Title: Firebolt
Author: Adrienne Woods
Series: The Dragonian Series
Publisher: GMTA Publishing Mythos Press
Release Date: Nov 20 2013
Blurb/Synopsis:
Back blurb:
Dragons. Right. Teenage girls don't believe in fairy tales, and sixteen-year-old Elena Watkins was no different.
Until the night a fairy tale killed her father.
Now Elena is in a new world, and a new school. The cutest guy around may be an evil dragon, a prince wants Elena's heart, and a long dead sorcerer may be waking up to kill her. Oh and the only way Elena's going to graduate is on the back of a dragon of her own.
Teenage girls don't believe in fairy tales. Now it's time for Elena to believe in...herself.
Synopsis:
For the love of blueberries, Elena Watkins
was destined for greatness, even though she didn’t know it. Forced to travel
from home to home every three months Elena’s life was a never ending blur of
new towns and new faces, that is, until the night her father was killed by a
creature she thought only existed in fairy tales – a dragon. With her father’s
death leaving her orphaned, Elena is whisked away to her true birthplace,
Paegeia.
Arriving at Dragonia Academy, the premier
school for young Dragonians, she begins to feel a sense of belonging in this
strange world; a school she was never meant to attend because her father was a
dragon. Elena is soon swept up in the rigor of her new life and the new set of
skills she now needs to survive: Latin, Art of War, and Enchantments.
Entranced by her new reality Elena learns
about the dragons and humans who inhabit her new home. There are two classes of
dragons that soar through Paegeia distinguished by their instinctual pretense
for either good or darkness. The distinction between these two very different
species is vital to Elena’s success in her new world because she has been
marked as a Dragonian, a human preordained to ride and tame a dragon of her
very own.
With the help of her new friends, Elena is
able to navigate the complexities of her new home. Her new roommates Becky and
Sammy are even more amazing then she could have ever imaged and to top it all
off, Sammy was a dragon. Sammy’s is also the devoted sister of Blake, the most
attractive boy at school and the Rubicon; the only dragon of his kind with the
abilities of all the dragon species with a pretense for evil. Elena soon finds
the love she always wanted with Lucian, the Prince of Tith, who actively
pursues Elena throughout her time at Dragonia Academy, winning her heart with
his absolute adoration and unshaken dedication.
Unbeknownst to Elena danger is lurking
behind the enchanted vines concealing the once thriving capital of Paegeia –
Etan. Goran, the darkest sorcerer to ever practice his evil arts in the realm,
has lain dormant for over a century behind the crumbling city. The first step
in his menacing plan is to destroy the only weapon that can kill him – the King
of Lion Sword.
When the sword is stolen Elena doesn’t
think twice about seeking it; knowing deep down that it is her destiny to save
her new home. She travels to the Sacred Cavern, and discovers the nefarious
actions of an unknown man lead to the swords destruction as she follows the
trail revealed in the prophetic waters of the cavern.
Elena and her friends engage the mysterious
man revealing their existence to Goran and fighting for their very lives.
Author Info
I was born and raised in South Africa,
where I still live with my husband, and two beautiful little girls. I always
knew that I was going to be a writer but it only started to happen about four
years ago, now I can’t stop writing.
In my free
time, If I get any because Moms don’t really have free time, I love to spend
time with friends, if it’s a girls night out, or just a movie, I’m a very
chilled person.
My writing
career is starting with Firebolt, book one with the Dragonian Series, there
will be four books in total and two to three books that is about the stories
taking place inside The Dragonian Series.
I do write
in different Genres, I have a woman’s fiction called the Pregnancy Diaries, but
it would be published under another name. And then I have a paranormal series,
called the Watercress series. There are about ten novels in that one.
So, plenty
of novels to come out, so little time.
I hope you
are going to embrace the Dragonian Series as much as I loved writing them.
Kind
Wishes,
Adrienne Woods
Author Links
Chapter Two
Excerpt #1
“Dad? What the─” I couldn’t find a way to put into words what had just
happened or what I’d just seen in front of me.
I closed my eyes and knew that I would be scarred for the rest of my
life after seeing him naked. My mind went crazy with words like “dragon”, and
“Dad”, and “dragon” again. Thoughts I
feared would land me in the nut house if spoken out loud.
