Book 1 of the Chainbreaker Series.

Excerpt:

The general tilted his head ever so slightly and said, "Vahanan, oh ma-kas. I receive you, stranger." His voice was deep and dark, and not at all as friendly as Kasethen's—but pleasant nonetheless. He then motioned his large hand at her, inviting her to come closer.

She felt her heart race. Every grain in her body told her to run as fast as her legs would allow, but she obliged the warlord and cautiously walked nearer.

"You are here to learn the Kasenon, the philosophy of the People," said the Vasaath.

Juniper nodded. "Y-yes, my lord. It will be my honour to learn of your ways."

"Yes," said he and nonchalantly inspected the City Guards inside his tent, "you should feel honoured. When you are ready, you will come to see the truth in our ways. Vas-an lit basran."

She listened to the foreign words, tasted them on her tongue, and was intrigued. "My lord, what does that mean?"

The Vasaath settled his gaze upon her once again and said, with a hard and final tone, "'Order through submission'. That is your first lesson."

Those words, she understood—but she had to admit that the foreign words had been more pleasant to hear, for she had then not understood the meaning behind them. Now, when she did, coldness spread through her body and into her very core. Order through submission. The phrase was as terrifying as it was final, but she curtsied again.

"Thank you, my lord," she said. "I shall remember it."

"You shall learn it," the Vasaath said. Then, he rose from his bench, revealing his full height.

Juniper gasped as she backed straight into one of the guards.

The general was a giant—large but proportionate. Studded leather straps fell from the thick belt at his waist and shielded his long legs. The full texture of his muscled torso was revealed as he stood, and the black ink was displayed like a work of art.

He stepped down from the small podium and stood only a few feet away from Juniper as he looked down on her.

***

Summary:

Lady Juniper, the daughter of the Duke of Noxborough, becomes an ambassador of her people when the city is visited by an army of elite Kas warriors, the Demons of the North—the Grey Ones. Everyone knows an invasion is imminent, and it falls upon Juniper's shoulders to appease the foreign, giant, grey-skinned Warlord.

When the two widely different cultures clash, Juniper discovers that the world might not be as she always thought it was, or perhaps it will never change. One thing is for certain—her world is forever changed.

War is in the air and when two unbendable forces meet, the one has to bow to the other, eventually. What are the gains and losses in war, and who is in the right? Is any?

A story of forbidden love, honour, and self-discovery, THE GREY ONES introduces a new world of tradition, politics, and history.

This book contains depictions of violence and gore, sexual references, and mentions of abuse. Reader discresion is advised.

Rights and disclaimer:

This book is solely published on Lutionary, Wattpad and Inkitt under the pen name of L. E. Pearson (@LEPearson). If you have seen this book on another site, please inform me of this.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Copyright © 2022 by L. E. Pearson

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.