I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the THE HERD by Russell
Bell Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to
enter the giveaway!
About The Book:
Title: THE HERD: A dystopian vampire thriller
for young adults
Author: Russell
Bell
Pub. Date: August 27, 2024
Publisher: Morning
View Press
Formats: Paperback, eBook
Pages: 269
Find it: Goodreads, https://books2read.com/THE-HERD
Read for FREE with a Kindle Unlimited Membership!
Sixteen-year-old Susan kneels before the Temple steps whispering the
sacred prayer…
We are the Herd, human servants to the immortal Akharu, Lords of the
Night. The Akharu are our Kings. The Akharu are our Gods. We honor them
with our hands. We worship them with our hearts. We nourish them with our
blood.
She is preparing for the Branding, the sacred ceremony where the Akharu choose
which humans will be allowed to stay in the Closure, and which will be taken
away forever. As she enters the Temple , Susan is confident that she’ll receive
her brand. She’s devoted her life to the Akharu.
But so did her older brother, Trevor. And he was taken.
Ryan, Susan’s fifteen-year-old brother, kneels behind her. He only mouths the
prayers. The Akharu have already taken his older brother and now they may take
his sister as well. He doesn't want his brand.
He wants revenge.
Will Susan receive her brand or will she find out what happens to the Unworthy?
As he seeks his revenge, Ryan discovers powers he doesn't understand. Will they
help him against the Akharu? Or is he becoming one of them?
The Herd, is an fascinating new take on the vampire genre. It is an
action-packed adventure that takes place in the feudal Kingdom of Larkspur,
where horses and swords rule the day and the bloodthirsty Akharu reign at night.
READ THE REVIEWS!
"A SPELLBINDING STORYTELLER WITH
FULLY DEVELOPED CHARACTERS!"
"THE HERD DREW ME IN IMMEDIATELY
WITH ITS WORLD-BUILDING AND CHARACTERS I WANTED TO ROOT FOR!"
"I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN!"
"ADDICTIVE!"
Excerpt:
Prologue
The
child will bear the Mark of the Dawn
and
wield the strength of the Sun.
Prophecy
– The Disciples
Misty rays of light pierced the
forest canopy, illuminating the dense brush below. Christoph could hear
the Beasts crashing through the branches. He squinted to see the lean
shadows breaking out in different directions. There would be no surprise today;
the Beasts had heard them coming.
Christoph raised a single finger
and two of his Shepherds silently broke off to the right. He raised
another finger, sending two more Shepherds off to the left. A nod to Yanelle,
his Second, sent her and the remaining two Shepherds to his flank.
Christoph could feel their excitement. They loved the chase.
He sniffed at the air. He could
smell the sweat. And the fear. This was a large family group with
several adult males. Christoph hadn’t come across a group this size in years.
It made the long trek from Larkspur worth it. Traders back in the Kingdom
would pay his Band well. And maybe I'll finally find it.
A quick glance at his Shepherds
assured him they were ready. Christoph dropped his hand and, like feral dogs
released from a pen, the Shepherds leapt after their prey. Christoph followed
after them, vaulting easily over a fallen log, his black leather boots
landing solidly on the other side. He was the epitome of a Shepherd. His long,
dark hair was pulled back in a tight tail that hung freely down his back.
He wore a black leather jacket that, though marred by years of service in
the Wild, still held its shimmer in the afternoon light. And hanging from
his waist were the distinctive weapons of the Shepherds: the bone-handled
pistol holstered on his right and the broadsword sheathed on his left. The only
exception was Christoph’s thick beard. Facial hair was usually
discouraged among the Shepherds, but Christoph was a Captain and rank had
its privilege.
He chased two of the females, one
carrying a child, its arms and legs wrapped tightly around her body.
Christoph was close enough to hear their labored breathing. Sweat
drenched their long, tangled hair. They couldn't run for much longer.
