Demon Storm, Book Eight
Young Adult Fantasy
Date Published: 05-13-2025
Publisher: Shadow Spark Publishing
The shadows have retreated with Raven’s downfall, but darkness still curls
at the edges of the world. For a moment, though, Kari and Ari have a moment
of peace. There is a glimmer of light that threatens to wash away the
darkness as they finally bind their fates together in a formal
ceremony.
But Raven hasn’t given up, and there’s an older, crueler foe who hasn’t
forgotten Kari – the Lord of Demons, the very one who crafted the Catalyst
which Raven sought to control, still trapped in an ancient Tree.
Kari’s moment of joy comes to a halt as the world shakes and Taris is
ripped apart.
Velthas has risen.
EXCERPT
The ground gave a sudden, violent shake. Kari and Essie stumbled, but managed to stay standing. All around people and demons staggered, fell, or bumped into each other. South of where they stood came a hoarse scream. Dust clouded quick and fast, obscuring the view of the southern gate and guard towers. The buildings around them quivered, shaking from left to right.
Kari held onto Essie as the ground continued to vibrate. Her teeth clattered. “What in the Yutemi is that?!”
Guine had his hand on Rathik’s shoulder to steady both of them. “Feels like a quake,” he said solemnly. “Have you had one on Taris before?”
“Not in my time!” Ari answered.
“We have to get everyone away from the buildings,” Guine said. “If one collapses—”
Rathik knocked Guine’s hand off and spun to the south gate. “NO!”
As he broke into a run, Kari, Guine, Essie, and Ari whirled. The dust cloud quickly thinned, revealing a messy shamble of splintered wood that had been Freehaven’s southern gate. And the guard tower, set beside it—
“The tower!” a demoness yelled. “It’s falling!”
Essie sprinted after Rathik.
“Essie, wait!” Kari shouted, then cursed. “Tell the council!” she ordered of the nearest townspeople before she, Ari, and Guine raced after Essie and Rathik.
The vibrations made it difficult to run; Ari grabbed Kari’s hand when she stumbled. The southern gate wasn’t far, but every shiver of the ground forced them to slow and regain their balance before they could go on. Kari’s mind roared as they ran. What was happening that could make the very ground move like this?
When they reached the south gate, they stopped and stood in silence. Essie and Rathik stood at the bottom of the guard tower, or what was left of it. The ground had cracked and lifted, and the tower had toppled, crushing part of the gate. Through a miasma of dust, splintered wood and slabs of stone made an incomprehensible pile of rubble.
“Killia!” Rathik dove for the rubble and hefted shattered planks of wood and cracked stone. Even as he coughed and waved away the dirt clouding around him, he dug for the young guard. Essie joined him, shoving slabs of rock out of the way as fast as she could.
Kari stood frozen, mind a whirl and blank all at once. Ari joined Rathik. Together they shoved aside a thick beam of wood that had snapped in half.
What is this? Why is this happening?
“They’re probably dead already,” Guine said. “That much weight…there’s no way.”
Something dark and heavy sank deep into Kari’s stomach. “Help them.”
With a short sigh, Guine stepped forward. He knelt and touched the rubble—at his fingertips, wood and stone crumbled, adding to the dust already fogging the air. Essie glanced up at him, then she and Ari pulled Rathik away. Rathik visibly trembled from head to foot before he dropped to his knees.
The new dust was grittier; Kari sputtered a short cough and waved a hand in front of her face. Maybe Killia would be okay.
About the Author
Valerie Storm was raised in Tucson, Arizona. Growing up, she fell in love
with everything fantasy. When she wasn’t playing video games, she was
writing. By age ten, she began to write her own stories as a way to escape
reality. When these stories became a full-length series, she considered the
path to sharing with other children & children-at/heart looking for a
place to call home.
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