About the Book
Title: Blood Rain
Author: Nancy Gray
Genre: YA Fantasy
The night the blood rains from the sky, Mind of
Mercy’s world changes. The savage Blood Wings, bestial creatures that feed on
the blood of Mercy’s people, attack her treetop village in frenzy.
Mercy’s father, the chieftain, tasks her to leave
during the fight and find the source of the storm. The journey takes Mercy
across the continent of Lacern where she must make allies, even from some of
the enemies of her people, to survive. The search forces her to get help from
the least likely of sources, one of the very Blood Wings that attacked
her.
During her journey, Mercy and her companions discover
lies that are widely accepted as truths, secrets hidden by the beast men, and a
power buried deep inside of Mercy herself. Magic is resurfacing in the world
and the blood rain is only the beginning. A hidden power is pulling the strings
to cause a continent wide war that could result in the destruction of humans
and beast men alike.
Author Bio
Nancy Gray lives in West
Columbia, SC, with her husband, two daughters, and two crazy cats. She
attended college at the University of South Carolina and attained a BA in Media
Arts with a cognate in English. Her original career was as a graphic
designer but writing is her calling. Her favorite genres to write are horror,
fantasy (particularly young adult), steampunk, cyberpunk, urban fantasy,
and occasionally light science fiction (space opera). Many of her short
stories and novels also blur the lines of genre fiction. Nancy is an avid reader and also enjoys
drawing, video games, and table top role playing games. She also enjoys anime
and manga.
Links
www.nancygray.net
facebook.com/writernancygray
@NancyGrayWriter on Twitter
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15639927.Nancy_Gray
http://nancygray.blogspot.com/
facebook.com/writernancygray
@NancyGrayWriter on Twitter
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15639927.Nancy_Gray
http://nancygray.blogspot.com/
Book Excerpts
Mercy’s Task and the Blood Rain
(This scene
starts when Mercy is told by her father to leave the village and search for the
cause of the blood rain. The phenomenon has been predicted by their shaman, and
when the blood rains, the enemies of their people, the Blood Wings, will attack
the village in frenzy.)
“Ask around. Follow
rumors. Most of the people in Concord speak either the common language or
Ashen. Mender of Spirits taught you the language of the Ashen Folk, so you
should be able to listen in on their conversations. Don’t trust them and don’t
let them convince you to go anywhere near the capital. Above all, don’t let
them know that you can understand their tongue. It would make you useful as a
slave.”
“The
rumors say they don’t take people from our forest, only the islands.”
Catches
the Eye scoffed and said, “Do you think they really care where their slaves
come from, or that their people would know the difference? You need to stay
sharp or you won’t make it back alive.”
Her
back stiffened as she said, “Yes, Chieftain.”
He
smiled warmly. “Under the circumstances, I think you should try to start
calling me father.”
Mercy
felt a lump in her throat but quickly swallowed it down and said, “Yes, father.”
He
continued, “The city is divided into sections. The section you should try to
get to is called ‘The Park.’ That’s where most of our people reside. You should
be able to barter some of the raw materials for a place to sleep. That should
be your first step.”
“The
Park, okay.”
He
said in a softer tone, “I want you to come back. And, I know you’re smart
enough to do this. You’re the best rider in the village and you’re one of the
few gifted that we have. Don’t disappoint me.”
“I
won’t.”
Mercy
felt a droplet of water sliding down her cheek. She reached up and wiped it
away, only to see a long scarlet smear on her hand. Her hand began to tremble,
as the clouds above them suddenly burst with a sheet of pounding red rain.
Instantly, a terrible keening noise echoed through the forest. It sounded
piercing, like a woman’s scream, but there was something more raw and
terrifying behind it.
Other screeches began
to answer it from all around them. It was a cacophony of howls coming from what
sounded like the entire tribe of Blood Wings, and they were already in the
canopy. She had never heard so many bestial shrieks. Just one frenzied Blood
Wing could make a sound that could practically paralyze a victim in fear, but
this was a chorus that rang above the sound of thunder and swept through the
village like the howling of a gale wind.
Catches
the Eye said in a terrified whisper that Mercy barely could hear, “We’re out of
time. Go,
now!”
Pyron
and Beryl’s Contact
(Mercy is rescued after fleeing her village in her
search for the cause of the blood rain. The two men that find her are on the
same mission and have a contact who might know more. Their contact is one of
the enemies of Mercy’s people, one of the shape-shifting Blood Wings.)
Carmine waved a
dismissive hand. “Well, you’re here now. I guess that means you want
information, as usual. Do you mind if I change into something more
comfortable?”
“Not at all.”
“Thank the gods for
small favors. I was starting to get a cramp.”
Mercy stared in
horrified fascination as Carmine slowly began to change before her eyes. His
skin stretched awkwardly, like putty being pulled too thin, until it was almost
transparent. The suit turned into thin black and gray fur that covered his
torso. The only part of the clothing on his upper body that wasn’t an illusion
was a solid silver medallion with marbled red and black stone in a ring around
its center. She realized the image on the medallion was an eye with a perfectly
round halo of red around it.
Leathery skin ballooned
out from his thin, elongated arms, which she could now see were wings. The
pants were real, but his dress shoes were now forming into clawed feet with
dark footpads. With a long yawn, his fangs stretched out across his lips. When
he opened his eyes again they were a deep purple that produced a halo of
reddish light around them, and his ears were huge and conical.
Mercy stammered.
“You’re the contact? But you seemed so human.”
Carmine smiled
cynically. “Sorry to disappoint you, Love.”
Mercy said through
gritted teeth, “Mercy.”
“Where did you pick her
up, Pyron? She’s absolutely charming. Not for sale is she? I could use another
pretty serving wench.”
Mercy grabbed the
collar and snapped it off. “I’m not a slave.”
Carmine raised an
eyebrow and looked at Pyron.
“She isn’t a slave. I
found her collapsed in front of the lighthouse. Apparently, your people got a
little crazy due to the unusual weather we’ve been having.”
“Ah, I see. And, who is
your other friend?”
“I’m Beryl.”
“Unusual to see one of
your kind on the surface unless the rumors are true. So a Merman prince really
did go missing. That’s a useful bit of information, don’t you think?”
Beryl asked flatly,
“What are you talking about?”
Carmine rolled his
eyes. “I can recognize another shape-shifter. I’m not grotesquely stupid. Did
you think you could just not say anything and I wouldn’t notice?”
Pryon snapped, “You are
grotesquely stupid if you don’t close your mouth. Shut up, Carmine.”
Pyron cast a
significant glance at Mercy, but that just made Carmine’s grin wider.
“Oh, she didn’t know. This is going to be an amusing
evening. I can tell.”
Blood Addicts in the Blood
Wing Caverns
(While waiting on Erebus, one of the Blood Wings that
has allied himself to Mercy to search for those responsible for the blood rain,
Mercy and her friend Mirilee are attacked by a group of blood addicts. When
things are looking desperate, Erebus returns and uses magic, a force that
hasn’t been seen in the world in over a hundred years, to protect her.)
Black tendrils of
shadow reached up and grabbed Marrow’s arms and legs. They yanked him down,
knocking Mercy over, but his hands and face were thankfully wrenched away from
her skin. She could hear the horrible ripping and snapping sounds and knew what
the shadows were doing to her captor. They were quartering him. She tried to
look away, but saw the outline of his limbs parting from his body and felt the
warm spray of blood wash over her.
Mercy turned and looked
at Erebus in revulsion. A look of hurt understanding ran across his face. He
began to say something, but before he could speak he began to scream in
physical pain, holding his head and stumbling around. Blood was pouring from
his ears, eyes, nose, and mouth. His body and face began to change.
His violet glowing eyes
changed into the color of a clear sky blue. His fur receded along with his
leathery wings, and his fangs and muzzle shrank down until they were a human
mouth and nose. The features fit Erebus just as much as those in his beast
form, if not more. His body shuttered one last time, as though shaking off
every last semblance of his bestial nature. He looked at his hands with a
shocked expression and then fell unconscious.