Christoph was barely winded. He
and his Shepherds could chase these Beasts for as long as it took. They
were the Blessed, gifted with the blood of their Lords. A vial hung around
his neck filled with the scarlet blood of the Akharu. A few drops each
day gave him the speed and strength to easily catch these helpless
creatures.
Looking to his left, he saw
Yanelle gaining on a young male. The male was trying to dodge between the
trees, but Yanelle anticipated his every move. Christoph hoped she didn’t
hurt the Beast. Yanelle followed orders well, but she was sometimes
overzealous in her pursuit of prey.
Glancing to his right, Christoph
watched as another Beast was tackled and then quickly subdued by
Rederick, a younger recruit. Rederick was fresh from the Academy, a
Blessed-born.
Recruits didn't usually last long
in Christoph's Band, but Rederick's instincts for the hunt were
unmatched.
Christoph was only a few feet
behind the females. He couldn’t easily grab them both from behind,
though. He needed to surprise them. Reaching up for a branch, he lifted himself
off the ground and swung up over their heads. He shifted from branch to
branch and quickly outpaced them. The Beasts heard movement and glanced around,
trying to catch a glimpse of him. The one without a child stumbled and
almost went down, but the mother reached out for her. Christoph admired
her determination. She was near exhaustion, but was still committed to saving
her family.
Christoph pushed off from a branch
and landed a few feet in front of the Beasts. The childless one tried to stop,
but her momentum brought her straight into Christoph’s arms. He quickly
wrapped the Beast in a tight embrace.
The mother, however, was more
alert and managed to move quickly to her right, putting a tree between
her and Christoph. Bundling his captured female under one arm, Christoph
grabbed the tree and swung around it, trapping the mother with his legs.
She struggled and would have
escaped, but Christoph wrenched the small Beast from her back. The
screams of her child stopped the mother from fighting. She collapsed to the
forest floor, beaten.
Christoph knew the Beast would
surrender for her child. The Beast was human and that’s how humans
behaved. Christoph knew this because he had once been human himself. #
The Beasts were bound together in
a line, oldest to youngest. There were five adult males, seven adult
females, and over a dozen young. The adults were gagged to avoid talking
amongst themselves. Two of the males had resisted, and lay unmoving to one
side, blood streaming from gashes in their heads.
Christoph knelt down beside one of
them and felt for a pulse. His heart was beating strong. He would live,
at least long enough to be sold in Larkspur. What happened to them after
that wasn’t Christoph’s concern. He moved to the others and began his
inspection.
Father Sun hung low in the sky,
draping the clearing in shadow. There was still enough light, but
Christoph had little time. He looked through the Beasts’ hair, raised their
arms, and pushed aside their loosely fitting tunics, scanning their exposed
skin. He was quick and methodical in his search, having done it thousands
of times.
He felt eyes glaring at him. The
mother he had subdued earlier was staring at him, her eyes filled with
hatred. Christoph glanced to see that her ropes were securely tied. “I think
this one likes you,” said a voice behind him. Christoph looked up as
Rederick approached the female Beast, leering at her. Christoph went back
to his inspection, ignoring the remark.
“What are you looking for?”
Rederick asked.
Christoph lifted the arm of a thin
male.
“He’s inspecting the stock,”
called out Dominic, a large, burly Shepherd who was tending to the first sparks
of a fire. “No one negotiates a better price than the Captain, which means
more gold for all of us!”
The other Shepherds cheered at
this remark. Christoph continued his inspection, stepping over to the younger
Beasts. Rederick remained where he was, watching him. “Is it true?” he asked.
“That you were born like them?”
The cheers stopped abruptly and
all eyes turned to the young recruit. Dominic slowly rose from the fire and
stepped toward Rederick. Yanelle, who was brushing one of the tall, black
stallions near the edge of the clearing, stopped and watched. Christoph paused
his inspection briefly, but then continued, without looking up.
Rederick shifted slightly, looking
around. “What? Someone in the barracks told me—” “Told you what?” Dominic said,
taking another step. He towered over Rederick by more than a head.
“That he was...” Rederick
stammered, suddenly very aware of Dominic’s massive size, “…born in the
Herd…a human.”
