Hello, all! The Teeth of Dawn officially drops January 28th (please double check your preorders–there will only be a paperback version, no hardback, so be sure your preorder still stands)! In anticipation, I’d like to give you all a sneak peek.
Krona and company are on the hunt for the true resting places of the Gods, but theirs isn’t the only tale that dictates the ultimate fate of Arkensyre. I’d like to introduce you to Hailwic, who lives in a time and place unknown…
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CHAPTER ONE
The beating of the trithopter’s blades added a terrifying undercurrent of thump-thump-thump to Hailwic’s own rabbit-quick pulse throbbing in her ears. The flying vehicle seesawed overhead, its searchlights blazing down the street and over rooftops, cutting through the darkness like white-hot metal, looking for something to sear through. For curfew-breakers to burn.
“This way!” Hailwic cried, yanking at her brother’s elbow, urging him down a narrow alleyway to avoid the glare of the high-intensity spotlights. The two of them skidded out of the darkened, trash-covered street, their boots splashing through filthy puddles, soiling the cuffs of their ragged trousers, as they dove behind a dented rubbish bin.
Offended rats squeaked and scattered, their refuge invaded. The stomach-turning scent of overripe vegetables and rotting meat tried to make itself at home in Hailwic’s nose, but she covered her face with the hem of her cloak, preferring to huff her own days-old sweat than the green zone’s refuse.
The alley’s brick walls were sheer on either side, squeezing in, even as the two teenagers squeezed each other, making themselves small, praying they were well-hidden and unnoticeable.
Hailwic held her breath, and Zoshim ducked his chin into his tightly clasped hands. She willed him to keep steady, though she could feel him trembling. After long seconds, the trithopter moved on, the buzzing of its engine and the thumping of its three blades yawing into the distance.
The streets seemed quiet—desolate—once more. Nothing but flickering streetlamps to be seen.
“Can’t you jump us out of here?” Zoshim asked, swallowing thickly, now panting beside her, the fringe of his sandy hair sticking damply to his forehead.
She wanted to keep her focus on the danger, on the street, but glanced back to meet his eyes—eyes that were constantly changing, but only in her presence. Today they were an unnatural daisy yellow. “No,” she said swiftly. “They’ve got cryptosensors everywhere, looking for magical disturbances. Jumping would draw too much attention. They could trace us.”
“You said this was a kairomancy safe zone.”
“I said it was safe for Kairomancers,” she corrected. “There’s still no unauthorized travel after curfew.”
He batted his hair out of his eyes, then risked pulling his phone from his trouser pocket.
She resisted the urge to knock it out of his hand.
It could be tracked.
Maybe they’d already been tracked.
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To read the rest, head on over to my Patreon page to read the public post!
Happy reading, all!
~Marina
A Little Lost 