The Bone Scroll: An Elemental Legacy Novel
Page 31
Wait.
She motioned to the bear spray and then the tent flap.
Spray them when it opens.
Dani nodded.
Summer pointed her knife at the back of the tent and made a slashing motion. If Dani sprayed the person trying to come into the tent, she’d rip open the back and they could escape away from the sprayed men.
Dani nodded again and took another deep breath.
“You going to be stubborn, are you?” The voice was losing patience. “Fine, I’m coming in. No funny business; I don’t want to hurt you.”
Bullshit.
The tent zipper was ripped open, and a bright light glared in their eyes.
“Now!” Summer shouted before she took a deep breath.
Dani leaned forward and let the bear spray stream into the intruder as Summer slashed through the back of the tent, ripping down and away twice to open a flap large enough to let them both out. She scrambled out of the reeking canvas, her eyes already flooded with tears.
Dani had thrown the bear spray canister at the men coming into the tent when they started screaming, and he scrambled out after her.
She clutched her jacket around her and tried to make her steps wide enough so she wouldn’t trip over her untied boots.
“Back to the trail.” She was coughing and sneezing at once, her body desperate to rid itself of the toxic fumes they’d used to escape. She heard Dani running behind her, wheezing from the bear spray.
Summer used her adrenaline to jump over logs and rocks, heading toward the ocean and the open expanse of coastal bluffs. She could see a light in the camping area on the last bluff they’d passed. If they could just make it there—
“Summer!”
She turned and saw Dani on the ground a few yards behind her. She ran back to help him up and saw a black-handled knife sticking out of his shoulder.
“Shit!”
“Go.” His voice was a painful rasp. “Run!”
She looked up and realized it was too late. Three men were running after them, and none of them were laughing anymore. Summer rose and held her hunting knife in front of her.
The largest one leaned down and grabbed Dani by the leg, pulling him toward them as if he weighed nothing. They were great, hulking shadows in the darkness, three men with broad shoulders and square heads.
Another one of the men yanked the knife out of Dani’s shoulder, and he groaned in pain. Summer’s knife rose, but she didn’t move. The men had Dani; she couldn’t leave him.
“Drop the knife please.” The largest shadow spoke calmly. He wasn’t crying like the other men, nor did he move the same way. Something about him was… different.
As soon as she felt the ground beneath her move ever so slightly, she knew exactly why this one was different. “I know what you are.” She lowered the knife.
Know when to run and when to wait.
She’d never outrun him, never overpower him. Any human attack was a waste of her energy and would only endanger her more. “We’re the wrong prey for you.”
“Oh?” A slight hint of amusement.
“They’ll look for me if I disappear.”
The vampire stepped out of the shadows and into the light of the full moon. His fangs gleamed in the darkness as he smiled.
“They all say that.”
Preorder today for October 26, 2021,
And grab the first book of the Elemental Covenant series, Saint’s Passage, from all major retailers right now.
Afterword
Dear Reader,
You’ve reached the end of Ben and Tenzin’s journey!
Or have you?
This has been a HUGE debate in my reader group and even with myself, because I have been very clear that The Bone Scroll was the last planned book in the Elemental Legacy series.
Last planned.
But I have to tell you, even though I’ve spent three novellas and five novels with these characters, I’m actually… not sick of them yet? I know. That’s pretty weird for me. I usually write three or four books about a couple of characters and I nearly want to destroy them with an errant asteroid by the end.
But it’s true. I really do love these two, and I feel fortunate that they’re the type of characters who are dynamic by nature, which means that even though this is the last planned book and definitely the finale of a character arc for them, Ben and Tenzin will very likely come back for an encore or several.
Meaning: I definitely envision writing more Elemental Legacy adventures.
There are still more treasures to find and more mayhem to manage, so if you’re a fan of the series, don’t despair! These two will be back.
I may take a break for a bit, since my writing schedule has been pretty hectic, but until then, you can enjoy the new Elemental Covenant series, another paranormal mystery series featuring Carwyn and Brigid from the Elemental World series. I included a preview of their second book at the end of this one, and I hope you check it out.
All the best to you vampire lovers. It has been such a privilege to tell the stories of these two amazing characters. Thank you for joining this wild ride.
Best always and thank you for reading,
Elizabeth Hunter
Acknowledgments
Spending the end of spring and beginning of summer in Addis Ababa was exactly the kind of refreshment I needed to make The Bone Scroll everything I wanted it to be.
By the beginning of 2021, I was struggling. Though I had outlined books and had made plans, finding inspiration and motivation had become increasingly harder. I was worn out. Spiritless. It was the first time I had realized as a writer how much I depend on the world around me for motivation and inspiration.
