EXILED
by Amanda
Carlson
Book Three in
the Phoebe Meadows series
Release Date:
March 24, 2017
Blurb:
Phoebe
Meadows is on trial for her life.
After
freeing her half-brother, Baldur, Phoebe is set to stand before the Council in
Asgard to answer for her actions. The threat of exile if she’s found guilty
looms, not to mention the added stress of meeting her real father for the first
time.
Upon
entering Asgard, Phoebe discovers new allies in a half-brother she’s never met
as well as an oracle who is in possession of valuable information. A little
added help couldn’t have come at a better time, because when Phoebe is tossed
into an unknown realm, she’s only armed with Gundren, a jewel, and her wits.
When
Loki shows up, all bets are off. The trickster god throws a wrench in Phoebe’s
plans and kidnaps Fen, her only ally. And just when she thinks she sees the
light at the end of the tunnel, Phoebe finds she has to defeat one last
obstacle: The Norns.
And
they aren’t planning to go down without a fight…
Author Bio:
Amanda is a graduate of the University of Minnesota, with a BA in both
Speech and Hearing Science & Child Development. She went on to get an A.A.S
in Sign Language Interpreting and worked as an interpreter until her first
child was born. She lives in Minneapolis with her husband and three kids.
Website: http://www.amandacarlson.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/authoramandacarlson
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/amandaccarlson
Instagram: http://instagram.com/author_amanda
Giveaway:
One $25 Amazon
gift card
EXILED:
Phoebe Meadows Book Three
Excerpt
Copyright © 2017 Amanda Carlson. All rights
reserved. None of the below can be reprinted without permission from the author
1
“Sweet mother of all that’s holy.” Sam coughed
violently into the bucket positioned in front of her. “Please tell me we’re
here. My body can’t take much more of this.” She lifted her head, dragging the
back of her sleeve over her mouth, wheezing. “I’m pretty sure my tank is
finally dry, but bile is a tricky thing, as my body is making more of the hot,
searing liquid as we speak.” Tyr stood next to her holding a clean pail, his
face a mask of concern.
“Aye, we’re here,” Tyr answered solemnly, bending
down to place the new container in front of Sam, who was promptly in need of
it.
We all stood on the deck of Ringhorn, my half
brother Baldur’s boat, which had been gifted to Tyr upon Baldur’s untimely
death. We’d arrived in Asgard less than five minutes prior, so I could face the
Council and Frigg, Baldur’s powerful goddess mother, to receive punishment for
freeing her beloved son.
I’d broken Baldur out of a dark elf prison—the very
place his mother had placed him for protection—only to watch him die a short
time later at Verdandi’s hand.
It had been awful and heartbreaking.
The boat had just taken us through an insane
vortex. One that had hauled us up in the air at breakneck speed, only to drop
us the next instant. I’d lost count of how many times my stomach had hit my
knees.
But I’d fared better than poor Sam, who was now
huddled on the deck spilling her guts.
“Are we really here? In Asgard?” I asked, squinting
into the darkness, trying to discern a single shape on the horizon, but coming
up empty. The boat had lurched to a full stop in what looked to be a solid
void. “I was expecting it to be a little more…vibrant?”
“We’ve landed in a holding bay,” Fen answered, his
frame tense beside mine, his arm tight around my waist. This was the first time
he’d been back to his home in many years, and he was poised for any threat that
might come our way, his nostrils flaring, his sword at the ready.
My mother came up beside us. “There are various
ways in, but if you take magical transportation, like Ringhorn, you must wait
to be inspected before accessing the city.”
“Yep,” Ingrid added, moving toward a gated opening
that would lead us off the boat. “Lots of nooks and crannies on a big boat like
this. We might be harboring unknown aliens. We’ll have to wait for the
inspectors to clear us.”
“Why is it so dark?” I asked. The only illumination
we had came from the boat itself.
Before anyone could answer, a loud grating noise
filled the air. All at once, the scene before us began to change as bright
light pierced the space like a dazzling spotlight.
We were in a large cylinder of some kind.
As light penetrated the tunnel, my eyes adjusted,
and I began to get my first glimpses of Asgard beyond the tunnel. I noticed
blue sky right away. It was cobalt, a deep, resplendent tone that seemed
impossibly rich for a sky.
“Brace yourself, kiddo,” Ingrid said as she removed
her spear from her waistband. “Along with the inspectors, there will be
guards.”
“Why are you drawing your weapon?” I asked,
alarmed. “Isn’t this your home?”
“Because I’m getting ready to argue, and I do it
best with Betsy at the ready.” She shook her trusty spear, and it seamlessly
morphed into an eight-foot killer with a razor-sharp edge.
“Betsy?” Ingrid had never shared her weapon’s pet
name before. “You named your spear Betsy?”
“Yep, she was christened my ‘Best Bet’ when I first
got her. Found her in a pile of discarded old weapons and never looked back. If
these guards try to separate us, Betsy will have her say. And I can
guaran-damn-tee”—she waved her spear in the air—“there is no argument we can’t
win.”
