The
Emperor's Seal
Touching
Time Book 1
by
Amanda Roberts
Genre:
Time Travel Romance
The
Emperor’s Seal – the divine symbol of the Emperor on earth – is
missing. The Empress will do whatever it takes to get it back.
Jiayi
has a gift – she can travel through time just by touching
historical artifacts. More than anything, she wants to escape the
clutches of the Empress and run away to a foreign land. Finding the
Emperor’s Seal could be her only chance at freedom, but is she
willing to risk the wrath of the Empress?
Historian
and wannabe archaeologist Zhihao has no love for the Empress or the
Qing Dynasty, but when the Empress orders him to find the Emperor’s
Seal in exchange for funding China’s first history museum, he
cannot refuse. It is only after he accepts the assignment that he
realizes the key to finding the seal lies in the hands of a palace
slave.
Civil
unrest and encroaching foreign powers threaten Jiayi and Zhihao's
mission and lives as they hunt for The Emperor's Seal.
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As Jiayi woke, she heard her name being called louder and louder.
“Jiayi! Jiayi, answer me! Did you find it? Do you know where the seal is?”
Jiayi opened her eyes and the empress was right in front of her. She started as the hard eyes looked deep into her own.
“Jiayi! Answer me! What did you see?”
“Lady Cai…” Jiayi said as she tried to recall the details of the vision. “The emperor gave the seal to Lady Cai.”
She heard other women in the room gasp. She looked around and saw the empress’s other ladies, her attendants and maids, all looking at her. While the empress kept Jiayi’s powers secret from her ministers and male counselors, she did not bother hiding Jiayi from her friends and ladies—her real advisors.
“You mean the Lady Cai? The one the emperor nearly gave up the throne for?” one of the ladies, Princess Der Ling, asked. “He truly trusted her that much?”
Jiayi nodded. “He loved her,” she said.
“But what about the seal?” the empress snapped, grabbing Jiayi’s arm and shaking her.
She knew the empress would be angry when she found out Jiayi did not know where it was. But maybe she could give her enough information to temper her anger.
“There was a battle, on the road to Jehol. Some barbarians. I don’t know who,” she explained. “The emperor feared that they would kill him and steal the seal. He wanted Lady Cai to hide it, to protect it.”
“And?” The empress was shaking. She held her hands out as if Jiayi was in possession of the seal and could simply hand it over to her.
“And…I…I dropped it,” Jiayi said, tears forming in her eyes. “I’m sorry, but the vision ended before he could hand it to me. I don’t know where it is. But he certainly gave it to Lady Cai! If we know where the battle took place, she must have hidden it nearby and…”
The empress slapped Jiayi so hard across the face she thought her neck snapped. She held her breath, afraid to make the slightest noise and possibly invite more of the empress’s wrath. The room was utterly silent. None of the other women dared to go to Jiayi’s aid. After a moment that seemed like much longer, the empress stumbled back. Jiayi finally sucked in a breath as everyone else in the room audibly exhaled. She straightened her neck, but kept her moist eyes downturned.
“So close…so close…” the empress muttered.
“We can try again,” one of the other women suggested. She picked up the box and shoved it into Jiayi’s hands, but nothing happened.
“You know it doesn’t work that way,” another of the other women angrily whispered, slapping her hands away.
“But Jiayi is right,” Der Ling said. “If Lady Cai had the box on the way to Jehol, that narrows the search considerably.”
The empress sat down in her chair, looking as worn and exhausted as Jiayi felt. She was quiet for a moment, as if considering her options. Finally, she nodded her head. “Yes, it is time. Bring him to me…”
The
Empress's Dagger
Touching
Time Book 2
As
the Qing Empire continues to crumble, the Empress is more desperate
than ever to find a way to secure her stranglehold on the country.
Every day, she forces Jiayi to use her powers to see into the past to
the time of Empress Wu to discover the secret to securing power.
But
Jiayi already knows the answer.
Empress
Wu’s dagger is more than it appears. Blessed with an ancient power,
the dagger can be used to make and destroy empires.
Jiayi’s
ability to travel through time is growing stronger, and she is not
sure she wants to use that power to prop up a dying empress. There is
only one man she wants to save. The man she lost her heart to. A man
who died over a thousand years ago.
Zhihao
knows he cannot fall in love with Jiayi, a palace slave. But with
each passing day, his feelings grow stronger.
When
a ghost from his past walks into his life, Zhihao may have to choose
between his country and the woman he loves.
Secrets
will be revealed in the second exciting installment of the Touching
Time Trilogy!
The
Slave's Necklace
Touching
Time Book 3
Kill
the Empress, save the world.
That
is what people from all sides are telling Jiayi. She not only has the
power to kill the empress, but to set up a new future for China.
Jiayi has spent her life as a palace slave. Freedom for China could
mean a lifetime of servitude for her.
And
Jiayi is tired of living for everyone else.
As
Jiayi’s powers grow, she finds herself living more and more in the
past, even as the future is barreling toward her.
Zhihao’s
past is catching up with him, leaving death and heartache in its
wake. Zhihao is going to have to make a choice, but he isn’t sure
he can do it alone.
Jiayi
and Zhihao stand on the precipice of a new world. But they will only
survive if they can overcome the past and stand together, no matter
how much it hurts.
Get
lost in time in this thrilling conclusion to the Touching Time
Trilogy!
Amanda
Roberts is a writer and editor who has been living in China since
2010. Amanda has an MA in English from the University of Central
Missouri. She has been published in magazines, newspapers, and
anthologies around the world and she regularly contributes to
numerous blogs. Amanda can be found all over the Internet, but her
home
is AmandaRobertsWrites.com.
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