The zip of his army bag pierced the silence. I could hear him struggling
to get into his pants. How did I not know Dad was a dragon?
“You can open your eyes, Elena.” His voice came from the direction of
the windshield.
“Dad, why didn’t─”
“I didn't want you to find out this way. I'm so sorry,” he said, with
sad eyes and a clenched jaw. He held out his hand for mine, his other hand kept
aloft in mock surrender. I took it, and he helped me out through the opening
where the windshield should’ve been. My hands trembled, and the cut on my head
stung fiercely.
My gaze didn't leave Dad's as I climbed through the jagged gap; my hoody
and jeans hooked on pieces of broken glass, tearing it. When I was free from
the truck, I watched Dad as he poured some clean water from a bottle onto a
shirt. He lifted the shirt to my head.
“Ouch!”
“Hold still,” he said, and dabbed my forehead softly with the cool, wet
shirt. I ground my teeth. It felt as if someone had hit me with a sledgehammer.
I didn't know what to say, and a horrible silence filled the air between
us.
“I need to make a call.”
“Dad?” I grabbed him by his arm, and he turned back around to face me.
“Are more dragons coming for us?”
“I don't know, Bear,” he said sincerely. Quickly he dialled a number and
held the phone carefully to his ear. His eyes searched everywhere, his face
illuminated by the soft glow of the phone. “Matt, Herbert here. We got attacked
by dragons…no, I told you, not over the phone. We are stuck on Interstate 40,
just meet us and please hurry, I don't know if more are coming.” Dad switched
off the phone and carefully placed it back into the pocket of his pants.
“Elena, I need to tell you something. Believe me when I say this wasn't
how I planned on doing this.” He sniffed hard and wiped his nose with his index
finger and thumb. “I wanted to take you out for a nice dinner and maybe ease
into things, but..." He sighed, blinked a couple of times, and looked
away. "Bear, I love you more than life itself, and I would never let
anything happen to you. You need to understand that."
I nodded, but struggled to wrap my head around the fact that Dad could
morph into a dragon whenever he wanted. I shook my thoughts back into place
with a short jerk of my head.
He swallowed hard and lowered his gaze.
What is he not telling me?
A screeching sound that pierced the darkness made both of us jump.
“Elena, just run.” Dad screamed, and pointed in the direction I needed
to follow. “As fast as you can. Matt is on his way, go, now!”
I heard the sound of ripping jeans, and when I swung back around, Dad
had turned back into a dragon. I didn’t even have time to say goodbye or I love
you back. All I could do was what he asked, and I started to run.
Tears blurred my vision, and I wiped them away vigorously. Not that it
helped; everything was coal-dark and I couldn't see a thing in front of me. I
fell down hard on the turf, but got back up and kept running. I didn't look
back as I silently prayed for the motel to come into sight. Another screeching sound made me stumble
again. This time fire lit up the entire road and I saw the outline of the
dragon, the one with the beautiful face. A shiver ran up my spine as I
remembered the evil emanating from him.
Where is my father? I'm going to die. Don't give up, Elena. Get up, my
conscience yelled. I did what the voice in my head told me and kept running,
while the dragon, lurking in the darkness, followed my trail. A predator that I
could not see was stalking me, but each new shiver told me he was there.
I shrieked as something hard pressed into my ribbed cage. One moment my
feet were touching the ground, and the next, I soared through the air. His
talons pressed hard into my flesh, and I was sure if he pressed any harder, he
would snapped me in two.
The sound of his wings flapped loudly in my ear and he reeked of
sulphur. I started to cough uncontrollably as the strong smell crept into my
lungs. My eyes started to burn, and it felt as if my head were going to
explode.
My whole body shook when the dragon collided with something hard. I felt the dragon’s weight being thrown back,
and his grip around my torso vanished.
I started to fall, and a vague picture of another dragon snapping at the
red dragon came into view. The red dragon breathed fire that lit up the sky.
The two dragons became smaller and smaller as I fell faster and faster. My
heart beat so fast it felt as if it was inside my throat. Then everything went
black and all became silent.
Excerpt #2
Dull voices spoke quietly in the background. At first, I couldn't make
out what they were saying. It sounded hollow as if they were speaking into a
tin can. One question dwelled in my mind: Was Dad alright?
