FIGURE OUT WHAT YOUâRE DESTINED FOR, BECAUSE THERE IS NO ESCAPING FATE.
The greatest enemy in ten-thousand-years has returned, his ambition to destroy the realm of Endence still very much alive. Yet despite the war that is looming and the Chimaera Noteas plans to unleash, making it to the Oracleâs temple to earn the answers she desperately needs without killing Kit first might just be the most difficult task Alora has ever faced.
Kitâs unwavering loyalty to Farro has put him at her side, but his intentions for protecting her are questionable at best. Except, when the arrogant spy makes a vow to Alora, she finds it hard to remember sheâs not supposed to trust him. And for where destiny leads them, trusting Kit with her life isnât an optionâitâs vital if she wants to make it out alive.
But Aloraâs mere existence might be the very reason no one makes it out alive at allâŚ
FIGURE OUT WHAT YOUâRE DESTINED FOR, BECAUSE THERE IS NO ESCAPING FATE.
The greatest enemy in ten-thousand-years has returned, his ambition to destroy the realm of Endence still very much alive. Yet despite the war that is looming and the Chimaera Noteas plans to unleash, making it to the Oracleâs temple to earn the answers she desperately needs without killing Kit first might just be the most difficult task Alora has ever faced.
Kitâs unwavering loyalty to Farro has put him at her side, but his intentions for protecting her are questionable at best. Except, when the arrogant spy makes a vow to Alora, she finds it hard to remember sheâs not supposed to trust him. And for where destiny leads them, trusting Kit with her life isnât an optionâitâs vital if she wants to make it out alive.
But Aloraâs mere existence might be the very reason no one makes it out alive at allâŚ
âAgain.â
âIâm going to snap my fucking neck.â
âNot if you do it properly.â
âGods give me strength!â
Kit eyed me with a sly look. âAre you asking for strength because you have none of your own? Is that why you still havenât managed to fly?â
Eight days. Iâd been putting up with his incessant bullshit and badgering for eight fucking days now, and I was about ready to snap.
Kit had flown us from Kevilla to the Asotines, straight above the tiny town of Teciras, then threatened if I hadnât flown myself off the peaks by the time we reached the eastern corner, heâd shove me off them himself and see if my high opinions were enough to keep me in the air.
We werenât even halfway, and I was positive only one of us was going to make it off these peaks alive. Either Kit was going to have me kill myself jumping off cliff edges, or I was going to put my dagger through his skull.
Probably the latter.
He laid on an enormous fallen tree a few feet away, indolent arrogance pouring from his relaxed position. One knee bent and midnight wings arcing loosely to the ground as he tossed and caught a little throwing knife in the air above him on repeat.
I willed the tiny blade to slip between his fingers and lodge between his eyes, but unfortunately the spy was too skilled to ever let that happen. âFuck you,â I spat, temper flaring at his constant taunting.
âHappy to, Treasureâas soon as you manage to fly,â he quipped, still focused on his weapon. âIâll even fuck you in the skies if you want. But youâll get no spectacular inch of me while your feet remain on the ground.â
You fuckingâ
Before the idea fully formed in my mind, Iâd already palmed my dagger and let it fly at his head. But it passed through air and into the copse beyond as Kit sifted before he came under any threat.
His dark voice purred against my ear. âYou missed.â
I screamed my irritation and whirled with my palm raised to slap him, but he caught my wrist in his vice grip. Kit lowered his brows in a glare, the most he ever reacted to my outbursts, before turning his scowl into an arrogant smirk.
Without a word, he dropped my wrist, then meandered back to his log, flicking his dagger in the air once again as he strolled.
Noânot his dagger.
My fucking dagger. The one Iâd launched at his head seconds ago. How heâd managed to intercept the blade and appear behind me was a terrifying testament of his speed and skill that I didnât want to think about.
I glared at his retreating form. âI see why Killian hates you,â I hissed as he laid back down and sunned himself, resuming his throwing game.
âYet, there are so many reasons he actually loves me.â
I scoffed. âCanât be many. Iâve yet to see one.â
Kit paused the cocked blade in his hand and narrowed his eyes at me side-long. He considered me for a long moment, running his dangerous glare up and down my form. I folded my arms under my chest and flexed my wings in defence of his scrutiny.Â
âAgain.â
I pressed my lips together to stop another insult from spilling, rolled my eyes, then stomped back up the twenty-foot incline heâd ordered me to leap off. My legs ached, my knees were covered in dirt and bark from the countless times Iâd already slammed to the ground below, and my back ached from the strain of my wings trying to remain airborne.
