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, which ended with:
As he drifted off he was awakened by what sounded like the loudest whip crack he had ever heard. His head snapped back and he was on his feet in an instant, fear lending him strength. Heart racing, he looked around, seeing only blackness. The ground trembled again, but in a different way, and he heard the sound of more rocks falling, this time from ahead of them.
Then all grew silent again, but something was different. As he turned, he felt a trace of a breeze on his face, and drew in a deep breath. Yes. Somewhere, somewhere up there, up the passageway they’d been following, somewhere there was fresh air, an opening to the outside and he nearly laughed with joy as he pulled Kashrya to her feet and into his arms again and began walking toward it, hope propelling him as much as fear had done previously.
“Soon,” he whispered to the unconscious woman in his arms. “Soon we will be out of here.” Part of him wondered if it was true, or if they would get to the source of the air only to find an opening too small or too high up to get out of. And part of him knew that she was going to die anyhow, in the cave or out: there was no hope for her – or for him.
But he went on.
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?
Available for Kindle at Amazon
and at Smashwords for everything else
Novel Notes 
I love his determination! And I hope the source of the fresh air is big enough for them to escape. Excellent excerpt…
He’s not one to give up, is he? I hope they escape.
I hope that they do escape.
Heartbreaking snippet, P.T. I hope it’s more than a crack.
Intense snippet. This is great!