Gifts of Fire and Ice
The Firenight Prophecies Book 1
by Darren Boeck
Genre: YA Fantasy, Coming of Age
The Gift of Fire to Save Us...
The Gift of Fire to Awaken Us...
Valinet is a gifter. She's good with fire magic, but little does she know she is one of the most powerful gifters of the empire. Torn between the life she knows and one that she does not, Valinet and her brother Serg, must decide if they will brave the dangers of the Middle Desert to seek protection in Windfall.
With their lives turned upside down, they must find their own path within the empire. Pushed apart by fate, they struggle to stay connected to one another, while noble Bloodlines seek their own ambitions. Are the Bloodlines seeking Valinet? Will they seek to employ her or try to take her power? Can serg keep himself out of the watchful eyes of the Bloodlines?
Gifts of Fire and Ice is book one of the FireNight Prophecies. It brings the Fire Empire into focus just as it is starting to unravel. Noble Bloodlines seek to weaken the emperor's grasp, pulling in Valinet, Serg, and even the emperor's own children. They must play every hand they have to win.
Regel tested the shackles on his wrists while they walked. There
didn’t seem to be any way to get them off without the key. He knew which
guard had the key, the one with the old, white scar on his left cheek.
But how was he going to overpower a half dozen guards and get the keys
before more guards came? He needed the other two men to work with him,
but that seemed to be a lost hope. “Where are you taking us?” Regel
asked the guards. “We are taking you out to get some exercise,”
responded the guard nearest him. One of the other guards snickered
softly, apparently finding it amusing. “You know,” said Regel, “I don’t
feel like exercise today. Could I perhaps go back to my cell, and we can
do this in the morning?” “Sorry, captain’s orders. We are to take you
three out to the courtyard to let you get some sun and exercise,” stated
the same guard. “Yeah, you guys have been locked up too long,” spoke a
second guard. “It will do you some good to get some exercise. Maybe
stretch a little and loosen a little tension in your necks.” Two of the
guards snickered at that statement. Well, he wasn’t stupid. Regel knew
what they meant to do to them in the courtyard. It was time to look for
any opening, and maybe he would have to scream for help. The guards
marched them down the long hall and through two sets of doors before
they came to an archway leading out into a small courtyard. Two of the
guards moved ahead of the others and entered first. The other four
pushed them along from behind. They hastily stepped out into the
sunshine. It was more of a back alley than an open courtyard. Without
wasting any time, two of the men grabbed Jemen first and stood him near
the wall. The guard who must be in charge spoke. “You have been charged
with being a user of ice magic. You have been found guilty and are
hereby sentenced to death. Do you have any last words, icer?” Jemen
looked at the guards and then at his surroundings, but just hung his
head in defeat. The two guards forced him to his knees, and a third
guard stepped forward. Regel scanned the situation. Ok, three of them
were occupied with Jemen. Another guard held his shackles, and a fifth
held Foster’s. The guard who seemed to be in charge stood off to the
side. This might be his only chance, he thought. The two guards holding
Jemen leaned him forward while the third guard drew out his short sword.
Just as he swung the blade over his head to gain momentum, Regel
whirled around and brought his arms up to the guard holding his
shackles….
Darren Boeck is an avid reader of both science fiction and fantasy novels. Having spent decades reading them, he finally decided to put pen to paper (or keyboard to word processor) and wrote his own. With a Master's degree in Cyber Security and way too many hours behind the glow of a computer screen, he has taken a leap from the logic of the computer realm into a realm of YA fantasy. When not working on this current series, he can be found navigating life with his wife, four daughters, and two dogs.
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