Thursday, May 26th, is a dual release day: for Leaders, the third book in the Twin-Bred series, and for the series' virtual boxed set. I'd like bloggers to be able to include an excerpt from Leaders, but such an excerpt is almost guaranteed to include some spoilers for the first two books. Of course, if you've read those books, that's fine. So here's a short excerpt, a teaser of sorts, for those returning to the series.
[spoiler space]
[In this scene, Mara and Fel-lar, on New Landing, are discussing the possibility of an expedition to Tofarn. (Why? That'd be a spoiler for this book.) Earlier in the discussion, Fel-lar has compared Mara to the biblical Moses, who led the Hebrews out of Egypt.)]
Fel-lar twitched away as if to start pacing again. Mara held his
hand firmly, and he desisted. “Returning to Moses. He grew up a prince of
Egypt. And in the end, his greatest victory was to run away, with all his
people. They, unlike him, had been raised as slaves. But what if all of them
had shared the same princely goals and expectations?” Fel-lar was humming now,
with that uniquely Tofa ability to hum and speak at the same time. “How much
pride could any of them take in leaving all those dreams behind—no matter how
long or short their journey to some substitute promised land, some distant
Canaan?” The humming grew louder, and she had to strain to understand his
words. “Would he not wonder whether he should have stayed to fight? To strike
at least one blow?”
Mara searched the cliff face and found uneven stone on which she
could step. She climbed up, working to maintain her balance, and reached a
cautious arm around Fel-lar’s neck. He stopped humming and grabbed her arm with
an upper hand to steady her and draw her close. That left her other hand free
to stroke his cheek. “So recent events have jarred all these feelings loose.
And that’s why you’ve been—different lately. Less calm. Less patient.”
“Less patient, and easier to anger. Which is why you should
allow me, after all, to apologize for directing that anger at you, when you
were hurt.”
“All right, if it’ll make you feel better. Now enough of that.
Fel-lar, are you really thinking of flying back across the galaxy because
you’re spoiling for a fight?”
Fel-lar unwrapped Mara’s arm from around himself, grasped her
carefully under the arms, and lifted her down from the ledge. Then he moved the
picnic basket aside and picked up the blanket, folding it rapidly with all four
hands. “I may not have mentioned that I have been studying military history and
tactics from time to time.”
Mara reached for the blanket without looking Fel-lar in the face
and put the blanket in the basket. “No, you didn’t.”
“I do not want a fight to be necessary. I would prefer that all
this proves to be ‘much ado about nothing.’ But if anyone must fight to protect
our friends on Tofarn: well, I am no longer too young, if I was then. I am a
leader, by my people’s choice. And I am ready to do battle.”
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