Dominic placed a thick hand on the
hilt of his sword. Rederick stiffened, but didn’t move. Everyone in the camp
had now stopped what they were doing and were watching the exchange,
their eyes shifting between Rederick, Dominic, and the Captain. Only
Christoph seemed unconcerned. He finished his inspection and stood,
stretching his arms wide. “I don’t care what you heard,” Dominic said. “The
Captain drinks from the vial just like you and me. Is that
understood?”
Rederick nodded, quickly.
“Yes.”
“Good,” Dominic said. “Now isn’t
there something you should be doing?” Rederick looked around at the other
Shepherds still staring at him. He quickly stumbled across the clearing toward
the horses.
Christoph turned and gave Dominic
a nod. The huge man smiled before returning to the fire. Loyalty and respect
were the strength of Christoph’s Band.
Christoph knew what they called
him back in the barracks. He was known as the Herd Captain. Recruits
argued over which version of Christoph’s story was true. Had he been discovered
in the Closure, fighting over a dozen men? Or had he been found in the Wild,
a slaughtered pack of wolves lying at his feet? Christoph never commented
on the stories. The Shepherds back in Larkspur could say what they
wanted. Out here in the Wild, though, in his Band, no one questioned his past.
Rederick would soon learn that or he would find himself back in the
Closure, watching over the Herd.
The Father had dropped behind the
trees, tinting the clouds in a bright red. Christoph called to Yanelle, “It’s
time.”
“Circle up, Shepherds!” she
shouted, stepping away from the horses. Rederick followed after her,
carefully avoiding Christoph’s gaze.
The other Shepherds stopped what
they were doing and began to gather in the center of the clearing. The
few who had ventured out to set traps trickled in as the rest formed a
circle. They all bent to their knees.
Christoph knelt beside Yanelle.
Usually the Captain led prayer in their Band, but Yanelle had begun
training as a Vessel before joining the Shepherds. Christoph still found it
hard to imagine her dressed in the sacred white of the Vessels, leading
prayers at one of the Akharu Temples. Black leather and a broadsword
seemed to suit her better. Yanelle’s devotion to the Akharu, however, was
without question.
“Lift your vials,” Yanelle said as
the last of the Shepherds knelt.
All of the Shepherds unfastened
the top button of their black leather vests and pulled out the small
glass vials that hung around their necks. They removed the stoppers and raised
their vials toward the clouds, the thick liquid almost black against the
crimson sky. Yanelle closed her eyes and recited the Shepherd’s prayer:
We raise our vials in thanks to
the Akharu, Lords of the night.
We, your Shepherds, who watch
over your Herd in the Closure
and gather the lost Beasts in
the wilderness,
kneel in submission and humbly
drink of your blood.
“To you, Akharu!” the Shepherds
all chanted in unison and tipped the vials to their mouths. Some drank
from the vials, but most just touched them to their mouths, leaving a red
teardrop on their lips. They then raised the vials once more.
Yanelle continued:
We gather these lost Beasts in
your name, Akharu,
and offer them into your
protection.
May their young add strength to
your Herd,
may their numbers add bounty to
your kingdom,
and may their blood nourish
your eternal souls.
“Akharu, we serve you!” the
Shepherds chanted in unison and then again tipped the vials to their
mouths. On this second sip, more of the Shepherds drank from their vials. They
were careful, though, to leave enough of the scarlet liquid for the third
and final prayer. They raised their vials to the sky once more.
Yanelle, her eyes still closed,
tensed her body and extended her arms out to their fullest as the final
prayer burst from her lungs:
From eternal darkness, the
Akharu emerged,
Sent to cleanse the earth of
all evil.
A gift from our Father, the
Sun,
to our Mother, the Moon.
Their strength has no
limit,
their knowledge has no
bounds,
and their lives will have no
end.
“Akharu, we worship you!” shouted
the Shepherds in unison and then drained their vials. Many licked their
lips to make sure they caught each drop.
