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Title: The Crystal War
Series: Fragments
Author: Tracy Auerbach
Publisher: Parliament House
Genre: Adult, Urban Fantasy
Release Date: 14th April 2020
BLURB supplied by Xpresso Book Tours
The line between human and monster is not as clear
cut as they once thought.
In the weeks since her escape from the hell of the Eastern Fortress, things
have grown more complicated for Kai. She cast her lot with her brother’s
self-absorbed boyfriend, who controls the Western Army, but she’s been
separated from Finn, the soldier who found a place in her heart.
Finn has defaulted to his signature move: he’s run away; afraid of himself, his
new feelings for Kai, and all the terrible truths he’s learned.
Tessa is free in the world for the first time, a force to be reckoned with.
She’s gone to the far west and the Dome of Artifacts to seek revenge on the
system that ruined her life.
The type ‘A’ soldier who was once a friendly boy named Charlie has been
restored to factory settings, a weapon for Aric to use.
The Science Council has unleashed new crystal compounds, more toxic and
destructive than anything the world has seen. As Kai and her friends struggle
with everything that’s been done to them, they will have to find a way to
unite and prepare for the fight of their lives.
PURCHASE LINKS
EXCERPT
Chapter One
Bill’s
boots gouged through the sand as he was dragged from the vehicle that had
stolen him from the safety of his camp; the hands gripping his biceps were huge
and rough. A black scarf had been wrapped over his head, covering his eyes, and
a gag stuffed in his mouth.
The
toes of his leather boots bumped up then down as the sand’s softness was
replaced by cement underfoot. The footsteps of those who dragged him echoed and
it registered; he’d been taken indoors.
Hands
repositioned themselves on his arms as he was slammed backward onto a cold
metal table. Struggling, he tried to yell, but no sound got past the gag.
Restraints, large and cold, closed over his wrists and ankles. He bucked and
kicked before feather-gentle fingers touched his temples, a sensation vastly
different from the rough grip that had previously held him.
The
scarf over his eyes was lifted away to reveal slender fingers. He blinked in
the harsh light, waiting for his blurry vision to focus. When it did, his heart
sunk, and he froze. Struggling had been futile. The woman above him was the
rumored head of the New Resistance.
Bill
stared into the strange, amber eyes of the woman he had heard about. Over the
past few months, whispers had traveled throughout the west; rumors of her beauty
and cruelty, and above all, her power: his small army of Resistance fighters
had been preparing for her imminent attack.
Everything
he had heard about her magnificence was true; golden eyes that sat in a
perfectly structured face; tan and well-defined, but not too sharp to be
feminine. White-blonde hair stood in spikes over her arched brows.
Gunmetal-gray hoops in her ears reflected the light of a small crystal fragment
set into a dome lamp over the table. She was dressed head to toe in utilitarian
black tactical clothing, but he could still tell that her body was a work of
art. He couldn’t guess her height; she seemed tall, with beautifully defined
curves and a tiny waist.
“Stop
staring, prisoner,” she whispered in a melodic voice. “Looking upon me can’t
save you.”
Bill
was in a lab, but he couldn’t see much. The halo of light from the single
crystal above was dim and focused, but beyond the table he where he lay,
details quickly melted into shadows. He could barely make out the hulking
shapes of the men who had dragged him from his guard post; only the beautiful,
terrible woman was clear. He tried to speak, but his lips fought uselessly
against the fabric still in his mouth.
“Do
you wish to say something?” asked the woman.
He
nodded, and she removed the binding from between his dry lips—he licked them
before speaking. “I’ve heard of you,” said Bill, awed. “These past couple of
months, everything’s changed.”
“It
has. I am changing things. And this is just the beginning.”
“Are
you going to make me into one of your slaves?”
“I
must have your absolute loyalty. I’ll accept nothing less.”
Bill
swallowed, feeling ill with the certainty that he wasn’t going to get out of
this, and he saw her smile, as if she knew exactly what he was thinking.
“Why me?”
