If you like SciFi, then you may want to check this one out...
Daughter of Etheron
by Brandon Young
Young Adult SciFi, Space Fantasy
Paperback & ebook, 426 Pages
April 18th 2017 by Starforged Entertainment
Summary
Born the children of the ruling family.
Betrayed by the ones that swore to protect them.
IN A SHATTERED GALAXY . . .
Siblings, Elenah and Teveran are thrust into a secret war of space magicians that will decide the fate of the galaxy.
But a darkness swells in the galactic depths, magicians wielding magic not seen for millennia, and as the struggle for power grows more desperate, the children might find themselves fighting on opposite sides of the conflict.
The first book in the Saga of the Magicus Eye.
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Excerpt: Elenah
After escaping from her homeworld of Etheron, Elenah has arrived at
the spaceport of Mokuura for refueling, alongside two unlikely allies...
Elenah leapt out of the Voyager, her shoes slapping the glossy stone of the overflowing
spaceport. Lights flashed across every surface, amber and blue and occasionally
vibrant greens, but the city was not colourful.
The sky was black, and there were no stars nor a sun. Shivering in the chill
air, Elenah pulled her grey sweater across her blouse and exercised her cold
hands.
“There’s a
lot more people here than I remember,” Oswald said, ushering Eukaloo from the
shuttle. Elenah watched the Troff, whose thin face swivelled upon his long, grey
neck as he took in these new surroundings. His large, yellow eyes darted about.
The light slithered across his greenish-grey skin, slipping in the cracks
between his reptilian scales.
“You’re
bringing him?” Elenah asked.
“Not
because I like him. Because I don’t trust these people not to kidnap him,”
Oswald said as he led them briskly away from the ship, and through an archway
that became a broad tunnel.
“I thought
it was locked with a protective—”
“If you’d
looked around, you’d find that Mokuura is not
a Free World. There are magicians here and all breeds of other dodgy sorts.
Just keep your eyes on the road and don’t stare.” Elenah wondered what made
Eukaloo so special, and what Oswald needed of him, but her thoughts were soon
whisked away as she glanced up and around and examined the city.
Windows
overlooked a dark metropolis to either side of them. Ships hovered steadily
through lanes in the sky. Buildings rose up awkwardly, jutting unevenly into
the great dark. Elenah realised it was the first extra-terrestrial world she’d
ever stepped foot on. It was also nothing like she’d imagined. Cold, dead,
depressing.
“It’s
certainly become a lot grimmer,” Oswald said, tipping his top hat so it shaded
his face. He brushed a curl of brown hair out of his eyes. “But that’s not
saying much.”
“Why is it
so bad?” Elenah asked.
“Who
knows? One day, I’m sure this place won’t even exist.”
They
skirted to the side as a short creature passed them through the tunnel. Is that another Troff? Elenah wondered,
glancing at its yellow bulb-like eyes and grey reptilian skin. Walking several
strides behind him was a taller nonhuman with broad pink arms ringed with
tattoos, and a snout that stuck pointedly from the centre of his face.
They
emerged from the tunnel and into some sort of shanty town, with buildings that
looked fit for slaves: slanted corrugated roofs, sphere-shaped lamps hanging
from the eaves, trashcans spewing papers and scrap metal. Elenah clutched the
straps of her knapsack tightly, afraid that somebody might steal it—not that it
contained anything of value.
“Best you
don’t talk to these folk,” Oswald told her, leaning close. “They’ll do anything
to swindle, bribe or murder you.” Elenah followed his eyes towards an old lady
sitting in front of a burrowed-out building, proffering a grey tankard that
rattled with chits. Beneath the soot and scraggly hair, Elenah could’ve sworn
that was a human.
She
averted her eyes and quickened her pace to keep up with him. “What are they?”
“Beggars,”
he said. “Quite unfortunate. Nobody wants to live in a place like this. And if
anybody says otherwise, don’t believe them.” Elenah screwed up her face as a
bad smell wafted past. “Most of these people, they’re either hiding from
something...or they’re just trapped here.”
“I hope
nobody steals your ship,” Elenah said, wishing they’d walk a little faster. The
beggars were everywhere, sitting along the skirts of winding roads, smoking,
playing dice and cards, scrounging through the trashcans. They reminded her of
rats, flitting about, and she wondered why nobody tried to help them. “Will
they hurt us?”
“Not if
you keep your distance,” Oswald said. “Come here.” He turned a corner and led
them out of the town. Buildings here rose two or three times higher, but they
remained dark and crooked. Other people lurked among the shadows. They scurried
about with backpacks or grey sacks, riffled through fried vehicles and toppled
structures. Scavengers. The only thing that hadn’t changed was the acrid,
sweaty smell clinging to the air.
“Now, this
might be difficult,” Oswald said awkwardly, hauling Eukaloo to a stop and
rounding on them outside a shop lit with amber lamplight. The sign was written
in glowing alien strokes. A bald-headed creature stood behind the counter with
greasy yellow skin. He had one customer: a guy whose face was concealed by a
high brown collar, whose eyes were metal spheres that rolled about, blinking
red and white. “It might end up taking longer than I would like it to. If you
want to take a wander, just don’t go too far.”
Elenah
nodded, and Oswald also did—just a little less surely. Then he stepped away
with Eukaloo and vanished amidst the crowds. Elenah couldn’t help but notice
how well they seemed to blend in. She shouldn’t have been surprised; after all,
Oswald was a criminal.
About the Author
Brandon Young is the debut author of the Saga of the Magicus Eye. He’s also a musician, gamer, and avid Star Wars fan living in Melbourne, Australia.
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