Hush of Storm & Sorrow
L.
Penelope
(Earthsinger Chronicles, #2.5)
Publication date: March 16th
2020
Genres: Adult, Fantasy
While battling a vicious winter storm,
Roshon ol-Sarifor, along with his father and twin brother are kidnapped and thrust on a journey
that takes them far from home—leaving his sister Jasminda believing them dead. Their captors
claim that the Queen Who Sleeps is behind their abduction—She wants them to reclaim a
magical object hidden in a deadly part of the ocean. But a violent encounter with a gang of
pirates forces the ol-Sarifors to seek refuge on a smuggler’s ship, where Roshon meets a girl
unlike any he’s encountered before.Ani Summerhawk never met a risk she didn’t take. But with a price on her head, she and her older brother need to make a quick getaway from a deal gone bad. Every ship in the sea is seeking the reward for returning her to a ruthless captain who believes she’s his property. But when her brother agrees to transport three passengers to a dangerous destination, Ani’s heart is put on the line for the first time.
The two families battle a treacherous sea, greedy sailors, and a powerful mage as they struggle to retrieve and secure the ancient artifact. And the attraction between a high-spirited girl and a cautious boy comes to a head when they discover that their biggest fight just might be with each other.
Set two years before the events of Song of Blood & Stone, this action-packed novella answers the question of what happened to Jasminda’s family and sets the stage for the events in Cry of Metal & Bone (Earthsinger Chronicles, book 3).
Excerpt
A man with blue hair raced by—dark, swirling tattoos decorating his forehead and chin. A similarly blue-haired girl with a tattooed chin was fast on his heels. They leaped over some debris at the corner and nearly crashed into Roshon.
He jumped back out of her way, and the girl winked at him before tearing down an alley. On their heels was another man of the same race, but this one’s hair was a sickly green color. As the girl sped past the blue-haired man, the green-haired one reached forward and snagged the collar of the first man’s shirt. With a blindingly fast move of his elbow, the blue-haired man shook off his pursuer and put on a burst of speed.
Something dropped to the ground, torn from around the blue-haired man’s neck, but neither man noticed as the chase continued. Three more men appeared—two running full-out and the other, who was the largest of them, bringing up the rear.
Roshon darted forward to retrieve the object that had fallen. Hanging from a cord was a pouch made of a strange material he’d never seen before. It was as supple and strong as leather but scaly like fish skin.
The first four men continued into the alley, but the large one hair, whose hair was striped black and blue, skidded to a stop and glared at Roshon. “Give that here,” he growled in accented Elsiran.
Roshan’s fist tightened around it. “I don’t think this belongs to you.”
“That ain’t your business. Give it to me before I break your scrawny neck.”
Roshon put his hand behind his back and stared the man in his beady, mean, little eyes. His leathery face was a maze of dark lines, both swirling and straight. They lent him a feral quality, punctuated by the snarl he let out as he rounded on Roshon.
Papa stepped forward, his voice quiet and calming. “We don’t want any trouble.”
Roshon felt the energy of his father’s power brushing across his skin—an Earthsong spell to calm the large man’s temper. The energy cooled Roshon’s ire, as well.
“Then don’t give it,” the large stranger said. “Tell this one here to give me that pouch, and quick.”
Just then the first blue-haired man and the girl came back from around the corner and stopped, taking in the scene.
“Bor!” the man yelled. “Leave them alone. It’s me you want.”
The fat man, Bor, turned around. “I don’t have any need for you.” He pointed a thick finger at the girl. “It’s her who’ll fetch a pretty price once I turn her in. And I think you’ll see the benefit in negotiating with me to get your birthstone back.”
He made to snatch the pouch from Roshon, who was too fast and skittered away. Unfortunately, he moved right in the path of one of Bor’s cronies. The other three men had surrounded their small group during the exchange.
Sister Myreen let out a huff of frustration and crossed her arms. Varten stood close on his right side and Papa on his left. Tension radiated through the air, seemingly immune to Papa’s calming influence.
Then the girl stepped forward. The man she’d been running with looked pained, but she grinned broadly, twirling a knife around her fingertips with great skill.
About the Author
L. Penelope has been writing since she could hold a pen and loves getting lost in the worlds
in her head. She is an award-winning author of fantasy and paranormal romance. Equally left
and right-brained, she studied filmmaking and computer science in college and sometimes
dreams in HTML. After living on both coasts, she settled in Maryland with her husband and their
furry dependents. Sign up for new release information and giveaways on her website:
http://www.lpenelope.com
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