Sight came back in shadows, first the
light, then a bit of grey. Four figures stood over me, but I couldn’t tell
whether they were male or female.
“Constance?” A man's voice, with a strong Asian accent spoke clearly.
“Not now, Master Longwei,” a woman admonished with a British accent.
I tried to lift my hands from my sides. Why can't I feel anything?
The British woman barked a breakdown of medical stuff to someone, and
one of the figures disappeared.
“There's something else you need to know,” a masculine voice that
sounded vaguely American said to my right. “She has the mark. It’s a dark one
too."
Mark? That doesn't sound good. When people speak of marks and signs, it
usually means a freak. I'm a freak! My
heart rate rose again, and it felt as if somebody had cut off my air supply.
“But you said that her father was a dragon," the Asian man said,
sounding confused.
“How is this possible, Matt?” the British woman asked hurriedly.
“I don’t know, Constance. I told you everything I know."
While the strangers were carrying on their conversation, my sight began
to come back. I saw the three figures leaning over me. The British woman wore a
long, white lab coat and had a stethoscope draped around her neck. She had the
strangest silver glow in her hair, and she seemed to exude confidence. The
Asian man was short, middle-aged, and wore the ugliest Hawaiian shirt I had
ever seen. The American, whom I assumed was Matt, was somewhere in his fifty's,
with golden blonde hair and a huge nose.
“You did well, Matt.” The Asian man patted him on the shoulder with
praise.
“I just wish that I’d gotten there sooner,” Matt said, with a darkness
returning to his eyes.
The doctor turned her attention back to me. “Do you know her name?”
“I think he said it was Eloise or Elena. I think it's Elena,” Matt said.
“Elena, can you hear me?” she asked, shining the light thingy into my
eyes. Dark spots danced across my sight, which blinded me for a short period. I
hate that.
The woman repeated my name, slowly. Each time she became more anxious.
“Constance?”
“No, Master Longwei,” the doctor said. “I’m not giving up. She's too
young and she has barely lived. I will—”
“You can’t save all of them, Constance. Their minds don't perceive our
reality. She needs─”
“No! I won't give her the serum. Her mark is dark; we should try to get
her back! Elena, please?” She had tears in her eyes as she pleaded with my
immobile body. “Just one blink. It’s all you have to do.”
Blink, Elena, my conscience demanded. I didn't want any serum, but for
the love of blueberries, I couldn't blink.
She waited a couple of minutes and then she yelled my name.
The Asian gawked at her, stunned by the sudden outburst.
I finally blinked. I did it multiple times, afraid that they hadn’t
seen.
The doctor started to laugh as she wiped the tears from her face with
the back of her hand.
Matt took a deep breath.
“What can I do, Constance?” asked the Asian, who I assumed was the
Master.
“Nothing at the moment." A small giggle escaped from her lips.
“Just let her rest. She's been through enough for one day.”
My eyes opened, and I found myself lying on a small bed in an infirmary.
Every limb in my body worked again, except my arms. They moved without my
control as they clawed and pulled at the IV bulging from under my skin. Liquid
squirted out and onto the floor, leaving a glistening puddle. The machine
connected to the syringe made a crazy pitching sound.
As I looked around I noticed that the rest of the beds were empty. I sat
up straight as I desperately searched for Dad. Haven't they found him?
“Everything is going to be okay.” The doctor's voice came from right
next to me. It made me jump. Our eyes met, and I ended up staring like an
idiot. Her light gray eyes, with dark spots inside the iris, started to calm my
nerves.
Her warm hands pressed gently against the back of my jaw. Next, I felt
the cold metal disk of her stethoscope. Goose pimples blossomed everywhere on
my skin, as she moved the metal disk around to my back.
“Breathe,” she ordered, authority filling her voice.
I took a deep breath. The question of my father's fate scorched the tip
of my tongue as I struggled to take another breath. Tears lurked in the corner
of my eyes as different scenarios played around in my mind. The stethoscope
went back around her neck when she finished.
“Where's my dad?” I asked quietly, my voice shaking with worry.
Her face dropped into a sad expression, and she began to look everywhere
except my direction.
I knew with what had happened last night that the chances of him being
alive were slim. “Is he . . . dead?”
Thank you C for being part of the tour.
ReplyDeleteI really appreciate this.