Rise of the Flame:
Book One of the Eura Chronicles
In order to be protected from danger, and trained in her
magic abilities, Lilae was taken from her royal parents at
birth. She is in good hands. Her guardian is none other than
the Gatekeeper of the Underworld,
Delia...
The Underworld had been Delia’s
home since the beginning of time, and now, she was chased out. She trudged
through the thick snow of the mortal world in determined silence. Delia’s
enemies couldn’t follow her into this world, and she refused to sit around
while they destroyed everything she’d ever known.
She glanced up at the sky and
locks of thick black hair flew free from beneath her cloak. The harsh winter
winds blew at her exposed face. The wolves of the forest howled into the night,
but they did not dare test her. It was as if they knew. They could sense the
immense power she held in her new body. A human body felt like such a foreign
thing to her.
Her blue eyes stung as she tried
to see her way through the darkness. Even though the elements were against her,
she was anxious to prove herself to the Ancients. Delia was grateful to be
chosen. She was young again.
Her third horse had died on this
important journey and her toes were nearly frozen from the long walk. She had
to reach Auroria before midnight. Delia had been walking for days and her legs
ached. Every fiber burned but she was too focused to take notice. Her pale
cheeks were numb and reddened. Her lips were cracked and nearly bleeding. She
resisted licking them, knowing that it would only make them worse.
She welcomed the pain. It was
what she needed to remind her who she was.
The poor woman that she had
killed needed to be remembered. Delia had claimed her body as her own. Her first
kill. It was a necessary action, but she vowed to never kill an innocent person
again.
Nonetheless, she was grateful
for a chance to save their world. Centuries as an authority figure in the
Underworld were testimonies of her power. She would blend in with the people of
this world, but if they were to see even a glimpse of her true form, there
would be screams of terror.
With a deep sigh, Delia planted
her dark willow staff in the snow for a moment and rested her weight on it.
This body was thin and short, but she needed the staff to keep her grounded
when the strong wind howled at her. A heavy wind swept through and made her
brown cloak flap open.
A single bone hung from a thick
black wire on her waist belt. It was a dull red and long like that of a human
arm bone. The moon caught a glimpse of it and the bone began to emit a soft
yellow glow. She glanced at the bone and quickly covered it with her cloak.
While she caught her breath she
looked down the frosted hill at the gates of one of the oldest, and most
massive, kingdoms of the human world. Through the large evergreen trees she saw
a city of darkness. The white city stretched for hundreds of miles around the
edge of the realm.
To one side of the kingdom were
pathways that led to lush evergreen forests and beautiful crystalline lakes and
rolling hills. Uninhabited, barren, ice lands lay to the other side. Dry ice
surrounded the black gates of Auroria’s border. The traces of lights throughout
did little to display buildings that sat at the foot of the royal palace. It
stood there like a gothic temple, dark and uninviting.
It seemed ironic that she would
be sent to the human realm. Eura was filled with what were considered the
weakest of the races. They were physically strong, but utterly lacking in the
power that the other races naturally held. Despite their deficits, the human’s
home was where the fate of the world would be secured.
These were dark times. The
Underworld was in utter chaos. There was
a new master and no one was safe. Many of the Elders had been destroyed. Only a
few of the stronger Elders had managed to escape with her. They all spread out
to the four corners of the world. Each had their own quests that they were to
attend to.
Delia blew into her cold hands.
Her fingers were numb and nearly frozen stiff. She squeezed her hands together
and painfully flexed her fingers. She looked up to the sky.
“Am I too late?” She asked the
Ancients, her voice drowned out by the wind. She knew they heard her. She knew
that they were watching from their dwellings in the Overworld.
“Not yet. Go now.” She
heard the reply inside of her head.
The bitter wind swept through,
making Delia squeeze her eyes shut and cover her face with her tattered sleeve.
The moon shinned brightly. The stars twinkled across the sky and the clouds
were forming closer again. Another snow storm was brewing.
And
Flame shall be born of snow.
She had to hurry. The child was nearly ready to be born. She could feel its
presence already.
The Ancients had created a near
perfect world, and now, one of their own had betrayed the balance. The four
realms were in jeopardy, and they trusted her
to make sure the chosen child would be protected.
Delia would not rest until that
child was in her possession. That child was their last hope.
She drew her cloak closer to her
body, shrouding her face. The royal family would not take kindly to her sort.
Those who dealt in the magic arts were shunned in this realm. The memory of the
witches still haunted the humans. Delia would never be able to convince them
that she wasn’t a witch, but an Elder from the Underworld, and if they did
believe her, they would run in fear. Delia was not there to collect the dead.
Not this time.
She closed her eyes and breathed
deep, her heart slowing to a mere hum. Her head became clouded in fog.
Everything stilled around her and she no longer felt the miserable cold. Her
body warmed from the power within.
Her mind soared through the
currents of the wind. Her eyelids fluttered as she searched the faces of those
in the palace. Old and young, she glanced at their faces, testing them and
examining them to see if one would fit her.
Then, she finally found one that
she could mimic. She chose an older woman and reached out for her. The woman’s
essence passed to Delia, the body falling softly to the floor as though a hand
gently guided her to the hay on which she gently fell.
Delia shivered and coughed
raggedly as she was transformed. The pain was something she was used to. Her
skin crawled and her eyes stung behind their eyelids. When her eyes opened she
appeared to be nearly twenty years older.
Her blue eyes were now a dark
brown. Her black hair turned to gray. Deep wrinkles set into her pale face, the
skin now thin and rubbery. She then began her way down the steep hill as the
snow and ice crunched beneath her boots.
From international bestselling author, K.N. Lee comes Rise of the Flame, an epic beginning to the Eura Chronicles.
There are six races, four realms, and one human girl who can bring them together in peace...or war. Lilae has been hunted since the night of her birth. She is the only heir to the human god's throne.
For centuries the races have been separated by an ancient barrier. Now that the barrier is crumbling and vanishing, the races are once again pitted against one another.
For years Lilae and her surrogate family have avoided the dangerous Shadow Elf that hunts her. Years of training seem lost when Lilae is captured and enslaved by the emperor of an enemy race. Through every hardship and moment of torture, Lilae finds comfort only in the strange man from her dreams.
On the other side of the world, Liam leads his army of Tryan’s across the realm to protect his people from Shadow Elves that are invading his land now that the barrier is broken. With his best friend, his betrothed, a fairy, and a specialized order of soldiers, he sets out on a journey to find a grand weapon that can aid him in this inevitable realm war.
The plan seems clear, until Liam dreams of Lilae... and Lilae falls for the emperor that made her his slave.
**Bonus Material**
Chapter One of Night of the Storm: Book Two of the Eura Chronicles
Sub-Genre Keywords: Epic Fantasy, Swords and Sorcery, Magic, Fairy Tales, Mythology, Science-Fiction, Paranormal
Warning: This book contains (violence and some adult content) and is intended for an audience 13+.
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