AIK WILL NEVER BE THE SAME… AND NEITHER WILL HIS WORLD
War is coming. Aik has become the Progenitor, and the Seed Mother has released him to
transform the world for her alien brood. Silya and Raven, Aik's former friends, are the only ones who can save him and the world. But what if the cure is worse than the invasion?
As Silya rushes to prepare Gullton for the battle to come, she's determined to save as many
people as she can. But new crises emerge that demand her attention.
Raven has his own hands full, keeping the dragon-like verent in line, while helping Silya to save the world. But what if the only way to do so is to sacrifice Aik, the man that he loves?
It's the end of the world … or could it be the start of something new?
Read on for an excerpt, or click over here to get your copy!
The Tharassas Cycle is a four book sci-fantasy series set on the recently colonized world of
Tharassas. When humans first arrived on planet, they thought they were alone until the hencha
mind made itself known. But now a new threat has arisen to challenge both humankind and their
new allies on this alien world.
Chapter One
Regroup
He floated, weightless and naked, surrounded by a reddish light and suspended in fluid.
Something connected to his mouth and wrapped around his head, like a lover's embrace.
He used to have a name. He searched his mind for some clue to his identity. I exist, so I
must be someone. Or something.
That made sense, but got him no closer to an answer. He blinked. Who am I?
There was no immediate reply.
He lifted his hand. It was encased in metal. The gauntlet. That much he remembered,
though it meant nothing to him. Except… it seemed different, somehow. Thinner.
He moved his arms in the liquid, and it sparkled around him where his shifting disturbed
it. The metal extended down his wrist and along his forearm, like before, but now it went farther,
around his elbow and up his bicep. He touched it with his free hand.
I can feel it. It was as if the metal had become a part of him, his nerves growing through
it. He held out his metallic hand and flexed his fingers. What is it?
We call it uurcaa. It's a sacred metal—it will protect you, and if your host dies, it will
collect and save your soul. He could feel the emotions she held back from him. It is the last of its
kind from our homeworld. Like us.
He blinked. Then what am I?
You are my son, Iihil. The progenitor, the one who has come before and the first of many
more like you. The voice was deep and comforting.
Mother. Warmth infused him at her voice, and an eagerness to please her.
Still, something wasn't right. He was more than that. He searched his mind, running up
against that stubborn blankness. Somewhere beyond it were the answers he needed.
He'd been someone else. Before.
Who was I? Memories of a face—dark hair, intense eyes that nevertheless twinkled at
him. Raven.
It came flooding back to him. His mother. His life in Gullton. Training to be a guard and
meeting Raven for the first time. My name is Aik.
He reached for the mask that covered his face. It was suffocating. Something was stuck in
his throat, and he coughed hard, trying to force it out, whipping around and causing the liquid
around him to flash red in alarm.
Calm yourself. The voice was as thick and heavy as an ix hide, and just as soft and warm.
Aik pushed back. What are you doing to me? I don't want this! Let me out! He thrashed
about, trying to force his way through the suffocating liquid. The metal crept up his shoulder. If it
covered all of him, he would be lost.
Calm yourself! It was more insistent this time.
Aik stiffened as an enforced lethargy settled over him. He lost control of his limbs, falling
still in his floating prison. The voice pressed against his mind. You're safe. Be calm, my little one.
He closed his eyes and thought of Raven, trying to stay fixed on that face. I can't let
myself forget again.
Then the world around him dissolved, and he was swept up in a torrent of memories that
weren't his own.
Universal Buy Link:
https://waterdragonpublishing.com/product/death-bringer/
Author Bio:
Scott lives with his husband Mark in a yellow bungalow in Sacramento. He was indoctrinated
into fantasy and sci fi by his mother at the tender age of nine. He devoured her library, but as he
grew up, he wondered where all the people like him were.
He decided that if there weren't queer characters in his favorite genres, he would remake them to
his own ends.
A Rainbow Award winning author, he runs Queer Sci Fi, QueeRomance Ink, Liminal Fiction,
and Other Worlds Ink with Mark, sites that celebrate fiction reflecting queer reality, and was the
committee chair for the Indie Authors Committee at the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of
America (SFWA) for almost three years.
Author Website: https://www.jscottcoatsworth.com
Author Facebook (Personal): https://www.facebook.com/jscottcoatsworth/
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Author Mastodon: https://mastodon.otherworldsink.com/@jscottcoatsworth
Author Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jscottcoatsworth/
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Author Liminal Fiction (LimFic.com): https://www.limfic.com/mbm-book-author/j-scott-
coatsworth/
Author QueeRomance Ink: https://www.queeromanceink.com/mbm-book-author/j-scott-
coatsworth/
Author Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/J.-Scott-Coatsworth/e/B011AFO4OQ
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