Twisting Flame (eBook)

Rise of the Phoenix Book 2

Tayvia Pierce (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2021 | 1. Auflage
340 Seiten
Bookbaby (Verlag)
978-1-0983-7796-0 (ISBN)

Infos

In 'The Twisting Flame', Carys must survive unimaginable horrors as she fights the corruption of the enemy. Abducted by a mysterious and brutal stranger, Carys is taken to Azkaelom and pushed to the very limits of her strength and endurance as she longs for freedom and fights for her very survival. As she faces the Lord of Azkaelom, she begins to understand the truth behind her abduction and comprehend the significance of the storm she must endure.

Tayvia Pierce, the author of the stunning Rise of The Phoenix series, was born in southern Alberta, Canada, where she lived until 2005. After completing high school, she attended college to pursue a career in tourism, having a love of travel and a desire to see the beauty of the world for herself. She married in 2005 and moved shortly after, heading up to central Alberta in support of her husband's job. They had two children, but as a stay-at-home mom, she struggled to find her passion. During this time, she discovered story-based MMORPGs and loved the immersion of the roleplay community within these created worlds. The collaborative story-telling aspect appealed to her, and she became interested in the lore and history development of each world. This hobby led her to befriend someone who dared her to use her love of storytelling to write a book, putting forth a challenge - he would write one too and the first one to publish would 'win'. This prompted her to finally put pen to paper and begin the process of writing a book. His death not long after his dare hit her hard, but a year later, another whom she now calls her Muse encouraged her to write another book, and so she began developing the world of Isirion and the Rise of The Phoenix series. During this time, she also worked as a freelance copywriter, writing several children's books as well as eBooks on behalf of a handful of celebrities, learning the art of wordsmithing and the unique value of language along the way. In 2018, she split from her husband and returned to Southern Alberta with her two kids. Supporting herself and the kids with a job as a medical assistant, she finally self-published Book 1, 'A Single Spark', in May 2019. She gave herself exactly 3 days of celebrating before starting to work on book 2! Tayvia is currently working on acquiring her professional editing certification, initially intending to take only a few classes to become a better writer, but soon decided on a blend of editing and writing to build a career for herself.

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In "e;The Twisting Flame"e;, Carys must survive unimaginable horrors as she fights the corruption of the enemy. Abducted by a mysterious and brutal stranger, Carys is taken to Azkaelom and pushed to the very limits of her strength and endurance as she longs for freedom and fights for her very survival. As she faces the Lord of Azkaelom, she begins to understand the truth behind her abduction and comprehend the significance of the storm she must endure. In "e;A Single Spark"e;, Lady Carys and her family were forced to abandon their aristocratic life in Taurova, creating a new life in the western land of Lund. They quickly became the target of dangerous people, and Carys was finally forced to hire the mysterious Ben to help protect them. As their friendship blossomed into more and her family's circumstances began to spiral, she no longer knew whom she can trust. When the unthinkable occurred and everything she believed was ripped away, it was too late she had been caught in the dark net of their enemies. "e;The Twisting Flame"e; is a masterful work of fiction and as the sequel in the Rise of the Phoenix Series, it shares an exciting story that readers of fantasy will love. "e;I longed to be the woman I had once been, ignorant and foolish, but there is no going back...The spark that had flashed to life had become a flame, twisting my fate into its own form and life as I knew it was over."e; - Carys

Textauszug

CHAPTER 1

 

 

 

I’ve been abducted!

Despite my training, my own lack of caution and over-confidence had been my undoing. This man was bigger and stronger, and while I had landed a blow in my defense, it hadn’t prevented harm from coming to me. My head throbbed from the blows I had suffered at my abductor’s hand, and the ache of his rough handling spread though my whole body as the night went on.

The thick knot of dread in my stomach turned to solid stone. I still had my other blade in my boot, my tiny bit of good fortune not lost on me. Was it only this morning that I picked it up from the weapon-smith? It was now my last means to defend myself, but I needed to choose my moment well if I was going to escape this brute.

I had warned Rhian so often about being safe, and for all my nagging, I had found the same fate she had. My captor’s muscled body was firm against my back as he held me in a vise-like grip, ensuring his newly acquired prize wouldn’t be lost.

I gave in to despair…escaping would be almost impossible. I had been completely outmatched; his strength had taken me by surprise in the park, as had many other things. He always did favor you. The man’s comment ran through my mind repeatedly, though my hazy mental capacity could barely make sense of his meaning. He must have meant Ben, as it had been Ben’s gifted dagger that had caught my abductor’s attention. He must have been watching our family for a long time.

As the skies in the east began to lighten with the approaching dawn, we broke free of the woods and into a clearing. In its center sprawled the ruins of some ancient Velynesian settlement. The walls were crumbling in its advanced state of decay, though some structures would manage to provide some shelter from the elements. As my unnamed abductor steered his large, black horse around the broken wall to the interior, I realized he intended to make camp. He drew up at last, looking around the ruins briefly before dismounting.

He pulled me roughly from the horse, barely letting me set my feet on the ground before giving me a violent shove toward the corner of the crumbling building. I barely got my hands up as I stumbled, slamming against the wall hard to send a shock through my arms, blooming into yet another wave of pain through my body. I dropped to my knees in the grass with a grunt, arms wobbling painfully as I started to push myself up. Every instinct in me screamed to run, but my body couldn’t cooperate.

His eyes remained on mine as he rifled through his saddlebag, producing a grin along with a coil of rope, swinging it with a dramatic flourish before making his way toward me. I scrambled to get my feet under me, trying to get past him to flee, but his large frame quickly blocked my path. He loomed over me as he stepped forward, crowding me into the corner and cutting off any avenue of escape.

