QSFer R.J. Vickers has a new queer epic fantasy out, Empire of Ash book 1: Book of Shadows.
Baylore is the world’s last safe haven for magic. And the Whitish are determined to destroy it at all costs.
Twenty years ago, the enchanted Wandering Woods saved Baylore from the Whitish when they picked up their roots and formed a living wall around the city.
Now, Prince Daymin is the only one who can keep the forest wall in place.
As the Whitish prepare once more to attack, the alliance between Baylore and the people of the forest grows strained. If the forest abandons Baylore, it will mean the end of the city and the wholesale slaughter of the magic races. But the people of the forest have no allegiance to the city.
Time is running out. When Daymin’s mother embarks on a dangerous quest to forge an alliance that might save Baylore, Daymin is forced to take the throne he never wanted. Though he is untested and lacking in confidence, he must lead his people into battle—or watch as the last free city of magic falls to the Whitish.
Prince of Shadows is the start of the next epic saga in the world of Itrea and the Kinship Thrones. The series is set twenty years after the Forbidden Queen series, and features a few characters from the previous series, though it stands alone.
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Excerpt
Prince Daymin was about to rob a farmer.
He had never felt more ashamed of himself. Not when he tripped over his own sword and sprawled in front of the entire court, nor when he botched his first speech before the people of Baylore, nor even when he realized he had accidentally slept with his best friend’s sister in a haze of drunkenness.
Daymin crept from the forest, hugging the shadows behind a stone wall. He was conspicuous in his Allakoash skins, but his court dress would have been far worse. The chirping of crickets rang through the nearby field, and warmth radiated from the packed dirt road. The late summer sun was low in the sky; Daymin had hoped to wait until nightfall, but when he saw the entire family leave the farmhouse with a loaf of bread wrapped in a cloth, he knew it was too good an opportunity to miss.
Letting himself through the back gate, Daymin darted across the vegetable plot and up to the kitchen door. The door was unlocked, so he let himself in, wincing as the hinges creaked.
Inside, the mud-and-straw house was cool and dark. The windows had no glass, and most were shuttered to keep out the heat of summer. Daymin felt sick as he looked around the kitchen. If the farmers realized the queen’s son was robbing them, they would never trust their monarch again.
But unless they caught him here, they would never guess who had made off with their dried goods. No—the reality was much worse. They would likely assume the Allakoash had robbed them, which would cause exactly the sort of rift their kingdom needed to avoid. Itrea’s survival depended on it.
In a small pantry built into the wall, Daymin finally found what he was after—stacks of dried goods in sacks. He tugged open the tops of a few until he found what he was looking for. Bundling the sack of millet under his shirt, he left a pouch of coins nestled amongst the other dried goods. Then he turned, heart hammering at his ribs, and crept back the way he had come.
Just outside the door, a scruffy grey cat accosted him. When it meowed loudly, Daymin froze, afraid it would alert the neighbors. Then it rubbed against his leg. Daymin bent cautiously to scratch its ears, and the cat went quiet immediately.
As he hastened back through the vegetable patch, Daymin loosened his belt and shifted the bag of millet so it was tucked inside. He kept his shoulders rounded forward, letting his shirt drape in front to conceal the bulge. His heart was still thudding, his hands clammy despite the heat of the day.
Even after he let himself back through the gate onto the narrow dirt lane, he could not relax. The cat leapt over the fence and followed him, despite his efforts to shoo it away; eventually he gave up and ignored it, sweat beading on his forehead.
Then, at last, he reached the cool stillness of the woods. Beneath the trees, he pulled the bag of millet from his shirt and tucked it under his arm. Then he drew in a shaky breath.
“What are you doing?” a woman’s voice asked in Allakoash.
Daymin jumped so badly he thought his skin might have detached itself from his innards. “Lalaysha? Is that you?” His voice came out thin and hoarse.
The branch of a nearby tree lowered, and Lalaysha leapt to the ground. Her black hair was braided and bound in a crown atop her head, her eyes bright with mischief. “What were you sneaking out of the woods for? Are you that eager to return to Baylore?”
Daymin shifted the sack of millet behind his back, but too late—Lalaysha’s eyes followed it. “I was just—just meeting a friend. He had important news for me.”
“What news?”
“I can’t tell you. It’s an official secret.”
“Oh, of course. Lalaysha picked her way closer, stepping lightly from root to root. “Does it have something to do with that bag?”
“This?” Daymin tried to act nonchalant, though sweat was prickling his neck. “No, it’s just a few of my personal belongings I forgot to bring for the summer.”
“Right,” Lalaysha said.
“I need to go. I’m already late for the afternoon patrol.”
“So late you shouldn’t even bother going. Oh, Daymin. You’re a hopeless liar. But I’ll let you keep your secrets.”
With a sly smile, Lalaysha swung herself back into the branches of the ancestor tree. Daymin watched her until she leapt to the next tree and disappeared behind a curtain of leaves. He would not be surprised if she followed him.
Sighing, Daymin started back through the woods toward his village. He had hoped to leave immediately, but he should wait until Lalaysha grew bored and stopped following him. He could not have anyone chasing after him.
Just before he reached the cluster of houses made from the hollow trunks of ancestor trees, Daymin turned off the well-trodden path and crept his way over mossy roots and around well-established berry bushes. Before the towering ancestor trees had vacated a section of the Wandering Woods and re-settled in a protective ring around Baylore, they had shifted their roots frequently, never allowing a significant understory to grow. But years had passed since the trees had last changed position; they had grown indolent with no attacks in over a decade, and the forest had settled into a comfortable pattern around them.
At the edge of his village, Daymin laid a hand on the familiar bark of Dakolth’s ancestor tree. Dakolth had once been his mother’s advisor, and even after his transformation, he continued to watch over Daymin. Now, when Daymin traced a familiar crack down Dakolth’s trunk, the tree split open to reveal a narrow hollow, just wide enough for Daymin to sit within. Once he stepped into the tree, the trunk creaked shut until only a narrow sliver remained to let in light.
Here the air was thick with the smell of wood. Daymin knelt in the dark cavity and grabbed the pack he had prepared, working mostly by feel. He had gathered a bow and knife for hunting, two water skins, warm furs, a clay pot for cooking, and a few strips of dried venison wrapped in leather. Now he added the sack of dried millet, which he hoped would be enough to last him the journey to the Wandering Woods. It would take at least two quarters—twenty days—but Daymin planned to supplement his meals with vegetables raided from the farms he came across. He would not feel guilty robbing those farms. Outside the protective ring of forest, most of his kingdom had been taken over by the Whitish. Only the capital city of Baylore remained free.
Author Bio
R.J. Vickers is the bestselling author of the Natural Order YA fantasy series, the Forbidden Queen YA fantasy series, the Empire of Ash epic fantasy series, and several other standalone fantasy novels set in the world of the Kinship Thrones.
Originally from Colorado, Vickers now lives in New Zealand with her family, where she enjoys hiking to backcountry huts, writing at adorable cafes, crocheting blankets and amigurumi, and baking delicious treats.
| Author Website | http://rjvickers.com |
| Author Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/rjvickersauthor |