Together again...
Award-winning fantasy authors Jeanine Berry, Sheri L. McGathy, Shannah Biondine, and Jeanne Allen reunite to bring you TWILIGHT CROSSINGS II, another extraordinary anthology born within the enchanted realms of twilight.
When Tanner is hired to find the mythical city of Sha-da-nay, little does she know that what she seeks is far different than what she'll find. For buried in the darkest depths of the Hagath Forest is a truth that can set her free, if only she is willing to truly see WHERE LIES BEAUTY.
BeautyPrologue.mp3
The fate of all the Known Realms hangs in the balance when a great mage is assassinated and his Umbra Amulet stolen, leaving a world frozen in perpetual twilight. Zavend Preece has one clue—a firedrake scale found at the murder scene. Can he and the enigmatic Capt. Praxis track the killers and retrieve the enchanted amulet, or will they be forced evermore to MOURN A MOONREFT SKY?
In THE WELL OF FOREVER, enter an ancient world where desert winds part the sands to uncover a mesmerizing tale of magic and romance. In the wrong hands the wand of the legendary sorcerer Lohar could devastate the world, as it almost did once before. Caireya plans to destroy the wand before that can happen, but her plan may cost her life.
Cultures clash when Arvalian warriors invade the peaceful isle of Ignatia for its legendary treasures. In THE TREASURE OF ARVALIS, which will prevail, a determined warrior, a priestess striving for peace, or will a war among the gods force them toward a common destiny?
Excerpt
Author's Introduction to WHERE LIES BEAUTY
A hush settles over the land. Time seems to slow, and for the briefest of moments, you behold the beauty of twilight. You seek its magic as you reach upward and let your fingers waft through the shimmering veil of blue-gray hues. In the wind, you hear the fading whisper of what might have been even as you long for the promise of what might someday be.
Then twilight ebbs and moves on, leaving you to wonder if what you thought you saw, what you felt, could ever truly exist.
I hope you enjoy WHERE LIES BEAUTY.
~ Sheri L. McGathy
WHERE LIES BEAUTY
By Sheri L. McGathy
Prologue
He looked upon the flower, to its dew-kissed bloom shimmering in the light of early morn. He traced the pad of his thumb across the delicate petals and downward along the contour of the curved thorn that hid amongst its pale green leaves.
He paused over the thorn's sharp point.
What was perfection without the shadow of fault? He pressed against the thorn. Its sharp point pierced his skin. When he withdrew his thumb, a bead of bright red blood lingered. Does beauty exist if the one who looks upon it cannot see its charm? Can beauty's light survive if hidden within the cloying mantle of darkness?
He could only hope this was so.
He raised the bloom and inhaled deeply, taking in its unique aroma. "Bittersweet." His voice, though barely above a whisper, shattered the silence surrounding him. He was helpless to halt the sigh that escaped him. Within all beauty resides the remnant of its darker self. An unseen presence feared by most and shunned by all. A secret, locked away and closely guarded. Yet, within the ugliest of things, there remains true beauty. He did not believe one could exist without the other. It was a belief he would place all his hope upon.
He stared beyond the soft edges of the rose petals to the fading luster of a once vibrant land. The Hagath's touch crept ever closer, her vengeance seeking to destroy all memory of what once was, while tainting all in her path. Her laughter haunted the breeze—her glee, his great sadness. Soon, she would come for him. And with her arrival, his world would fade, leaving this realm without him. 'Twas the price he had agreed upon…to offer hope to the future and assure memory for the past.
Summoning the last of his light, he swept his hands before him. "Sleep, dream…and recall."
He laid the flower in the cradle of his palm and traced the tip of his finger along its fragile stem. "Within you lies hope. Guard your treasure well."
A single tear slid silently down his cheek and fell against the blood-red petals of the rose. His sadness weighed heavily upon him as he whispered, "And who shall shed a tear for me?"
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