My kidnapper chortled as he caught my arm, quickly twisting it to catch my wrists and push me roughly back against the wall. The rough stone bit into my back as I began to twist and squirm, my fight useless against the strength of his arm though I did the best I could. One look into his dark eyes forced me to stop cold…his gaze was fixed on mine, brimming with triumphant amusement as though daring me to keep struggling.

He bound the first wrist and then grabbed the other, binding them together so tightly that the ropes dug hard into my flesh. I tried flexing my fingers and my wrists against the ropes, hoping to loosen them just a little, though before I could, his fingers gripped my hair on the top of my head and pushed down, my knees buckling as I was forced to sit with a stifled cry.

Tears sprung to my eyes as I landed on the cold ground and slumped against the wall, a mantra whispering in the darkest corners of my mind as I stubbornly refused to give this man the satisfaction of seeing my fear. I will not cry out…I will not give in… I will be strong.

He slowly knelt before me, his lips curling into a smile as he spoke softly. “Now… are you hiding anything else? Let’s have a look.” His hand firmly gripped my foot, pulling my boot off as his other hand wrapped tightly around my calf. My heart thudded harder in my chest, eyes trailing after my boot as he tossed it away where it was quickly lost in the tall grass.

He chuckled in amusement as he pulled my other boot free, my new blade slipping free and into his hand. “You are full of surprises, girl.” He turned the slender blade over briefly in his hand as he inspected it, soon tossing it over his shoulder and out of my reach. “Not one of his at least.” My first dagger, now lost to the thick grass of the park in Lund, had been Ben’s. He knew because he watched you and Ben training in the early hours and knew a noblewoman would never own a dagger like that, the little voice in my head chided me.

My abductor’s dark eyes glinted, the man shifting his weight as he moved closer. “Shall we see what else you are hiding?” He lilted suggestively, grinning as his hand skimmed up the inside of my leg. Raw terror and fury instantly blossomed in my chest as I grasped his dark intentions, and my whole body stiffened, trying to press itself back through the stone wall in the hopes I might magically pass through it and be free.

My foot shot out and I kicked him hard in the stomach with a growl. “There is nothing up there for you!” My intention to hurt him, or at least knock him over, was short-lived as he caught my foot, a cruel laugh erupting from him with my pathetic attempt to fight against him.

The back of his hand struck my face a second later, splitting the skin over my cheek bone as stars exploded in my vision. He hissed. “You will pay for that too, girl.” His large hand palmed the side of my face, turning my head to hold my face against the rough rock of the wall.

The blood from my split cheek left a streak of crimson on the cold, rough stone as his other hand gripped the neckline of my coat, ripping it open and sending its buttons flying. His knuckles were rough against my skin as he took hold of the neckline of my dress and chemize, pausing only for a moment as though giving me that brief second of hope…a hope lost with the tearing sound as he bared me to the waist with a cruel smirk. The rush of cold night air against my skin quickly flooded my body with the chill of cold and horror, knowing what was about to happen and praying for a swift rescue. Somebody…please! Help me! I wanted to scream, but nothing came out.

With a growing panic I tried to twist myself from beneath his grip, though his fingers only tightened on my head before he pulled me from the wall by my hair. My scalp was on fire as he threw me into the dirt, his hand swiftly finding my neck and squeezing as his knee planted hard on my thigh, pinning me to the ground, leaving me unable to move.

I froze as he leaned over me, my heart nearly stopping its violent hammering entirely at the glint of lust in my abductor’s eyes. He crooned softly. “Yes…you should fear me, girl.” His thumb caressed my neck lightly before his hand squeezed again, choking me briefly as I struggled for air. “I am going to enjoy you immensely.” His other hand moved against my abdomen as he fumbled with his pants.

The walls of the ruins swam in my vision as I barely held to consciousness against the tightening of his hand around my throat, the growing light of dawn dimming into gray as I struggled against his rough handling. He was merciless as he took what he wanted, and after an eternity, I was spared further anguish with my descent into the sweet relief of oblivion.

 

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 

 

There was no part of my body or soul left unscathed as the deep ache settled in my heart, sluggishly rousing hours later and rolling to my side where he left me. The harsh light of midday filtered through the leafless trees, but there was no warmth in it.

I forced my eyes to open slightly, the layer of crusted blood over my cheek where my skin had bruised and split crackling and stinging, though it paled in comparison to the soreness I felt between my legs and through my abdomen.

Hot tears stung my eyes with the memories of what atrocities my abductor had inflicted on me only a few hours earlier. I’m ruined. The stinging of the salty water over my tender flesh forced my eyes to open to blink them away; only then did I think to look around for my captor.

He was off to the side, naked and standing next to his massive horse pulling a fresh set of trousers from his saddlebags. Clean, white bandages gleamed in the pale sunlight, wrapped around his leg where I had stabbed him the night before as I struggled to get away. Was that truly only yesterday? He hobbled slightly as he pulled his pants on, then his shirt, paying me no mind as he dressed.

A small fire crackled nearby, though it was too far and too small for its warmth to reach where I lay. I started to move, wanting to get closer to soak up what little warmth it offered, but the relentless ache only worsened and was joined by an unnatural queasiness. I will not cry out…I will not give in… I will be strong. I didn’t feel very strong as a chill rippled up my spine, and the cold air on my bare flesh caused my teeth to start chattering. I clenched my jaw against it and tried to pull the tattered remnants of my dress and coat back around me to salvage whatever shred of decency I could find.

Footsteps crunched through the stiff grass as the man returned, now fully dressed. His dark eyes roamed openly over my entire length as a cruel smile curled on his lips. My stomach lurched,...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 1.7.2021
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Literatur ► Fantasy / Science Fiction ► Fantasy
• ISBN-10: 1-0983-7796-6 / 1098377966
• ISBN-13: 978-1-0983-7796-0 / 9781098377960