Launch day is THURSDAY, guys! Given that the cover of The Crimson League: The Fight for Hope prominently features Herezoth’s ancient Hall of Sorcery, I figured I’d include an excerpt that features it this week.

This excerpt also features a fun, somewhat nerve-wracking, visit to a fortune-teller. Check it out!

Kora dreamed that night that she stood in the ruins of a vast hall in the heart of the Pearl Mountains. She smelled the crispness of the air, even grew faint as her lungs adjusted to the altitude. A segment of the roof was open to the sky, making the stars visible, yet she felt warm. Something blocked the mountain chill. Magic? Majesty pervaded the open space with its crumbling stone walls, marble floor, and pillars to support what remained of the ceiling. Kora felt peace in her solitude, a sense of belonging.

Before she could register anything more, she woke in Yangerton, confused. She had dreamed of the Hall of Sorcery, but it looked nothing like she’d imagined from her father’s stories. Where were the rugs and benches she’d always pictured? Shouldn’t it have been smaller? Perplexed for some minutes, she fell back asleep and gave the matter no further attention.

The next morning, Kora saw that bandannas were something of a fashion in the city. She fit right in among the covered heads and distant expressions that packed the streets, as her dress hid the dagger tied to her leg. Kansten didn’t say so—she said little of anything—but Kora suspected she too had a dagger beneath her house frock. She wondered if Kansten thought she was trying to be trendy with her headwrap and felt uneasy.

They walked in silence to the outskirts of Yangerton, where the streets were wider and the buildings less uniform. Kora counted eight fortune-telling shops before they stopped in front of the circular wooden structure where Markulas performed his craft. Like others of its type, his store was painted an unusual color to stand out; the walls were burgundy.

Kansten asked, “What do you think of fortune-telling, anyway?”

Kora was in no mood for that discussion, but as her partner for the day finally seemed willing to interact, she didn’t want to rebuke her. “It’s curious that active magic scares people, yet the passive forms fascinate them—so much so that fortune tellers flaunt their trade.”

“But do you think it’s real?”

“I doubt it,” said Kora. “The Giver alone knows what the future holds. He alone should. There’s a reason he forbids going to seers or mediums. They’re mostly frauds.”

Kansten crossed her arms. “I don’t underestimate any magic.”

Kora rolled her eyes and entered the shop. It consisted of one room with purple walls and a yellow curtain, pulled back, across its center. The half of the building by the door had waist-high shelves that had kettles, china cups, and amulets for sale. One shelf displayed pamphlets on fortune-telling. Another stored an assortment of crystal balls.

On the building’s far side, an antique chest served as a table to support a deck of cards and a candelabra. Four high-backed, cushioned chairs sat around it. A man occupied one of these but rose when Kora entered. He wore a black tunic, which made his silver hair shine in contrast. His face held deep wrinkles, but his eyes were clear and bright. He welcomed the women with a crisp voice. “Have you come for a reading?”

“We came to view your merchandise,” Kora told him. “I heard you have antiques.”

“If you’ll allow it, I’d ask to do a reading first.”

Kora bit her lip. “I don’t think so.”

“There’s an aura of mystery about you.” The man’s manner was eager but not at all desperate. He beckoned Kora forward. “I’ve only seen its like once before in forty-eight years.”

“We haven’t much time.” Kora spoke with finality, but he ignored that.

“Free of charge, for you and your friend.”

Kansten glanced interestedly at Kora. “Don’t be uptight.”

“Uptight?” Kora repeated. “I’m not the most devout, but I’d never—”

“I don’t offer this to everyone,” the teller noted. Kora’s guilt turned to anger, to resentment, but not toward Markulas.

I don’t care if the Giver forbids it. He’s responsible for the ruby, for all of this.

Kora nodded at her partner, who rubbed her hands together with a grin and said, “Excellent!”

Kansten took a seat beside the chest. Kora pulled a chair beside her, unsure if she felt more curious or terrified, while Markulas jerked the curtain shut and sat opposite the women. He shuffled his worn cards without a flourish, setting the pile before Kora. “Cut the deck.” She did so, and he put the cards she removed at the bottom of the stack. “Pick three numbers under two hundred.”

 Kora shut her eyes to think. “Eleven.” Her brother’s age. “Forty-one.” Her mother’s. “And twenty-seven, I think.” Twenty-seven, selected on a whim at age five, had always been her favorite number.

Markulas pulled the proper cards, keeping them facedown. Then he turned over the first. It showed an orange triangle, glowing faintly. Kora asked, “Is it power?”

Markulas gave no physical reaction. “You’re thinking of the sorcerer’s mark. This is that symbol, but it doesn’t follow that you’re empowered. No, this symbol means secrets. Your life is filled with secrets, perhaps secrets you keep from yourself.”

Kora could only nod, her throat dry. There was that matter of the ruby.

Coincidence.

Markulas flipped the second card. It was an eye, large and veined with a milky pupil. “I seldom see the blind eye,” he remarked. “Twelve years ago was the last time someone drew it. It means your ultimate fate is uncertain.”

Kora leaned forward. “Is that bad?”

“Not necessarily. Deciding actions, for your destruction or prosperity, have yet to be taken. You are master of your destiny, more so than most. Any choice of yours could set you on your path. That’s the meaning.”

Kora had heard enough. “Turn the last card.”

It was a gravestone. Next to her, Kora heard Kansten’s breath catch.

“Grief,” said Markulas. “Not death—grief.”

“That’s even worse,” Kora whispered.

Markulas swept up the cards. “There’s no certainty of a death. There are other forms of loss, and this card is far from rare.” Without a word from anyone, he reshuffled the deck and set it before Kansten. She cut it below its center and picked her numbers.

I hope you enjoyed the excerpt! Make sure to come back tomorrow for Kora’s character spotlight! If you’d like to learn more now, here is a link to a fantastic editorial review.

Please do let every fantasy lover you know about the release. I’d really appreciate it. For launch day fun and updates, you can follow my Facebook page.