Sign of the Throne: Book One in the Solas Beir Trilogy (34 page)

PLACES AND TERMS

(in alphabetical order)

The Barren
: the vast desert in the center of Cai Terenmare, spanning from the Great Plains to the Eye of the Needle.

Cai Terenmare
(KIGH TAIR-en-mahr): a parallel world to Earth filled with magic, shape-shifters, mythical creatures, and blood-thirsty monsters.

Caislucis
(KASS-loo-sis):  castle and city of the Solas Beir, perched on the cliffs above the Western Sea.

Eye of the Needle
: a rock spire near the City of the Eastern Oracle.

The Gauntlet
:  a narrow, icy canyon that serves as gateway to the House of the Northern Oracle in the Ice Mountain Territories.

Island of the Western Oracle
:  temple and home to the Western Oracle and her siren daughters.

Lone Tree Island
: a small island in the Western Sea near Caislucis.

Newcastle Beach Inn
: a mansion built by Thaddeus Buchan as his home, and later deeded to the Newcastle Beach community. It sits across the street from his brother Samuel’s mansion, which was damaged in an earthquake and is in ruin.

Pool of Healing
: a sacred pool within Caislucis that can heal almost any wound.

Sigil
:  a seal, signet, sign, symbol, or image with magical power.

Sign of the Throne
: the sigil of the Solas Beir and an object of great power belonging to the Light. It is used to open and close portals from Cai Terenmare to other worlds.

Silver Hand Mirror
: an object of power also used to open and close portals, but created and corrupted by Darkness.

The Wasteland
: a parallel world to Cai Terenmare that serves as a prison. In this endless desert where time is frozen, prisoners are compelled to count grains of sand for all eternity.

THE RABBIT AND THE RAVEN

Book Two in the Solas Beir Trilogy

Melissa Eskue Ousley

ESCAPE FROM THE WASTELAND

T
he walls of the large, wood-paneled room were dominated by floor to ceiling mirrors in gilded frames, all shattered, save one. Piercing through the glass dome on the rooftop, the moonlight created a perfect circle of bright white light on the hardwood floor inside the otherwise darkened room. There was a stillness in the air, as if the entire world were holding its breath. It was an electric tension, the kind of silence that precedes a thunderstorm—a prickle of static anticipation. A single particle of dust hung frozen in the beam of moonlight, suspended motionless, as if it too were waiting.

The circle of light dimmed for a second—a brief flickering that could have been the wind pushing a wispy cloud across the face of the harvest moon. Then a low rumble emanated from the bowels of the mansion, followed by a sharp crack. The dome imploded in a shower of glittering glass shards, littering the circle of light with razor-edged droplets, ringing out like chimes against the floorboards.

Two lithe figures, dark as night, leapt nimbly through the rain of glass, materializing from nowhere. The larger figure took the lead, walking with long strides toward the empty doorframe with dangling hinges. The smaller figure hesitated, taking the time to tuck something into the folds of a gown, something round with a metallic glint that flashed in the light, and then, with quick, graceful steps, hurried to catch up.

“You know we’re dead, don’t you?” Jon asked Abby.

Abby gave him a look, but didn’t answer. Instead, she finished pulling on her boots and then buckled a belt around her waist. Hanging from the belt was a sword, sheathed for now, which she hoped she wouldn’t have to use anytime soon.

The last time she had faced the Kruorumbrae—in the not-so-distant past—things hadn’t gone so well. Technically, the good guys had won that round, saving David Corbin and ensuring he became Solas Beir. But no victory comes without a price, and both Abby and Jon had paid dearly.

Abby glanced at Jon’s arm, now healed. It had been shattered when the beast, Calder, ripped a heavy wooden door from its hinges and hurled it across the room like a discus. Abby had nearly died from the creature tearing her torso open with its claws. The attack had been meant for David, but Abby had pushed him out of the way and taken the blow.

She had survived. Calder…not so much. Abby’s silver blade had found purchase in the beast’s belly, and Calder’s nasty little friends had finished the job. So much for loyalty.

In spite of her near-fatal injuries, there was no question that Abby would do it all again if she had to. Truth was, she was madly in love with David. She would have walked through an inferno to save him, though thankfully it hadn’t quite come to that. Still, given an alternative, she would rather not be tackled by a giant cat monster from hell again.

If she hadn’t been mentally preparing for battle, Abby would have thought Jon’s reaction to going home almost funny. Never mind legions of bloodthirsty cat goblins; he was worried about how his mom would react to his disappearing act.

It had been a little more than twenty-four hours since they’d left home, but considering everything that had happened, it felt like they had been in the kingdom of Cai Terenmare for much longer. Their going missing for an entire night and into the next one would be killing their parents, even though Abby and Jon had some pretty compelling reasons for being gone.

Abby knew how her mother would react. She would be worried sick until Abby came home, and then she would be steaming mad.

She’d say, “Why didn’t you at least call?”

Well, Mom, funny thing: cell phones don’t really get signals in a parallel dimension.

“And what—you couldn’t pick up the phone before you left?”

Yeah, we were kinda busy trying not to be eaten. Sorry.

Abby thought things might be worse for Jon, though. For all his bravado about being this mischievous boy who could charm his way out of anything, he and his mother were really close, and he hated to disappoint her. His father had never been part of the picture, and even though Abby’s dad had tried to fill the void, stepping up as a father figure to the son of his wife’s best friend, it was Jonathon and Blanca Reyes against the world. Except, of course, when it was Jonathon Reyes and Abigail Brown against the world. When Jon was on your side, he was for you completely. Abby loved that about him.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

M
elissa Eskue Ousley lives in the Pacific Northwest with her family and their Kelpie, Gryphon. When she’s not writing, Melissa can be found hiking, swimming, scuba diving, kayaking, or walking along the beach, poking dead things with a stick.

Before she became a writer, she had a number of educational jobs, ranging from a summer spent scraping road kill off a molten desert highway, to years spent conducting research with an amazing team of educators at the University of Arizona.
Her interests in psychology, culture, and mythology have influenced her writing of
The Solas Beir Trilogy
.

www.
MelissaEskueOusley.com

www.facebook.com/MelissaEskueOusley

Twitter:  @MEskueOusley