“Why
not?” She blinked momentarily releasing him from the power behind her eyes.
“You’re a good soldier; I’ve done my research. You’re exactly what I’m looking
for right now. You will come and work for me, just as they have.” She made a
sweeping gesture toward the men around them.
“Forgive
me, Miss…”
“Raven.”
“Forgive
me, Miss Raven, but what makes you think you can you ensure my loyalty?”
“It’s
just Raven,” she corrected, her expression unchanging. “And the answer is
simple. It’s all about consumption.”
“Consumption?”
“Yes.
Everyone is a consumer. Press the right button, and anyone’s loyalty can be
controlled. Even yours, soldier.”
“My
name is…”
“Not
important,” she cut him off.
Bill
sighed. He’d had more than enough of being controlled; given over from his
foster home to the Eastern Forces, trained to mine for crystals, months of
being a type ‘B’ soldier on blue compound, only to be stolen in a raid by the
Resistance, and retrained as a guard, led to believe that he was at last
working for a higher cause. And now this.
Raven
gestured to the soldiers standing in shadow, and Bill craned his neck to try
and see what was happening, only to close his eyes, feeling his stomach drop
when one of the men approached, holding up a faintly glowing blue syringe.
So,
more of the same, then.
“What’s
his poison?” asked the man with the syringe.
“Primarily
stimulants,” instructed Raven. “Food as a secondary, pre-established
reinforcer.”
The
man leaned closer, and Bill saw by the light of the glowing crystal fragment
that he was young, with a healing but grisly-looking scab that ran the length
of his left cheek, ending near his eye.
Bill
jerked in his restraints, even though he knew it was futile, and gritted his
teeth as the needle pierced the skin of his upper arm. The fire of the compound
made its way through his blood, causing him to sigh in relief. It still felt
good, every time, even after being off it for months now. It had only taken him
a few weeks back at the Eastern Fortress to become addicted to the compound
itself, and months for the Resistance to detox him.
Heart
racing, his stimulant craving spiked. He refused to beg until the Raven girl
held a small vial of pungent-smelling coffee under his nose—then he screamed
with want. The compound created an itch that the right thing could scratch, and
it felt so good.
“Would
you like this?” she asked in a silky, taunting voice.
“Yes,”
he whimpered.
“Open
up, then.”
Bill
opened his mouth, sick with anticipation of the bitter cordial that would bring
relief to his burning blood. Every pump of his heart demanded it. He greedily
swallowed the wetness on his tongue, but it didn’t taste like coffee.
He
opened his eyes and saw that the Raven girl held a vial that was empty but for
a glowing residue.
She’s
given me Shine.
Bill
stared at his tormentor. It was too late to spit out the horribly addictive
drug. Gulping with a heedless greed he usually reserved for coffee, he’d
swallowed a good mouthful of it.
Too
much. She had him.
Knowing
that Shine would quickly supersede his moral compass, he tried to hold onto his
terror, his ideals; he tried to retain any part of himself. But as he looked
into her expressionless eyes, he began to feel the drug taking hold. Soon, the
fear faded, along with all thoughts of fleeing. The world shrunk, leaving room
for her alone in his mind. His senses sharpened, overwhelmed by the power of
her presence and the Shine’s euphoria.
The
rest of the world faded away, and nothing else mattered but his new queen.
I
will serve this woman forever.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Tracy Auerbach is an author of science
fiction and fantasy for teens and adults. As an avid reader with a vivid
imagination, she chose to study film, English, and education, and went on
to teach and write STEM curriculum for the New York Department of Education. This
helped to polish her writing skills and ignite her passion for science
fiction and fantasy.
Her first scholarly article, published in Language Magazine, was about the
value of active, creative learning in science.
On the fiction side, Tracy’s work has been featured in the online literary
journal Micro-horror, The Writing Disorder fiction anthology, and the
“(Dis)ability” short story anthology, in addition to her novels.
When she is not teaching or writing, Tracy is usually reading or spending time
with her family. She lives in New York with her husband and sons.
AUTHOR LINKS
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