War of Nytefall

Here we are with the last of the teasers for War of Nytefall: Anarchy.  Next month will be a lot of Halloween stuff, but I’ll try to continue promoting the book on the weekends.  Thank you to everyone who has given these excerpts a read.

“I’m genuinely surprised to see a member of your order here,” Chastity says with a graceful curtsey.

The white-robed priestess smiles as she takes another look around the Scrumptious Siren, which has become deathly quiet. It is only when Chastity claps her hands that her patrons and employees go back to the festivities. Not wanting the red-haired mortal to get hit by anyone entering the building, the Dawn Fang gestures to a nearby table. The women have a seat as Luna hurries over to take their order, but she is swiftly waved back to the bar before she can open her mouth. The priestess chuckles at how the girl trudges back to where she came from and ignores the other patrons who are calling for help. As if being struck by lightning, the new waitress suddenly jumps to action and tries to take orders as fast as humanly possible. Chastity clears her throat to draw attention away from the frantic waitress and pretends to cast a spell, which carries two goblets of her finest wine to the table. She smirks at how the woman takes out a star-shaped bottle and adds a cleansing powder, which changes the color to a light blue. The Dawn Fang notes that the action reveals the glowing star bracelet with the same emblem as the one on the Zarian’s chest. Knowing that the trinket is only worn by battle priestesses of the Purity Order, she immediately understands why so many of her patrons are on edge.

“I do apologize for intruding on your business,” the mortal says, her golden eyes drifting to the goblins. Seeing all of the magic in the building, she struggles to stop herself from letting the colors drive her into a trance. “My name is Amati Roust and I’m investigating a vampire attack on an Elven wedding. The paladin army saved everyone, but they asked my order to follow some leads, which have brought me to your pleasant establishment. Don’t be afraid though. My order has a reputation for being fairly prudish, but it is untrue. The purity of fun and friendliness I feel from the Scrumptious Siren is beautiful. Now, did you have any connection to the wedding? It happened only a few miles to the south.”

“Please give me a minute to remember,” Chastity replies as she closes her eyes. A loud crash makes her jump and she turns to see that Luna has dropped five mugs of ale on the dance floor. “Sorry about that. It’s her first day and I hired her as a favor to a friend. Now, I do believe I heard of the event. Being so close to the site, I think a few of the attendees spent time in my guest suites before the big day. I can’t be sure if it was the same place, but there were elves talking about a wedding. As far as the attack goes, my ears did pick up on the gossip. Heard it was an orc bandit leading a small force of cloaked vampires. I was unaware that the paladins were involved. It was fortunate that they were in the area at the right time.”

“It truly was Cessia’s blessing,” the Zarian admits with a smile. Taking out a gold coin, she offers it to her host before cautiously taking a slice of cake off the nearby railing. “From what Lord Adam has told me, he was leading his newest recruits to a bigger battle when they stumbled upon the attack. They managed to destroy all of the enemies, so my people were not able to interrogate anyone. It would have been nice. Some witnesses talked about the orc having fangs, which means he could have been a vampire with immunity to the sun. You ever hear about a creature with that ability?”

Flipping the coin to the bartender, the Dawn Fang leans back and moves a lock of hair out of her face. “Sadly, I don’t get as many monster hunters as I’d like. They always have the best stories and it keeps me appraised of the safety of the surrounding roads. So, I don’t know anything about a vampire who is immune to the sun. Nothing specific. You’re aware that such a creature has been rumored for centuries. It’s similar to the harpy who can transform into a human woman and the troll who can detach its heads to throw at victims. People make up scarier versions of monsters all the time. Sorry that I couldn’t be of more help.”

“Do you mind giving me a tour?”

“No, but I’d like to know why.”

“There are also rumors of this being a vampire den.”

“That would make me one of them.”

“I believe it would.”

“Yet, I have a heartbeat.”

“As does everyone here, but I need to be sure.”

“Follow me then.”