Saturday, July 30, 2022

The royal consort - excerpt from Cobra for #WeWriWa and #SnippetSunday

 


Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors and Snippet Sunday. Sample the work of a new author. Read snippets of stories in different genres.

I’ve been posting from my latest novel, Stung by the Cobra. It’s a scifi/fantasy adventure and romance with sprinkle of Hindu mythology. It is available as ebook, paperback and AI-narrated audio. 

Last week, Zennia was at the reception and waiting to pay homage to the new overlord, Domina Allia. You can read the excerpt here: https://auroraspringer.blogspot.com/2022/07/a-dazzling-spectacle-excerpt-from-stung.html

The scene continues in this week’s excerpt. I’ve omitted some sentences about other characters to avoid confusion.  

The royal consort, Commander Nagari, stood at the foot of the dais. His sober black suit was brightened with large gold buttons and ribbons of gold braid along the sleeves of his jacket and the legs of his trousers. A gold torque was clasped around his neck, more symbolic of a slave than a prince. His only other ornament, a sheathed dagger with a ruby on the hilt, was clasped on his belt. The weapon appeared ceremonial, yet doubtless he knew how to stab an enemy. Someone had applied paint to mute the dark circles under his eyes, although it did nothing to improve his appearance. The wooden expression on his haggard face hinted at his discomfort.

Other courtiers, men and woman in ornate garments, stood beyond the dais at the farther side of the auditorium. Near the opposite wall, a band of musicians waited to ply their instruments. 

Nine lines and a few more:

The man in voluminous purple robes at the head of the line must be the ambassador from Ptavi. The Ptavian had the characteristic ape-like features of jutting brows and a receding chin. His presence at the reception had clear political ramifications. It meant the independent Sector of Ptavi had accepted the new ruler of Harappi. In Zennia’s opinion, few other sectors were likely to support the Emperor’s occupation of the planet. They were afraid the Emperor would cast his greedy eyes on one of their own planets. 


 
SciFi mystery. Interstellar spy befriends enemy commander in a tragic tale with a happy ending.

Shan Zennia, Senior Curator of the Archives of Galactic Culture on Lumos, plays a dangerous double role as a researcher and a spy for Solarian Intelligence. She embarks on a new mission to observe the spring festival on Harappi, a planet recently conquered by the ambitious Emperor and now governed by his niece, Domina Allia.

Zennia finds unexpected mysteries on the planet, including intelligent animals and the enigmatic Nagari. Once a victorious commander in the Emperor’s space fleet and nicknamed the Cobra, he was forced to abandon his military career when Allia claimed him as her consort. Her abusive treatment has driven him to the brink of madness.

Intrigued by the ex-commander and aware of his value as a source of information on the enemy, Zennia agrees to meet him during the festival of rebirth. Opposing forces clash at the height of the celebrations, catalyzing deadly violence. Can Nagari and Zennia survive the chaos and win a new and happier life?

The ebook is discounted by 50c at PayHip

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PRINT     AUDIO (AI-narrated) 

I’ll be happy to reply to your comments.

The first book in this new series is free for the next month. 


Captured by the Hawk Spaceships crash across the galaxy when thief Grey Kay tangles with notorious pirate Black Hawk.

FREE at Amazon  iBooks  Kobo  B&N  GooglePlay  PayHip

 


The Lady is Blue, Book 1 of Atrapako on Eden, is also free. 

Scaly aliens crash on the remote planet of Eden. They mean to dominate the humans. Can Dr. Lucy Stannis save the colony and reignite her dubious friendship with the alien captain?

FREE at: Direct  Amazon  iBooks  Kobo  B&N  GooglePlay  Other  

Please return to http://wewriwa.blogspot.com/ to sample the works of the other writers.

Check out the videos on my new YouTube Channel - Aurora Springer

Find a catalog of my published stories HERE.

All my books are discounted at my new Webstore: https://payhip.com/AuroraSpringerNovels.

 

 

14 comments:

  1. Interesting to see these characters from Zennia's point of view!

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  2. As so often, your descriptions are well done. Enjoyed the snippet.

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  3. And the mysteries grow! Great worldbuilding, enjoyed the snippet.

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  4. Very visual scene. Great world-building. Tweeted.

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  5. Excellent description of Commander Nagari. I got a very clear picture of both his outfit and his demeanor. Tweeted.

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  6. Scary times--being unsure if another ruler has set eyes on your world. Good snippet. :-)

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    1. Yes. This series is set in uncertain times with the planet-grabbing Emperor.

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