So far, Iâd only managed to keep myself level with the cliffâs edge twice for a few seconds, before my strength gave out and I plummeted the short drop anyway.
This time was no different.
I beat my shimmering wings hard enough to make my body lift as I stepped off. They stretched tight, and I half expected the membranes to tear under the pressure of the air they fought against.
But gravity pulled harder, and my back screamed against the strain too heavy to win against. My wings gave up, and I dropped. My ankles slammed into the dirt before I fell onto my hands and knees, a small stone slashing across my palm.
âFuckingâow,â I hissed, gripping the cut.
Kit let out an obnoxiously loud, exasperated sigh, and I lifted my head to glare at him.
âThatâs enough for now, this is getting hard to watch.â
âDonât tell me youâre sick of seeing me fall? It might mean you have a heart,â I sassed as I stood, inspecting my palm.
Nothing major.
âNo, not at all,â Kit purred as he, too, stood from his log and wandered closer. âItâs just Iâve imagined you on your knees before, Treasure, and youâre ruining the fantasy.â
âGods, youâre perverted.â
âGuilty,â he intoned as he stepped up to me. He brought his long fingers to cup my injured hand from beneath and tsked his disapproval at the cut. I expected another smart remark, but the spy glided his free hand across my palm, and warm tingles spread along the wound in its wake.
Immediately, the skin pulled itself back together, healing from the inside out, until nothing but a faint red line remained. I raised my head to look at him, and found his eyes already waiting to meet mine, staring intently at the grey iris on my left.
A shiver ran down my arms at his expression, though I couldnât decipher if the intense way his emerald eyes burned into mine was one of annoyance at my lack of skill, or heated by his train of thoughts of me on my knees.
What I needed to remember was that Kit was a spy and undoubtedly using every tactic in his arsenal against me in whatever game he was playing. Because he was after something. His words in Alziros alone were proof of it.
âYouâll share everything with me, Treasure.â
I needed to remain unaffected by him. Neutral. Kit was a means to an end for meâmy trainer and ticket into Orellaâs temple. So I straightened my spine and willed the words thank you to sound.Â
But before I could speak, Kitâs expression changed in a blink back to the smug provoker. âWouldnât want you to use blood loss as an excuse for your inabilities, Treasure.â
I bristled and balled my fist, nails digging in so hard against my palm that it stung.
Kit flicked out my dagger, holding it by the blade so I could take the handle. As I reached out, he flinched it away. I met his eyes once again, and this time his brow was raised in amusement. âAre you going to throw it at me again, Treasure?â
I glared. âProbably.â
âGods youâre a fucking nightmare,â he said, chuckling. He tipped the handle back down for me. âDonât miss next time.â
I lifted my lip in a snarl, my finger rising along with it to flip him off, but he brushed past me with that infuriating, unbothered smirk back on his face.
âBe mad at me later, Treasure,â he crooned, looking back over his shoulder. âWe have a temple to reach.â
Â
Parke creates a whirlwind of adventure, mystery, and fantasy in From The Sun. From the moment the first page is opened, readers will be transported to the land of Endence as they follow Alora's journey with the alluring Kit. Twists and turns are a guarantee, and reeling from new information being unlocked is a sure factor in Parke's brand-new novel.
Alora's character creates an atmosphere of fury, her frustration tangible through the pages as she tries to navigate her irritation with Kit after being taken from Killian. Her desperation to find her father is still ever present and her anxiety and tension on her shoulders of being the Chosen One by the Oracle weigh heavy. With Kit by her side, he makes it so much more difficult to trust someone she really can't trust--even if he is going to be vital to her survival when facing the Oracle's trials. Readers will be taken for a thrilling ride when following Alora as she discovers her destiny and her power, watch as she accepts the tasks that she must handle for the fate of Endence.
From The Sun is what I believe to be the next runner-up in the romantasy genre, Parke's style of writing draws readers in and keeps them there for hours; her witty banter that she lets her characters engage into the emotions she manages to channel through Alora is unparalleled. I highly recommend From The Sun to any other readers like me who are struggling to find their next dose of romantic fantasy with a mix of exciting romance as well. Heartbreak, humor, joy, and tensions will follow, but it will feel all the more comforting just the same way for several readers. Anyone will grow to love the characters in the book and grow alongside their actions as they delve into the wonders of Endence.