Pre-Orders for the Braid of Sand ebook are available today! Reserve your copy and be the first to get your hands on the epic adventure November 6th!
It’s the story of Rapunzel set in a world of warrior priestesses, ruthless mercenaries, and vengeful goddesses. Braid of Sand is a sweeping fantasy adventure that tasks a young priestess named Raziela with deciding the fate of the entire human race.
In the shade of a tower hidden in the Realm of the Gods grows a sacred tree tied to all life in Phalyra. Entrusted with its protection, Raziela—the last surviving priestess of the Great Mother, Naiara—spends her days honing herself into a weapon worthy to serve the goddess.
Meanwhile, mankind is turning from the old ways. Now the tree is dying and time is running out. Hoping to save it by rekindling the people’s faith, a desperate Raziela commits an act of sacrilege to perform a miracle.
But when the disillusioned Phalyrians receive a gift from the gods, they send their most ruthless mercenary to hunt down its source. His arrival forces Raziela to question everything she knows. As the two execute a careful dance of secrets and hard truths, they pit the fate of humanity against the wrath of the goddess.
Now, how about that sneak peek?
Raziela skidded across the gravel, diving behind a potted tree as forks of lightning stabbed down from the clear, blue sky. A bolt struck so close she caught a whiff of burning hair. Fear skittered along her spine.
Thunder roared, a weapon in itself. The noise sent her heart rattling around in her chest. Clenching her teeth, she scanned the field. There must be some way to cobble together at least the semblance of an offense.
Raw power gouged open a portal ten feet from where she crouched. It hung in midair like a wound bleeding light. Her heart sank. There was no telling what might come barreling out. She pivoted to face it, flinching as another crack of lightning split a seam across the sky. Without warning, the portal spat a whistling stream of throwing stars.
She blocked the first two with her saber guard. The third sliced across her forearm, and the fourth narrowly missed her ear.
Growling through the stinging pain, she whipped a dagger from its sheath on her thigh and flung it left handed into the portal’s heart. It winked out with a hiss. Before she could even think about celebrating however, another streak of lightning sizzled through the air like a whip.
There was no deflecting that.
Casting her sword aside, she flattened herself to the ground and flung her arms over her head.
Boom! The potted tree exploded. The noise chewed through her eardrums like razor-sharp teeth.
Robbed of her cover, she had no choice but to make her last stand. Snatching one of the throwing knives tucked into the braid crisscrossing her chest, she flung it as hard as she could at the blinding figure hovering in the center of the field.
The small blade disintegrated before it could get within ten feet of the goddess, but the time it took her to throw up a shield gave Raziela the opportunity to get to her feet.
Disoriented by the shrill ringing in her ears, she flung two more knives as fast as she could. Both of them melted against the goddess’s invisible shield. Frustration and determination fizzled through Raziela’s veins. Winning had never been an option. Her objective was to survive.
One day though… One day she’d slip past the Great Mother’s defenses and prove that all her years of training hadn’t been for nothing.
This story has been so much fun to write. Raziela is a fierce, driven heroine who’s loyal to a fault, but her story is only the half of it. Castien has been sent on a mission and he won’t stop until that mission is completed. I look forward to bringing you more about these characters and their world as November draws closer.
In the meantime:
Alicia Gaile 