I’m so excited to share an excerpt from Beth Cato’s upcoming CALL OF FIRE, the second novel
in the Blood of Earth series. The novel releases tomorrow, so you won’t have to
wait long to read more. And, let me warning you, this is one chilling excerpt.
CALL OF FIRE
(Blood of Earth #2)
BLURB:
At
the end of Breath of Earth, Ingrid Carmichael had barely survived the
earthquake that devastated San Francisco and almost crippled her with an influx
of geomantic energy. With her friends Cy, Lee, and Fenris, she flees north,
keenly aware that they are being pursued by Ambassador Blum, a cunning and
dangerous woman who wants to use Ingrid's abilities as the magical means to a devastating
end.
Ingrid's
goals are simple: avoid capture that would cause her to be used as a weapon by
the combined forces of the United States and Japan in their war against China,
and find out more about the god-like powers she inherited from her estranged
father. Most of all, she must avoid seismically active places. She doesn't know
what an intake of power will do to her body--or what damage she may unwillingly
create.
A
brief stopover in Portland turns disastrous when Lee and Fenris are kidnapped. To
find and save her friends, Ingrid must ally with one of the most powerful and
mysterious figures in the world: Ambassador Theodore Roosevelt.
Their
journey together takes them north to Seattle, where Mount Rainier looms over
the city. And Ingrid is all too aware that she may prove to be the fuse to
alight both the long-dormant volcano...and a war that will sweep the world.
EXCERPT:
Directly
across from Ingrid, their one unexpected passenger, Miss Victoria Rossi,
remained utterly still in the bottom bunk. She had yet to make a sound. When
they had carried her onto the airship, her body had been bruised and bloodied,
both of her legs broken, and worst of all, her spine hadn't rested at the right
angle.
Ingrid
leaned forward and tugged back the curtains that offered a modicum of privacy
to each bunk. Miss Rossi lay curled on her side, facing the corridor. Her
tumultuous black hair framed her face as if she posed for a Pre-Raphaelite
artist.
Purple bruises, puffed like pillows, encircled her eyes. Her chapped lips gaped
open.
"I
want you to know that even though I hate you, I still don't wish for you to
die," Ingrid whispered, her voice wobbly with unspent emotion. "We'll
be in Portland soon. We'll get you to a doctor." She touched Miss Rossi's
hand. It was cold.
Ingrid
recoiled with a slight cry then lunged forward to press her hand to Miss
Rossi's cheek. It was likewise cold and stiff.
"Ing?"
Lee's muffled voice came from above.
"Lee,
you need to get up." Ingrid gripped the wall to pull herself upright again.
"Cy?" she called. Then she saw he was already walking their way, his
expression grim.
"Ingrid,
we have a mite of a problem. Lee? Glad to see you're awake. We need to
palaver."
"Yes,
we do." Emotion squeezed Ingrid's throat. "Miss Rossi's dead."
PRE-ORDER
TODAY!
BIO:
Nebula-nominated
Beth Cato is the author of the Clockwork Dagger duology and the new Blood of
Earth Trilogy from Harper Voyager. Her newest novel is CALL OF FIRE. She’s a
Hanford, California native transplanted to the Arizona desert, where she lives
with her husband, son, and requisite cat. Follow her at BethCato.com and on
Twitter at @BethCato.
