Chandrea – The Return of the Avatar Queen
by Marlene Wynn
Publication date: September 22nd 2014
Genres: Fantasy, New Adult
Chandrea Averill thinks she’s just like any other normal young woman. But, on the day of her 23rd birthday, her life changes forever.
Surrounded by magical creatures, dangerous sorcery, and insidious political intrigue, Chandrea desperately wants to return to Earth and the only life she’s ever known. But, the longer she stays, the more she realizes that she may be the only one with the power – both magical and political – to save the people of Lyrunia. Will she find the courage to remain and fight for her home world?
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Exclusive excerpt
Chandrea leapt to her feet and began to run. Sharp rocks and roots sliced her bare feet, but she paid them no heed as she ran. Dodging left and right, Chandrea ran in a state of instinctual panic. She had no idea were she was going, she just ran as fast as she could. Jumping. Gasping. Ducking. Over. Under. Stumbling through the dark. Hearing the sounds of the dragon growing ever louder.
The mother Grifton wasn’t quite so nimble, but what she lacked in speed and agility she more than made up for in sheer mass and muscle. With her low center of gravity, she simply crashed through the jungle trees, snapping them in half like toothpicks.
Faster than Chandrea could fathom, the Grifton was right behind her. Chandrea could feel her hot, foul breath on her back. Bellowing with insane rage, the Grifton used the large sturdy horns on her head and her massive weight to plow through the dense forest.
Chandrea felt quick, tearing pains along her skin as some of the falling debris grazed her. The roar of snapping trees and branches echoed through the jungle, drowning out the sounds of the terror-stricken creatures being flushed out by the juggernaut.
Chandrea felt a tingling underneath her skin. Something was warning her that the beast was about to use fire. She realized her magic had sensed the potential threat of the other’s magic. Running strictly now on instinct, Chandrea allowed her own magic to surface to her defense. And rise it did, one second absent, the next, all-encompassing. With a scream, she shoved her magic out of her. As she ran, a glowing ball of energy formed around her. White hot in its intensity, it burned anything that came in contact with it, and left a smoldering trail of ruin behind her as she fled.
Not a second later, the mother Grifton released a massive jet of fire that arced out hundreds of feet in front of her.
Chandrea screamed as the world surrounding her flared into a bright yellow-red haze. Trees, bushes, animals, anything in its path was incinerated by the intense conflagration. The protective bubble around her turned a deep red.
As the fire died out, the dragon roared her displeasure that Chandrea still lived.
Safe within her ball of protective energy, Chandrea looked around in amazement as she ran. She was astonished that she has survived. Her skin prickled uneasily again, and Chandrea knew intuitively that the dragon was going to release lightning. In some distant corner of her mind, she recognized that her magic shifted its form somewhat, the white-hot surface changing and gaining a faintly metallic sheen to it instead.
Thunder cracked as the energy of the lightning struck her ball of defensive matter. Her world turned white this time, blocking her vision of the forest surrounding her and leaving her temporarily blinded. Trees exploded with explosive force as the sap was superheated, and deadly missiles of wood flew in all directions. Chandrea’s ears rang with the concussion of sound, and she screamed in fearful reflex.
But, as before, when the attack ended, Chandrea ran on, unscathed.
The female dragon went berserk with rage. Roaring her anger, she doubled her efforts and sped forward. Chandrea’s feet were torn and in agony, she was desperately out of breath, and she knew she couldn’t run forever. Though Chandrea’s magical defenses seemed to be working just fine, her physical resources were becoming sorely pressed. If she didn’t find a way to end this soon, the mother dragon would end it for her.
Gasping, each breath a burning brand in her overworked chest, Chandrea pressed on. Blood dripped from dozens of small cuts and wounds. The glow from her defensive shield actually served a dual purpose by shedding light on the surrounding area, making it a bit easier to run.
To her horror, she began to see glimpses of open space between the trees. The ground swiftly became sandier and she realized with a rush of panic that she was approaching a beach. Once she was out in the open, there would be nothing between her and the revenge-seeking Grifton hunting her.
With very few options open, she sprinted for the tree line. Maybe she could get to the water before the Grifton and, once submerged, swim away from the island. Maybe she’d get lucky and the Grifton wouldn’t be able to swim.
Yeah, and maybe she’d spontaneously sprout wings and fly away.
About the author
Marlene Wynn is a Utah native – fondly referred to as “Utonian” by a friend. She transplanted herself in 1992 from the majestic Rocky Mountains to the beachy shores of sunny Virginia Beach, Virginia and has been there ever since. Though she has worked in the Benefits field for several years, she finally worked up the courage to chase her dream as an author.Giveaway
Ends 5th Jan. 2015
- A print copy of Chandrea – The Return of the Avatar Queen,
- A handmade fairy,
- A set of character trading cards.
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