Dragon Clan of Yden – Excerpt

The release of Secrets of Yden (Book 3 in my Yden series) is coming soon, so I thought it would be fun to share a short excerpt from Book Two, Dragon Clan of Yden. Enjoy! ~ Suzanne

A man approached at a dead run, his eyes fixed on the trail under his feet. A bulky knapsack bounced on his shoulder and his hooded cape hung askew. When the man saw the man up ahead, he came to a startled halt. Horror was etched on his sweat-­streaked features.

“Wizard!” he gasped, his chest heaving with exertion.

“Going somewhere, Moala? Surely you weren’t trying to flee?”

“No, no. I’m on my way to visit an old friend.”

“Where is the key?”

Moala’s face crumpled. “I-­I’m not sure.”

“You’ve failed.”

The merchant dropped his sack and fumbled for a pouch at his belt. “Here is your gold, Wizard. It’s all there, in full.” He held out the pouch with trembling fingers.

“I don’t want the gold, I want the key.”

Moala sank to one knee in supplication. “Forgive me. What you seek was traced to the nymphs of the Andresen Waterfalls, but has not been seen since. I’ve done the best I can. Please believe me.”

“I believe you.” He reached for the merchant’s hand and drew him to his feet. “Thank you for your hard work, Moala. You won’t be seeing me again.”

“You’re a truly great wizard, Guinn of the Fox Clan,” Moala said, chortling in relief. The merchant drew his sleeve across his sweaty face, revealing a spreading black spot in the center of his palm. Oblivious, he retrieved his sack and hastened up the path. Moments later, his footsteps slowed. With a groan, Moala sank to the ground, writhing in pain.

“Wizard, what have you done to me?”

Moments later, his screams echoed off the nearby boulders. The sound was interrupted only by the sound of a wizard transporting away…

Blurb:

As Jon’s magical training begins, his budding romantic attraction to Kira jeopardizes his relationship with Brett. At the same time, the Dragon Clan is bringing the Earth-born children of Yden’s wizards back home. Unfortunately, the Fox Clan has also been recruiting these teen wizards for its own sinister plans. The mysterious Guinn of the Fox Clan is searching for a weapon known as the Portal Key and is more than willing to kill for it. Jon becomes increasingly desperate and reckless in his quest to thwart the Fox Clan, but he discovers–too late–his enemy is closer than he thinks.

Dragon Clan of Yden is the exciting sequel to The Last Great Wizard of Yden.

Crowned Heart Award for Children of Yden!

The March issue of InD’Tale Magazine just came out, and the reviewer gave my fantasy adventure novel Children of Yden a marvelous review.  In fact, my book was awarded the Crowned Heart for excellence!  The full review is HERE, but the following is a quote:

“In a very Percy Jackson meets wizardry sort of tale, this book goes from the high fantasy adventure of the first book to more collecting wizards and fighting for good in the sequel. Due to the large number of characters and events alluded to but not explained or reintroduced in the second book, readers should definitely read the first book before picking this one up, but it will be worth the time. It is a solid tale good for children, young adults, and adults alike, readers will find themselves hoping Dorsit shows up at their houses with a clan ring and whisks them off to Yden to see the magical landscape and cool creatures that seem to abound… Well done!”

A big thank you to InD’tale Magazine, from me!

~ S.G. Rogers

Excerpt:

Jon materialized on Dragon Isle beach, far enough from the tree house not to be heard. If his grandfather had retired early, the noise of a transport near the vanyean tree might disturb him. Yden’s two moons cast some illumination, but he knew the route so well he could have found his way in the dark. In addition, Ophelia’s glow cast all the light he needed.

As he trudged up the beach and into the garden, a crushing sense of loneliness descended. I wish Casey and Fred were here. They could dig a fire pit in front of the bungalow and have some late night laughs. But there wasn’t a fire pit and Jon had no one on the island to talk to. He couldn’t envision yukking it up with Max, especially after the way he’d zeroed in on Brett tonight.

The heat-­sensitive statues were still radiating the warmth of the day and glowed eerily in the dark. Suddenly he saw a human
shape dart past the dragon statue. At the same time, Ophelia started to sting. Jon crouched behind a tree and counted several more bodies passing by — five in all. The intruders were heading for the vanyean tree, but Jon knew a shortcut. He slipped through a break in a hedge and practically flew to the bungalow. Max was snoring, but he woke with a start when Jon clapped a hand over his mouth.

“Shhh,” Jon whispered. “We got trouble outside. There are five hostile wizards in the garden and they’re heading this way.”

Children of Yden (Sequel to The Last Great Wizard of Yden)

Available for the Kindle at Amazon, for the Nook at BN.com and in all e-formats at Astraea Press.