A
Wisp of Fate
Elsie
True Series #1
by
Kristy Centeno
Genre:
Urban Fantasy
Elsie
True lives with only one goal in mind …
…
to
avenge her father’s death.
Branded
a traitor among the brotherhood of the Cause, an organization
dedicated to the destruction of all magical creatures, her father was
unjustly murdered for falling in love with a celestial being, leaving
a teenage Elsie to learn the creature-hunting business with the help
of her father’s old friend.
Her
life revolves around besting the Cause and keeping the world safe
from any creatures that get out of hand. When her mentor signs her up
for another case, she jumps at the opportunity to steer business away
from the corrupt organization.
Not
long into the investigation, she realizes she might have walked right
into a setup, including coming face-to-face with a creature she
doesn’t know if she should kill or protect.
Elsie
feared little in life, but she isn’t prepared to face the demons of
her past, especially those hell-bent on killing her. Outwitting her
enemies means solving the case, but in a world where she has more
foes than friends, who can she trust?
Excerpts
#1
The explosion of movement came from the east instead of the north, catching her off guard for just a second before she pulled herself together and pivoted to her left in time to avoid a slice of a bowed knife blade identical to hers. A foggy specter skated past her, solidifying briefly before its insubstantial form broke away into frail tendrils of smoke that disappeared within the next instance.
Wielding the twin daggers like miniature swords, she dashed to the side and stepped back away from the trunk of the tree she’d hidden behind. Getting cornered would hinder her counterassault, and she smelled a trap as surely as she detected the second entity sneaking up on her from the field now positioned to her rear.
A two for one special. Wonderful.
All angles open, she flicked her gaze left and right, looking for precipitous activities of any kind. A glimmer of metal as it caught the light of the moon above was all the warning she got before the first Bedevil shot forward, blades blazing. She pivoted and parried, raising her left arm up to sink her own weapon into the entity’s side all in one quick blur of motion.
The misty specter took the form of its latest victim, that of a girl no more than fourteen or fifteen, and shrieked. Its green eyes stared accusingly at her, as if blaming her for what the creature had done.
#2
The oracle’s gaze settled on the cloth in her palm. She furrowed her brow in response to what Elsie was offering her.
“What is that you ask of the gods, Elsie True?”
“Can they tell me where I can find the object stolen from the shifter monk monastery? Where do I begin my search?”
“Are you sure you wish to ask the gods for help?”
Elsie blew air out via her nostrils. The gods hadn’t answered her appeals in years, but this time things were different. Things seemed different.
Renounced by the gods, abandoned by her mother’s brethren, she had been deemed unworthy to receive advice from whatever ruling body still made a half-assed attempt at pleasing underlings with answers borne of pity.
Elsie’s human blood had branded her a disgrace among all creatures of magical descent. So, she wasn’t expecting much in terms of answers of whatever god was listening, if any at all, but a tiny part of her hoped that not every god saw her as a nuisance or a disgrace. She wanted to believe at least one viewed her as equal—farfetched as the likelihood for that was.
#3
Movement behind Sheng reminded her that now wasn’t the time to get lost in doubts and uncertainties. She glanced at the woods and her gaze collided with a set of glowing red eyes that were identical to those that had peeked inside the cottage moments priors. And those weren’t the only ones. At least six more pairs blinked in unison with the first. They were outnumbered three to one, and the odds kept stacking against them as more of the beings remained hidden from view someplace behind her and hadn’t yet made themselves known.
“Others are blind to the daughter, but we see what others fail to.”
Elsie whipped around at the sound of the hoarse male voice. A robed figure stepped forward from within the shadows he’d temporarily blended so well with a second ago and stood no more than thirty feet from her. Her gaze roamed over the tall, lanky man, and she was hit by a hint of recognition as she took in the pointed ears and the double rows of tiny, triangular teeth that would’ve been more at home in a shark’s mouth.
“Who the hell are you?”
The man clasped his skeletal hands in front of him. Staring at his ovoid eyes was like peering into an unending well. Thalia’s description had made this creature no justice.
Kristy
Centeno loves to spin tales of creatures that go bump in the night,
with a sprinkle of romance to top them off. Her passion for writing
stems from a lifelong enjoyment of reading and the pleasure derived
from the magical worlds created by authors like her. She prefers her
female leads strong, independent, and stubborn who will stop at
nothing to save their loved ones and protect those they care for.
Kristy
currently resides in Pennsylvania with her five kids, a quartet of
noisy parakeets, and a spoiled puppy. When she is not working or
writing, she juggles her free time between raising a handful of
minions and pursuing other career goals.
$25
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