Title: DragonStar (Book
One)
Author: Kyra Dune
Genre: YA Epic Fantasy
Blurb
Dagen is a thief and a good one, at least in his humble opinion. But he
has more in mind for his future than picking pockets, and when he comes across
the haul of a lifetime, he finally sees a way to impress the boss of his crew,
maybe even enough to be made partner.
But things don't go the way Dagen had planned and soon he finds himself
on the run with a sack full of stolen jewels, and more, for unknown to him, one
of those jewels is the fabled Dragonstar, created in times long past by a
powerful sorcerer.
The plan is to head for the port city of Braack, but the Dragonstar has
other ideas. From the secret city of thieves, to the ruins of a castle, to the
last stronghold of the elves, Dagen's whole life is flipped upside down by
visions, haunts, strange beasts, and the looming possibility that one day, he
just might have to kill a god.
Excerpt
The scratching sound of the knife against the lock seemed
impossibly loud, surely loud enough to wake the dead, and seemed to go on
forever. Sweat broke out across Dagen’s brow. It wasn’t the getting in that was
worrying him, he had no doubt that Halbert could pick the lock, it was the
getting out in one piece that would be tricky.
A small click, a
soft exclamation of success from Halbert, and the backdoor was open. The
kitchen was dark, the objects within nothing more than faint outlines in the
moonlight. For a moment the boys simply stood there, staring inside, making no
move to enter the house.
Dagen had no way
of knowing what Halbert might be thinking or feeling, but as for himself it
felt as if he were standing on the edge of a cliff. He could still turn around,
could still go back to the safety of the barn, but once he crossed the
threshold, once he took the plunge, there would be no turning back from that.
The idea was
frightening enough to make Dagen take a step back. This life might not be the
best in the world, but it was the best he’d ever had. If he did this, if he
stole from Majul, then he would be out on his own now instead of in four years.
And even though they intended to run to Braack, even though he knew there was
no way anyone from Barnum could even know what had happened here, the idea of
being out from under Majul’s protection was terrifying.
Halbert stepped
into the kitchen and the soft thump of his boots marked his progress toward the
cellar door. He probably didn’t even know Dagen wasn’t behind him, which sent a
little flutter of guilt through him. He might not be all that experienced in
the friend area, but even he knew that you’re supposed to have your friend’s
back, especially when you already told them that you would.
From inside the
house there came a soft thrumming sound, followed by a cry born of surprise
rather than pain. This was followed by a serious of heavy thumps, each one
punctuated by a sound of increasing distress, then silence. The kind of silence
that seems to ring with sound.
Dagen’s breath
froze in his lungs; his heart tried to sink down into his stomach while his
stomach was trying to crawl up his throat. Some kind of trap, it had to be.
Majul was no fool, he’d known they would come for the jewels. But it wasn’t too
late, not for Dagen, he could still run and nobody need ever know that he was
here.
Kyra Dune was born in Oklahoma, but spent most of her life
travelling with her family. She is the author of more than twenty fantasy
novels, including: Shadow of the Dragon,
Elfblood, and Firebrand. As a
child, her favorite stories were those that told of ordinary children being
whisked away to magical lands. She has yet to find her own secret wardrobe or
rabbit hole, but she hasn’t given up the search. You never know what might be
waiting over the next rainbow.
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