Title Of Book: ForeSender Fury
Series: The ForeSender Chronicles Book 1
By: Adrian Murphy
Genre: Epic Fantasy
Sub-Genre: Fantasy, Action/Adventure, Colonization, Dragons & Mythical Creatures, Military Sci-Fi, Space Opera, Sword & Sorcery

Blurb:

A dragon-shifter sleuth with a mystery to solve. Sinister forces bent on her destruction. Can she crack the case and prevent wholesale carnage?

Galindra mourns her mother’s mysterious disappearance and yearns to discover the truth. She’s an interstellar investigator with special powers, tasked with probing into a nobleman’s baffling abduction and a savage murder.

Sparks fly when she encounters hostile newcomers from an unknown planet called Earth wielding advanced weapons. She resolves to unravel their true purpose, rescue the prince, and keep thousands of innocents from being massacred.

But her biggest challenge is to stay one step ahead of a homicidal witch who’s out for blood. Hers.

ForeSender Fury is the first book in an action-packed epic fantasy adventure series, The ForeSender Chronicles. If you like a strong female main character, shadowy enemies with hidden agendas, and barbarous creatures wreaking widespread mayhem, then this story is for you. Perfect for readers who enjoy a touch of hi-tech with their fantasy.

Author Adrian Murphy invites you to grab your copy and join Galindra’s quest to locate her missing mom and save the galaxy today.

Excerpt:

Chapter 1 ~ Abduction

Planet Calistra

Prince Cael-Rath sighed with pleasure as he luxuriated in the warm, scented water enfolding his ample bulk. He eased deeper into the tall wooden tub, a goblet of mulled wine cradled in one hand.

It had been another tiresome day of hearing endless petitions on behalf of his royal master and older brother, King Milesta. The prince reminded himself that, as governor of North Birthon, his duties included adjudicating the pleas of the populace, powerful and poor alike. He found most were petty, self-motivated entreaties for favor of one kind or another, often to the detriment of a despised neighbor or a much-resented relative.

Cael-Rath took a generous swallow of wine and allowed the water to relieve the cares of office. A smile creased his face as he thought of how nightfall had more than made up for the day’s tedium.

After he dismissed the final petitioners, his favorite courtesan, Marta, had been waiting in his private rooms with a buffet of tasty delicacies—all intended to gratify his carnal and culinary desires. Sultry and full-bosomed, Marta had proven to be most adventurous this evening, willing and able to satisfy every sexual whim.

Once their lovemaking had ended, he had expressed his undying admiration and appreciation for her many charms and left her dozing on the wide bed.

As he settled back in the steaming tub, he drowsed and let his mind drift, delighting in the calming serenity of the candle-lit chamber. He felt relaxed, safe, knowing that his inner sanctum was secure behind barred windows and sturdy bolted doors. Armed guards patrolled the hallways, ensuring that his person and privacy were protected.

Cael-Rath was not sure how much time had elapsed, but the bathwater had cooled, waking him from his happy slumber. He toweled dry, and slipping into a comfortable robe, padded back down the corridor to his bedchamber.

The fire had burned lower, as had some candles, and the room was now darker than when he had left to take his bath. Shadows massed around the edges of the spacious chamber.

He picked up a plate from the sideboard and began to help himself to a late-night snack. From the corner of his eye, he spotted a shapely leg draped over the side of the bed.

Cael-Rath frowned, turning his head. “Marta, my dear, are you still awake? And what is that appalling stench? It reminds me of…”

Memories rose unbidden to his mind. The confusion of siege and battle, blood-spattered warriors and horses shrieking in agony, houses robed in flames—and above all, the cloying reek of singed flesh. Roasted human flesh.

That’s what he smelled now.

He looked toward the capacious bed and gagged, staring wide-eyed at the gaping hole that marred the beauty of his mistress’s face. Her sightless eyes seemed to glare in mute protest at her unexpected and violent death.

The plate fell from his hand, food tumbling unheeded onto the rug. He stepped closer to the bell pull hanging by the chamber door, intending to summon his guards.

Cael-Rath gasped, the breath quickening in his chest, as a figure emerged from the shadows in the far corner.

The newcomer wore a smooth, rounded helmet with a black mirror-like visor and held a pointed object that resembled a personal crossbow.

A second intruder, hooded and cloaked, stood behind the first, its face hidden in darkness. As the prince lunged for the bell pull, light flashed, and a searing pain erupted between his shoulders.

Then all sensation fled his body, and he toppled to the floor.

***

The lead rider pushed her hood back and prepared for the mind-trance. Her gaze took in the raven soaring high above the leaf-bare branches. Sleek coal-black plumage silhouetted the bird against the pale cloudless sky.

With dark, purple-flecked eyes narrowed, the rider focused on the circling shape. She raised a hand from where it rested on the pommel of her saddle, and the five mounted warriors following behind slowed. Their horses walked the snow-deepened track as the figure cast her senses upward.

