I've christened this summer as *lizzie starr's Summer of Three. That means a ton of work for me, but more importantly, it means three new books for my readers to enjoy.
Three books?
Yep, one each month. Together we'll discover the end of the tales of the Double Keltic Triad. Between the releases of books five and six is a story from the Keltic Multiverse. Turns out there's many, many more parallel worlds yet to discover that interact with the Faerie Otherworld and our own human world.
But, let's not get ahead of ourselves.
First, and now available is the fifth tale of
The Double Keltic Triad,
Keltic Dreams.
A spiritual quest throws Bard, naked and alone,
from his world to the desert Sahara. Each grueling step through the shifting
sands only adds to his questions and confusion. What did the seven Guardians
mean for him to learn in this strange place? Will he discover a way home?
Burying her emotions, Kaelea retreats into the
research of fey texts, searching for a clue--for anything, to protect her clan
from an ever-present evil. The appearance of a stranger at the oasis is an
unwelcome interruption. Her instant fascination with the man is even more
distracting.
Hotter than the desert sun, attraction blazes
between Bard and Kaelea, but personal concerns and that ancient evil drive a
wedge between them. Alone, and together, they discover answers, and their soulfire.
But will it be enough to keep Bard in Kaelea’s worlds, and at her side?
Short Excerpt
He wasn’t ready to die.
The struggle to move one leg in preparation to
rise was nearly more than his abused body could tolerate. He rested his crossed
arms on the top of his thigh and panted, the breath wheezing from his lungs. He
would stand. Bard lifted his head.
The painful widening of his eyes made him blink
and glance away from the sight before him. When he looked again, tears blurred
his vision until he blinked the dampness away. There had been nothing there
before—had there? Where once had been nothing but sand, and sand upon more
sand, now hovered a spot of lush green. Where once he had heard nothing but the
wind scraping sand from the dunes, was now the faint tinkling of water upon
stone. Where once there was despair, he found a rising hope.
If the vision were only that—a vision—a trick
of his exhausted mind... Bard didn’t care. If it was cool, if there was shade
to shield him from the sun, if there was water...
A word of praise burst from his lips, breaking
open a deep, dry crack and releasing a trickle of warm blood. Brows drawn close
over his eyes, Bard licked the salty blood, winced at the stinging pain of his
tender lip, and rose awkwardly to stand. He stared at the grove of trees.
He took a step. Then another. Until he ran
mindlessly. Fully expecting the trees to fade from sight as he neared them, he
could not tear his eyes from the splotch of green and stumbled over the smooth
sand. Flailing his arms, Bard regained his balance, paused, then ran again. The
trees were still there. His heart sang with the joy of discovery, of hope. The
trees were still there.
Beneath his feet the sand gave way to more
solid ground. The softness of patches of grass tickled between his toes, the
bruised blades giving rise to a fresh, green scent. Bard smiled and slowed,
listening, following the crystal sounds of water bubbling over rock.
His soul surged with the promise of renewal.
Soon his body would experience the renewal as well. First, he would drink.
Then, if there was enough water to allow it, he would cover himself with
moisture. Then, he would drink once more.
The siren’s call drew him closer and he
silently thanked the Guardians before asking forgiveness for his doubt. He
inhaled deeply. Damp air caressed his nostrils and the lush scents provided him
the Guardians’ response. He would not doubt again.
Rising over the sounds of the water came a new
sound. Bard frowned. Singing? He stepped from under the trees onto a grassy
knoll beside a wide, clear pool. The water called to him, urging him recklessly
forward, but the bare back and flowing dark hair of the woman singing in the
center of the pool froze him in place.
~ * ~
To read the first chapter go
here
coming in July:
