CHAPTER ONE
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Today KristaLyn A. Vetovich and Rockstar Book Tours are revealing the cover and an exclusive content for STRAYED, her new Paranormal which releases September 2018! Check out the awesome cover and enter to win a $10 Amazon GC!
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Title: STRAYED
Author: KristaLyn A. Vetovich
Pub. Date: September 2018
Publisher: Glass House Press
Formats: eBook
Pages: 85
Find it: Goodreads
In the struggle between good and evil, humans donât stand a chanceânot on their own.
Which is why, for every living soul, there is a Firn: a spirit assigned to guide and defend humans from demonic beings like the Aropfain. But earning a place in the fight is a process that requires several lifetimesâof service, experience, and sacrifice.
Having just returned from her most recent life as an Ancient Roman martyr, Anaya is only one step away from achieving that goal. And if she succeeds, she might become the Firn with the most important mission: guiding the human that will either saveâor endâthe world.
But when sheâs paired with the notoriously difficult Jordin, her chances of success suddenly start to slip. Because Jordin isnât like other souls. Heâs strong, volatileâand a prime target for the Aropfain. And he almost immediately falls for an Aropfain ploy that could not only jeopardize his chances of becoming a Firn, but also endanger the entire world.
As his partner, Anaya is the only one who can save him. But will she succeed? Or will she failâand take the world down with her?
Exclusive Excerpt!
CHAPTER ONE
Well, it happened again. I died.
The bloodied sand of the colosseum shivers out of focus as my soul shakes off its physical limitations in favor of a higher vibration. Instead of centurions and weeping family, Iâm now surrounded by snowy white noise and quiet.
They came for me at dawn. I can still hear my motherâs sobs. I was only twelve.
I blink the memories away just as a man bends and pulls into view before me, then straightens with a blithe sort of smile. âWelcome back,â he says in an excessively soothing tone. He wears glasses I know he doesnât need, and behind them, his unearthly blue eyes trace my face, looking for signs of stress.
And it comes back to me like the snap of fingers. An Advokat. Here to help me adjust to the trauma of crossing over from life to death.
Suddenly I wonder how he sees me. Do I have blue eyes now? In life, they were brown, but here in death Iâve always imagined others see me with crystal blue. I guess it would depend on how much they like me. Appearance is entirely based on impression here. We see what we feel. Feelings are real, vision an illusion.
And this Advokat must be new, I realize a moment later. If heâd been here for any length of time, he wouldnât be using the sappy voice they put on for the newer souls. The ones who donât understand how it works. Heâd know that Iâm something of a regular in the transition between life and deathâthat Iâve lost count of how many of these interviews Iâve had to sit through. Iâm sure I know the process better than he does.
Because Iâve had his job before, mastered it long ago.
I skim him, searching the endless trove of memories trying to break through the fog of earthly business still clouding my mind. I donât remember him. And I can see that he doesnât know me.
Definitely new. Which means heâll play the interview by the book. I groan.
The Advokat reaches out as if to comfort me, like my groan was one of anxiety and not disdain. âTry not to panic.â
I resist the urge to roll my eyes and flatten my gaze at him instead. I understand itâs his job to help me recover from the shock of death, but honestly, Iâm fine. So I diedâ so what? There are many things worse than death, and one of them, if anyone ever bothered to ask me, is living. Iâm actually thrilled to be back hereâand I donât need an Advokat to counsel me through the transition.
Also, Iâm in a bit of a hurry. I have important business to attend to, even higher vibrations to achieve. Iâm so close now, and heâs the only thing standing in my way.
I tap my foot and glance around for someoneâanyone who might recognize me and give me an opportunity to walk away from this unnecessary formality.
âEverything will make sense soon.â The Advokatâs voice echoes through the white expanse around us. Clearly, all other souls are keeping their distance to allow me to transition without any added shock. OrâI narrow my eyes at the Advokatâheâs followed protocol by requesting they give us space.
And do we ever have it. As far as the eye can see, thereâs nothing but static white. But I smile, and my shoulders relaxâbecause this is my true home.
Just the way I remember it.
The Advokat leans into my line of sight. âDo you know your name?â
My smile drops.
In life, my name was Agnes. In this life, anyway.
There have been so many lives, so many names, but between them all, just one feels like home.
When it comes, my voice sounds like a lost, cherished memory. âAnaya.â My first word after death. The truest word I know.
The Advokat smiles and nods. He doesnât take any notes or write anything down, and I know about that, too. The answers are in his mind, ready when he needs them, downloaded into his head from the source of all truth on the highest plane of vibration there is: El Olam, our master and creator. He sits so high none of us can reach him, above laws and structure. The world is as he makes it, and we are simply stewards of his creation, here to serve.
And today Iâll go one step further in the process of becoming a defender of creation. Iâll become a Firn.
The Advocat, who is becoming more annoying by the moment, interrupts my thoughts with yet another question. âGood. And do you know where you are?â
Where I am? Well itâs a much better place than where I wasâ¦
I was in Rome, in the fourth century. I rejected a boy, and he sold me out as a Christian. It took them forever to kill meâfirst with shame, then with flames. But all I gave them was a blank stare through the numbness. They couldnât shame me. I wouldnât burn when they strung me to the stake and lit the fireâeven the flames knew not to touch me. But the Roman officerâs sword through my throat did the trick in the end. I was gone before I felt anything. So I guess the jokeâs on them. There was darkness, then a burst of lightâ
And now Iâm home, where none of that matters anymore. Iâm free here. Because no one can shame or kill the dead. Iâll be safe as long as I stay.
âThis is Lemayle,â I say quietly. âThe afterlife. The real world.â And I have no intention of ever living again.
He rocks back and grins. âWonderful!â Then his face stiffens. He swallows and his eyes shake as he looks me over for a second time, now scanning for any truths beneath the surface, anything Iâm hiding from him. If souls could sweat, heâd be a mess as he prepares for the most important question of the interview.
I used to have his job, so I know what comes next. My answers from here on out will decide my final destination.
âAll right.â He clears his throat. He doesnât have to. Itâs the nerves. I will be his enemy if I answer poorly, but he has to remain objective. Heâs a professional, after all, and he doesnât know whose side Iâm on yetâwhat changes this most recent lifetime might have made in me.
I was martyred, and not all martyrs come back home the way they should. Martyrs go into life as warriors for El Olamâs cause ⦠but donât always return feeling their suffering was justified. Some turn against him and defect to the one who seeks to depose him.
And me? How do I feel about the suffering I was put through? Have I changed my mind about who to serve? And how dangerous does that make me to the fragile balance of the world? Thatâs what the Advokat needs to find out.
âDo the names El Olam and Narn mean anything to you?â
Good and evil. Thatâs what they mean. Free will and slavery. But which is which? Is El Olam good ⦠or is he evil? Are Narnâs plans for less service to living souls and more dominion over them more appealing? Are they justified? No soul chooses evil.
They simply choose what they believe is right.
I hide my laugh with a cough at the tension in the Advokatâs hunched shoulders. If heâs newâand he wants to stayâheâll need a stiffer a spine than heâs got now. I might as well be the one to give it to him.
I level my gaze at him, eyes wide open to appear just a little less threatening.
âYes. I know them.â
He nods, more rigidly this time, and rubs the back of his neck as he braces for my response to his final question.
âAnd ⦠your allegiance?â
I stare at him for a long moment, watching the anxiety build behind his bright blue eyes. He doesnât want any trouble, but his other hand twitches at his side, ready to summon the support of a slightly higher powerâjust in case I came back tainted.
Just in case Iâve decided I hate the way the world works ⦠and want to serve the one trying to turn it upside down.
âOh calm down,â I finally chide him. This has gone on long enough to bore me. I have business to attend to, and honestly, after fifty lifetimes, a soul should be able to just skip this process. âI chose El Olam lifetimes ago. Iâm bound to be a Firn. This was my last run.â
His whole body wilts as the tension releases. Had I said Narn, the Advokat and I would have had a few issues. Because it would have meant I was a soul with eyes toward flipping the script, turning the world upside downâforce living souls to do as we say, and ruling over them as gods.
Heâd have had to immediately summon one of Lemayleâs second-highest authoritiesâa Malekh, El Olamâs archangelsâto deal with me. And it wouldnât have been pleasant. The Malekh donât like jokes. Most of them, anyway.
âWell that is a relief.â The Advokatâs hand slides from the back of his neck to clutch his chest, steadying the phantom sensation of a palpitating heart.
And I grin, even though I shouldnât. But whatâs the fun in seniority if you canât mess with the rookies?
âWe need as many Firns as we can get,â he admits, âevents accelerating as they are.â I perk up at that.
Accelerating events is much more my speedâthough it gives me less time to meet the final criteria for joining the Firnsâ ranks. âThe living souls need all the protection we can give them,â he finishes.
I couldnât agree more. And thatâs where I come inâwhere all the Firns stand and serve El Olam. Without Firns to guide living souls and protect them from temptation and harm, Narn would flip the script. And humans would walk right into their own slavery.
But El Olam wonât allow it.
So neither will I. Iâm so close now. Just one step left, and if I impress the Malekh and El Olam enough in my next job as a soul collector, then Iâll become a Firn, and one day Iâll be even more than that. If I perform well enough, Iâll be chosen as the Firn who oversees El Olamâs plan to defeat Narn once and for all. It has to be one of us, so it might as well be me. And I wonât stop until I see it happen.
Meanwhile, the Advokat extends his hand to me. âBest of luck to you. I hope you make the cut.â
I glance at his hand and back up to him. So he really hasnât heard of me, then. I may not be a Firn yet, but I have made a name for myself as the one to watch for earning the coveted position in El Olamâs plan.
Well, if he hasnât heard of me yet, he will soon enough.
âThanks.â With a smirk, I grip his hand and shake it firmly enough to knock him off balance. âBut I really donât need luck.â
About KristaLyn:
KristaLyn is the internationally published author of seven books and one short story, including the upcoming Prelude of the Reyn Gayst series releasing in 2018 from Glass House Press. She graduated in 2011 from Susquehanna University with a degree in English Literature and began traditionally publishing her novels the next year. KristaLyn is also a certified health and life coach and enjoys infusing her stories with motivational themes and characters from all walks of life.
KristaLyn lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and their corgi, Jack.
Born and raised in Central Pennsylvania, KristaLyn graduated a year early from Susquehanna University in 2011. She has visited twenty different countries on goodwill trips, once representing the US as a student ambassador with People To People Student Ambassadors. After college, KristaLyn dabbled as an amusement park performer, a Walt Disney World Cast Member, a Project Coordinator for Group Mission Tripsâ Week Of Hope, and a life and wellness coach. She has always had a deep passion for travel, helping people, and spreading the importance of positivity and self-worth through fiction writing.
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Giveaway Details:
2 lucky winners will receive a $10 Amazon gift card and STRAYED swag, US Only.
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