Silver Silence - excerpt #1

Silver Silence, book 3 of my Druids of Avalon trilogy is in bookstores Tuesday Oct 27. I'm celebrating with excerpts, lost scenes, an interview and a week-long contest!

To enter, just comment on any post put up between Wed Oct 21 through Friday Oct 30. Two lucky readers will win autographed copies of both The Grail King and Deep Magic, as well as an autographed copy of Romantic Times BOOKReviews magazine November issue, featuring me on the cover!

Please consider including your email with your post so I can contact you quickly if you win! And if you don’t…check out more chances to win at www.joynash.com.

By the way, if you're planning on buying Silver Silence, I hope you'll consider picking it up close to the Oct 27 release day, as any book's opening week sales are the most important to an author's publisher.

Thanks and good luck to all!

And now, Silver Silence excerpt #1:

Chapter One

She really shouldn't be doing this.

But, dear Goddess, she just couldn't help herself.

A tide of guilt battered the shore of Breena's conscience. Still…what she was about to do wasn't so very wrong, was it? She wasn’t hurting anyone. The spell wasn't dangerous. She wasn't calling forbidden deep magic.

She only wanted to See. And only for a moment. She needed to make sure Rhys was all right.

The past month had been dreadful. Her terrifying night vision had returned. Even after waking, the shadow of the dream lingered. Some days, her chest remained so tight she could not manage a full breath until midday.

Rhys wasn't part of the silver vision that had plagued Breena for the past four years. He never had been. But in her current unrelenting state of anxiety, she'd become obsessed with his safety. Perhaps it was her mind's attempt to avoid dwelling on her disturbing dreams. She

wasn't sure. She only knew she couldn't rest until she'd seen Rhys alive and well, with her own eyes.

She knew it was wrong. And most likely, unnecessary. Rhys wasn't some novice traveler. Just the opposite. He'd roamed Britain for fifteen years seeking Druid initiates for Avalon. In all that time, he'd not come to harm. But this time, he'd been gone so long. Nearly a full year. According to old Mared, Avalon's healer, Rhys had never before stayed away so long.

What if, this time, he did not return?

What if, this time, something had happened?

What if Breena never saw him again….

No. She would not think it. She could not bear a world without Rhys in it. She'd loved him for so long. Nearly all her life. And that was the problem, wasn't it? Rhys did not take her love seriously. He did not take her seriously. He was eleven years her elder, and her brother's best friend. Like Marcus, Rhys considered Breena nothing more than an amusing, and sometimes annoying, little sister.

Her chest was hurting again, her ribs squeezing too tightly. It had been a month since she'd gotten a full night's rest. She was so, so tired. She wouldn't be able to close her eyes at all tonight unless she knew Rhys was well.

She would look quickly, and be done with it. No one need know. Not Gwen. Not Marcus. And certainly not Owein. As Avalon's only other Seer, and her mentor, Breena's uncle w

ould be especially disappointed if he knew what she was about. And if Owein learned that this was not the first time she'd misused her Druid power? She shuddered to imagine how angry he'd be.

The afternoon sunlight was fading quickly, sinking into the mist surrounding the sacred isle. The air carried a hint of the coming winter. The leaves had begun to drop from the apple trees, exposing branches heavy with fruit. But the ancient yew that sheltered the Grail s pring was ever green. The pool of red-tinged water that bathed its roots was the most powerful scrying surface Breena knew.

Calling a vision of the present or past was not so difficult—seeking knowledge of the future was infinitely harder. Scrying for Rhys was not likely to give her more than a dull headache, or a faintly sour stomach. Small price to pay for her peace of mind.

If Rhys ever found out…. No. Breena would not think of that, either. Rhys was

an intensely private man. He would be furious.

The autumn grass crunched under her feet. She approached the Grail spring with reverence. The sacred water collected in a deep, moss-ringed pool before spilling in a crooked rivulet down the hill. Sinking onto a smooth, flat rock at the edge of the pond, she crossed her legs under her skirts and leaned forward.

She drew several deep breaths, and, with some difficulty, emptied her mind. Her vision blurred. She grew heavy, as if she were sinking into the earth. Becoming part of the Great Mother's body.

Vast currents of life energy vibrated just under the soil, collecting and flow ing in much the same way as streams and rivers did on the earth's surface. This was true the world over. But nowhere were those unseen paths of power so strong as here on Avalon. An ocean of power rested beneath the sacred isle of the Druids.

It was to this awesome force that Breena surrendered her mind and her magic. Into that vast sea, she cast a Word, and spoke Rhys's name.



Excerpt #2 coming tomorrow! All the best!


Joy
www.joynash.com