Welcome to Steampunk Revelry! Pull your goggles down, secure your top hat to your head, you’re heading for a fast and frantic ride!
Today we’re celebrating release of, The War the third book in a fast paced action adventure series by E.C. Jarvis
Start: July 13th 2016
End: July 20th 2016
Read on for an excerpt of The War. You can enter the Rafflecopter at the bottom of the post for a chance to win a $10 amazon gift voucher and a signed print copy of The War.
Summary:
When your day begins with an escape from a volcanic eruption and a plane crash leaving you stranded in the desert, you’d be forgiven for giving up all hope. Larissa and Cid have survived the journey to the hostile land of Eptora, having experienced an incredible number of bizarre events. Can their luck hold out on the journey home? Larissa and Holt both believe each other dead, and with good reason. As she learns more unsettling details of her father’s past, and his devious plans for the future, Larissa once again finds herself in the middle of a mess. With two nations on the verge of a war fabricated for one reason, it’s up to the unlikely crew under Larissa’s command to put a stop to the inevitable. Fights, airships and explosions keep readers of this fast paced action adventure on their toes once more. The War is book 3 of the Blood and Destiny Series.
Excerpt:
Larissa awoke with a snort. She wiped the trail of drool across her face with the back of her hand and sat up. Her head pounded with an unfamiliar ache. As she rubbed her temples with her fingertips, groaning at the sensation, she came back to full awareness and to the reality that she was not alone.
She looked up to find Kerrigan slumped in the Captain’s chair, his boots up on the desk. He stared at her with dark eyes, the flecks of grey through his short black mop of hair glistening in the gentle cabin candlelight.
“Morning,” he said with about as much charm and cheer as an undertaker addressing a corpse.
“Is it?” She wiped a second line of drool away as she looked around the cabin for any sign of morning. The small pair of round windows at one end appeared to be painted black.
“You know you snore?” Kerrigan said as he changed his legs around, crossing the left over the right and keeping his boots on the desk.
“I do not snore. What are you doing in here?”
“You snore and you drool. It’s not particularly attractive.”
“Well, I’m very sorry you’re not seeing me at my best, Mister Kerrigan.” She rubbed her head again, trying to push away the pain of too much sleep.
“I’m still a Colonel, Miss Markus. Does Holt appreciate your drooling?”
Her hands fell from her face and she gripped the edge of the bed. Holt. The ache in her head instantly sank straight to her heart. It hurt, like taking an arrow in the chest. The cabin disappeared into a haze and she focused on the last image of him, leaving her alone, yet again. She wished he were here right now, if for no other reason than to give Kerrigan another pummelling.
“I let you escape, didn’t I? Why are you being such an ass?” she said, trying desperately to push Holt from her thoughts.
“He’s dead, isn’t he?” Kerrigan finally took his boots off the desk and sat upright.
“What does it matter to you?” Larissa stood and grabbed the pitcher of water off the desk, taking a large gulp straight from it instead of pouring some into a cup.
“It’s nice to know I don’t have to keep looking over my shoulder anymore. That’s rude, you know. Other people might want to drink some.”
Without thinking, she swallowed half the mouthful and promptly spat the remaining water back into the jug, then slammed it back on the desk and fixed Kerrigan with a dark glare.
He opened his mouth to speak, then promptly snapped it shut again as the door opened. Larissa straightened her back and felt her bones give a satisfying crack as Elena entered the room followed by Cid and the ship’s Captain.
“Larissa, Colonel.” Elena nodded to them both. The Captain marched straight behind his desk and pointed his finger at Kerrigan, flicking it side to side. Kerrigan promptly stood and vacated the seat as directed.
Larissa opened her mouth to speak, intending to ask what was going on and why no one had spoken to her in two days, then changed her mind. The memory of a guard smacking her around the head for speaking out of turn flooded back just in time.
“We will arrive in the Capital Eudonin soon,” Elena said as she picked a glass from the tray and poured a measure of water into it. Larissa glanced over at Kerrigan, who appeared to chew on his lip, and she couldn’t help but do the same. “You will all be taken directly to the Empress for further discussion and consideration. I have come here this morning to teach the three of you some manners. My sister isn’t as amenable as I am, and if you set a foot wrong, you’ll find yourselves in our dungeons…at best.”
“At best?” Cid said with a look of horror on his face.
“Don’t worry, Mister Mendle. If you follow my instructions, you’ll do fine.”
Despite Elena’s crooning assurances, Cid’s expression did not settle. Elena took a delicate sip from her glass. Larissa pursed her lips as she tried to suppress the childish giggle that threatened to burst.
“I’ve been wondering, Princess,” Kerrigan said, though his gaze was fixed on Larissa. “If you’ll indulge me, how did you and the future Empress of Eptora end up in the middle of the ocean alone?”
“My sister tried to send us to the Tloric Islands for safety. We have been a target for Daltonian assassins. We were travelling in disguise on a merchant vessel, though we did have soldiers with us. One of your warships happened to find and attack us in the middle of the ocean. I suppose you don’t know anything about that, do you, Colonel?”
“It is not standard protocol to attack merchant vessels without good reason.” Kerrigan folded his arms across his chest.
“If you’re going to adopt that kind of response, I suggest you prepare yourself to spend a long time in a dark and damp room with an unfriendly man who will prize information out of you in a far less pleasant manner.” Elena handed a second glass of water to the Captain, who hadn’t said a word so far.
Larissa watched Kerrigan’s expression closely as the Captain took a sip of the spit-laden liquid. A hint of a grin ghosted across Kerrigan’s face. “So, the protocol?” Larissa said, trying to steer the conversation away from such a dangerous topic.
“When we enter the palace, you will walk in a line with your heads down. This shows respect and means you acknowledge your status as our—”
“Prisoners?” Cid said.
“Guests.”
“I’m not sure the word guest translates from Eptoran in quite the way you think it does,” Larissa said, though she bit her tongue to stop from saying more when the Captain gave her a glare.
“Either way, this is how you will be expected to act, and if you don’t, you’ll find an excess number of guards around the palace who are happy to hit you over the head until you get the idea.”
“Not if they don’t want to meet a swift end at the mercy of her killer ghost thing, they won’t.” Kerrigan unfolded his finger from his arm for a moment to point at Larissa.
“Can you at least attempt to be respectful?” Elena said with an exasperated sigh.
“We will be respectful,” Larissa responded, “so long as respect is given.”
“Good. When we arrive, I will introduce you to the Empress and she will likely want to speak with me in private for an explanation before she speaks to you. She’ll either ask you to wait in the main room or she’ll have the guards take you to the dungeons for a time.”
“Nothing in between, eh?” Cid said with a raised eyebrow.
“She’s a busy woman and I wouldn’t like to bet on her mood. You people have infiltrated our country and you are Daltonians. Those two factors are enough cause for her to order immediate execution if she so chooses, and no amount of pleading from me will change her mind.”
“Something else to look forward to,” Larissa said with a sigh. “How long has it been since people have attempted or threatened to kill us, Cid?”
“At least a couple days.”
*****
The War is the third book in the Blood and Destiny series. Part one – The Machine is available now at Amazon the ebook is only $0.99 and recommended reading before you sink your teeth into book two on Amazon. The fourth and final book in the series will be released in August 2016 so you won’t be kept waiting long to have the whole saga to complete!
*****
Visit E.C. Jarvis’ author page here
E.C. Jarvis also has an erotic romance series available. Set in a fantasy world – not too dissimilar to that of a steampunk style. This bold and original series has been getting rave reviews from readers, so if you like your books with a little extra steam, then check them out!
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