Title: GRUDGING
Author:
Michelle Hauck
Pub.
Date: November 17, 2015
Publisher:
Harper Voyager Impulse
Format:
eBook
A world
of chivalry and witchcraft…and the invaders who would destroy everything.
The
North has invaded, bringing a cruel religion and no mercy. The ciudades-estados
who have stood in their way have been razed to nothing, and now the horde is
before the gates of Colina Hermosa…demanding blood.
On a
mission of desperation, a small group escapes the besieged city in search of
the one thing that might stem the tide of Northerners: the witches of the
southern swamps.
The
Women of the Song.
But
when tragedy strikes their negotiations, all that is left is a single untried
knight and a witch who has never given voice to her power. And time is
running out.
A
lyrical tale of honor and magic, Grudging is the opening salvo in the Book of
Saints trilogy.
Excerpt:
Shortly after the combat, Ramiro
made his excuses to the men at the wall and left, returning to the citadel and
taking the stairs to the roof. Some alcalde’s wife from the past had turned this
spot into an outdoor garden and dining room, making it a favorite retreat for
many. A peaceful place when he felt anything but.
Other people’s blood spotted his
white shirt. Had things gone differently, it could easily have been his own. He
needed a bath and a rest, but his mind hummed from the conflict, leaving him
unable to stop pacing. Cold chills claimed his limbs. His stomach was sourer
than when alcohol had filled it. With no clear single-combat victory, he hadn’t
earned his beard. The night reeked of disappointment.
How long? How long could they
keep the Northerners out?
Stars spotted the night sky here,
where the citadel met the top of the world. Or so it had always seemed to him
as a child. Life was no longer so certain now that he was older.
He drew in the cool scent of
creeping jasmine, carefully tended and watered by hand in pots across the
rooftop. Colina Hermosa spread before him, a humbling sight. The city stretched
away from the citadel on all sides, a jewel shining with lights. It spread down
the hill, becoming wider and grander as it sprawled, with imposing avenues and
white-clad stucco buildings whose thick walls and small windows kept out the
noonday heat. There was squalor and dirt as well, fits of temper, rudeness, and
often impatience. But the darkness hid all that, washing the city of its faults
and giving it a fresh life until it tumbled like the sea against the immovable
stone walls that now held out the Northerners.
His heart swelled with love.
Something worth defending. Home.
Outside the high, white walls,
well beyond arrow shot, was a sight not so welcoming. There, jammed between the
city and a deep, old quarry used to build the city walls, campfires burned. A
red swarm of rage and death, brimstone and smoke, offering a grim contrast with
the peaceful firmament. Not by the hundreds did they burn, but by the thousands,
mirroring the stars in the sky. How many peasants’ houses did they demolish to
feed so much hungry fire? They must be down to burning cacti. How they kept it
up night after night, he couldn’t begin to comprehend. Salvador had talked on about supply trains and
quartermasters, but Ramiro had let his imagination dwell on his first ride
instead. An indulgence he regretted now.
If only each fire meant a single
enemy, but that was wishful thinking. Each fire contained tens of men. Tens and
thousands. And behind them, the siege machines waited their turn. A lethal
combination for Colina Hermosa.
He touched the spot above his
spleen, and whispered, “Santiago, don’t let me give in to despair.”
About
Michelle:
Michelle
Hauck lives in the bustling metropolis of northern Indiana with her hubby and
two teenagers. Two papillons help balance out the teenage drama. Besides
working with special needs children by day, she writes all sorts of fantasy,
giving her imagination free range. A book worm, she passes up the darker vices
in favor of chocolate and looks for any excuse to reward herself. Bio finished?
Time for a sweet snack.
She is a co-host of the yearly contests Query Kombat and Nightmare on Query Street, and Sun versus Snow.
Her epic fantasy, Kindar's Cure, is published by Divertir Publishing. Her short story, Frost and Fog, is published by The Elephant's Bookshelf Press in their anthology, Summer's Double Edge. She's repped by Sarah Negovetich of Corvisiero Literary.
She is a co-host of the yearly contests Query Kombat and Nightmare on Query Street, and Sun versus Snow.
Her epic fantasy, Kindar's Cure, is published by Divertir Publishing. Her short story, Frost and Fog, is published by The Elephant's Bookshelf Press in their anthology, Summer's Double Edge. She's repped by Sarah Negovetich of Corvisiero Literary.
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