Janet's back - with an excerpt of her latest release, Horu's Chosen, Book 2 in her alternate Ancient Egypt trilogy.
Blurb:
Seth,
an undercover cop has been betrayed by his handler. To escape he calls a number
on a flyer and is transported to an ancient Egypt he doesn’t understand. He
must rescue the Daughter from the evil priests of Aken Re.
Merin is the Daughter. She must find the man who by wedding her will become
Pharaoh. She plots to escape the priests of Aken Re and flee to those who years
ago saved her life.
Can Seth and Merin find a way to defeat the priests? Is love the answer to
their problems? Can they join with the Warrior of Bast and of Horu to bring
unity to the Two Lands?
Horu’s Chosen
Excerpt:
For a week plus two days Seth became a regular at the center. As well as
martial arts he shot hoops with the younger boys and did his share of kitchen
duty. He listened and watched. He found a spot in the alley that allowed him to
look and listen to Father Joe’s meetings. Slowly he put the facts together. A
few more days and he’d call his handler.
As he crouched at his listening post, Amara waved frantically. He went to
her and saw the fear in her eyes. “What’s wrong?”
“Ramos is here.”
“You sure?”
She nodded. “Saw him and the man who wants me. There’re with Father Joe.
I ran.”
Seth pulled her close. “Avoid the center.”
“What will I do?”
He fingered the flyer he’d carried for weeks. Maybe Tira had escaped by
calling the number. There’d been no sign of her and no reports of her body
being found. If Ramos had her killed, the body would have been displayed as a
warning. He removed the paper. “Don’t know if this means much but a friend
dropped it. She was in danger and has disappeared. If things get too hot call
the number.”
“Be careful.” She darted away.
Seth returned to his listening post. He peered through a small spot in
the grime-coated window. A man slouched in a chair across from the priest’s
desk.
“Way I see it, quid pro quo,” the priest said. “I give you the hotshot
undercover cop and you keep away from the center. You and your men.”
“How do you know he’s the one?”
The priest laughed. “Bob Tolena gave me the name.”
Seth stiffened. Betrayed not once but twice.
Ramos chuckled. “Why the offer?”
“Better to sacrifice one for the many.”
Seth’s nails bit into his palms. So he was to be the sacrificial lamb. No
way. He wondered how the priest could believe this would keep the center
safe. If Ramos wanted in, he would find a way.
“His name?”
“Seth. Not sure that’s his real name but he’s here every morning at the
martial arts sessions. He helps with the boys and in the kitchen. Send a man by
in the morning and I’ll identify him.”
“What if he doesn’t show?”
“Then I’ll learn where he’ll be. Bob will tell me. Says the kid is
becoming a liability.”
Seth’s gut tightened. His hands clenched. Damn, trouble had found him.
He straightened and sped down the alley away from the center. He needed a safe
place. He ducked into a doorway and hit a programmed number.
“How can I help you?” a woman asked.
“Read your message. I need a way out.”
She gave him an address. “When you reach the door, knock once, wait and
knock twice. We’ll be waiting.”
Seth pocketed the phone. He crept from the alley and caught the first bus
to arrive. Several changes later he reached his destination. As he mounted the
steps of the brownstone his cell vibrated. He checked the number. No way
would he answer. Let Bob Tolena and the priest wonder and worry. He dropped
the phone and crushed it with his heel. Then he knocked in the sequence he’d
been given.
The door opened to reveal an elderly woman with dark eyes and steel-gray
hair. “How can I help you?”
Though Seth felt foolish he recalled the words he’d read on the flyer.
“Need an escape. The answer is in my stars.”
She moved aside for enough for him to enter and led him down a hall where
bright photographs caught his attention. He paused before one showing a hawk
soaring over golden sand. He touched the bird with a finger.
“So that’s the one to interest you. Why?”
“The hawk is free.”
“And you?”
“Trapped and betrayed. I must escape.” Or at least hide here until I
can come up with a plan.
“Join my sister and me for a meal. We were about to eat.”
“Don’t want to put you to any bother.”
“We have plenty. While we eat you can tell us about yourself and why
you’re here.”
They entered a large room. On one wall he saw a large double wheel. When
he looked closer he saw the object was a giant horoscope chart. Had he wandered
into some New Age establishment?
A second woman, less gray and wrinkled, brought several bowls to the
table. Seth helped himself to wild rice and a chicken and vegetable dish. His
cup held a tea flavored with mint.
Though Seth had intended to speak only of the past two years since he’d
become a cop and gone undercover, tales of his early days emerged. The loss of
his mother, his grandmother’s bitterness and the multiple foster homes found
light.
Until Pete and Marge Blaine had taken a troubled teen into their home and
encouraged him to hit the books he’d been lost. Their deaths in a car accident
two weeks before his graduation from the academy had made him an easy recruit
for the seamy side of life.
For some reason during his investigation of Ramos and the man’s focus on
Tira’s sister, Seth had come to see Tira as one willing to work hard to escape
poverty. Amara was another who needed an escape. Three orphans, all misfits
and in danger. He placed his fork on the plate. “A friend, Tira, came here
and vanished.”
The older of the women nodded. “She came and found the place where she
was needed and she thrives.”
Would the same thing happen for him? Dare he hope? He drew a deep breath.
“Is there a place for me?”
The second woman rose. She filled a glass with a dark red liquid and set
it before him. “Tell us when you were born. Try to give the time to the closest
minute.”
He knew the time. Every day until her death his grandmother had told him
of the day he’d caused his mother’s death. She’d called the death “God’s
Punishment.” “August fourth at six twenty-five AM.”
The oldest woman took his hand. “You are a Leo, a ruler born. Energetic
and proud. You place your faith and trust in others. When they betray you, you
feel anger and this keeps you from trusting others. You can infuse people with
courage.” She walked to the wheel on the wall. The other woman joined her.
Seth frowned. What was happening here? He watched the women place objects
on this wheel. An urge to flee tickled his thoughts. He had no interest or
faith in Astrology. He never read his daily horoscope in the newspaper. He was
about to speak when the women returned to the table.
The oldest one smiled. “You can leave here and go to a land where your
skills are needed. You can bring peace, prosperity and justice to the
inhabitants. Will you go?”
“Is this a joke?”
“Just an offer,” the younger woman said. “If you accept you will be given
a task to accomplish. Failure could mean your death.”
Seth shrugged. “Wouldn’t be any change from what I face here.”
“You will be transported to an ancient Egypt. Once there you’ll learn what
you must accomplish. You won’t about to speak of this world or of anything that
doesn’t fit the time, place and culture of the land you reach.”
A desperate desire to believe her words were true filled his thoughts.
“What if I succeed?”
“You will discover your home and heart. If you agree to go you can never
return. Will you take the chance we offer?”
Seth sipped the savory beverage. Had Tira fallen for their line? He
pondered his decision and thought of what awaited him if he returned to the
city streets. Betrayal. Torture. No justice. His cover had been blown.
He was weary of slinking through garbage-strewn and rat-infested alleys. He met
the woman’s gaze. “I’ll go.”
“Finish the drink.”
He tossed the liquid back and stared at the horoscope wheel. The heady
beverage hit his stomach. Liquid fire flowed through his veins. The wheel spun
and the scene faded.
Here's where you can find Janet on the web:
Twitter: @JanetL717
Get a copy of Horu's Chosen here:
And here's a review of Horu's
Chosen from RT:
Following on the heels of The
Warrior of Bast, this story is filled with magic and fascinating characters.
Those interested in ancient Egypt will find this an enthralling tale. A satisfying
ending is presented for the hero and heroine, with a promising lead-in to the
next story.
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