Blurb:
In a country where
Elemental Sensitivities determine a person's place in society, Mariana, fourth
child of King Jonathan and Queen Alexandria, was born an Insensitive. She is
given the made up title of Progenna, because she can't be in line for the
throne and therefore, can't be a Princess. All her life, she is reminded that
she isn't quite good enough. When her father decides she is to marry Pir Leo
Valentine, an eighty-four year old man with a scar across his face that took
his eye and only one hand, she runs away from the palace.
Orlando of Talla is a
pig farmer and former soldier who served the King until he watched his
Sovereign burn an entire harbor town rather than lose a battle. Now he tries to
live a quiet life while leading a band a rebels who steal from the nobility to
bring prisoners home from that war.
Orlando is also the
bastard son of a nobleman, and therefore, he has a Sensitivity, one of Blood
that allows him to feel the Sensitivities of others.
He finds the injured
Progenna in the forest and immediately realizes that the stories about Mariana
aren't true. Rather than being an Insensitive, Mariana may be the most powerful
Sensitive in Valborough.
Author:
Nancy S. Brandt is a
stay-at-home mother of two children, a daughter, 25, who is an ap-pointment's
clerk at an orthopedic clinic and an editor and book reviewer; and a son, 12,
who studies karate, and wants to be either an historian or an artist. Nancy's husband, Ste-ven, is also an author
and an adjunct professor of computer science at Louisiana State Uni-versity.
In about sixth grade,
an English teacher gave an assignment to write a descriptive essay. Nancy's was
all about a wonderful cave filled with diamonds, emeralds and other precious
gems. From that experience, she walked into every English class hoping to get
to write some-thing, and she learned three things:
1. The difference between stalactite
and stalagmite,
2. That fantasy was probably the genre
she should concentrate on, and
3. Never end a story with "It
was all a dream."
Nancy is a kidney
transplant recipient (her husband was her living donor), a thyroid cancer
survivor, and an Army veteran. She is currently working on the sequel to Pigsty
Princess.
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Excerpt:
Chapter One
Progenna Mariana,
fourth child of Queen Alexandria and King Jonathan of Valborough, watched the
couples twirling around the dance floor. Beneath their feet, colored mosaics
representing the eight magical elements danced as well, the patterns changing
in time with the music.
The annual ball in
celebration of the Queen’s birthday was in full swing.
Mariana watched in
delight as her brother, Cognate Prince Ramone, Heir Presumptive, danced with
his wife, who would be delivering their first child within the next month. The
white sash draped from Grand Sahdess Victoria’s right shoulder to her left hip
indicated Air Sensitivity and explained how she could be so light on her feet
even with such an advanced pregnancy.
Mariana idly ran her
fingertips along the fold of her own black satin sash, narrower than any the
rest of the royal family wore. Traditionally, black was for children whose
Sensitivities haven’t manifested yet, or the rare Insensitive Commoner invited
to royal celebrations.
The color of her sash
shouldn’t have bothered her anymore. Everyone in the kingdom knew Mariana had
no Sensitivities. In fact, even her title, “Progenna,” had been created
especially for her. The title identified her as a daughter of the King and
Queen, but also made it clear she had no magical abilities and, therefore, no
place in the line of succession. She was, officially, a royal nobody.
The music from the
quartet of stringed instruments stopped, and the couples paired up in two lines
in the center of the floor for the next dance, a lively reel.
Mariana moved along the tapestry-covered walls
toward the three sets of double doors that led to the balcony.
She had to find
Darius, son and Heir Presumptive of Clarence, the Margrave of Sasoin. As
Mariana surveyed the dance floor, she couldn’t see Darius, who was known as the
Rieravo of Sasoin, a title he inherited when his father’s landholdings
increased and the older man was given the higher title.
As one of the few
still-unmarried Heir Presumptives of a high-ranking noble in the court, Darius
had a partner for every dance of the evening. Mariana assumed he had to be out
on the balcony getting some fresh air after all the dancing he’d done.
She and Darius had been an unofficial couple
for some time now, and one more dance would make it official. Then, her father
couldn’t keep them from announcing their intent to wed. After all, a third
dance at such an event was practically an engagement announcement all by
itself.
As she passed by,
guests bowed their heads and muttered greetings. However, she ignored them all,
as she was only interested in finding Darius.
Suddenly, she was
halted by a black wooden cane thrust horizontally in front of her. Its bearer
was a short bald man with one eye, who smiled so wide at her his yellow chipped
teeth were visible.
“Pir Leo,” Mariana
said, making a small curtsy of respect to the Sahdeer of Valentine, advisor to
the King. “How nice to see you this evening.”
“My dear Progenna
Mariana, I have been hoping to dance with you.” He grabbed her gloved hand and
kissed it. As always, he lingered longer than was appropriate before releasing
her. Marianna suppressed a shudder.
Pir Leo had been a
figure in her life since she was a child. Because he was an expert in diplomacy
and foreign relations, he was a frequent visitor to the palace and even at
family gatherings. He had always frightened her.
