Chain of Illusions
by Boone Brux
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Length: 400 pages
Release Date: November 2013
Rell has lived in the Shadow World for thirteen years as a Demon Bane, the formerly vivacious young woman now the demonic enemy of the immortal Bringers. But when she is given the chance to become human again—and a full-powered Bringer—Rell isn’t sure if it’s better to be a demon in the Shadow World or to risk her life for her humanity.
For two years, Siban had been tortured in the Bane prison, only to fall in love with the beautiful demon who helped him escape. Tormented by the thought of never seeing her again, he maintains a life of solitude. So, when Rell’s human body is rescued from the Shadow World, he will do anything to be with her—even if it means challenging death to become a Bringer, too.
But once their Bringer transformations and training are completed, Siban and Rell must join a mission to go deep in the Shadow World to rescue others trapped by the Demon Bane King. And what they discover destroys everything they knew about the Demon Bane. The lovers must learn to trust themselves, each other, and their new powers if they’re going to make it out alive.
Excerpt:
Chapter One
Siban lifted his chin toward the gray sky and inhaled. Crisp air filled his lungs, clearing his head. The time had come for him to take his place among his people, the Bringers. Past time, actually. They needed him in the fight against the Demon Bane—a fight the Bringers seemed to be losing.
He exhaled and walked to the closest outbuilding. His hand hovered on the cold metal of the door handle, his determination wavering. Could he go through with the ceremony that would finally bring him to full power as a Bringer? Perhaps if he hadn’t seen Luc’s conversion firsthand, hadn’t watched the blade drive into his friend’s chest, and hadn’t felt the life draining from Luc, he wouldn’t feel so anxious now. But there was no turning back. Hopefully he’d be able to control the power that came with being a Bringer Tell. Endowed with the Knowing, he would sense things more strongly. Would know truth from a lie. Saints willing, the darkness that still tainted his soul from his years of imprisonment in the Demon Bane’s Shadow World wouldn’t grow stronger as well.
Chilly wind whipped his hair, bringing with it the smell of fall and the hint of snow. The sky echoed his mood. For a 4 year he’d been dealing with the dark memories of being held captive the only way he knew how—alone. But now he’d found Rell again and she needed him to be strong. He’d been the one to change her mind about being put to death by one of the immortal daggers of the Bringers. As the only weapons that could vanquish a Demon Bane, it was the only way to kill her, but Siban wouldn’t let that happen. For too long he’d grieved the loss of her. Nothing would stop him from helping her survive the healing that would transform her from a Demon Bane back into her human form—and into a Bringer.
Inside the building waited the other full-blooded Bringer warriors, newly transformed and ancient, planning to face down Vile, the Demon Bane’s King, and his efforts to overrun Inness with his Bane. No longer could Siban avoid his destiny—or his past.
He yanked on the door but the wind beat it closed again, as if sensing his apprehension. He pulled again, this time opening it and slipping inside. A cloud of warmth and the smell of lavender and sage enveloped him. All eyes turned toward Siban, the Bringers’ conversation halting. He closed the door behind him and exhaled softly, stilling his urge to turn around and walk back out. Dozens of candles lined the wall and burned on every available surface, lending a calming, golden glow to the room. But the ambiance did very little to reassure him about the impending pain he was about to experience.
“You came.” Rhys Blackwell, his best friend, approached and held out his hand. “I was afraid you’d change your mind.”
For years Rhys had thought he was the only full-blooded Bringer left after his parent’s had been assassinated by Vile. He’d roamed Inness, protecting humans against the Bane and building a small army of mixed-blooded Bringers, those whose bloodlines had been diluted by humans. Thankfully, Rhys had recognized Siban for what he was and had taken him in, even though he was tainted by the Bane’s evil darkness. Since then Siban’s loyalty had never wavered. He gripped Rhys’s forearm in a show of solidarity. “And miss all the fun?”
