Ahoy, lovely readers!
The nights are getting slightly more bearable up
in the mountains of Japan. I hope the same is true for all of you. It’s still
chilly, though, so I’m bringing you a wonderful way to warm up!
The thrilling sci-fi Peers of Beinan series
by Laurel A. Rockefeller will keep you curled by the fire/heater rapidly
turning your e-pages! Today, for the first time in this blog’s history, I will
be introducing a series by featuring the sequel: The Ghosts of the Past
Mysterious paranormal forces are at
work as the ghosts of the past pursue their bloodthirsty quest for revenge
against the descendants of Princess Anlei and her allies. Caught up in their
web is Lord Knight Elendir of house Ten-Ar, the son of two healers murdered in
terrorist strikes against Beinarian healing centers. But Elendir’s youth and
pain is his weakness, making him prey to the sexual manipulations of his
enemies. Now it is a race against time to save the people he loves most before
all hope is gone forever and Beinan falls to the blood thirsty monster his own
failings helped create.
The lives of billions hang in the balance in this exciting middle chapter to
the Legacy of Princess Anlei Trilogy.
*
It’s rare to have a sequel hook me onto
a series, but I’m telling you, The Ghosts
of the Pasts is a good time of a read! It also includes 6 original songs,
so you can be serenaded while you read. Neat, huh?
Enough of my gushing, though. You know
I always let the books speak for themselves, and The Ghosts of the Past definitely holds its own!
*
RM7 led Princess
Constance to the throne room and towards the memorial alcoves built to honor
notable kings and queens of Beinan. She stopped in front of King Lyr
III’s memorial. There, on the floor, lay her father, King Kendric,
surrounded by a pool of greenish-yellow blood, his favorite schlager sword
enveloped by his blood. Five crossbow quarrels pierced his chest.
Constance’s eyes widened, “Just like Lyr III.” As comprehension slowly
reached into her mind who the man on the floor was, tears began to swell in
Constance’s eyes. Her father was dead. Her father was dead?
By the same means as her forefather? How could this be? Why
here? Why now? Why in the throne room? Why with a crossbow
when Beinan possessed dozens of more effective and more silent weapons over the
last twenty thousand yen-ars? Regular crossbows were more for parades and
heritage lessons than for real use in war. Why? Why kill him this way?
Constance looked at the
sword at her feet and picked it up, soaking the sleeves of her sapphire blue
kirtle in blood. No blood clung to the blade itself, only its hand guard and
hilt. Memories flashed before her of watching her father duel with Lord Elendir
for fun. Her father taught laser épée at the Ten-Arian
monastery she remembered suddenly. He knew how to handle a blade, both
heritage and laser versions. Killing him by blade would be almost as
difficult as killing a knight of Ten-Ar or knight of Gurun with a sword.
Understanding filtered through the shock that still filled Constance’s mind and
body.
Tears fell from the
princess’s eyes. Looking up and wiping tears off her face, her eyes caught more
of the scene around her. Kendric was not the only casualty.
Following the path of blood on the floor she found twelve heavily cloaked
palace guards sprawled on the floor. Some were pierced with laser spears
still stuck through their bodies. Others were slashed by some sort of
sword from the looks of the wounds she could see. With so
many protectors in the throne room, how could her father fall to any weapon
short of a bow or crossbow, weapons used across Beinarian history, even on
original home world, to kill the strongest of Beinarian leaders?
Finally, Constance gaze
fell upon the single woman among the dead. Kneeling, she turned the body
over and gazed into the lifeless eyes of her mentor and friend, Lady
Healer Fëawen. Fëawen dead? How? Looking carefully Constance noticed
bruises on Fëawen’s neck – finger shaped bruises. Had she fallen
intercepting whoever killed them? Beside Fëawen lay Lord Knight Lytsar,
King Kendric’s knight-protector and champion, his bodypierced
with crossbow quarrels like her father. Constance
gasped. Lytsar was a good man, one of the king’s most faithful servants
and her father’s favorite dueling partner.
Not knowing what else to
do, Constance raised her voice in song, her notes cracking at first from grief,
then growing stronger with courage and regal resistance,
“He was a strong and noble
lord with piercing eyes of grey.
He sat upon his noble
throne shining like the dawn.
His sword flashed like the
brightest star.
He led our people well.
Yet here and now he lays in
blood pierced with arrows.
He was the friend of many
knights.
He loved the warrior games.
His heart was won by a lady
fair for marriage they did wait.
A kindly prince, his duty
carried him to another's bed.
And on her death true love
returned, finally they wed.
He felt the grief of
children lost to murder and to pain.
I was the youngest of his
blood.
I'll never be the
same.
Here lays my father and my
lord.
I know not what to say.
Except my father and my
lord was slain here on this day.
Here lays my father and my
lord.
I know not what to say.
Except my father and my
lord was slain here on this day….”
As the last note faded from
her voice, Princess Constance looked up. Twelve courtiers stood four
zhang 张 from her, drawn by the sound of her voice. Constance
looked into their eyes. The gathering knelt respectfully. Her
father’s head court herald stepped forward, “All hail Constance, Queen of
Beinan.”
“I am not yet come of age,
my lord. How can I be queen?” asked Constance fearfully.
“Queen you must be, my
liege – or the Great Council will choose someone else, someone who craves
power, not service to our people,” cried one of the courtiers, his jet black
hair and metallic blue eyes twinkling from among the crowd.
“Summon High Priestess
Aina and Lord Knight Elendir. We will perform the coronation ceremony as
soon as they arrive. RM7, summon healers of Gurun to bring our honored
dead out of this place. Let High Priestess Aina perform their funerals as
soon as I am crowned. Prepare no reception. This beinor is dark and
my heart is filled with sorrow. Let all of Beinan mourn with me, even as
I accept the Gurun throne,” commanded Queen Constance.
*
I don’t know about you, but I’m eager to find out
what happens next! You can find The
Ghosts of the Past on the e-shelves at these links below:
Before you go off to snag yourself a copy, let’s learn a little
about our author!
About Laurel A. Rockefeller:
Born, raised, and educated in Lincoln, Nebraska USA,
author-historian Laurel A. Rockefeller educates while she entertains,
encouraging readers to think about current events and history in a completely
new way. Using exhaustive and comprehensive research across dozens of academic
disciplines, Laurel's stories come alive so vividly it is easy to forget you
are learning something new.
That’s all for now, y’all! Stay tuned for more fiction features
and all things Lucid.
Until then, keep readin’ and dreamin’!
-Fred