When my husband I were able to be fully vaccinated, traveling to visit family in Ethiopia became a possibility. It provided exactly the kind of new scenery that I needed as a writer, and it provided me the opportunity to develop and research this book with a depth I couldn’t have otherwise had. So, when I think about all the people I want to thank for their help in writing this book, I’d like to start with…
Brilliant German scientists, Ugur Sahin and Ozlem Tureci, researchers and heads of the company that developed the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid19 vaccine. Every time I have heard either of these two scientists speak, I have been humbled and awe-struck by the brilliance of their minds and their dedication to world health. As recipients of the Pfizer vaccine, my family is so grateful for your work, your wisdom, and your dedication to the pursuit of scientific advancement in the field of vaccine therapy. You’ll probably never read this, but it doesn’t matter. Thank you so much for everything you’ve done.
My husband! My best guide and interpreter. From finding me the perfect living and office space (with miraculous wifi!) in Addis Ababa to translating for me daily to coordinating tours and research trips in rural areas, I am so grateful. Also, thank you for making me remember to eat and not get too wrapped up in my work that I forget the world around me. David, I absolutely adore you.
My incredible guide in Lalibela, Mulugeata Fentaw, who I cannot recommend enough. Mule was a tour coordinator, guide, and translator all in one. And though I’d visited Lalibela before, he added a depth of understanding and specificity about the churches and town that made a huge difference. If you’re traveling to Lalibela, he can be reached at mulugeata230fentawa@gmail.com or via Telegraph at +251 935438503. I don’t usually include contact information for guides, but Mule said I could this time, so there you go!
My best friend, K, and my son, who held down the fort while we were gone far longer than originally planned. I am so grateful that I have such good friends and such an incredible kid. I am so proud of the young man you are becoming, C. Love you so much.
My whole publishing and publicity team, who worked with me while I was overseas during the release of Fate Interrupted, and who deftly managed when I did not come back on time. Jenn and Catherine at Social Butterfly PR, Amy Cissell, my content editor, Anne and Linda at Victory Editing, all
of you are ROCK STARS, and I could not publish my books without you.
All my friends in Addis who were so supportive, gave me car rides, found doctors (long story) and generally helped me and David to navigate life in the city. Melke, Tedy, Bire, Tedy (yes, there are several), Didi, Samri, Bini, Akli and Elsa, Bisi and Tedy, Emma, and I’ll just mention Melke again because he’s the best. We love you all so much.
And finally, to all my readers who have been so incredible with their love for this series and these two very unusual characters, thank you for loving these weirdos so much. I adore them, but I wasn’t always sure readers would get who they were or what I was trying to do.
Since the beginning of Tenzin and Ben’s journey, one question has returned to me over and over again: What does “happily ever after” look like to a five-thousand-year-old immortal being? How would Tenzin even wrap her mind around forever? How could Ben hope to understand? I hope that, by the end of The Bone Scroll, you see both the struggle of those questions and the resolution for what it is, an ongoing work of love-in-progress.
Love is always a choice, one I hope to make every day. It’s a choice that colors everything in my life and drives who I have been and who I am becoming as a person and a writer. Thank you for going on this journey with me.
Thank you for loving these characters.
And thank you for reading,
Elizabeth
About the Author
ELIZABETH HUNTER is a USA Today and international best-selling author of romance, contemporary fantasy, and paranormal mystery. Based in Central California, she travels extensively to write fantasy fiction exploring world mythologies, history, and the universal bonds of love, friendship, and family. She has published over forty works of fiction and sold over a million books worldwide. She is the author of the Glimmer Lake series, Love Stories on 7th and Main, the Elemental Legacy series, the Irin Chronicles, the Cambio Springs Mysteries, and other works of fiction.
ElizabethHunterWrites.com
Also by Elizabeth Hunter
The Elemental Mysteries
A Hidden Fire
This Same Earth
The Force of Wind
A Fall of Water
The Stars Afire
* * *
The Elemental World
Building From Ashes
Waterlocked
Blood and Sand
The Bronze Blade
The Scarlet Deep
A Very Proper Monster
A Stone-Kissed Sea
Valley of the Shadow
* * *
The Elemental Legacy
Shadows and Gold
Imitation and Alchemy
Omens and Artifacts
Obsidian’s Edge (anthology)
Midnight Labyrinth
Blood Apprentice
The Devil and the Dancer
Night’s Reckoning
Dawn Caravan
The Bone Scroll
* * *
The Elemental Covenant
Saint’s Passage
Martyr’s Promise
Paladin’s Kiss
(Spring/Summer 2022)
* * *
The Irin Chronicles
The Scribe
The Singer
The Secret
The Staff and the Blade
The Silent
The Storm
The Seeker
* * *
Glimmer Lake
Suddenly Psychic
Semi-Psychic Life
Psychic Dreams
* * *
Moonstone Cove
Runaway Fate
Fate Actually
Fate Interrupted
* * *
The Cambio Springs Series
Long Ride Home
Shifting Dreams
Five Mornings
Desert Bound
Waking Hearts
* * *
Linx & Bogie Mysteries
A Ghost in the Glamour
A Bogie in the Boat
* * *
Contemporary Romance
The Genius and the Muse
7th and Main
INK
HOOKED
GRIT