“My apologies for doubting you.” Rhys laughed and released Siban’s arm. “Come, Gregory has everything prepared.”
Gregory, the King of the Bringers, met Siban halfway, a smile creasing his face and brightening his eyes to the color of liquid silver. “You look like a man facing his own execution.”
“It feels a bit like that, yeah.” Siban scanned the room. Most of the faces he recognized, but there were a few new Bringers he hadn’t been introduced to yet. That could wait until he was through the transformation. Siban nodded and exhaled. “All right then, let’s get this over with.”
“Of course.” Gregory placed a hand on Siban’s shoulder and guided him toward a long wooden slab in the center of the room.
A smaller table had been erected about four feet from where he was to lay. A white sheet covered it. Siban stopped and stared at the form pressed against the cloth. The outline was of a woman—Rell’s human form lying in perfect repose.
“We thought your transformation would be easier if you remembered what you were fighting for,” Ravyn said from beside him.
“Thank you.” He glanced at her. Ravyn watched him with understanding. She’d already gone through the transformation to become a Bringer and understood the risk. He looked back at the body on the table, refraining from voicing the fact that the person on the table was a stranger to him. His Rell was a Demon Bane with smooth green skin, leathery wings, and small delicate horns. He released a heavy breath, pushing aside the dark thought that he might not be able to accept her as a human. It had been the demon who risked so much to help him escape the Shadow World. Would the human female be 6 Boone Brux different from the demon he’d fallen in love with? “I’m ready.”
“Remove your shirt.” Gregory turned to examine the immortal dagger lying on a small table.
Siban slipped his tunic off and handed it to Ravyn. Shivers from the chilled air ghosted across his skin. When Gregory lifted the dagger, Siban’s heart began to pound. I can do this.
Ravyn spread a linen blanket over the wooden slab and placed a small pillow at the head. “Lie down, please.” She patted the table. “I promise we’ll take good care of you.”
Without replying, he slid onto the table and rested his head against the stiff pillow. The blanket did little to cushion the hard wood pressing against his back, though he doubted he would have been able to relax. Unsure where to place his hands, he interlocked his fingers and rested them against his bare abdomen. He shifted his shoulders, trying to find a more comfortable position and ignoring the awkwardness of being everybody’s focus.
Four Bringers he didn’t know approached, each carrying two small sacks. In evenly spaced positions they emptied the contents of the bags onto the table.
Cloves, lavender, and a piney scent rose up around the edge of the table. Siban swallowed and stared at the ceiling. He mentally counted the dark beams above, forcing himself not to watch the Bringers working around him. Another shudder rippled through his body. Three months ago, allowing somebody to cut or stab him would have been unthinkable. The nightmares from his time among the demons still haunted him. He pushed away the dark thoughts, unwilling to give them power over him. After having been tortured with everything from talons to shards of rusty metal while in Vile’s prison, Siban’s consent to be brought to full power was a testament to his devotion to Rell.
It helped that he’d made the choice and that Gregory’s action would be done with gentleness not malice. Still, when the man turned toward Siban bearing the knife, it took all of his self-discipline not to hurl his body from the table and flee the room.
A low, healing chant kindled to Siban’s left. The song flowing around him was one of the most beautiful Siban had ever heard. Clear and pitched surprisingly low, the notes resonated along his body and sent tingles skittering along his skin. Another voice joined the melody, deeper in tone.
The light in the room shifted, altering Siban’s sight. Ribbons of blue and white drifted from the Bringers, encircling them like lace, binding each together. The lyrical composition surrounded him and burrowed under his skin, winding its way to what felt like his soul.
More soft voices mixed with the song, and the light from the ribbons grew stronger, pulsing inside him and creating a halo of light around the table.
Ravyn and Rell’s sister, Jade, joined the circle and each placed their hands on one of his shoulders. When Rhys and Ravyn had brought their friend Luc Le Daun to full power, Siban had held his legs down in a similar manner. Luc had fought them, almost escaping their hold. Siban wondered how Ravyn and Jade expected to keep him restrained if his control broke.
