over solid stone. Still, there was nowhere else they could have gone, and small deposits of dirt gave him an occasional partial footprint that kept him going.
His mind whirled, consumed with dark thoughts. What were they doing to her? Why had they taken her? And why had no one in the village – save the shaman – been at all upset to find her gone? There had almost been a sense of relief when they realized that she had not returned, that she had been taken, as if some problem had been solved and life could get back to normal.
Rebel grew agitated and he tried to soothe his mount, but the unicorn stopped, tossing his head and refusing to move forward. Dakkas leaned forward, reaching out for his horn, but suddenly the night erupted in shouts and Dakkas felt hands grabbing him, pulling him from his saddle. He heard Rebel voicing a challenge and yelled for him to get away and then his world went dark, his unicorn’s scream of defiance still echoing in his ears.
Blurb:
Pashevel: a simple Elven Bard — and the Crown Prince
Marlia: a Paladin of Arithen, the Elven God of Justice – seeking vengeance for the destruction of her village
Dakkas: heir to the Drow throne — if his father and elder half-brother don’t kill him first
Kashrya: raised among a tribe of nomadic Humans, she is unaware of her true heritage — or of the prophecy that made her mother an outcast
Their goal: build a bridge between the Elves and their outcast brethren, the Drow, reuniting them and undoing the damage caused in a time so far gone that history has become legend and legend has become myth.
But first, they have a problem to solve: how do you stop a war that hasn’t started?
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Novel Notes 
Oh no, that doesn’t sound good. Hope he’s okay, or should I say they?
Careless – he should listen to his unicorn.
Great snippet! I’m about 90% through with the book. Love the unicorns and the way they communicate with each other and their riders.
Uh oh, he lost his situational awareness while he was worrying about this woman. Ends on quite an intense note all right! Enjoying the story and the snippet.
This is not a good thing. I wonder how the orcs snuck up on him — and how he’ll get away from them.
Well, that sounds bad. I hope Rebel gets away.
Terrifying, exciting, and upping the tension and the stakes which were already rising…well done!
Very tense snippet, and the whole premise is intriguing – anything with unicorns will always get my attention! :) x
This can’t be good.