Yanelle lowered her vial and bowed
her head. Christoph could hear her whispers as she recited more
prayers.
A tight knot grew in his stomach
and he could taste bile in the back of his throat. He quickly stood and
slipped the vial back into his vest, his hands trembling. Slowly he stepped
away from the circle and slipped into the lengthening shadows of the
trees. Once in the cool comfort of the forest, he pulled a flask from his vest
and filled his mouth with water, washing away the metallic taste that
lingered on his tongue. His hands were still shaking. He turned and
stumbled further into the forest, taking small steps at first, but then
breaking into a run.
He didn’t stop until the forest
opened into a smaller clearing. Behind him he could still hear the whinny
of horses, and distant laughter, but he was far enough from the others that
he could imagine himself alone. Christoph slowly crumpled to the forest
floor, sucking in a long, deep breath.
Maintain control.
It was getting harder and harder
with the passing years. The wall he had so carefully constructed between
who he was and who he needed to be was weakening. Christoph didn’t know
how much longer he could go on.
He wasn’t the Shepherd Captain he
pretended to be. He wore the black leather, but in his heart he knew the
truth. He was the son of Ian, born in the Herd, in the Kingdom of
Manzanita. As a child he had trained under the mighty Victor. He was a
Warrior of the Dawn.
Focusing on the breath escaping
through his lips, Christoph remembered his training. He could hear
Victor’s words, “Find your Inner Sun.” Another pass of air through his
nose and he felt the spark ignite in his chest. Warmth spread slowly
through his body.
More air flowed through his nose
and across his lips. Power coursed through his blood as his Inner Sun burned.
He felt his strength return, his resolve.
With a final deep breath,
Christoph stood, confident that he could return to the others and
continue his search.
A soft cry broke the silence.
Christoph tensed, scanning the clearing. Had one of his Shepherds
followed him?
He heard the soft cry again.
Christoph crept toward the sound, careful to make none himself. The cry
had come from a fallen log at the edge of the small clearing. He leaned
down and peered into the hollow log. Tiny pink feet wiggled restlessly in
the cramped space. It was a newborn Beast.
Christoph carefully pulled the
tiny Beast out from the log, revealing two pale, grey eyes. They looked
up at him curiously. A tuft of orange hair was centered on the Beast’s head. He
was male, no more that a few weeks old. His mother had covered him in bobcat
fur before hiding him in the log. The baby stopped crying and smiled up at
Christoph, letting out a soft gurgle. Christoph immediately inspected the baby
as he had so many other Beasts, young and old. He looked closely at the
legs and under the arms. He removed the fur and examined the stomach and
back. He then scanned the head and behind the ears.
There it was. The mark.
Behind the left ear, Christoph saw
a thin arch over a single line: the Sun breaking the horizon. It was the
Mark of the Dawn. So many times Christoph thought he had found the
symbol, only to be wrong. He had seen it in the smeared dirt on a young child’s
back and in the jagged scars of an older male. But they were only his
imagination.
Christoph ran his thumb over the
mark. It wasn’t dirt to be brushed off and it wasn’t a scar. It was
real.
The child will bear the Mark of
the Dawn.
Christoph clutched the boy to his
chest. The Prophecy was true. His search had finally come to an end. He
had found the marked child and now Christoph must do everything in his
power to protect it.
A twig snapped behind him.
Christoph tensed, shifting the child to one hand. He turned, grasping the
handle of his broadsword with the other. It was Yanelle.
“Sir, I thought I heard a child,”
she said, looking down at the bundle nestled in the crook of his
arm.
Christoph scanned the clearing for
more Shepherds, but saw none.
“You found another Beast,” she
said, stepping toward him. “One of the females must have hidden it here.
I admire you, sir. Always on the hunt.” She smiled at him, but her eyes
held a glimmer of suspicion.
Christoph didn’t hesitate. Yanelle
could never be allowed to see the mark. She may not know the meaning of
the faint symbol, but other Shepherds would. The Warriors of the Dawn
were not forgotten in the kingdoms.
