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Diviner's Prophecy
(Diviner's Trilogy Book 1)
(Diviner's Trilogy Book 1)
by Nicolette Andrews
Diviner's Prophecy, the first book in The Diviner's Trilogy by Nicolette Andrews, is sporting a brand new cover and is currently FREE. The author stops by today to share an excerpt. Also available: Diviner's Curse (FREE when you sign up for the author's newsletter), Diviner's Fate, and The Complete Diviner's Trilogy (Books1-3).
Description
Death consumes Maea’s nights and visions haunt her days. Her search for an escape from her nightmare, leads her to Prince Adair. He has his own secrets to hide, and like a fly caught in a web, she’s drawn to him and thrust into the middle of a struggle for the crown.
Excerpt
At some point, I dozed off. Road weary and my head pounding with a headache, I thought only to close my eyes for a moment. Next I remembered, I was being woken from tormented dreams of disembodied hands wrapped around my throat, stealing the breath from my body, by a woman’s voice calling to me. I tossed in my sheets and searched for its owner. My room was empty but for a flickering candle on the bedside table that I thought had been put out. I reached across for the candlesnuffer when a flash of white flitted past the corner of my eye.
“Who’s there?”
No reply came. I pushed back my sweat-soaked sheets and climbed out of bed.
“Maea.”
I twirled around and found only an empty room. Am I dreaming?
“Come to me, daughter of my blood,” she crooned.
I followed the sound of her voice as if in a trance. I snuck out of my chamber, surprisingly unlocked, and I left Damara’s apartments and padded down a long hallway. I should not be out here, I thought.
Her voice continued to beckon me and called me forward, guiding my steps. I stopped along a stretch of blank wall, light shifted behind nearly invisible cracks in it, and I discovered a hidden handle to a concealed door. It opened up onto a dark hall I assumed was a servant’s passageway.
I traversed down a series of pathways. The light from the sparse torches along the walls became fainter and fainter the deeper I traveled into the underbelly of the palace. I came to a halt outside a solid stone wall. Her voice continued to call out to me and stirred a longing inside me that was impossible to deny.
“Just a bit further,” the voice urged.
I was under the spell of her voice, and my actions were not under my command. My hands slid over the smoothed stone until my fingers caught on a chink. I dug my nails into it and pulled. It shuddered as it swung open, revealing a descending stairwell. I followed the melodious voice. After a time, the stairwell ended at a wooden door. I pressed upon the splintered and decaying wood. Inside, water dripped, and the room smelt of the sea. I searched for the source and found a woman in a black cloak, her hood hiding her face, standing beside a basin into which the water dripped.
“At last we meet, daughter of my blood.”
“Who are you?” I asked.
“I am who I have always been, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”
“I don’t understand. Why did you summon me here?”
She gestured toward the basin and exposed one pale translucent hand.
Fear overwhelmed me, and my feet remained planted in place. She moved over to me. I took a few steps back.
“I am not the first of my kind you have dealt with.” Her hand reached for me and hovered over the pulse in my neck before resting along my cheek. “You do not remember he who has altered you.”
Her touch was soothing, and I leaned into her hand. She pulled away, and a pair of violet eyes stared back into my own from beneath her hood.
“You are a diviner, too.”
“Yes.” She glided back to the basin. “Look.”
I kneeled over the water. The surface was chaotic. Thousands of images overlapped one another, competing for my attention. I focused on flashes of visions: a crimson gown, eyes the color of sapphire, a knife dripping with blood, my face streaked with tears before being absorbed by the image of Johai, his face contorted and screaming.
I pulled back as pain shot through my temple and bloomed in my skull like a white-hot fire. I folded over, bringing my head to my knees, and whimpered through the pain.
“You are incomplete,” the other diviner said.
I held back the bile threatening the back of my throat. I swallowed hard. “Can’t you help me?”
“This is your test. You must find the key.”
“What key?”
“Use the clues to find the answers.”
“What do you mean?”
“You must remember, only then can you prevent His rising. If you fail, it will mean the destruction of all things.”
[Want more? Click below to read a longer excerpt.]
Audio Excerpt
Diviner's Prophecy is now available as an audiobook. Listen to an audio excerpt.
Praise for the Book
"I absolutely loved this book from start to finish. Ms. Andrews has created an intriguing world of diviners, sorcerers, warriors, and everyone in between." ~ Wendy Nelson
"I read a lot of fantasy/paranormal books. Finding gems are what I really enjoy doing. Being an avid reader I read many different genres and can find something good about most books. I didn't have to look for it in this book! Entertaining from cover to cover and makes the next in the trilogy something to look forward to." ~ Kimberly C. Winslow
"Five stars all the way!!!! If you don't usually read this genre (neither do I) just try this one. If you like mystery, thrills, magic, deception and a real twist with the plot again and again, then Diviner's Prophecy is a must read!!! I was drawn in by paragraph one and did not put it down until I finished the whole book!!! I intend to read the rest of the series ASAP. Thank you Nicolette Andrews for broadening my reading genre." ~ sue sasseen
"The characters here are extremely likeable, and the world they inhabit is well-imagined. I cannot begin to imagine how much time Andrews must have spent working out the political machinations alone! All in all a fun read, and one that will keep you guessing right up until the end." ~ CC
"This book held my interest from the very first, I could hardly put it down. It has everything you want in a story from drama and suspense to romance and intrigue. I gave this a rating of excellent because it makes me want to continue reading." ~ Nancy Thorn
About the Author
Nicolette Andrews is a romantic fantasy author who lives in San Diego, California. She's been trapped inside magical world, heavily influenced by Southern California, for most of her life. She doesn't likes to take life too seriously (or herself for that matter). Her favorite creative medium is writing, whether it is on paper, or on a computer but on occasion, she likes to pretend she can draw or even may attempt homemade gifts, with varied results. She enjoys cooking, baking and generally working with her hands. She spends most of her free time with her family: two daughters and a wonderful husband plus a few cats and a dog.
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