Avalonia is a dangerous land ruled by powerful mages and a cruel, selfish queen who will do anything to control all seven kingdoms—including killing anyone who stands in her way. Thrust headlong into this new, magical world, Aurora’s arrival sets plans in motion that threaten to destroy all she holds dear.
With the help of a young fae, a magical pegasus, and a handsome mage, Aurora journeys across Avalonia to learn the truth about her past and unleash the power within herself. Kingdoms collide as a complicated web of political intrigue and ancient magic lead Aurora to unravel a shocking secret that will change her life forever.
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World of Avalonia
Read an Excerpt:
Chapter 3
Kidnapped
For a second that felt like a
lifetime, everything stopped; I felt like I was floating in nothingness. Then I
blinked, and, when I finally opened my eyes and focused again through the tears,
I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.
I found myself standing at the
mouth of a small cave situated on a hill and overlooking a quiet, moonlit
valley. On my left, a dark forest stretched out as far as the eye could see,
treetops glistening silver in the light of the full moon. The hills around us
undulated into wildflower-filled meadows that lay sleeping in the dewy night.
Far down in the valley, I could see
a little village, its lights twinkling in the distance. To my right, a
waterfall splashed playfully into a small river that ran down into a lake, next
to which the little village was built. The moon here was fuller and larger than
I had ever seen it, and the night sky was awash with a fantastic array of
glittering stars.
Had I passed through the tapestry?
Where was I?
I looked around, disbelief clouding
my judgment. I was still trying to get my bearings after that strange moment
when I had been inside the tapestry and nowhere at the same time. It gave me a
funny feeling, as though I had been lifted out of my own consciousness and then
put back into my body.
A warm breeze brushed past my face
and played with my hair. Gone were the cloudy grey mist and the cold, nipping
wind of the English countryside. I drew in a sharp breath—the air was crisp and
clear, sweet smelling, and fresh. The moonlit valley was filled with fruit
trees, wildflowers, and rolling meadows.
“How did we come here? Where are
we?” I asked, still confused.
“You really are ignorant,” said
Oblek, glancing at me. “I take it your uncle didn’t tell you anything?”
I shook my head and looked down.
Oblek had tied my hands with a rope he had with him while I was still dazed and
looking around. It was humiliating, and the rough ropes cut into my wrists,
rubbing them raw every time he pulled me forward.
I had to find some way out of this.
And, at the moment, the only thing I could do was discover more about where I
was. Then, when I got an opportunity, I could escape and find my way back up to
the cave on the hill, where we had arrived out of the tapestry.
But then what?
Christopher was probably dead, and
Aunt Arianna would doubtless blame me for everything since I had disappeared at
the same time. I had no idea what to do. I didn’t really want to go back, and,
now that my adoptive parents were dead, I had nothing to return to.
I was starting to panic. I had
nowhere to go, and my mind was imagining an array of horrible outcomes of my
kidnapping. My palms had become sweaty, and my racing heart was thundering in
my chest as I half-walked and half-ran, desperately trying to keep up with
Oblek’s giant strides.
“Why are you doing this?” I pleaded
with my kidnapper.
But Lord Oblek said nothing. He
didn’t even look at me. He just kept walking ahead and dragging me along behind
him, with no more explanations as to what he was planning to do with me.
I was terrified, and I had no idea
if I was going to survive this. But I tried to be brave. Maybe I could talk my
way out of this?
“You do know that this is called
kidnapping?” I said, trying to reason with Oblek.
He didn’t bother to answer.
“What will happen to me now?” I
squeaked, my voice breaking, as I tried not to cry.
“Queen Morgana will decide what is
to be done with you,” said Oblek, finally.
Queen Morgana! The woman from my
dream? It was not possible that this, too, was a coincidence. It must be the
same Morgana, the one who had tried to kill my real mother.
Who the hell was she?
Suddenly all of this seemed
extremely scary. I hoped that I was still dreaming and that there was no way I
had actually traveled through a magical tapestry into some strange land. It all
seemed very exciting in books. But actually being kidnapped and then hauled
around like an animal, traveling deep into a land I knew nothing about, was not
my idea of fun.
I had to get away from this
horrible man, and fast.
When she was pregnant with her first child ten years ago, a story popped into her head she could not ignore. “I was at my grandmother’s house, and as I looked at the image of a beautiful forest with a castle in the distance on a tapestry hanging on the wall, I imagined myself being whisked away into another world,” she said. It was at that moment the world of Avalonia, with its powerful mages and fae and the evil Queen Morgana, was born. Farah Oomerbhoy’s debut novel, The Last of the Firedrakes, was released in the summer of 2015.
Farah lives with her husband and three children in their family home in Mumbai, India. She has a Master’s degree in English Literature from the University of Mumbai. Her first novel is The Last of the Firedrakes, Book 1 of the Avalonia Chronicles.
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