Welcome to the Ward Against Death Scavenger Hunt, Blog Tour and Giveaway. Good luck on the scavenger hunt!
Chapter 1 part 6
She was just so beautiful and so desperate, he had to do something.
“There is another spell, a Jam de’U.”
“Then cast that.”
“It requires time and components.” That, and he’d never attempted it before. He didn’t even know if he could cast it, but he had to try.
An angry yell from within the house made him jump.
“What am I saying? If I’m caught—”
She pressed his palm to her cheek, her eyes wide and filled with fear. “Please. You have to believe me. I’m the only one who can bring me justice. My father is too powerful.”
Could she really prove her own murder? This was ridiculous. She had to go back to her room. If they found her in the garden they’d accuse him of trying to steal her body, and he didn’t want that kind of trouble... not again. He reached for the goddess-eye brand on the back of his neck. It burned with remembered pain. Was there room for another Inquisitor’s brand, or would he lose a body part this time?
“You’re a doctor, right? You’ve taken the Oath?”
“Yes.” But at the moment he was a necromancer, not a physician.
“I ask on your Physician’s Oath.”
His breath caught in his throat. Did the Oath he’d taken in the second-to-last year of his apprenticeship apply when the person was already dead? It said he couldn’t refuse any soul in need, but surely the Master Physicians had meant soul in a literal sense. Of course, they didn’t have the mystic senses of a necromancer. Would the Goddess see the distinction when it was his turn to cross over? If he refused Celia and her soul counted as part of his Oath, he’d face an eternity of torture for being an Oath-breaker.
“Don’t let me die a tormented soul.” She stood and met his gaze.
Her eyes were still desperate, but there was a hardened determination
there as well. His heart contracted. He was ten times a fool and there was nothing
to be done about it.
He nodded. Up down. Side to side. It didn’t matter.
He followed as she climbed the garden wall, his hands finding holds in the stone, his body, of its own volition, dragging him up and over. All the while his mind, like a chorus in a mummer’s tragedy, jeered and moaned the end of his career on the slim chance he’d saved his eternal soul.
She was just so beautiful and so desperate, he had to do something.
“There is another spell, a Jam de’U.”
“Then cast that.”
“It requires time and components.” That, and he’d never attempted it before. He didn’t even know if he could cast it, but he had to try.
An angry yell from within the house made him jump.
“What am I saying? If I’m caught—”
She pressed his palm to her cheek, her eyes wide and filled with fear. “Please. You have to believe me. I’m the only one who can bring me justice. My father is too powerful.”
Could she really prove her own murder? This was ridiculous. She had to go back to her room. If they found her in the garden they’d accuse him of trying to steal her body, and he didn’t want that kind of trouble... not again. He reached for the goddess-eye brand on the back of his neck. It burned with remembered pain. Was there room for another Inquisitor’s brand, or would he lose a body part this time?
“You’re a doctor, right? You’ve taken the Oath?”
“Yes.” But at the moment he was a necromancer, not a physician.
“I ask on your Physician’s Oath.”
His breath caught in his throat. Did the Oath he’d taken in the second-to-last year of his apprenticeship apply when the person was already dead? It said he couldn’t refuse any soul in need, but surely the Master Physicians had meant soul in a literal sense. Of course, they didn’t have the mystic senses of a necromancer. Would the Goddess see the distinction when it was his turn to cross over? If he refused Celia and her soul counted as part of his Oath, he’d face an eternity of torture for being an Oath-breaker.
“Don’t let me die a tormented soul.” She stood and met his gaze.
Her eyes were still desperate, but there was a hardened determination
there as well. His heart contracted. He was ten times a fool and there was nothing
to be done about it.
He nodded. Up down. Side to side. It didn’t matter.
He followed as she climbed the garden wall, his hands finding holds in the stone, his body, of its own volition, dragging him up and over. All the while his mind, like a chorus in a mummer’s tragedy, jeered and moaned the end of his career on the slim chance he’d saved his eternal soul.
*****
Ward Against Death (Chronicles of a Reluctant Necromancer #1)Twenty-year-old Ward de’Ath expected this to be a simple job—bring a nobleman’s daughter back from the dead for fifteen minutes, let her family say good-bye, and launch his fledgling career as a necromancer. Goddess knows he can’t be a surgeon—the Quayestri already branded him a criminal for trying—so bringing people back from the dead it is.But when Ward wakes the beautiful Celia Carlyle, he gets more than he bargained for. Insistent that she’s been murdered, Celia begs Ward to keep her alive and help her find justice. By the time she drags him out her bedroom window and into the sewers, Ward can’t bring himself to break his damned physician’s Oath and desert her.However, nothing is as it seems—including Celia. One second, she’s treating Ward like sewage, the next she’s kissing him. And for a nobleman’s daughter, she sure has a lot of enemies. If he could just convince his heart to give up on the infuriating beauty, he might get out of this alive…
Buy Ward Against Death on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and The Book Depository.
Add Ward Against Death to your Goodreads account.
Book 2 Ward Against Darkness(Chronicles of a Reluctant Necromancer #2) coming out in June 2013!
The last thing Ward de'Ath wants is more trouble. On the run from both the law and the criminal underworld, Ward and Celia flee Brawenal City only to stumble into the mansion of a powerful evil necromancer. And when Ward discovers the man possesses a dangerous grimoire, his duty leaves him no choice. He can't allow the necromancer to keep the grimoire. But the mansion is filled with monsters--human and undead--and Ward has no way of telling who's friend or foe. The only person he can trust is Celia who dominates more of his thoughts and feelings everyday. But there are still laws in the way of anything but friendship. She's still dead and he's still alive . . . for now.
Pre order Book 2 Ward Against the Darkeness from Amazon, The Book Depository and Barnes and Noble. Add Ward Against Death to your Goodreads list.
About Melanie
I have always been drawn to storytelling. In fact, I can't remember a time when I wasn't telling a story in my head or on paper. In grade school, we had journal writing time which I turned into story telling time, weaving tales of magic and adventure that mimicked the fairy tales and myths that I loved to read. It was there, with the help of two very special teachers, that I nurtured this love and started my journey as a writer.Where you can find her: Website, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads
Giveaway Information:
A Ward Against Death Prize Pack including:
A Signed copy of Ward Against Death
A Mug
A tote bag
9 copies of the eBook of Ward Against Death
a Rafflecopter giveawayWard Against Death Scavenger Hunt and Blog tour Schedule:
12/31 K-Books http://k-booksxo.blogspot.com Ch 1 part 1
1/1 Tynga's Reviews http://www.tyngasreviews.com/ Review
1/1 Fiktshun http://www.fiktshun.com/ Ch 1 part 2
1/3 Always YA At Heart http://www.alwaysyaatheart.com/ Review
1/4 Bibliophilia Please http://bibliophiliaplease.blogspot.com/ Ch 1 part 3
1/7 Refracted Light www.refractedlightreviews.com Q&A with Celila and Ward
1/8 Chapter by Chapter www.chapter-by-chapter.com Ch 1 part 4
1/9 Book Briefs http://bookbriefs.blogspot.com/ Ch 1 part 5
1/10 Rants & Scribbles http://rantsnscribbles.blogspot.com Review
1/11 My Life With Books http://www.jenkjovus.com/ Ch 1 part 6
2 comments:
Great excerpt. This book has been on my wish list for a while!
Kristin @ Book Sniffers Anonymous
Awesome excerpt!! Thanks for sharing =)
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