#BlogTour #GuestPost – Mask of the Gods by Karen Furk @karenfurkauthor @rararesources #MaskoftheGods

Hi All,

Happy Sunday! 

Today on my blog I have a an extract from Mask of the Gods by Karen Furk. Make sure you check out the 2 amazing pieces of artwork in the post too! 

Soul Demons live off the souls of the living. 

When Haydan’s home world is invaded by a soul demon seeking an item shrouded in myth and legend, his father evicts him and sends him to safety. His chosen one and warrior should provide reassurance and sanctuary, but neither appears to be working very well. Just when he thinks matters cannot get any worse his scheming grandmother arrives. She has her own plans that appear to involve him, none of which bodes well.

Diego feels confident he has the soul demon under control. Overlooking his devious mother’s involvement, he fails to appreciate that he is not only storm rider elder, but also an elven prince and certain debts are about to become due.

Lavinia worries about her grandson, but also who she left behind in the elven realm a long time ago. Tallin thinks she abandoned him and he is livid. She has everything under control, including Tallin…at least that is what she thinks.

They all need to learn afresh who to trust. With a soul demon on the rampage, an unleashed, angry and betrayed elven king and a long-forgotten mask surfacing, what could possibly go wrong? 

The past is about to catch up with all of them. Nothing is going to go as planned because the mask and the gods have other ideas. 

US – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07M6L45Y8

UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07M6L45Y8

Karen Furk loves fantasy stories. She has done ever since she was a small, lonely child with an over active imagination. She’s particularly fond of stories that are crammed full of magic, mayhem and magical creatures. Karen’s background in marketing laid the foundations for her writing career which began after a serious bout of depression. No longer able to contain her over active imagination, the stories finally flowed onto a page. She aims to surprise and delight with the characters and worlds she creates. She lives in the North West of the UK with her husband, two boys and a hamster called Rufus (Yes, a girl hamster with a boy’s name. Don’t ask, she just embraces the crazy!). Visit her at karenfurk.co.uk or find her on social media and say hello – she’s on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest under the user name karenfurkauthor.

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Test of the Warriors

Diego

Figures approached from the surrounding undergrowth. Diego tensed as they neared. Hunt teams were on the loose that evening. Warriors would be tested. Without warning. Without any hint of what was happening, they would be tested. Names had been selected earlier in the afternoon. Haydan’s name hadn’t been drawn, but given Arianna’s defiance and Haydan’s frequent clashes, Diego already knew his son would be one of the wildcards selected. He had Teeam to thank for that.

Sandau looked unforgiving as he stepped closer. “Teeam has ordered me to test Arianna. I’m letting you know before we take Haydan. I’m trusting you –and your powers– to stay out of this.”

Diego inhaled, fixing his stare onto Teeam, one of the three in the hunt team. Teeam would let Sandau lead. He would remain on the periphery. Sandau and Haydan grated on each other anyway, so there would be no issue of trust there. If Haydan found out Teeam was involved however, that would be a different matter.

“I’m not going to interfere, although I do have doubts about her ability to track him. Don’t hurt him,” Diego said.

Sandau’s ghosted irises captured the light of the moon, glowing in the darkness, adding to the surreal quality of the moment. “I’ll restrain him. I’ll only hurt him if he resists. No un-bonded storm rider is getting the better of me.”

Understanding passed between them conveyed with the reassuring bow of Sandau’s head to Diego. Sandau would only hurt Haydan if he didn’t respond accordingly. Diego could live with that.

Haydan

Returning from Earth, Haydan reached his snug entrance. Buried in the trunk of a tree the small doorway was deceptive to anyone who didn’t know it was there. It hid many secrets. A breeze stirred. Overhead, foliage rustled. He stilled, assessing his surroundings. His skin prickled with awareness of being watched. Someone was out there.

Busy assessing the area in front, Haydan missed the approach of someone to his side. An arm snaked around his neck as something hard jabbed his ribs.

“Don’t fight me, storm rider. My blade is unforgiving and I’d hate to draw blood this early in the evening.”

Confusion clouded Haydan’s brain as he struggled against the figure holding him still. He could hear ancient incantations muttered close to his ear. The type designed to confuse, disorientate and bring him under someone else’s control. That indicated a god was restraining him. He had no idea why.

Haydan came to on his knees with his arms restrained behind his back. Trying to stand proved pointless. He was tied to restraints on the floor and was surrounded on all sides by a cylindrical wall covered in ancient runes and incantations. A clever cloaking device. It hid him from everyone and likely prevented him reaching Arianna.

“Do you know who you’ve taken? My father will tear you apart for this,” Haydan said, yanking on his restraints. Unsure who could hear him, he felt certain his captors were listening. Magic flared, burning the skin around his wrist.

Soft laughter reached him from overhead. The top of his prison was shrouded in darkness, he could make nothing out.

“I advise you cease with that. The more you fight, the more that hurts. Curious how you rely on your father, not your main protector. You already think she’ll fail. In fact, you appear to expect it.”

How did they know about Arianna? “What do you want with her?”

Sandau approached. His leisurely saunter up suggesting he was unconcerned at his brazen kidnap of an elder’s son. “You were easy to snatch. I expected more of a fight, more of an Arianna presence. She was slow to respond, as were you.”

The accusation stinging, Haydan pushed up from the floor, yanking on his restraints as he tried to reach Sandau. “This is a test, isn’t it? To see if she’s up to the challenge. My father already knows. He’s not coming. If she fails this casts a shadow on both of us.”

The zing of a sword leaving its sheath cut the air. Holding his breath, Haydan prayed for a miracle. Sandau tensed before swinging towards the glint of a steel blade that slid over his shoulder and rested there. The edge of the blade touched the tip of Sandau’s nose.

Relief flooded Haydan’s mind. “Warrior, you took your time. What kept you?” he asked, trying to act casual.

Arianna had found him.

She had passed the test.

Please do go and check out all the other blogs that are contributing to this blog tour. They are all listed below.