The two women joined the chant and instantly warmth flowed into his body. Streams of light spiraled from their hands and entered his shoulders at the point where they touched. Tension eased from his muscles, the mantra lulling him into a relaxed state. Even when Gregory approached, fear did not grip Siban.
“In death there is life,” Gregory said, circling the blade in front of him in a looping pattern. “In sacrifice, return.” Heat traveled down Siban’s torso and his eyes remained steady 8 Boone Brux on the king. “All barriers destroyed and evil be spurned.” Gregory lowered the knife and laid the blade against Siban’s chest, directly over his heart. Despite the relaxing chant, he couldn’t help but tense when the cold metal touched his skin. “No hindrance remain, from our blood be renewed.” Gregory dragged the edge downward, lacerating Siban with a shallow slice. In an effort not to cry out, he bit down on his lower lip. The metallic taste of blood coated his tongue. “That which was taken, settle in those who Bring true.”
Fire danced along the cut and Siban braced himself, waiting for Gregory to plunge the dagger in his heart as they had done with Luc. Instead of stabbing him, Gregory set the knife between two piles of herbs on the wooden platform and placed his hands next to Ravyn’s. Again the king spoke, but they were words Siban did not understand.
The heat burning along the slice spread across his chest, eating up every inch of Siban’s body. Searing pain ignited his organs as if incinerating him from the inside out. He gasped for breath, but couldn’t inhale as wave after wave of pain gripped him.
The chant around him grew louder and more hands pressed against his legs and arms. His muscles convulsed. It was as if his very soul was being pulled from his body through his chest. He choked against the tightening at his throat. His mouth opened in an effort to suck in air, but none could pass.
The words grew louder and above the unified chant he heard Ravyn’s voice. Separate from the other Redeemers, she spoke the Bringer’s ancient language. Her words demanded and coaxed the darkness from inside him. His vision blurred and his head pounded as the need for air became desperate.
Ravyn placed her hands on his forehead and raised her voice, shouting, “Avec mea!”
From Siban’s throat rose a white vapor. It hovered a foot above his mouth and then descended to cover his face. The sensation of being branded scorched the skin under his lower lip. After a few seconds, the white vapor evaporated completely. Siban gasped, drinking in the cool, perfumed air, and collapsed against the table. All traces of pain and the ribbons of healing light disappeared. The blood pounded in his ears, and his heart raced. He waited, expecting another wave of agony, but none came.
Gregory stared down at him and then smiled. He touched his index finger against the skin directly below Siban’s lower lip. “A Tell.”
The spot burned and Siban flinched away, pressing the back of his hand to the area and trying to numb the sting, knowing he now bore a the single black line of the Tell. “Are you finished?”
“Did you want something more?” Gregory smirked. “Perhaps you would have preferred I plunge the dagger into your heart?”
Siban’s craned his head to look at Ravyn. “Expected, not preferred.”
Ravyn cleared her throat. “It seems actually stabbing somebody in the heart isn’t required to bring a person to full power.”
“That would have been nice to know.” Luc scowled at her and rubbed his chest.
She shrugged. “Sorry. If it’s any consolation, I did it to myself as well.”
Siban struggled to sit up, spreading the herbs along the edge of the table and knocking some of them to the ground. He looked at his chest. A thin red line stretched from his sternum to his left side, but there was no blood. “What was that white smoke? I felt like I was choking.”
“Think of it as a net that encased your powers. Due to generations of Bringers breeding with humans, the Bringer 10 Boone Brux essence within us becomes bound. The ceremony severs that bond.” He pointed to Siban’s cut. “It will be healed by morning and the only evidence of the ceremony will be your Tell mark.” Gregory placed a hand on Siban’s shoulder. “How do you feel?”
