16-year-old Eridale Storm must leave the only home she’s ever known and brave the dangers of the unknown wilds to escape capture by Imperial soldiers.
The only safe place is with her mother, who abandoned her to lead the freedom movement when Eridale was just a child. On her journey, Eridale learns that she holds a key role in the confilct between the Empire and the Freedom Fighters. Her choices could lead the people back to freedom or shackle them under the imperial throne forever.
Can Eridale face the heritage that will define the rest of her life?
Melanie is an author, designer, photographer, and flight attendant all rolled into one. She has told stories all her life and finds her passion in sharing the plots that spin through her head. She now lives in Portland, Oregon, with her two dachshund-chihuahua dogs. She loves the beauty of the Pacific Northwest that feeds her imagination.
When no one is listening, Melanie loves to belt Broadway songs in her living room and car. Someday she hopes to be on a flight where someone is reading her book.
Connect with the Author here:
Excerpt 2
Scot
tugs at my elbow, urging me toward another natural passageway that widens into
an open space twice the size of the previous cavern. I stare up at the rounded
ceiling above my head. The formation appears natural though the six hollowed
openings all around the edges do not. Each of the six openings has a man-made
desk situated in it, and each opening looks like it serves a specific purpose.
Some have computer screens attached to the wall, others have devices that look
like strange ear muffs.
Before
I can find out more, Scot leads me down the dimly lit hall to the left. With
each step my body tenses. If these people aren’t who they say they are, I’m in
big trouble. I scan the area, mentally mapping my surroundings and searching
for the best possible escape routes. My fingers tighten on my bow. I take a
breath to calm the rising paranoia, telling myself that if they were the enemy,
they wouldn’t take a chance leaving me armed.
We
turn a corner and enter another cavern. This one is more than triple the size
of the first. The whole stinking mountain must be hollow. Several levels of
openings, each with their own group of busy people, rise above me to the
ceiling nearly forty feet overhead.
My
mouth drops open, and my eyes dart around the room, trying to take in
everything all at once. On one side of the cave, six computers surround a
screen similar to the one Melami used to show Leahli and me the information
about Mericon. The people at the computers watch the screen intently,
accompanied by a low murmur of voices. Opposite the computers I notice a short
passage to another room where, at a glance, I make out all sorts of gadgets and
equipment.
On
the second level people move around dressed in white coats, and I wonder if
they are medicine men and women, or doctors as Tolaree’s textbooks termed them.
I turn in a circle, craning my neck to see what is on the third and fourth
levels, but my limited height hides them from view.
As
I turn, the murmur of voices slows and eventually stops. The eerie silence
captures my attention. My gaze comes full circle to meet a slightly older but
otherwise mirror-image version of myself. Everything from the petite frame
right down to the flaming red hair and violet eyes is the same. My mother,
Guinolen Storm.
Now
that I regard her in person, I notice the subtle differences between us. Her
milky white skin is much paler than mine, and her hair is much tamer and more
controlled, with a lot less curl. She’s a fraction of an inch shorter than me,
and her mouth is heart-shaped while mine is more oval.
The
silence around us makes my stomach twist, and I shift my feet.
Guinolen
smiles. “Eridale.”
Her
smooth voice holds a lilting hint of an accent. As it sounds across my ears, a
thousand brief memories assault me. I remember that voice singing softly in the
darkness. I remember it crying as well as fighting. I remember it pledging love
to Tanier McClough and later telling me I have a sister. Tears spring to my eyes
as these memories flood in, momentarily pushing the harsher feelings back. That
lasts for about five seconds before all the longing, sorrow, frustration, and
anger return with a vengeance. I swallow hard, working to rein in my tumultuous
emotions.
My
voice is flat and emotionless when I respond. “Mom.”
To view our blog schedule and follow along with this tour visit our Official Event page
No comments:
Post a Comment