story looks like from the parents' point of view. That's what inspired Wolf's Bane, although it clearly became Elena's story - not Gabby's. In the process, this world has fleshed itself out and come to life, growing far beyond my expectations. It is also likely that there may also be some teasers leaked in The Literary Army, my reader's Facebook group, because I just can't help myself.
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The Dark Orchid Trilogy: Power of Lies: Book 1 - Chapter 1
Magic hung in the air. It sparkled beneath the perfectly blue sky like glitter in the wind amidst the debris from the shattered walls and sundered buildings. The smell of it, bitter and a little too potent, left no doubt that the worst was yet to come. At dawn, Kurkevy had been a beautiful city. The vivid colors painted on the adobe buildings were supposed to make this place look like a collection of jewels. Now, only a few hours later, there was nothing but grey dust and magic. It coated everything - even the soldiers.
As soon as the walls came down, they'd rushed in. From her hiding spot, Jaeda thought the sound of their boots was loud, which meant there had to be a lot of them. She pressed back against the wall, hoping her dark skin and the debris from the building's shattered second story would hide her from the Adevians. Her latest home had fallen, the town's pathetic militia no match for the powers of a dark mage. The roundups had already begun; the raping and pillaging would be next.
Mere feet from her, a unit of the mage's soldiers marched past. Screaming women and defiant men were carried along with them. Jaeda said nothing. These weren't her people, and they reminded her of it every chance they got. She was just a whore. A common, cheap, easily-replaced whore, because that was all they'd let her be. If she could just make it through the day, her life would be no different than it had been last week. A new brothel, a new madam to take three-quarters of her income, but the men would be the same. They always were.
When the steps faded, she relaxed, remaining motionless. It would be futile until she knew where they'd already checked, otherwise -
"Well hello, beautiful."
She whipped around. Behind her, a red-clad Adevian smiled cruelly, but his body blocked her retreat. That left her only one way to go. Pushing away from the wall, she bolted, darting around the corner and right into the deep, rumbling laugh coming out of a man big enough to be a mountain. Hands grabbed her, a hard chest blocked her escape, and four men eyed every line of her body. The dress that had once been seductive was now tattered and dust-covered, just like her skin, but there was no mistaking her profession. Respectable women would never be seen in fabric so sheer.
They laughed, drunk on the easy conquest of this pathetic town. The man holding her leered at her chest; the pair behind him muttered crass comments in some foreign language. She didn't know their words, but the tone was clear enough.
Soldiers were all the same. They wanted to be comforted when far from home. They wanted a woman to dote on them. She might be filthy, but so was everything else in this gods-forsaken town, and she had a feeling they wouldn't be too picky.
"Hi, boys." Her eyes moved from one to the next as she forced a sweet, sensual smile to her lips, wondering which would take the bait.
None. Possibly because they didn't understand her? Instead, the leader stabbed his arm toward the temple before any of the men could reply, cutting off her attempt at seduction before she could even start.
"The Jackal said all women go to the cells." He'd changed to the local language. "I don't care how much she flirts - don't touch her unless you want to explain it to him."
The mountain holding her sighed. "Walk," he demanded with a heavy accent, shoving her toward the street.