Hey, everybody! We’re on week 9 of Work-In-Progress Wednesday, and today’s excerpt is from Bane of Ashkarith! The book is launching on the 31st of July but is available for preorder on the 14th on Amazon and Kobo!
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Night had fallen. The workers outside were finishing up, and the candles were guttering on the table near his work. Kaidan straightened and twisted to pop his back. He’d finally pieced together all the clues to determine the location where Banach had hidden the scrolls the journal spoke of. He jotted it down, his heart thumping against his ribcage, and then sat back, staring at it in disbelief. How could it be located there? Did this place even exist anymore?
The voice of his wife and the workers’ headman drew closer, and he listened to her talking to the man. “Respect is important to everyone in this situation, I know. So, since we’ve proven what we came to prove, we’ll be finishing up with the dig tomorrow.”
“Much appreciated, ma’am. I’ll inform the workers.”
“See that they’re careful when they rebury the remains, please.” His wife pulled aside the flap and ducked inside the tent as she spoke.
“Understood, ma’am. They’ll be told to take care.” The headman glanced inside the tent. “Evening, Master Kaidan.”
Kaidan smiled at the man. “Good evening, Leotwo.”
The man’s gaze wandered around the inside of the tent. Then he returned Kaidan’s smile and ducked his head. “Well, I’ll take my leave for the evening, then.”
The two of them bid him farewell, but Kaidan’s attention was only partially on the headman and the current situation. His wife sat down on the mat beside him, tracing her fingers down his spine. “What’s that?” She pointed at the paper he was holding loosely in his fingers.
“The location.” He crumpled the paper in his fist.
“And?”
“You’re right… It is a suicide mission.” His stomach dropped, and he wondered what they were thinking. They couldn’t do this, could they?
“But where do we have to go?” She began massaging the knots out of his shoulders.
He closed his eyes, groaning when she hit a sensitive spot between his shoulder blades. “Ashkarith. We have to go to Ashkarith.”
“Ashkarith?” His wife’s hands stilled against his back. “No one even knows for sure if the city still exists, though.”
Kaidan sucked in a deep breath. “I know…”
“The jungle supposedly reclaimed it, Kaidan. How are we going to find that?”
Kaidan shrugged. He didn’t know that either. Only that it would be one Rith-cursed nightmare to do it. “No one will trek in there, and the captains of those new-fangled flying ships refuse to fly over the spot. They say it’s cursed.”
“That doesn’t answer how we’ll find it. That just means we’re going alone.” She resumed kneading knots from his stiff muscles.
“I know. We’re going to go to the city of Arabhin. It’s the closest to the former city’s location, and if anyone knows whether or not the city survived the jungle and where to find it, it’ll be the natives.” He slumped over the table to give his wife better access to his back and the sore muscles.
“But that’s still deep in the jungle. No one will fly us there.”
“True, but we might be able to find someone to lead us there.” Kaidan sighed as his wife’s nimble fingers removed the aches and tension in his back.
“Kaidan, you know what’s said about the Faelkishians.” Zerua wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head on his back.
Kaidan snickered. “Come bearing gifts unless you want to be eaten alive?”
She smacked his side lightly. “You know that’s not what they say.”
Kaidan sat up and drew her into his arms, stretching out on the mat with her beside him. Perhaps it was the wrong time to joke around about the dangers of the trip. He sighed. “I know, I know. They’re unpredictable and vicious.”
“That doesn’t concern you?” She traced his cheekbones with her fingertips.
“We’ll find a way, Zer. There’s no other choice.”
“We’re going to get ourselves killed.” She bit her lip.
Kaidan leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to the tip of her nose. “What better way to die than in pursuit of truth?”
She rolled her eyes, but his words drew a smile from her. “Perhaps of old age in your sleep?”
Kaidan brushed his lips over hers with a smile. “Boring.”
Her lips flirted with his own, and her breathy laughter greeted his comment. “I thought the same.”
“So, it’s settled? We’re going to go after this?” His heartbeat thundered in his ears, and his breathing became ragged.
She nodded, her smile fading. “I don’t see another option. Now that we’ve dug up this, we’ve got to find out if it’s true. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to believe that wrong is right and truth is untruth for the rest of my life.”
His gaze dropped to the small space between them. “Neither do I.”
“Then we’ll set out for Ashkarith as soon as we finish up here.” She tangled her fingers in his hair. “But for now, let’s take an opportunity to rest. I have a feeling we won’t be doing much of that in the near future.”
Kaidan gathered her closer to him. She’s right. Whatever we find in that jungle is going to turn our world upside down, and I don’t think either of us will have a chance to rest easy once we find out the truth. He closed his eyes with a sigh. The journal’s already disturbing enough. His mind drifted as the lack of sleep for the last few months caught up with him. Ashkarith. City of the dead. What would they find there? His breathing slowed, and after a few more minutes, he was out.
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That’s it for today! What are all of you working on? If you’d like to, feel free to drop an excerpt in the comments below. Also, feel free to give feedback on both what I’ve posted and on the things posted in the comments. Just keep all feedback respectful and constructive!