StoneKing by Donna Migliaccio
February 20, 2018
Fantasy
The Gemeta Stone Book 3
Fiery Seas Publishing, LLC
They call him StoneKing: the lord of four countries, the vanquisher of the Wichelord Daazna, the man who will restore his people to prosperity and peace.
But there is no peace for Kristan Gemeta. Already weighed down by the cares of his new realm, Kristan carries a secret burden – the knowledge that Daazna is not dead. He isolates himself in his ruined castle in Fandrall, where he struggles to control the destructive Tabi’a power that may be his only hope of defeating the Wichelord once and for all.
And there’s trouble elsewhere in his realm. His Reaches are squabbling in Dyer, Melissa and Nigel are experiencing heartache in Norwinn, and Heather’s command in Hogia is in jeopardy. Unaware of this turmoil, Kristan receives an unexpected gift – one that forces him, his knights, an inexperienced squire and a crafty young shape-shifter into a hazardous winter journey.
Booktrailer: https://youtu.be/ssT6F0CwJHk
Buy Links:
Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble ~ Kobo ~ iBooks
Excerpt from Chapter 5:
“Unlock the door, please,” Heather said. “Guards, have your pikes at the ready.” With an officious rattle of the keys, Jerrold unlocked the door and threw it open, and with the guards behind her, Heather stepped into the cell. Ravelin crowded into the doorway, ignoring the disdainful look Sir Jerrold gave him.
The man Staub was squeezed into the far corner, his one eye rolling, his face and filthy tunic smeared with Uklet’s blood. He was thumping his head repeatedly against the wall.
“Stop it,” Heather said. “What do you have to say for yourself, Staub?”
To Ravelin’s surprise, Staub obeyed. He even tried to draw himself to attention. “Lady,” he whispered. “Lady of the Sword. Good morning, Lady.”
“It’s not a good morning, Staub. You killed a man. You’ll have to be punished.”
Staub wailed again and fell to his knees. “I had to! I had to! He kept coming into my cell at night!”
“Nonsense. He was locked in his own cell, the same as you.”
“He came at night! He muttered things when I wanted to sleep. Lady, I couldn’t sleep. He kept me from sleeping!” Staub crawled toward her, as if to grasp her feet, but one of the guards brandished his pike in the man’s face. Staub cringed back, his hands over his face. “Don’t hit me, don’t hit me again.”
“No one’s hit you, fool, but someone will if you don’t control yourself,” Sir Jerrold said.
“Quiet,” Heather said. She stooped so she could look Staub in the eye. “Staub, no doubt others will say you should pay for the life you took with your own. I don’t see the point in that. But you’re going to have to stay in your cell until I sort out what to do with you.”
Staub groaned. He thrust his hands between his thighs, as if to warm them, and began to rock back and forth. “Lady, please let me out. Let me out to work. I don’t mind the cesspit; truly I don’t, but don’t keep me here in this cell in the dark. Not with the whispering.”
Buy Links:
Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble ~ Kobo ~ iBooks
About the Author:
Donna Migliaccio is a professional stage actress with credits that include Broadway, National Tours and prominent regional theatres. She is based in the Washington, DC Metro area, where she co-founded Tony award-winning Signature Theatre and is in demand as an entertainer, teacher and public speaker. Her award-winning short story, “Yaa & The Coffins,” was featured in Thinkerbeat’s 2015 anthology The Art of Losing.
Social Media:
Website
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
