The Scribe (37 page)
Vasu blinked. “Unexpected.”
“Indeed.”
“Does this change anything?” Barak asked.
“No. He was necessary to keep her alive. Other than that, he is incidental.”
“The female did this,” Vasu said.
“So it would seem.”
Barak said, “We always knew her powers would be unstable.”
“They all are.”
Vasu lifted an eyebrow, a decidedly human gesture that Jaron wondered if he was aware of. “Is it any wonder our sons fear them?” he murmured.
“She is a means to an end,” Jaron said. “That is all.”
Barak and Vasu exchanged a look but did not argue with their brother.
Vasu and Barak asked in unison, “Does this change our course?”
“No,” Jaron said, his eyes focused on a dark riverbank. “We do what we always do. We watch.”
Please visit
ElizabethHunterWrites.com
for more information about the Irin Chronicles and other work from the author.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
After a while, it seems repetitive to thank the same people over and over, but truly, my work would not be what it is without the support of my incredible family.
Thanks to my pre-readers, Kristy, Sarah, Kelli, Gen, and Natalie. You are my first line of defense.
Thanks again to all the reviewers and bloggers who promote my work and spread the word online and in person. Getting to know so many of you has been a blessing I never could have anticipated.
Thanks to my editing team, Anne and Sara. True professionals who make my work shine. And thanks to the incredible artists at Damonza for their vision and talent. You took a simple idea and brought it to life.
Many thanks to my agent, Jane Dystel, and all the team at Dystel and Goderich Literary Management.
Thanks to my girls. (You know who you are.)
And thanks, always, to my readers. Thank you for being enthusiastic about this new world. Thanks for your encouragement and kind words. I hope I will always do justice to the confidence you place in me as a storyteller.
A Note from the Author…
Countless individuals helped me with the research for this series, and the month I spent in Israel and Turkey was one of the most rewarding times of my life.
I’d like to thank the Telerant-Faith family, who made my time in Israel so wonderful. Experiencing a country as a tourist or student is nothing like experiencing it with a family. So many thanks to you.
Also, I’d like to express sincere gratitude to the staff of the American Colony Hotel in Jerusalem and the staff and volunteers at the Israel Museum. To all the knowledgable guides who I had the pleasure of meeting, thank you.
To my best friend, Kelli, who took the time to travel with me, enabling me to visit many places I wouldn’t have been able to on my own. A great friend and a fantastic research assistant. Many, many thanks.
To the entire country of Turkey!
There are few places I have visited where I have felt more welcome. Your tradition of hospitality shines through your people, your businesses, and your whole culture. Thank you for making my visit such a wonderful experience. I can’t wait to return.
To the staff of the Ibrahim Pasha hotel in Istanbul, thank you so much. Your guidance and suggestions never steered me wrong. You were my home away from home for the time I was in your beautiful city, and I can’t wait to visit you again.
To my amazing guide in Cappadocia, Rüya Kivrim. I was so fortunate to have your knowledgable and fun guidance through the rich history of the region. You truly were a dream(!) to work with.
And to all the people I was fortunate to meet—shop owners, drivers, guides, fellow travelers, and so many more—thank you, thank you, thank you.
Finally, most of you know how important music is to me as an individual and a writer. It was especially inspirational for this book and this series. Thanks in particular to the amazing Loreena McKennit, the brilliance of Sigur Rós, and the inspiring Dead Can Dance for providing the writing soundtrack for this book and ongoing series. Your music touches my soul.
Thank you.
ELIZABETH HUNTER is a contemporary fantasy, paranormal romance, and contemporary romance author. She is a graduate of the University of Houston Honors College and a former English teacher. She once substitute taught a kindergarten class but decided that middle school was far less frightening. Thankfully, people now pay her to write books and eighth graders everywhere rejoice.
She currently lives in Central California with an eight-year-old ninja who claims to be her child. She enjoys music, writing, travel, and bowling (despite the fact that she’s not very good at it). Someday, she plans to learn how to scuba dive. And maybe hang glide… but that looks like a lot of running.
She is the author of the
Elemental Mysteries
and
Elemental World
series, the
Cambio Springs
series, the
Irin Chronicles
, and other works of fiction.
Website:
ElizabethHunterWrites.com
Elemental Mysteries fan site:
ElementalMysteries.com
.
E-mail:
[email protected]
.
Twitter:
@E__Hunter
ALSO BY ELIZABETH HUNTER
The Elemental Mysteries Series
A Hidden Fire
This Same Earth
The Force of Wind
A Fall of Water
The Elemental World Series
Building From Ashes
Waterlocked (novella)
Blood and Sand
The Cambio Springs Series
Long Ride Home (short story)
Shifting Dreams
The Irin Chronicles
The Scribe
The Singer
(coming SPRING 2014)
Contemporary Romance
The Genius and the Muse
Praise for Elizabeth Hunter:
"A HIDDEN FIRE is saturated with mystery, intrigue, and romance...this book will make my paranormal romance top ten list of 2011."
—Kristin, BETTER READ THAN DEAD
"An enticing and addictive epic."
—Douglas C. Meeks, WICKED SCRIBES
"
Elemental Mysteries
turned into one of the best paranormal series I've read this year. It's sharp, elegant, clever, evenly paced without dragging its feet and at the same time emotionally intense."
—Karina, NOCTURNAL BOOK REVIEWS
"...filled with saucy dialogue, plot twists and turns, a cast of familiar characters, and one very argumentative yet passionate couple... Ms. Hunter is getting better by the book."
—Victoria, ZEMFIRKA BLOGS
"Hunter is an absolute pro at giving us steamy, heart melting romance."
—Mandy, I READ INDIE
[Hunter's] writing is literate, evocative, and heartfelt; with depth to the stories and dimension to the characters.
--BamaGal, GOODREADS
"The bottom line: if you're not reading Elizabeth Hunter's novels, you should be!"
—Leisha, A TALE OF MANY BOOK REVIEWS
THE SCRIBE
Copyright © 2013
Elizabeth Hunter
ISBN: 9780988520592
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination, or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Cover art: Damonza
Cover design: Damonza
Edited: Anne Victory
Proofread: Sara Smith
Formatted: Elizabeth Hunter
The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.
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