Welcome to Ciara Knight's The Neumarian Chronicles Blog Tour & Giveaway. Thanks for being here today Ciara and giving us a little peek into Ryder.
Character Interview – Ryder
I glance up and down the boardwalk and spot the queen’s massive ship resting on the landing field at the edge of town. “Thanks for taking such a great risk to meet me out here. I know you’re really busy with the uprising, but some people want to know more before joining your cause. Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?
Ryder swipes his dark hair from his brow and steps in closer. “Sure. Shoot.”
I’m taken aback by how much his physique and strong voice commands attention for such a young man. I can see what caught Princess Semara’s attention. “How old were you during the Great War of 2185, and what happened to your parents?”
“The war ended ten years ago. In the final days of battle my parents were executed. At only eight years old, I was made to watch.” His morose brown eyes met mine for a second, before he snapped his attention to a few rowdy men outside the saloon.
“You’ve been enslaved since the Neumarian Enslavement Act was passed at the end of the war. This declares that anyone harboring a terrorist (Neumarian) may be imprisoned without trial. Why should others risk their lives if they are not a Neumarian?”
“There be vicious tales the queen has told to keep her dictator of the territories. Humans are scared of us because they believe us to be life-sucking creatures, but it’s not true. Each Neumarian possesses a different gift, an ability that can help heal, create energy, and so many other possibilities. There’ll be a time when a human needs our gifts to help one of their loved ones, but we’ll all be extinct by that time. Besides, it’s plain wrong to enslave people. We be collared like dogs and forced to live under her tyranny. Humans should stand up and fight or when she’s done killin’ all us, it’ll be their turn.”
“You make some great points. What impassioned you so much to rally all of us to fight? Is it for your sister?”
Ryder’s fists tighten at his side. “Keep Raeth out of it.”
I’d heard he was overprotective of his sister, but I can’t help myself. “What happened to your sister that she stutters?”
“Queen did that to her. She’s vial and would stop at nothing to remain in power.”
Okay, moving on. He’s tight lipped when it comes to Raeth. “What do you hope the uprising will accomplish and how can we help?”
“According to you, the way to get the word of our story out is to share with lots of people via Amazon, Facebook, and Twitter channels. Getting ‘likes’ and sales will help Escapement, Pendulum and Balance appear on lists. If I understand it right, that be the way to rally more fighters for freedom.”
A scout ship shoots out across the vast wasteland.
“Gotta go. Something’s up. Thanks for all your help. Be safe, we can’t afford to lose another spy.”
I step back at his warning. I think it’s time for me to get out of here. My place is back home helping spread the word. Remember, if you need to reach Ryder or the rebellion text #Neumarian.
Be Brave.
Be Bold.
Be Free!
Title: Weighted
Series: The Neumarian Chronicles
Author: Ciara Knight
Publication: August 18th, 2012
Pages: 42
Synopsis:
The Great War of 2185 is over, but my nightmare has just begun. I am being held captive in the Queen’s ship awaiting interrogation. My only possible ally is the princess, but I’m unsure if she is really my friend or a trap set by the Queen to fool me into sharing the secret of my gift. A gift I keep hidden even from myself. It swirls inside my body begging for release, but it is the one thing the Queen can never discover. Will I have the strength to keep the secret? I’ll know the answer soon. If the stories are true about the interrogators, I’ll either be dead or a traitor to my people by morning.
Buy Links:
Title: Escapement
Series: The Neumarian Chronicles
Author: Ciara Knight
Publication: February 26th, 2013
Pages: 337
Synopsis:
Ten years after the great war of 2185 the queen’s reign is threatened by uprisings and fear. In celebration of my sixteenth birthday it is my duty as princess to sacrifice a slave to be initiated into the ruling council, solidifying my mother’s empire. When my own erratic powers surface I’m captured and tried for treason. Slaves hate me, my mother wants me executed, and my only chance of survival rests in the hands of a young man, Ryder Arteres, whose sister I sentenced to death.
Buy Links:
Amazon: Escapement (Steampunk): Book I (The Neumarian Chronicles 1)
Barnes & Noble
Excerpt:
The door swung open and four guards entered before Dred stormed in. “Malvak orders ya all to the platform now.”
My stomach flopped. “No. It hasn’t been an hour.”
“Malvak’s orders changed.”
“You said they’d be spared,” Ryder argued.
“They be ordered to watch.”
Dred’s words stung like a laser through my heart. “No, please. You can’t. It’s too soon.”
Ryder still clutched one arm and wouldn’t let me go. “Semara, listen to me.”
“No, I won’t. This isn’t going to happen. I’ll tell Malvak who I am and order your release.”
“Not wise.” Dred shoved the key into Ryder’s cell door.
I had to do something, anything to stop this.
“We need you, Semara. You’re the only one left in this war-torn world who can protect Raeth. Please, I promised my folks before they were murdered I’d take care of her. Once I’m gone—”
“Don’t say that.” Tears stung my eyes and I wanted to pull him against me and disappear.
Ryder reached through the bars and held the back of my head so our foreheads touched. “Once I’m gone, you are her only family.”
“Enough, it’s time,” Dred ordered.
The guards rushed into the cell, bound Ryder’s wrists, and dragged him from the cell. One guard grabbed Raeth by the arm and did the same to me. Dred stood at the outside of my cell, door open, waiting for me to exit.
“I did all I could,” Dred said with a heavy, deep tone. He bound my wrists and stepped back. “Sorry, Malvak ordered—”
“You could do more. Trust me, you’ll regret this later. You’ll go to sleep each night with Ryder’s face haunting your dreams. I’m still tortured by making a wrong choice when I was only twelve.”
I shoved past him and went out to the center of town. Acid rose in my throat at the sight of the noose hanging from a wood beam. It had to be wood. If it had been metal, I could’ve melted it and bought some more time.
Maybe I could try Ryder’s plan and incapacitate Dred before he stopped me, then get his gun and take a few down. If we could find cover and some metal we’d have a chance.
I watched Dred out of the corner of my eye as we approached the platform.
“Don’t try it, pretty face. I’ve trained for years to be a faster draw with me powers. Ya don’t stand a chance. All you’ll accomplish is ya own death.”
I lifted my chin, determined to fight. “I can’t stand by and watch him die.”
“Ya don’t have a choice. None of us do,” Dred insisted.
“You do. Let me use my powers and the three of us escape. Otherwise, you’ll have innocent blood on your hands.” I pleaded.
Wind whipped through the village. Creaks echoed from the skywalks. Water swished through the steel waterways above. Cannons and barbed wire lined an exterior wall. It was a fortress.
Mother had been right to fear them. Even if I freed Ryder, how could we get out? I suspected the walls were electrified. Maybe I could short out the wires, but I’d need Raeth’s help to demolish the wall.
Even if we managed to break through the wall, then what? We’d have to get a ship and figure out where we were.
There had to be a way to save him. I had to be missing something.
A horn sounded and people came out of homes and buildings, flooding the street to watch Ryder’s execution. Didn’t they see they were no better than the council?
I wrung my hands and pulled at my rope bindings that rubbed my skin raw.
The smell of animals and desert sand carried on the wind.
A tall man appeared on one of the skywalks with a fluffy cape of animal fur lining his huge frame. I couldn’t make out his features, but he definitely had a tattoo running across his forehead. A reflection of sunlight off his face indicated some piercings.
“This here Neumarian is charged with bringing the council’s wrath to our land. Do we wish to sacrifice our way of life and be enslaved to the council?”
“No,” the crowd yelled back as if in a trance.
“Terminate the prisoner and send his body as a gift to the queen.”
“No!” I cried out and ran for the platform. “You’re wrong. We only wish to go in peace. The queen doesn’t know we’re here. We brought a gift!”
I ran up the steps, but a guard snagged my hair, knocking me down so hard the wood cracked against my shoulder. A pain shot down my arm. Ryder shouldered the man and raced to my side. “Semara, please, don’t do this.”
“I can’t watch you die,” I managed through sobs.
The guards tore us apart and placed Ryder on top of a box.
I fought with all my strength and drew heat from my core to my hands, but the mind splitting pain made me collapse. I lay on the floor of the platform forced to watch the noose being secured around his neck.
“Proceed with the execution.”
The guard kicked the box out from under Ryder and the rope snapped tight around his throat.
Title: Pendulum
Series: The Neumarian Chronicles
Author: Ciara Knight
Publication: December 2nd, 2013
Pages: 364
Synopsis:
Haunting memories.
Terrifying dreams.
Crippling lies.
Trapped in a world of deception, my sanity rests with the love of Ryder Arteres and our renegade friends. Six months of scouring the ocean floor in a rebel ship fleeing our homeland, delivers us to a possible alliance with the opportunistic European Council. Our only hope is to utilize our forbidden gifts to free our people from slavery, proving our worth. But when a trusted ally turns traitor and a new breed of the queen’s weaponry is revealed, I’m forced to face the terror of my past to save our crumbling future.
Buy Links:
Barnes & Noble
Excerpt:
Ryder tipped my chin up and pressed a kiss to my forehead. At feeling his suppressed desire and longing, I nuzzled his neck, seeking more, wanting to touch him, not through his uniform but his bare skin.
“Shh. You need sleep. Nightmares have been keeping you up. You’re exhausted. Wish I could be there to hold you through them, but we should arrive at the ENR base soon. It’s been too long.” His hand slipped to the nape of my neck. “Once we reach land, no one will keep us apart.”
Heat surged to my face and I leaned into his hands. “Nightmares? How did you…oh, your sister. Great. Guess Raeth can’t keep a secret.” I knew Raeth only told her brother out of concern, but I’d still chastise my best friend when I got back to my room.
“She just confirmed what I’d felt through our bond.” Ryder drew a circle around the tip of my nose with his. “What you been dreaming’ about?”
His closeness weakened my resolve to keep it from him. He’d think I was crazy.
“Tell me,” he urged, brushing his lips across mine in a feather-light touch.
My breath hitched and the memories of beatings and torture faded when his thumb glided down my cheek. “It doesn’t matter. Kiss me.”
His lips claimed mine with a too long-suppressed urgency. He needed and wanted me as much as I did him. If we didn’t make it to land soon, they’d have mutiny on their hands.
I inhaled his scent, absorbing it into my soul. Even after all this time beneath the sea, a hint of Earth remained and I savored the aroma. He’d always smell the same to me. A musky, earthy smell, with a hint of freedom. The aroma wrapped around my body like a shield of strength.
Steps thumped down the corridor and he broke the kiss. “Tell me. Before we have to go.”
I panted and shook my head. From the moment we’d met, he twisted me up inside until I’d share whatever he wanted to know. “Images mostly. My mother, my father. I never see his face, but I see hers.” I suppressed a shudder. “None of it makes sense. It’s almost like I feel physical pain, but I can’t see the memory.”
Ryder’s eyes narrowed. “What’s Gordon been doing to you during those sessions?”
“Gordon? Nothing. He’s been helping me remember things. He says I’ve been reprogrammed. He’s trained in opening the mind back up and he thinks I could remember something that would help the rebellion.”
Ryder glanced down the hall. “Maybe so, but I don’t like you suffering. Mighty easy for him to push you into helping. But you need to know when to back off. You been training so much and been working with Captain Gordon, you haven’t gotten any rest.”
“Maybe that’s because I don’t want to.” I stared up at him. “I’m frightened, Ryder. Terrified my mother’s programmed me into being some kind of weapon.”
“I won’t let that happen.” He kissed me again then rested his forehead against mine. “We, just the two of us, need to find some time alone.”
I struggled to stay calm, to not let my frustration and jealousy out. I failed. “The last time I tried to take some time off, you were busy with Mart and her training. Can’t you train with someone else, like me? Why does it always have to be her?”
“Jealous?” The side of his lip quirked up into a teasing grin.
Yes! “No! No more than you are of Gordon.”
He straightened, his hand moving down from my neck to my lower back. “Let’s not do this. It’s late. I don’t want to argue.” Hugging me, he lifted me into the air until I was at eye level then he nuzzled my neck. “Rather do other things with you than fight.”
A giggle slipped from my lips.
“Love that sound.” Ryder nipped my earlobe.
“What sound?”
“You happy. Someday, we’ll go to that Resort Territory of yours,” Ryder slid his nose down the side of my neck, “where we can laugh all day.” His tongue traced the path his nose had just made. “Swim naked in that lake of yours.”
A guard stomped along the metal grate floor and halted a few meters away. “Hey, you two. Lights out in five. Don’t make me throw you in the brig.”
My head still spun from Ryder’s words. He gently lowered me to the ground. My knees shook, but I managed to remain upright.
Ryder scowled.
“Now,” the guard ordered, his face grim and determined.
Ryder growled low in his chest then kissed my cheek. “Until later,” he whispered.
Title: Balance
Series: The Neumarian Chronicles
Author: Ciara Knight
Publication: April 28th, 2014
Pages: 266
Synopsis:
Life on a war-ravaged Earth is a dying experience. Finally, after years of tyranny, the rebellion rises. Once I rescue my fiancé Ryder Arteres, I, and the rebel general, will fight to free our people. In a war where alliances shift and friends betray one another, will the final battle prove the truth of the prophecy the queen has so feared—her death—or will I lose everyone I love?
Buy Links:
Excerpt:
There is more to the prophecy.” Fallon stated.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“You realize the claim of the Triune is real.”
I snickered, “Yes, I can’t deny that anymore.”
“That leaked from our council during the war, but we were able to keep the rest of the intel to ourselves. You see, one of the members of the Neumarian Council could estimate future events based on current trends. It’s sort of a statistical prophecy in a way. Of course, it’s deeper than that. The one who had the gift also channeled more than just facts, emotions, psychology, the art of body language and behavior. All the information was churned up and a prophecy was spit out.”
“What is the rest?” I asked.
“Penton must be the protector of the Triune…” He nodded to Harrison and a click sounded in my head. Fallon leaned close and whispered. “…the one who will risk his life and die to save the Triune.”
I cupped my hands over my mouth to stop the gasp from reaching Raeth’s ears.
My pulse thrashed at my neck. I slowly lowered my hands to my side. “You think he’s going to die out there, don’t you?”
Fallon clasped my hands in his.
“Yes.”
Ciara Knight writes to 'Defy the Dark' with speculative fiction books. Her Amazon #1 bestselling series, The Neumarian Chronicles has received acclaimed reviews and awards. Escapement, book I, is a Rone award nominee and Pendulum, book II, scored 4 stars from RT Book Reviews, accolades from InD’Tale Magazine, received a Night Owl Top Pick and is a Rone award finalist. Her young adult paranormal series, Battle for Souls, received 5 stars from Paranormal Romance Guild, is a Night Owl’s Top Pick and won Book of the Month at Long and Short Reviews.
When not writing, she enjoys reading all types of fiction. Some great literary influences in her life include Edgar Allen Poe, Shakespeare, Francine Rivers and J K Rowling.
Her first love, besides her family, reading, and writing, is travel. She's backpacked through Europe, visited orphanages in China, and landed in a helicopter on a glacier in Alaska.
Ciara is extremely sociable and can be found at Facebook @ciaraknightwrites, Twitter @ciaratknight, Goodreads, Pinterest, and her website ciaraknight.com.
Author Links:
The Giveaway:
1-$25.00 giftcard
1-Signed print copy of Escapement
1-Signed print copy of Pendulum
1-Signed print copy of Balance
1-ecopy of Escapement
1-ecopy of Pendulum
1-ecopy of Balance
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