by Verity Rose
Genre: Epic Fantasy
In a world struggling with political and religious differences, eighteen-year-old Arkrune—"Rune" to his friends—dreams of something greater than the quiet life in his small village of Locke. Trained by his stern but loving father, a renowned blacksmith and former warrior, Rune sets his sights on joining the famous monster fighting guild known as the Vanguard.
When Rune embarks on his journey to the city of Hilden to pursue his destiny, he carries with him more than just a finely crafted sword—but also a mystery tied to his bloodline and the dormant power within him. Along the way, Rune forms bonds with battle-hardened warriors, fends off deadly attacks by monsters and men alike, and begins to uncover the hidden strengths he didn’t know he possessed.
Prologue Excerpt:
Surrounded
by open fields, broken only by the occasional knoll, a group of six
people stood at the ready for their hunt. A gentle spring wind whipped
through their hair. Some kept their eyes trained on the tree line in the
distance, while others maintained a careful watch over the skies above.
Each carried a hunting bow in hand with a quiver full of arrows
strapped to their backs. Simple iron short swords clung to their hips.
Of the six, two of the people were shorter than the rest, appearing to
be only twelve or thirteen at most. Simple leather armor covered their
forearms, chests, legs, and feet.
One
of the two children was a girl with blonde hair and brown eyes, while
the other was a boy with hazel eyes and silver hair. Both of them exuded
a nervous yet excited energy that was only barely contained, thanks to
the occasional, stern glance of one adult with them, who had similar
silver hair to the boy.
“Keep
your eyes on both the sky and the forest canopy. The beasts move quick
and if you aren’t careful, you could end up with a few broken bones, or
worse. Got it, Arkrune? Tara?” the silver-haired man barked.
“Yessir, Vickar, sir!” Tara giggled while giving a mock salute.
The
only response the man had for her was to sigh before he glanced back at
the trees. Arkrune stifled a small laugh, when the sound of screeching
drew his attention to the treetops. Several brown blurs launched into
the air in a loose, V-shaped formation. The objects initially soared
straight into the sky above the trees but were clearly moving toward the
hunting party.
Vickar
brought two fingers to his mouth and let out a loud whistle. In an
instant, the group scattered, breaking into pairs. Arkrune and Tara
paired together, diving to the right of the formation while Vickar took
the center. Arkrune clipped his bow to his back before drawing his
sword. Today’s hunt had him acting the part of the distraction, while
Tara was to pick the birds off.
Bash
Eagles were not strong beasts, but their aerial maneuverability made it
difficult for all but the best marksmen to target them in flight. The
best way to hit them was to catch them by surprise in their nests or by
baiting them into initiating their diving attack. As their name
suggested, they dove at their enemies with their hardened skulls. Once
the diving attack started, they lost all of their previous agility for a
devastatingly powerful attack. This state left them vulnerable to a
practiced hunter.
It was a dangerous gamble because if the person acting as bait was hit, then the resulting impact could be rather deadly.
Culling
the local population into small hunts like this was a tradition for
their village of Locke. Neither Tara nor Arkrune had been on a prior
hunt. Both of them had been training with Vickar for months and
pestering him for a chance to put their practice to the test.
Being
out in the field after so much begging sent Arkrune’s heart into a wild
beat. This is what I wanted. A sense of adventure, action, excitement.
Truly, this is… The cries of screeching beasts drew his eyes back into
the air and cleared his mind. There was no time for flights of fancy. As
the bait, he needed to attract the Bash Eagle’s attention and give Tara
an opportunity to strike. By becoming a moving target and waving his
sword around, he hoped to create an enticing opponent for at least one
monster. His father had taught him a technique sure to draw attention,
but now was not the time for it, as it could draw the attention of all
the beasts present.
Two
birds broke off from the pack, aiming directly for his position. Tara
shouted something, but the roar of his heart in his ears drowned out
almost everything else from Arkrune’s perception. He knew what the plan
was—what he was supposed to do—but being in the moment was different.
Both
birds began their dive with a terrifying amount of speed. They
seamlessly transitioned from a graceful glide into a nosedive with a
single large flap of their massive wings. With them bearing down on his
position, the boy found his body refusing commands. The panic froze him
in place. No longer was he in the gravel training pit his father had
made; now he was facing a true threat to his life, and it terrified him.
When
the dull yellow eyes of the Bash Eagles became visible, Arkrune’s brain
started working once more. It was too late; there wasn’t enough time
for him to react.
When she isn’t tormenting her characters, Verity is probably reverse engineering a Korean street food recipe, sourcing single origin coffee beans from ethical roasters, or hoarding trash in Dragon Age or Skyrim. Her literary inspiration is equal parts Rick Riordan’s mythic swagger, Suzanne Collins’ high stakes heart, and John Flanagan’s cozy camaraderie.
Verity was raising her family (and her caffeine tolerance) amid Indiana cornfields and now adventures in the Pacific Northwest with them. She’s always down to swap book recs, coffee tips, or preferred RPG builds.
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First Light
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