Excerpt from FALLON

Hi everyone! It's been awhile since I posted, let alone posted an excerpt from my fantasy novel Fallon, but I figured it was time once more!

This novel has undergone quite a few changes in the last few months. I've reworked quite a few chapters, have added new subplots, have taken away others. The excerpt below is the reworked beginning of chapter 1, so if you've been a beta reader for me before, or have been following along, you'll notice some immediate differences.

In any case, read below for the excerpt, and let me know what you think!

.

.

.

.

.

For all intents and purposes, today was a bad day. Fallon had spent most of the morning packing for his unwanted trip to Waxam, and when no one was looking, had snuck away to the kitchen to grab some cheese and bread, the armory to grab his bow, some arrows, and armor, and then the stables to pick a horse. Fallon fully intended to be gone for the rest of the day, maybe two if he was lucky, before his life was essentially over. It was the least Kieran and his father could do for sending him away.

Once Fallon was past the west wing, past the main guard’s post by the secondary double-doors, and then past the expanse of the castle gardens without notice, he mounted the animal and took off into the tree line. There, he quickly pushed the horse into a trot, and then a lazy run, and then suddenly, full tilt.

The wind rushing past the prince’s head cooled the fever of a hangover he was currently nursing as the horse’s hooves pounded into the dirt. Fallon skillfully maneuvered the animal around quickly approaching trees, logs, and debris along the forest floor. Thankfully, no matter how much better Kieran was at, well, just about everything, that didn’t mean Fallon was the worst either. In fact, he was a great horseman, one of the best in Lilandarto.

Yet, the ever-present burn of Kieran’s superiority reached Fallon even here.

He pushed the horse faster.

As the pair thundered through the woods, Fallon started to feel more and more at ease the farther away he was from Lilandarto. He knew there’d be hell to pay for leaving, especially without an escort, but the prince had managed many an escapade into the woods without problems before. This would be no different.

As another large tree came into view, Fallon pulled the horse to a quick stop, causing the animal to neigh loudly in protest, though it did as it was commanded. It was here that the prince saw a small, shimmering lake through the tree line, and decided to rest there and let the horse drink.

But as Fallon grew closer and closer to the lake, he couldn’t help but feel like something was watching him through the trees.

***

Ianthe had been tracking the Crown Prince for weeks now, flying back and forth from Vraconia to the outskirts of Lilandarto, and back again as often as she could manage being away from home. She was lucky she’d finally spotted him a few days prior, though she was loath to admit that she’d barely gotten a good look at him since he’d been standing much farther away than even her dragon-sight could see clearly.

It wouldn’t matter. What mattered is she knew who her target was, and that he was hellbent on encroaching on the dragons’ territory even more. What was worse, Lilandarto was moving into an area where dragons often went to lay their eggs, and Ianthe knew that if she didn’t make her move soon, then another, less open-minded dragon would become chief instead, and war would be inevitable. With her duty to her family and the Bakari clan hanging over her head, Ianthe knew her plan needed to move quickly.

As Ianthe desperately searched along the borders of the Ubui forest for another glimpse of the prince, a shimmering bit of metal along the forest floor caught her eye. Once her attention turned to the shine, her ears caught the sound of a horse running and then neighing rather loudly.

Chances were good that this was some random rider in the woods. Humans and their monarchs never went out without escorts these days, especially this close to summer, which always made it more difficult for the dragons to kidnap them. But something nudged at Ianthe, telling her to float down and see who this rider was.

She landed lithely, hidden behind a thicket of trees and some rocks on the other side of the lake. She didn’t need to get too close to see the human, her eyesight was keener than a hawk’s. But from across the water, she could make out glittering armor, and the silhouette of a horse. The pair were standing by one of the small lakes that dotted the borders between Lilandarto and the Ubui forest, which nearly confirmed that this must be some random traveler.

It was only when the man turned to look into the tree line that Ianthe spotted the royal crest of Lilandarto on his chest. That was also when Ianthe spotted his green eyes, the same green eyes as the Crown Prince she’d spotted the week prior.

Oh, thank the gods! Ianthe prayed silently at her sudden turn of luck as she observed Crown Prince Kieran Solaris, heir to the throne of Lilandarto.

Then, Ianthe began to creep forward.

.

.

.

.

.

Thanks for reading if you did! If you'd like to read more, let me know in the comments <3