The Gatherer
by A.G. Henley
(Brilliant Darkness, #2.5)
Publication date: August 21st 2015
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
Publication date: August 21st 2015
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
Alev is proud to be a Fire Sister, one of a fierce group
of women who live on their own terms in a flaming mountain compound called the
Cloister. The Sisters live without men, so Alev Gathers young girls to
replenish their numbers. After she plucks young Kaiya from the remote village
of Koolkuna, the girl’s father follows them into the wilderness. Alev keeps him
at bay, but over time she suspects that this man, at least, isn’t the monster
she was taught all men are.
When Kaiya’s father manages to reach the Cloister, the
Sisters want to put him to death. Alev can look the other way, or she can heed
the growing whispers of her heart to help the girl and her father escape. But
to defy the Fire Sisters is to revoke the only life and family Alev has ever
known—and to face certain death herself.
THE GATHERER is an exciting 50-page prequel novella in the
bestselling young adult fantasy Brilliant Darkness series. The first novel, THE
SCOURGE, was a finalist for the 2013 Next Generation Indie Book Award. Two
novels and two short stories are currently available, and the final novel in
the series, THE FIRE SISTERS, is coming September 25, 2015.
Click HERE
to add to Goodreads
The
mist thins suddenly, enough for me to see the three clearly . . . and for them
to see me.
Alarm seizes the two men’s faces as they
scramble for their weapons—a stout club for each. They are bony, dirty, and in
threadbare clothes. One is small enough to be mistaken for a child. He squints
at me as if nearsighted and backs away a few feet. The taller one shoots a
questioning glance at the other but does not budge. His grip tightens on
his club. He is missing the thumb on that hand; it will make his swing weaker.
The woman shrinks away from all of us. Her
hair—loose and long, brown and bedraggled—droops around her face. Her pale
flesh is a map of bruises.
"What do you want?" The thumbless
man sneers. His teeth are blackened.
"Let the woman go." I flick the
venom-wet tip of my knife toward her, allowing him a good look at my weapon and
how I handle it.
"She's ours," he says.
The small man hisses and tugs on the
other’s sleeve. He is ignored.
I hold my blade loosely, but if my stare
were a spear, the thumbless one would be missing his eyes by now. I tamp
down my fury.
"Women do not belong to men," I
say, "any more than the sun belongs to the inferior moon."
"This
one does.” He steps over and grabs the woman by the hair. As he does, his gaze
finally falls where all men’s eventually do: my body. His tongue snakes
out of his mouth, licking cracked and bleeding lips. "And you will, too,
sweeting."
The small man yanks desperately on the
other man's arm now. Sweat beads on his brow. "Don't you know that paint
and the colored feather, cocklebrain? She's a Fire Sister."
The other’s eyes fly open as he takes me in
again. His maimed hand twitches uncertainly.
"We didn't know she was one of
yours," the little one says to me, his voice respectful. His head dips
low.
"Weren't worth a loaf anyway,"
the tall one mutters.
"She is not my Sister," I say.
"But she is a woman, which makes her more valuable than both of you
together. Now release her and drop your weapons."
The little man complies instantly.
Frowning, his partner follows after a moment. They huddle together, eyes on me.
I move closer.
"What are you gonna do?" the
small one asks breathlessly. His eyes move everywhere except to my knife.
Let them be afraid for their worthless
lives. Gripping the taller man's shoulder, I bring the blade to his neck.
A.G. Henley is the author of the BRILLIANT DARKNESS series.
The first book in the series, THE SCOURGE, was a finalist for the 2013
Next Generation Indie Book Award.
A.G. is also a clinical psychologist, which means people either tell her their life stories on airplanes, or avoid her at parties when they've had too much to drink. Neither of which she minds. When she's not writing fiction or shrinking heads, she can be found herding her children and their scruffy dog, Guapo, to various activities while trying to remember whatever she's inevitably forgotten to tell her husband. She lives in Denver, Colorado. Learn more at aghenley.com
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