There's always something good to read on Cover Reveals: The Great Road by Laurel Richards

The Great Road
by Laurel Richards
When Queen Adhira’s city is attacked and she’s captured by the winged sorcerer, Surtur Takkar, she calls to her twin brother for aid.

As Arnon sets out on the Great Road to reach his sister, he is accompanied by a Seer prince, a stable boy with more bravery than brawn, and a reluctant hero who is the only one who can defeat the sorcerer.

From warrior women to obnoxious tree-dwellers, they meet all sorts of friends and foes on their journey.

Anything can happen on the open road, and loyalty and friendship are put to the test as they leave their homes behind to save the ones they love.

Genre: Fantasy
Content/Theme(s): Sorcerer, Psychic, Twins, War, Magic, Sword & Sorcery
Release Date: April 15, 2017
Publisher: Indie

Excerpt & More

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Excerpt:
Adhira felt helpless as she waited for Oderrick to send word. If only she could read his mind, then at least she would have known he was okay. When she heard the shouts of her personal guards, however, she knew it wasn’t a messenger who reached the palace first.

“Get away from the window!” her mother cried as she raced into the room.

“What?” Adhira quickly stepped back, though she knew no archer could shoot this high. Had this enemy developed some new sort of weapon? Was that how they had overrun the city so fast?

Her mother caught her hand and started pulling her toward the door. “Something evil is coming. We have to hide.”

She might have resisted if she hadn’t heard a whoosh of air outside, as if some giant bird of prey had just swooped down to land on a perch. Something filled the window—too dark to see, though she had the impression of leathery wings.

Adhira fled with her mother toward her bedroom, which concealed a passage behind one of the tapestries. They’d hide in there until they could sneak safely away from the palace. Her mother closed and locked the door behind them as soon as they reached her bedroom. They hurried to the tapestry.

The fabric was thick and hung to the floor. Adhira went in first at the edge, and her mother followed right beside her. The panel that served as the door swung inward without making a sound. They entered and were plunged into darkness just like the city below.

Adhira reached out blindly with her hand and touched the cool stone wall. Her ragged breathing seemed to echo in the narrow passageway.

“What was that thing?” she whispered to her mother.

“There’s more than one,” her mother told her. “I caught glimpses of them out my window. Move quickly and carefully.”

The snick of her bedroom lock was faint from here, but she recognized the sound. Whatever she’d seen in the window was looking for them.

Adhira slid her toe forward, searching for the first step of the staircase that would lead them down and eventually out of the palace. She had never thought she’d have to use this passage and now cursed herself for not practicing navigating it in the dark. There were candles in here somewhere, but she had no time to light them.

At last, she found the edge of the step. A nasty laugh—muffled by the closed panel—made her skin crawl. Then she heard the tapestry ripped from the wall, and the panel was thrown open hard enough it smacked against the stone.

“Run!” her mother hissed.

Adhira lurched forward, the wall beneath her palm her only guide. She had descended maybe three steps when her mother cried out and bumped past her. It wasn’t until Adhira heard the thud that followed that she realized her mother had fallen. She must have missed the first step.

The commotion continued down the stairs for some distance before ending with a sickening crunch. A wail escaped Adhira as she hurried down the steps as fast as she dared. She stopped when she felt a fold of her mother’s dress beneath her toe. Kneeling down, she immediately started patting her hands over her mother to figure out how badly she was injured.

“Mama?” She could already feel tears clogging her throat.

One of her mother’s legs felt like it was at an odd angle, and her neck…. A sob escaped Adhira, but she hovered her palm over her mother’s mouth and nose to make sure. No breath stirred against her skin.

“What a pity,” a deep voice said behind her.

Adhira gasped. She leapt to her feet, but arms closed around her before she could run. She was dragged backward through the darkness.

“Arnon!” All she could get out was her brother’s name before the fiend who had her did the impossible. He smothered the connection between her and her twin.
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