A Ranger's Tale by Mysti Parker
Paperback, E-book, or Kindle, 186 pages
Published January 29th 2011 by Melange Books
ISBN
9781612351
"Elves, wizards, and hot romance!" ~Lyn Horner, authorof Darlin' Druid
“…I was completely surprised by how involved I became in the story. The fantastical world created by the author became very real to me and as a reader that is a very good thing.” ~ Wendy Mitchell, as posted on You Gotta Read Reviews
Once upon a time an elven noblewoman longed to leave her gilded cage. A half-breed former pirate wanted nothing more than to escape his guilty past. Easier said than done...
In the fantasy world of Tallenmere, the high elf, Caliphany Aranea, nearly a century old, has never been allowed to travel farther than a few miles out of the capital city of Leogard. Her father, Sirius, leads the Mage Academy, and after losing his only son, he expects Caliphany to take his place one day. The trouble is, she doesn't want to study magic and doubts she'll ever be as good a wizard as her father. She dreams of leaving Leogard to explore the world and strike out on her own--lofty goals for Sirius' daughter, who also happens to be King Leopold's niece.
When two brutes at Leogard Harbor attempt to kidnap her while she dreams of faraway lands, half-elf ship captain and ranger, Galadin Trudeaux, comes to her rescue. From their first chance encounter, to the finale, where Caliphany must decide where her heart truly lies, she and Galadin will face more adventure, more love, more heartache, than they ever thought possible. Through it all, they struggle to discover the power of forgiveness and of a love that stands the test of time.
Excerpt from Chapter 12:
"Cap’n! You better come see this!”
Damn, that coffee smelled good. I set the cup down.“What is it?”
“A stowaway, Cap’n.”
I followed him out, where Bob held a kicking, squirming woman. My jaw dropped. “Cali?”
“We found her below, Cap’n,” Shyler said.
“Let me go!” Cali yelled.”Your captain knows me; he’ll vouch for my innocence.”
Some more of the crew began gathering around to have a good laugh. Cali’s face glowed red, and I stepped toward them. Bob held her tightly, clasping her arms behind her.
I raised an eyebrow. “Well, you are a stowaway. Not exactly innocent, are you?”
Shyler snickered, his squinty eyes bouncing from me to Cali. “Looks like this one got attached to ya, Cap’n. You’ve never had ‘em sneakin’ aboard.”
Cali’s mouth fell open. “I am no such woman. Let me go!”
“Let her go, Bob.”
He obeyed, and Cali stomped up to me, glaring me right in the eye. “Take me to Faewood!”
The crew laughed again. I had to join in that time.“Faewood? No, I think you’d best go back to where you belong. Shyler, turn about!”
“We’ll be headed leeward, Cap’n.”
I kept my eyes on Cali. “We’ll have to sail against the wind, which will put us off schedule, but we don’t have much of a choice now, do we?”
Bob and some of the others ran to adjust the sails,while Shyler ran back to the helm.
Cali’s face filled with panic. “You can’t do that.”
“Oh, yes, I can. You don’t belong out here with aship full of sailors. I don’t know what you were thinking.”
She pinched her lips together and jutted her chinout. “I thought I would find some compassion, someone who could see my dilemma.”
My brow hardened. “What dilemma? What I see is awoman who’s bored with her comfortable life and decided to traipse off and find adventure. You’ll have to find someone else to provide your amusement.”
“That’s what you would see, wouldn't you? You don’t even know who I am.”
“Oh, yes, I do. I know you’re the king’s niece, and Iknow I’m taking you back home before we all hang.”
“How did you find out?”
“It doesn’t matter. You’re going back, and that’s final.”
As the boat began to turn, it jerked portside. Cali stumbled, and I caught her. She felt good in my arms, until she wrenched herself away from me. Her blue eyes clouded with fury. She backed away to stand near the rigging. When she held her hand palm out, I watched a ball of fire appear, spinning like a cyclone.
I crept toward her and reached out one hand. “Cali,what are you doing?”
She stepped farther from me, her hand dangerouslyclose to the main mast. “You will take me to Faewood, or I will incinerate this entire ship.”
Some of my crew saw what was happening and began to run toward her. I threw up my hand to stop them. “Have you gone mad? What do you think you’ll do if the ship burns down? Swim? In case you didn’t notice,we’re a long way from shore.”
“I don’t care anymore. I’ll go down same as you.”
I stared at her, confused by my own emotions more than anything. On one hand, I was furious that she’d put me in this situation,but on the other, she seemed desperate. If the sea didn’t drown her, then hopelessness would. I growled and turned to where Shyler stood frozen by the wheel. He and some of the others had drawn their weapons.
“Return to our course,” I shouted to Shyler. “Head for Faewood.”
“Aye, Cap’n.”
Cali lowered her hand. Bob sprang forward, but I caught his shirt. “Leave her be. I’ll escort her to my cabin. We’ll take her toFaewood and leave her there.”
Bob glared at me. He was about as wide as he was tall, and his usually jolly eyes flashed with fear. “This won’t look good forany of us, Cap’n.”
“I know. But, we were heading there anyway. I want all sails unfurled. The sooner we arrive, the better.”
Bob sheathed his sword. “Aye, Cap’n, but it’s unlucky, I tell you, having a woman on board.”
“Hopefully she won’t be with us long.”
I motioned toward my cabin, and Cali went in. She stood by the table, tapping her fingers. My coffee cup had slid off and laybroken on the floor. A stream of brown liquid ran under the table.
“Figures.” I bent to pick up the pieces. Cali fetched a towel.
“Thank you,” she muttered.
As I tossed the broken ceramic in the trash, I asked,“Tell me, what is so god-awful bad about your life that made you want to hijack my ship?”
Her chin quivered. “My father…”
Indignation got the best of me. I still smelled the coffee I hadn’t had a chance to drink. “Oh, that again. Yes, your father is a difficult man. So what? That’s what fathers are supposed to be like, with daughters like you, especially.”
She turned and buried her face in her hands. I felt like an ass. I grasped her shoulders. “I’m sorry.”
Given half the chance, I would have held her in my arms. Instead, she shot away and turned angry, wet eyes toward me. “Take me toFaewood and leave me alone!”
If I had met a more exasperating woman, I didn't remember it.
“Fine! But, you’ll stay put until we get there, you hear me?”
She turned her head away. “Yes. Just go.”
I left her in there, slamming the door behind me. Great. She’d hijacked my ship, kept me from enjoying my coffee, and now, she’dtaken over my cabin.
When I joined Shyler at the helm, he couldn’t hide his toothless grin.
“What? “ I growled.
“This un’s got you round her finger, Cap’n, that’s what.”
“Shut up and steer.”
A Ranger's Tale available now at: Melange Books, Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, and many other online stores!
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This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteLove it - great job. Clearly stated. I'm not bogged down with superfluous names and detail. I get the story and I like it.
ReplyDeleteBecause I'm haunted by typos, in the opening - authorof (need a space), toleave (ditto), morethan (ditto)
"Through it all, they discover the power of forgiveness and of a love that stands the test of time."
I was thinking (always a dangerous thing) you might want to up the ante a bit with something like "Through it all, they struggle to find the power of forgiveness and of a love that stands the test of time."
But really, it's a nice promo.
Thanks for the feedback Louis. Still trying to figure out what works and what doesn't in every aspect of the game :)
ReplyDeleteYeah, I hate typos--I think it got smooshed together when I copy/pasted. Thanks for pointing those out.