Sunday Snippet: Rise of the Son

Whew. November is almost over and I'm not sure where the month went. Crazy weather continues. It warms up then plunges into the cold depths. We've had a dusting of snow twice. I don't mind the cold, but I like it better when it gets chilly and stays that way. The back and forth makes me cranky.

I did finish up one of my work projects and have a brief break on the second one. I thought I'd get some things accomplished around the house but I ended up having two new works projects land in my inbox. Definitely not complaining but I think one of my new goals will be trying to create better balance.

I, again, didn't get a lot of anything watched this week. I started an episode of Ted Lasso but put it on hold when I got the new projects.

I plan to view as many episodes of Batman: The Animated Series as a memorial to Kevin Conroy, as I can. I can honestly say, Kevin is my Batman. He's the first voice actor I ever looked up online because I loved his work in the animated series so much.

One bit of great news is I'm three-quarters of the way done with my holiday shopping. I might even start getting the gifts wrapped and bagged. Then it's off to gather stocking-stuffers.

That's pretty much it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Rise of the Son, the second book in a yet-unnamed series.

Here's the mini-blurb:

After surviving several trials and tribulations to find the Book of Pythia, Aleina and Alston—imbued with the essences of Apollo and Aurora—have to follow the scrolls to lead their people to a new home. Their journey isn't without danger and the map isn't easy to follow, but Aleina and Alston have the advantage of being on the same page and trusting each other to see their path to its end.

And a preview snippet…

Images crashed through Aleina Foyle's mind, huge rocks swirled slowly around her blocking her path no matter where she turned. Pounding sounds drew her attention and she feared the boulders were tightening the circle, ready to crush her under their weight. She tried to run but her feet were tangled in something unseen and she started to fall—

"Laney! Wake up. Someone's knocking on the hatch."

Aleina's eyes snapped open and she found herself snuggled up close to her nearest and dearest, Alston Saddington. "It'll be Frank. He's got news." She sat up, shaking the imagery of her dream away.

Alston narrowed his eyes, but got up and undogged the hatch. "Frank. What brings you at this unholy hour?" He swung his gaze toward Aleina. "Laney said you've got news."

Frank Bollen ducked inside their quarters and quickly dogged the hatch again. "She's not wrong. We've got a potential minefield brewing. Literally." He propped his hip on the edge of their small sofa.

Alston ran a hand through his hair and settled back on the bunk. "Political or otherwise?" He yawned and reached for a bottle of liquid caffeine.

Aleina took the container and nodded for Alston to grab another. "Otherwise with potential to become political. Is that right, Frank?" Her dream played some kind of role and she almost had a clear picture.

Frank shook his head. "Pretty much." He grabbed their hand-held monitor and pulled up a screen. "Long-range scans show a huge block of debris that's just out of scope. We don't know what it is, but it's directly in our path to the next signpost." He widened the view and handed the device to Alston.

Aleina took a quick look and a vision flashed in her mind. "Asteroid field. Too big to jump, too wide to go around, and too dense for a clear path through." She met Alston's gaze. "We're also not going to be able to go over or under it." Not if they wanted to conserve the fuel they had.

Frank huffed out a breath. "Please tell me there's a solution."

Alston didn't hesitate. "We go through." He held up a hand when Frank started to protest. "There isn't a clear path, I know. But it's the only choice."

Aleina gave a nod. "We'll have to find a way to navigate a safe path for all the ships." No easy task with a fleet of a hundred-plus crafts in various sizes.

Frank arched his brows. "How do you propose to do that?"

Alston rolled a shoulder. "We consult the Book of Pythia and hope we can figure it out." He got up and went to retrieve the scrolls. "Give us some time and we'll check in with you before the end of the day."

Frank frowned. "Do I brief anyone yet?"

Aleina lifted her chin. "Only the bare minimum. Keep it to our small circle for now."

Frank gave a nod and exited their quarters.

Aleina heaved a sigh. The group that helped retrieve the book could be trusted not to sound the alarm. The one thing they didn't need … a stampede of terrified captains banging on the door.

They needed time to formulate a plan and pull off a major miracle.

I'm on quite the journey with this series. I love the characters and mixing a bit of sci-fi in with the mystical elements is something I enjoy so much.

 

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye