Part 1 of the Opening Scene of Allure of the Gypsies:

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Dawn has barely emerged when the deadly Weapon Dragons swoop from the sky and wake the gypsy caravan with their steely roars. The smoky, metallic hides of these beasts drip fresh dew upon their prey as they attack. Gusts of wind from their immense wings flip over wagons and smash tents against the trees as the two dragons circle the caravan. The monsters wait for panic to set in before landing and lazily slaughtering the gypsies with their mouths and claws. Within minutes, the gypsy wagons are nothing more than shattered wreckage. Bodies of small children and the elderly, who were hiding inside the wagons, are scattered across the devastation. The warriors of the caravan are beginning to organize when a quake passes through the battlefield. Women scream as zombies rise from the moist earth. The undead horde shambles toward those who were lucky enough to escape the dragons. Over half of the gypsies are dead before the sun finishes pulling free of the horizon.

“Sari!” shouts a young gypsy, running amid the chaos. A blood-soaked cutlass is in his hand, which he uses to cut his way through the zombies.

“Kayn! What are you doing?” an older man asks. The man is using a crude spear to fend off a pack of zombies. Kayn rushes to his aid and beheads the zombies with quick slashes of his cutlass.

“I am sorry, elder, but I am looking for my partner,” Kayn admits. His green eyes constantly scan the area from beneath his mop of brown hair. “She was with me when the attacks began, but I lost her in the crowd.”

“I have not seen her, but you should not worry. Sari can take care of herself and you have a greater responsibility,” says the elder with a dry cough. “You are our greatest warrior, Kayn. Please remember that there are those in our clan who cannot defend themselves. Sari would understand if you chose to protect the entire clan instead of her alone.”

A deafening roar erupts from a woody outcropping before the razor-edged wings of an Axe Dragon cuts the trees down. The bulky beast of metal and wood rampages, spewing a cluster of spinning blades from its mouth. The blades roll along the ground and chop up everyone in their path before they disappear into the woods.

“I understand, elder. Please give me your spear,” Kayn requests. The young man swiftly hurls the simple weapon toward the lumbering dragon. The spear strikes and pierces a piece of amber in the dragon’s head, causing the monster to stop in mid-thrash and crash to the ground.

“These false dragons are nothing if you know how to defeat them,” the smiling elder laughs.

“Again, I give you my deepest apologies, elder. I forgot my place and clan during this chaos,” Kayn whispers, placing a hand on the old man’s shoulder.

“You are forgiven,” the elder says with warmth in his eyes. “I forget that you are still a youth because of all the hard times you have seen us through. I trust that you can see us through this one.”

“I will find those who lead these monsters,” Kayn swears. “May you live to dance another night.”

Kayn turns away from the elder and sprints toward the sound of the second dragon. A few zombies feebly attempt to stop him, but they are quickly cut down as the gypsy rushes past them. Kayn keeps an eye out for his missing partner among the dead. Every second that passes without seeing any sign of her drives him mad with anger and desperation. He is barely able to control his rage by the time he reaches the clearing where a short figure in mottled chainmail yells at the narrow-bodied Sword Dragon. Kayn hisses a sigh of relief through his gritted teeth when the gold-winged beast rises into the air and leaves the field of battle.

“You can fight me now,” the grinning soldier announces. He turns in Kayn’s direction with a wicked gleam in his brown eyes.

To Be Continued . . .

Enjoy this?  The full novel debuts on December 1st.