Christoph pulled his broadsword
and thrust it toward Yanelle. He moved so quickly that she was still
smiling as the sword pierced her chest. She looked down at the sword and then
back up at Christoph, her eyes filled with confusion. They then sparked
with anger before the life finally left them. Yanelle’s head drooped to
one side and her body went limp. Christoph wrenched the sword free,
letting Yanelle slide to the ground.
He wiped his sword on the grass.
The child, still lying in the crook of his arm, didn’t make a
sound.
“I will always protect you,” he
whispered down at the baby. The boy looked up at him and smiled.
#
Christoph stumbled into the dim
clearing. Mother Moon had yet to rise. The Shepherds were gathered around
the fire, laughing at some insult one of them had said. “We were attacked,”
Christoph exclaimed, dropping Yanelle’s body at the edge of the fire’s
light. The laughter stopped abruptly and the Shepherds stood, many of them
reaching for their weapons.
“When? Where did they go?”
Rederick asked, frantically scanning the darkness. Panic was good. It
would work in Christoph’s favor.
“They were on foot. I couldn’t
tell how many,” Christoph said. He limped over to the fire. The cut he
had given himself on his leg was bleeding more than he expected. Dominic
knelt down, inspecting Yanelle’s fatal wound. He looked up at Christoph.
“Warriors of the Dawn?”
Dominic had been among the
Shepherds sent to the Kingdom of Manzanita years earlier to fight against
the Warriors. He had seen the destruction in the King Kronos’s Palace. He
knew what the Warriors were capable of. If only Dominic had known that
Christoph had been one of those Warriors he had been fighting.
Christoph nodded and the clearing
exploded with frenzied activity. Some Shepherds leapt on their horses,
while others doused the fire. Christoph quickly took control. “Rederick,
Cynthia, and Thurman, gather the Beasts. You’ll return with them to
Larkspur,” Christoph barked.
“But I want to help with—”
Rederick began to protest.
Christoph stopped him with a
raised hand. “Don’t question my command.” Rederick sputtered, about to say
something else, but Christoph had already turned to Cynthia, who was
pulling the Beasts to their feet.
“Take Yanelle’s body back with
you,” Christoph called to her.
Cynthia nodded. “But you’re
wounded. Let us help you.”
“I’ll catch up with you,” he said
waving her off. “Go!”
Quickly, he turned to the other
Shepherds, now mounted on their black steeds. “Dominic, lead the hunt. I
want the murderers found!”
“It will be done,” Dominic said
with intensity.
Even in the dark, Christoph could
see Dominic’s determination to avenge his fellow Shepherd. The Shepherds
raced out of the clearing, filling the night with the thunder of hooves.
They would probably ride for miles before they returned. Christoph would have
more questions to answer, but for now he needed the time.
The child had to be hidden.
Christoph watched Cynthia and
Rederick lead the stumbling line of Beasts into the darkness. Thurman
followed, kicking at the Beasts that fell behind.
Once he was alone, Christoph
headed back to the small clearing. His wounded leg could wait. He would
have to circle around to beat the young Shepherds to Larkspur. The child was
silent, still lying in the log. Christoph lifted him out carefully and
reached for his dagger. “I’m sorry, but the mark has to be
removed.”
The boy smiled up at him,
unconcerned.
Christoph knew where he would hide
the boy. His brother, Steven, lived among the Herd of Larkspur. Steven
was also once a Warrior of the Dawn. He would care for the child.
About Russell Bell:
Russell was
an international drama teacher for many years, teaching in Mumbai India and in
Dubai, UAE. Living in these different countries sparked in jim a passion for
religion and culture, eventually inspiring this dystopian world of the Akharu.
And, of course, many years of teaching theater to young adults has taught him
that nothing beats an exciting story. He now lives in San Jose, Costa Rica with
his wife, two children, and two dogs.
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Giveaway Details:
1 winner
will receive a finished copy of THE HERD, US Only.
Ends
November 12th, midnight EST.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Tour Schedule:
Week One:
Week Two:
