As promised, I am going to give you all a grand post of extra’s, snippets, previews and everything Saboteur that I can think of without giving away the whole story. My finals are finished, my brain is slowly recovering, and I’ll be back to writing for a month before the next semester at school begins, but before I go and do that I need to properly introduce you all to Saboteur. Because I was nearing the end of the semester when it was released, the poor book was not given the appropriate amount of attention that it should have been. On my part at least.
So! Saboteur is the sequel to Sedition … Which was the pretty black and white and grey cover with the big sword on it. It was also the introduction to the world of Dyngannon, a fantastical place populated by Eldur and Humans. Eldur, which I snagged from an old English word meaning “from the elder tree.” Why did I pick that name? Well, because someone somewhere at some point described elves as people of the tree’s. I really can’t remember who or when, but I remember it because it stuck with me. And my pointy-eared race of people have a lot in common with elves — Tolkein elves, not Santa elves — so I thought I’d be cheeky and name them something dealing with tree’s.
Now, as much as the Eldur have in common with elves — pointy ears, longevity, tree’s — they have some distinct differences as well. First of all, they aren’t peace loving and for all their years of living, they aren’t really elegant or snobbish, as some elves are prone to being in this genre. They are gritty people. Also, their magic is … erm … different.
Blood Magic has one very simple rule — everything is a trade. You can’t just make a wound disappear, someone else has to take it for you. And, when you get married, you trade your individual life for a life bound to another — meaning, when you die, so does your wife or husband. This very simple rule has been a great plot-complicator. We see Blood Magic a bit more in Saboteur than in Sedition, but the work I’m currently doing on Usurper (the third book in the series) is the one that is really going to explain the details of the magic.
In fact … didn’t I promise you snippets/sneak peeks? … Here you go! Fresh from Usurper’s pages::
***
“Varaloomessa oct ell et te,” Bree repeated, wafting the magic still closer.
Warm light filtered past her eyelids, an odd tickling sensation running over her lashes, and then she traded her sight briefly for a vision of a low-flying hawk. Magic itself picked which hawk, an odd twitch to Blood Magic was that it often had its own ideas of what should be done. The magic in use only knew she wanted something in the air, something that could give her a clear view of the island, and had accepted the price of her own vision for a time.
The only problem was that she wasn’t certain how long magic would keep her eyesight. She could be rendered blind for months if it so chose.
Shoving that worry firmly aside, Brigetta concentrated on the hawk’s vantage. It wasn’t far from the little cabin they were standing in, flying close to the treetops. Bree wavered, disoriented, and reached out for something to steady herself on. Faxon’s hand clasped on her own and she felt him step closer. She felt his body heat warm against her side and tried to relax.
Because she had only traded sight, the vision came with no sound. This made things even more disorienting, since she could still hear everything in the room, to include Faxon’s quiet breathing just beside her. Exhaling through her teeth, Brigetta battled a weird sense of vertigo and focused more.
The bird turned in a wide circle, scanning the forest floor in search of food. At least, she assumed it was hunting. That was what hawks did, after all.
Unfortunately for the hawk, its hunting grounds were being intruded upon.
***
And … That’s my first snippet/ sneak peek. I’m going to keep this book party / belated release party going for the next week. For those fans who recognize the name Brigetta, I’m happy to report that … yes … this is the very same Brigetta from Sedition. While she isn’t in Saboteur, she is absolutely integral to Usurper. I’m actually quite surprised by her antics in this novel and can’t wait for the rest of you to see what I mean.
Look out for the next snippet tomorrow!
AJMaguire 