She stiffened, head tilted back, and her vision shifted as her mind entered that of the bird. It seemed unaware of the interloper whose thoughts insinuated themselves throughout its being.

The woman recalled that the mind-trance was a technique she had learned from her mother. For a moment, she pictured a smiling face, full lips framed by lustrous crimson hair, and remembered a lilting laugh. Mother! If only I could see you one more time. What happened to you?

She forced her awareness back to the raven. The creature, obeying the urge it now felt, flexed its broad wings, banking to gain altitude.

From a great height, the dark-haired rider could now see what the bird saw: the tips of the snow-mantled trees far below, where the trail left the encircling woods and crossed open ground ahead.

As the raven flew higher still, the woman gazed through its eyes toward the distant horizon. Her mouth tightened as she glimpsed smoke drifting in ponderous clumps above an expansive forest, away to the north.

Eyes and ears straining, she detected faint screams, a bare whisper on the breeze, as if half heard in a dream. But these outpourings of agony and fear were all too real.

She urged the creature to glide lower, following the track as it plunged beneath more woodland, the trees massing outward and onward on all sides like silent, watchful sentinels. Instinct, heightened by her connection with the raven, caused the figure to stare at the line of trees with the aid of the bird’s sharp eyes.

Silence stretched for a few more heartbeats.

The woman smiled her thanks at the bird as she released the mind-link. She turned to her companions, gesturing for them to halt their mounts. As they did, the riders’ breath mingled with that of the horses to form floating streams of vapor in the crisp, biting air.

“We are not alone.”

She spoke in a calm, resonant voice. “The trail crosses open grassland and then enters another section of forest. I sense about a dozen armed warriors hiding in the undergrowth on the far side of the clearing.”

“Outlaws lying in wait for passing travelers, or a deliberate ambush set for us, I wonder?” The speaker lifted dark gray eyes and glanced ahead to where the track left the shelter of the woods.

“I do not know, Salith, but I suspect their purpose is not friendly.”

“Then let us prepare to meet them, sister-mine.” Salith pushed back his broad hood, revealing long, silver-veined dark hair. “Some exercise to warm my chilled bones would be most welcome.”

The leader turned her head to look at the others. Each wore black from head to toe, heavy cloaks wrapped around them. All but her wore swords at their hips, while bows with arrow-packed quivers lay strapped to their saddles.

“That’s not all. I saw smoke and heard screams in the air from the direction we came. Something is wrong back in Havenwood. The town may be in danger.”

One rider gasped and urged his horse forward.

“Patience, Barok,” said the woman, raising her hand. “I understand your concern for the safety of your birthplace and kin, but we must first deal with the threat in front of us.”

Barok bowed his head and quieted his mount. “As you wish, Galindra. But if Havenwood is under attack, then the portal itself may be at risk.”

Galindra brushed a hair from her brow and glanced at her brother. She said nothing aloud, but Salith felt her words resound in his mind.

I do not believe it is a coincidence that these warriors are waiting for us. We left Havenwood at dawn two days ago, after portaling from Centristra only the night before. Few knew of the mission from our uncle, Arch Mage Mirchelius, to journey to Castle Grayrock. Someone may not want us to investigate the abduction of Prince Cael-Rath. We may have been betrayed.

Salith’s expression was grim as he looked into his sister’s impassive eyes. Then let us deal with this obstruction on our path, and if we can, take one alive to discover what he or she may tell us about the prince’s whereabouts. His reply slipped unobstructed between Galindra’s own thoughts.

The rest of the company watched the unspoken exchange, aware that the turn of events troubled the two siblings.

Galindra gazed across the open grassland toward the distant tree cover as she nudged her horse forward and wondered what the coming encounter would bring.

What People Are Saying:

5 Stars – “Elegantly written in clean, precise prose, this novel offers thrills for readers of all ages while serving as the opening chapter of a longer saga to come.”

5 Stars – “This book is an intriguing mix of genres—part sci-fi, part fantasy, part mystery, and all exciting.”

5 Stars – “Murphy has blown his debut novel out of the park.”

5 Stars – “I truly enjoyed this book and all the action. I highly recommend you read this one!!”

5 Stars – “From the very start I was swept away into the medieval fantasy and seamlessly transitioned into the sci-fi world where the two worlds/populations collide.”

Where to buy ForeSender Fury (The ForeSender Chronicles Book 1)

https://books2read.com/u/m0EKL7

Meet Adrian Murphy:

ADRIAN writes clean (no sex or heavy swearing) fantasy and sci-fi action adventure.

He traces his love of storytelling to growing up in Ireland, where castles and history abound. He once lived in a town near Dublin with a tall stone tower built by monks in the 8th century as a refuge from marauding Vikings. Today he makes his home close to the beautiful shores of Lake Huron, Southwestern Ontario, Canada, along with his adorable cat, Mr. G.

Favorite authors include Lindsay Buroker, Brandon Sanderson, Tolkien, Heinlein, and Terry Pratchett. Their influences—and many others from fantasy, sci-fi, and mystery—inspire his stories.