Hey, this week, I thought we’d so something a little different since certain characters are scheming about how to get more page time and stop Curse Breaker Jousts from ending for real this time.

It did end again, but I don’t want to say that Curse Breaker Jousts officially ended since I did that last week and then some Rangers changed our scribe’s mind on that. I want to wait a week and see if the book stays ended. If it does, then it did officially end.

Do I want Curse Breaker Jousts to officially end and stay ended?

Yes actually because I’m not getting more page time with these new additions. The Rangers are. So I am okay with it ending. After all, a new book presents new opportunities for page time.

Who am I? I’m Ran, Sarn’s son from the Curse Breaker Series, and I have big plans for my dad. But you’ll have to read Curse Breaker Jousts to find out what those plans are.

So this week, I bring you an excerpt from a fellow indie fantasy author’s book, and I confirmed that not only did that book end, but it’s available right now if you want to read more.

The “I” in the next section isn’t me. It’s a young woman named, Meilin. According to the book’s blurb, Meilin rises from obscurity with the power of the gods burning in her veins and unleashes a storm that shakes the empire.

That sounds like fun. I’m not sure my dad would let me do that, but I’ll add it to my ever-lengthening to-do list. While I find an empire to shake, you go and meet Meilin. I’ll check back with you after the excerpt.

It is my pleasure to present:

Heaven’s Warrior

by Ken Baker

I ball my fists in an attempt to hold back the flood of fear and anxiety welling up in my chest. How do you tell your older sister she’s going to be murdered if she doesn’t run away from home? I breathe out long and slow, trying to reassure myself that the murder part isn’t certain. It’s little consolation, since the near-death torture and bloody suffering are definite. A lump forms in my throat. What if she doesn’t listen to me?

I try to come up with the right words as we catch our breath. My legs ache and my heart beats fast after our predawn hike through the damp ancient woods of Gudai. Lian and I sit on the low stone wall that borders the forest and the shrine gardens of the weather goddess while we wait for the other villagers to gather for morning exercises. We watch with anticipation as rays from the rising sun touch droplets of water from last night’s rain cling to leaves and blossoms all around us.

Excitement rises in my heart, almost dispelling the fear that holds me. At once, the droplets pulse. They glow like liquid gold. The glow intensifies, the water droplets pulse faster and faster until they burst into one hundred different tints and shades of colored mist that swirl upward like fireworks. Shen Breath.

When we were little, Father would pay us a copper Zhu for each paper lantern that we had scooped full of Shen Breath. Then, he would hang the rainbow swirling lanterns at the edge of the growing fields in hopes that the Shen Breath’s Chi would enhance our crops’ growth, or at least invite the Two’s blessings.

Hope rises inside me as I push my face into a small cloud of swirling mist and inhale deep. Right now, I could use as many of the Two’s blessings as possible. I’ve never had much faith in the parent gods or their children, the Shen gods, but I’m desperate. Somehow, I have to convince Lian to accept my plan to protect her. Maybe the Two will show me the way.

My body jerks at a monkey screeching in the woods behind us. It sounds too much like the shrieking golden dragon in my nightmares.

“Is everything alright?” Lian asks with a look of concern.

I take a deep breath. “No. Everything is not alright. I’ve had a true dream.”

I half expect Lian to grin with interest. True dreams are rare, and when we were little we’d giggle together at our aspirations to be the recipients of true dreams. But Lian’s face tightens into her latest habitual frown.

The words rush out. “You’re no longer safe here. We need to hide in Gudai and run as far away from Ning valley as we can.”

“What?” Lian snaps. “What are you talking about? We can’t abandon Mother and Father. They need us.”

I want to correct her. Mother needs us. Father cares nothing for me, his delinquent daughter. But I hold my tongue, knowing how Father coddles Lian, his favorite and perfect daughter. I can’t argue. Lian is practically perfect. But this has nothing to do with Father and Mother. Lian’s life is at stake.

I tell her about the ravaging golden dragon in my nightmare, Lian’s screams for help, and the bubbling pools of blood that engulf Lian. True dreams rarely play out in literal fashion, but the danger to Lian is clear. The longer she stays in Ning the harder it will be to evade it.

Her eyes turn hard. Is it because of Cai? She still mourns his death, her fiancée, lost in the Lord Emperor’s war with the Yemaren on Dashi’s northern border. For some reason, she blames herself for his death.

“I won’t run away!” she blurts. “I deserve whatever evil fate the Two have for me.”

“But Lian…”

I want to pound my head and shout, “You witless fool!” This isn’t like Lian. I rebuke her.

I give her a soft smile, trying to show empathy. “The Two offer only gifts of love. This evil does not come from them. They want you to flee it. Why else would they send me this dream?”

Serenity returns to Lian’s expression. “Yes, the Two love us. That’s why they sent you this dream. So, you would not despair the day it comes true. So, you would know that all will be as it should be.”

I shake my fists. “No!” But Lian has already broken free of my grip, jumped down from the wall, and sprinted toward the exercise lawn.

***

If you want to learn more about Ken and what he’s up to do, sign up for his newsletter. Get Heaven’s Warrior.

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This is Ran again. I didn’t find an empire to shake, but I’ll keep looking. In the meantime, read some fun fantasy books. I’ll see you next week when I will hopefully have the news we have all been waiting for plus two new podcast episodes.

New Books, Special Editions, & More!

Searching for your next special edition?

Look no further! These bestselling authors have teamed up to offer a delightful selection of new special edition books. Available for a limited time on Kickstarter. Check them out now:

The Thief of Numbers: A Dystopian Special Edition Hardcover

A rebel heroine, AI ruling lord, and timeless love in a new standalone silver foil edition from Philip K. Dick finalist Kay Kenyon. Follow the campaign to get notified when it launches:

Curse of the Moon: An Epic Fantasy Novel

Book 3 in an epic fantasy series with cursed sisters, vengeful witches, endangered dragons, and sweet romance. Follow the campaign to get notified when it launches:

And don’t forget our kickstarter! Follow it to find out when it launches. Unlike our books, when our kickstarter ends, it doesn’t restart or resume.