How did he feel? It was difficult to put into words. New vitality hummed through his body, as if a million tiny sparks had snapped against his skin, leaving their tingling reminder. Even his head felt clear, unfettered from the nightmares and dark thoughts that had been his constant companion since his imprisonment in the Shadow World. “Better.”
“You are a master of the understated,” Rhys said, handing Siban his shirt.
“Thank you.” Siban slid the tunic over his head and shook his chin-length curls from his eyes. “When will you heal Rell?”
“Tonight.” Gregory placed the dagger back on the table. “That will give you time to rest. She will need all of our strength.”
“I will be there.” Nothing would keep him from Rell’s side.
“Good.” The king faced him. “I don’t foresee her transformation to be as easy as yours.”
“I’ll give her whatever strength I have.” He scooted from the table. His legs quivered, and he grabbed the edge of the wood in an effort not to stumble. Gregory reached for him, but Siban waved him away and straightened. “I’m all right.”
“Then come to the house and eat.” Willa, Rell’s mother, stepped from the shadows. Her white-blond hair glimmered in the candlelight and her eyes sparkled with determination. “We’re all going to need to fortify ourselves if we plan on saving my daughter.”
Though he wasn’t the least bit hungry, under no circumstance would Siban contradict Willa once she’d made a command. The woman was fire and ice mixed into a tiny, unassuming package. He was fairly certain Willa would have gone into the bowels of the Shadow World herself to bring back her daughter’s body if Luc and Jade hadn’t beaten her to it. Such fierce loyalty was a trait he understood and respected. He nodded.
“I am coming, my lady.”
About the Author:
Boone Brux’s writing drips with experiences from real life. Addicted to anything that might make a good story, she weaves tales ranging from dark fantasy to humorous romance. Settled in the icy regions of Alaska with the love of her life and twin daughters, it’s not uncommon to find her tapping away on her iPad on a windy beach or the barren tundra. Be warned, everyone is fodder for one of Boone’s novels.
Boone’s Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
Interview:
I would like to welcome Boone Brux and thank her for taking the time for an interview.
What is your favorite part of
the story, Chain of Illusions?
In Chain of Illusions it’s the first sex
scene. (Blushes) I like it because it was one of the easiest scenes to write
and I really wanted Siban and Rell to get their groove on.
How long did it take you to
write Chain of Illusions?
I wrote Chain of Illusions in two months. It’s the
fastest I’ve ever written a book and twice as long as most others I’ve written.
It nearly killed me. I think I lay on the couch for two days afterwards.
If you were stranded on a
desert island which of your characters do you want by your side?
Icarus. He’s
the son of the Demon King. He’s sexy and deadly. He could hunt for us or fly us
off the island—if he didn’t suck my soul out first.
What is your favorite book
that you wrote?
To Catch Her Death. It’s a humorous paranormal about a woman
who accidentally becomes a grim reaper. She’s thirty-five, a little fluffy, a
widow, and a mother of three—so not your typical sexy reaper. There’s no
romance in the story—yet. I love writing humor. Eventually it’s what I want to
focus on.
Who or what inspired you to
be a writer?
I had toddler twins and really, really, really, needed a creative
outlet. I used to be a crazy crafter, and sold my stuff, but I decided I wanted
to do something that actually had the potential of becoming a career. We were
living in bush Alaska and I also wanted a job I could do anywhere. Writing was
the perfect answer.
What do you prefer paperback,
hardcover, or ebooks?
I’m gravitating toward eBooks. Not because I love
reading digital more than a physical book, but because eBooks take up a lot
less space and I like instant gratification. Still, I love used book stores or
the book section in the thrift stores. I can’t not buy physical books. I think I’ve passed that onto my kids. They
like physical books even though lying in bed reading on their iPads in the dark
is easier.
Do you have anything specific
that you want to say to your readers?
Thank you, thank you, thank you! You are
the main reason I continue to write in this crazy business. There is nothing
like a satisfied reader. Your emails, comments and reviews make my day. So
again, thank you.
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