An Acolyte's Warning -Snippet Sunday

It's Snippet Sunday, a Weekend Writing Warriors'  blog hop!

The week was so busy with preparations for my July Chllin' in Summer blog tour that I thought I might not get any writing done. The series went through a big face lift this month in preparation for the tour, and the new covers/titles reinvigorated me. I wrote the opening scene for Book 5, Feillor: God of Lammas. 

In this scene, Feillor, god of the harvest sabbat, is trying to complete the task of bringing in the first sheaves. His aide, Shango, has come after him, expressing concern that Feillor will fall prey to the trials and temptations of love that his brothers have faced during their sabbats. 

We pick up with Feillor's response...

“You are assigned to aid me, not trail after my every step like an old nanny afraid that her charge will run in front of a carriage,” Feillor said, resting the handle of the scythe on his shoulder and eyeing the young acolyte who was clawing his arm with brisk fury. “Should you even be out here, Shango? Are you not allergic to the fields?”
“A by-product of my human mother’s genetics, I’m afraid—which should tell you how determined I am that you should heed my words.”
“Your dedication is noted, but your place is at the Counsel of Sabbats, not out in the sacred field of Avinmar.”
“And what do you make of my dream that you would leave the realm because of your sabbat maiden?” Shango asked, his stance wide and firm.
“I make of it that you should not indulge in Andurian wine so close to bedtime,” he replied with a grin. “Enough of this, Shango. I have no plans to leave the realm or my calling. And for someone so insistent upon me fulfilling my sabbat duties, I should think you would not want to continue interrupting my task.”

What do you think?  

About Feillor: God of Lammas

Feillor is preparing to bring in the first harvest before the celebration of Lammas, a task that he undertakes for his own realm, not for the benefit of the humans who long ago abandoned respect for nature and the old ways. He raises his scythe to cut the sacred wheat and nearly "harvests" a woman who appears out of nowhere. Returning the earth woman means dealing with the Fates, who will grant his request to send her back on one condition--he must cross to the human realm for three days before deciding gods should abandon mortals forever.

Salina has no intention of letting the local construction company gobble up the precious woods where she conducts her most sacred pagan rituals. She is praying for guidance when she is taken swept away to the realm of immortals--and almost straight into the blade of a horned god's scythe. She believes her prayers to the forest god Herne have been answered, but instead she learns that Feillor is actually Herne's son--and he has little interest in the matters of humans. When she is stuck with him in her house for three days back on Earth, she decides to that she is just the witch to convince a god that the mortal realm is worth saving.

When forces in her world and his own combine to draw them apart, Feillor must come up with a way to gain respect for nature and for himself, particularly from the witch he aches to join with in a ritual declaring the harvest and an end to his search for true purpose.

About The Sons of Herne series:

The god Herne has appointed eight of his most virile, headstrong sons as keepers of the pagan holidays. To honor their sabbat, each must join with a mortal female in a ritual to maintain the balance between worlds.

It is the year of The Thousand Seasons, and the Fates have secretly conspired to mark the end of an era by granting the gods one thing they lack--a true union of male and female that will last beyond the passion of a sabbat joining.

Herne’s sons will wrestle with the conflict between sacred duty and their own yearnings, a struggle will not only challenge their beliefs, but may threaten the success of rituals that must be observed lest the mortal and immortal worlds collide in chaos.

Read Book 1 of the series, Dominus: God of Yule--and follow the link inside to get Book 2 free!
Buy on Amazon

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Weekend Writing Warriors!

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I'm J. Rose Allister, wife, working mom, and the author of over twenty-five books. Somewhere in between one and the next, I love hanging out here on my blog and over on Twitter. Give me a comment or follow-I love chatting with people!