Monday Morsel: Kiss in the Night – An Extract from In the Company of the Dead

Welcome to the Monday Morsel feature, where I share short extracts from the first draft of my adult epic fantasy/fantasy romance, In the Company of the Dead.

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She stepped closer again, reaching out to twine her fingers into his gloved hand. ‘I offered prayers of thanks to Chalon you are here. We could not ask for a better commander.’

He opened his mouth, to point out that no commander could overcome sufficiently poor odds, but the words stuck in his throat. No one wanted to hear that.

 Footsteps echoed out of the stairwell, saving him from awkwardness. Torches lit the entrance to the stair, but the rain shadows were too deep to see who approached.

Fingers touched his face, an almost shocking sensation in the rainy solitude of the night. Lenaihre had stepped closer, standing on tiptoes to cup his cheek. Her lips brushed his, as fleeting as the winter’s first kiss of snow.

‘You will bring us home safe, my lord. Good morn.’

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Thanks for dropping by! Don't forget, this is a first draft, and as such won't be perfect. If you like what you read, and are so inclined, show your support by leaving a comment, and In the Company of the Dead will be available in the future. I aim to have the first draft finished by the end of March. If you'd like to sample more of my writing, check out my novella Confronting the Demon.

If this is your first visit to Monday Morsels, find others in the series by clicking on the ‘Monday morsel’ tag, or go to the first installment.

More about In the Company of the Dead:

Lyram already crossed a prince, and now he finds himself on the brink of crossing a god.

Son of a duke and second in line for the throne, Lyram is exiled to a lonely castle after assaulting the crown prince. When a hostile army arrives to besiege the castle, he believes the prince wants him removed – permanently.

As though answering their prayers, Ellaeva, the Battle Priestess of the death goddess, arrives unexpectedly. But she has not come to break the siege. Instead, she is in pursuit of a necromancer of the evil god of decay. When misfortune after misfortune befalls the beleaguered defenders, Lyram realises the necromancer is hidden within the walls, sabotaging the very defence.

Against the backdrop of clashing gods, Lyram must fight to save himself from the political machinations of his prince, and the dread plans of a necromancer. But as the siege lengthens, he realises the greatest threat may come from another quarter — a woman sworn body and soul to a god tempts him to pay a terrible price.