Media Blitz! Reign of Ash by Meg Anne

Book Excerpt The figure in the center moved forward. Long skeletal fingers appeared from the bottom of its sleeves to lift the hood back to reveal its face. There was a startled gasp behind her, but it was the only sound in the entirety of the clearing. Even the animals had decided to make themselves scarce for this particular meeting. Helena couldn’t blame them. The Keepers were terrifying. There was no other word for the beings that stood before her. The other two followed the lead of the first and removed their hoods. She swallowed thickly, silently wishing they would put them back. Their faces were gaunt, hairless, and a white so pale, she could make out the pulsing of purple veins beneath the thin skin. Their eyes were pits of black and their mouths were stitched shut, thick black cords woven in a crisscrossing pattern along the length of them. The only distinguishing marks between them were the swirling tattoos that covered almost every visible inch of skin. The markings were a deep navy blue, but as Helena stared at them, they seemed to shift and move in a serpentine fashion. Without conscious thought, Helena decided the only way to get through this encounter was to brazen it out. “It would seem that Miranda got the looks in the family.” Behind her Kragen and Ronan snickered with appreciation, while she saw Timmins close his eyes in dismay. Miranda’s own lips curled in an approving smile. “Kiri, may I introduce you to the Triumvirate,” she said by way of introduction. “These are the oldest of the Keepers, those who have sworn their loyalty to the realm and have shaken off all vestiges of their past lives in order to lead and offer guidance without any of the bias of mortality.” “One could argue that it is mortality that allows for the most valuable of guidance,” Helena murmured. “Our Kiri is wise,” the voices hissed in her mind. It was hard to discern any type of emotion, but Helena could have sworn she sensed amusement. “You will have to forgive my ignorance,” Helena replied, “I had not realized the head of the Keepers would be gracing us with their presence.” “Nor had I, Kiri, or I would have better prepared you,” Miranda said drolly. There was a hint of censure in her voice, as though she was not pleased by the appearance of the Triumvirate.

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