Cruor caught Erebus
before he could hit the floor and snapped, “You just had to use your abilities
in front of them. In some ways, Marrow might’ve been right.”
Mercy didn’t waste the
distraction of her enemies. She drew her bow and readied an arrow just in time.
Grimes was limping towards her, clearly taking advantage of the fact Erebus was
incapacitated. She released the arrow and it hit Grimes squarely in the chest.
He clutched at the wound and fell down, rasping for breath. His brother Dread
rushed forward. Mercy knew she wouldn’t have time to nock the second arrow, so
she braced herself for the impact of his body - only to find he abruptly
stopped with a stunned look on his face and then fell forward. Mirilee had hit
him squarely in the back with one of her throwing daggers. He toppled over,
dead.
Mercy saw Brine’s eyes
began to roll back in her head. Blood was everywhere in the room, and it seemed
that the Blood Wing’s own blood made them frenzy as easily as that of the
tribal people. She howled and rushed at the closest person in the room, which
happened to be Mirilee. Before Mercy could shoot Brine with an arrow, Cruor
threw a long ornate spear which hit Brine directly in the neck. She died
instantly.
Cruor said sternly,
“You need to go, now. Go back out the
way you came in and take Erebus with you. The guards should still be asleep.
I’ll meet you where Erebus left the mounts.”
The Glass Dunes
(While Erebus is recovering from his injuries
sustained in the Blood Wing caverns, they camp on the fringes of the desert.
Mirilee tells them a story about her people and how the glass dunes came to
exist. It shows that when magic was prevalent in the world it left its mark in
many disturbing ways, charging places with destructive energy.)
Mercy put a hand
just a little above her eyes and nearly screamed at the sight. The three people
by the campfire looked exactly like each one of them, mimicking their movements
from earlier perfectly. Mercy even saw herself spooning broth into Erebus’
mouth. The group was backwards from the way they were sitting, as though she
was looking at an image of them in a reflection.
Mercy stammered.
“How? I don’t understand.”
Mirilee said,
“Because, that’s what this place does. I don’t know how it happens, but it
copies what it sees. It lures people in by using images of others.”
“You’re talking
as if this area is a living thing.”
“Of all people,
I would think that you could believe that a place is a living thing. Your
people worship the forest and believe every plant and tree has some sort of
living essence to it. Why not the desert? It might seem barren, but I assure
you it isn’t. My people believe only in the God of the Stars, but I have to
admit that this place does have some sort of presence that I can’t explain.”
Mercy frowned.
She had never thought of it that way before, but the desert sands did consist
of eroded rocks and earth, and hundreds of small animals made it their home.
Several types of unique plants lived there as well. Why not the desert?
Erebus asked in
a frightened whisper, “How does it lure them in?”
“If someone lost
in the desert sees this image, they’ll want to come and warm themselves by the
fire or travel with a larger group. They’ll go in and as soon as they get
close, they’ll see it wasn’t real and the illusion will literally melt away.
Then the Glass Dunes have them.”
Mercy felt sick
with fear. “What happens then?”
“I don’t know.
All I do know is that most of the people that go in usually don’t come back
out, and if they do, they’re never the same. There are places where the glass is
brittle and will break around them, and heaven knows where they would fall.
Also, there are some predators that have adapted to living in the dunes that
prey on those that wander in, but there are worse things than that out there.”
She shivered and
pulled her blanket around her shoulders.
“I felt despair
and anger coming from this place, but I didn’t understand why. What
happened here, Mirilee?”
“I don’t know
how much is legend and how much is truth, but my grandfather told me that
during the calamity, my people fought against the Ashen capital. They weren’t
always nomadic. During that time, the
glass dunes were an oasis within the desert. My people lived there and it was
our capital city.”
Erebus peered at
the glass dunes. “It’s hard to imagine this as an oasis.”
Mirilee nodded.
“According to the legend, one day it rained fire and a dust devil of white fire
as wide as the city itself swept through.
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