Today I’m sharing an excerpt from Demon’s Blade, the first in my YA fantasy trilogy. Demon’s Blade is currently in the revision process, with the goal being to release it in June.
Here’s the old, crappy summary of the novel, which will give you a brief idea of the main characters:
As a bounty hunter, Ava leads an adventurous life hunting dangerous demons. However, she may have met her match in Lucifuge Rofocal, a rare force demon. At first hired to deal with Luce, Ava soon learns his rough exterior hides a demon who believes in honor, unusual for a Hell denizen. Luce is no ordinary demon, though. He is an archdemon on the run from Hell, and when his powerful demon-slaying sword disappears, Ava’s curiosity gets her caught up in his troubles. Now these two unlikely companions must locate the sword before it falls into the wrong hands, and that task will be all the more difficult as the demons hunting Luce begin to close in.
So many words! Definitely going to need to work on paring that summary down. That’s not a task for today, however.
The following snip is a short anecdote from an early chapter, not long after Ava and Luce begin traveling together.
Demon’s Blade, Excerpt #1
“What kind of a demon are you?” Luce asked, leaning close, red eyes scrutinizing her face closely. “Your mark is prominent, but your appearance almost normal, save for this magic you wield. How did you acquire it?”
Ava shrugged and pushed him away. “That is really none of your business.” Glancing at the sky, she quickened her pace. “We need to move faster, there is a storm coming.”
Luce glanced up at the clear blue sky. “What do you mean, there’s a storm coming?”
“It’s coming.” Ava sniffed the air. “You should smell it even more than I can.”
“Just because I’m beast form doesn’t mean I have heightened senses.”
“But do you?”
The force demon shrugged and took a sniff of the air. “I don’t smell anything strange.”
“How long have you been traveling in these parts?”
“A few months.” He sounded a bit unsure.
Ava thought back and nodded. “Snow started falling about a month ago. You are probably used to the scent by now.”
“Does it matter? You know these parts, so find the nearest town.”
Ava glared at him.
“Please,” he amended, with a resigned gaze. “Excuse my abruptness, I have simply spent too much time outside in this bloody cold.”
“Of course, you are no doubt used to much warmer places,” she said, wearing an innocent look when he glanced at her, one eyebrow raised.
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“You tell me.” Ava moved forward, lifting her boots high out of the snow. “Come on, we need to keep moving. Might get another foot tonight, and that will make traveling more difficult.”
“More than this?” Luce nodded and began to stride forward, only to trip on a rock buried beneath the snow. His tumble nearly took Ava down as well.
Jumping out of the way, Ava landed against a tree, knocking down a heavy clump of snow from the branches overhead. Sputtering, she shook her head, brushing snow from her hair as she stepped away from the tree and looked for signs of her companion in the scuffled snow. There was no movement.
From the summary alone, this sounds like something I definitely read. Or watch if it was an anime. Let me know when you’ve scheduled the release of Demon’s Blade as I’d like to help you promote it on my blog.
Thanks, Lidy! I shall. 🙂