Ellie's Journey
by
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….Suddenly, while the team are standing high up on a vast ledge jutting out into the sky which is used as a landing area they hear the sound of a distant horn, then another and another until the noise gets louder and nearer. Gawain tells them to get inside quickly and shouts to Iestyn as he readies both draig and riders in the courtyard below. Rick almost drags Eleri towards the castle as they hear the ships firing in the distance and Mac mutters
‘Dakaran’s. Do they ever take a day off?’ as he and Alex ready their weapons and take cover. Rick joins them as the ships fire on the town and Iestyn and his legion head out to protect their people, Eleri wonders how on earth they can fight against those ships. But as the enemy troops land the bowmen take position and each Dakaran regiment is slaughtered before it can inflict serious damage while the draig themselves form a perimeter around the ships. Iestyn commands each rider and with precision timing their steeds, huge wings flapping suddenly snort and their fire lights up the sky as the ships explode with the debris crashing to the ground. Almost immediately Rick spots some of the Dakarans on the surrounding hillside and gives orders to fire on them when suddenly several appear on the landing ledge and only now do they realise that Christian is stood in the open completely cut off from the team. As he draws his weapon the soldiers move towards him and Eleri jumps up screaming ‘no!‘ and drawing her sword, she quickly erects a shield around her friend as they begin to fire and launches herself at the nearest Dakaran, but he is ready and blocks her blows as she struggles against his superior size until eventually Eleri steps back to gain enough distance to deliver a perfect kick to his chest and he staggers backwards towards the edge. As Eleri prepares to aid his fall she watches in horror as Christian and his opponent stumble into the Dakaran’s path and topple at the edge for several seconds until the enemy falls taking Christian with him to certain death. By now Gawain has seen this unfold and instructs a rider and dragon to follow and as he takes Eleri’s hand she pushes away from him running towards the edge then diving off the landing area much to his distress. He follows quickly standing to watch her descent in stunned disbelief and fear, now the Dakaran fights with Christian as they fall and Eleri hurtles towards them. As she nears them both Eleri brings her legs up as if to land but this time she uses both feet to kick at the enemy who immediately loses his grip on Christian. As he continues to fall she holds herself steady above him, watching as he looks into her eyes knowing he is about to die and that she won’t save him, he soon disappears below her and Eleri falls away gracefully to catch her friend in mid air….
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About the Book
When Ellie leaves Wales with her husband for a new life in New Zealand she expects a difficult journey but is also looking forward to the adventure ahead so when Phillip is killed soon after they arrive she remains determined to carry on with their dream. When a friend invites her to the US she jumps at the chance to renew their friendship while considering where her future lies, but suddenly Ellie is thrown into a world of myths and legend hidden from the people of Earth. What starts as a pleasant holiday becomes an incredibly exciting job encountering new species and races of people financed by the American government. Ellie then begins a relationship with someone special and soon settles down perfectly content in this new chapter of her life, delving into the history and culture of those that inhabit this secret world.
But it all changes when a routine mission goes wrong with catastrophic results for Ellie, fatally injured she is taken to a city where the leader shows her how her body will now heal itself from wounds which a normal human being would not survive. Over time Ellie begins to develop powers that will set her apart from others and make her a target for both Earth’s enemies and unscrupulous peers closer to home - she becomes both a valuable asset to the military and a feared weapon that could be used against them. Ellie sees her relationship crumble and the fear in her colleague’s eyes, now realizing what it is like to be truly alone and, fighting for her own survival takes the decision to become a solitary figure, the weapon that the military believe her to be.
About the Author
Lowri Hughes has been an avid reader of just about anything since she discovered her first book. Her most vivid memory is of coming across an early edition of C.S. Lewis’ The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe in her school library and devouring the rest of his Narnia works within a few short weeks.
“when I pick up a book, I have to read it there and then - all of it!” she says “it makes me an appalling mother and very boring company”
As a child she would sit alone and read for hours, lost in the story and Ellie’s Journey was exactly the same.
“I never intended to write, I just had this person, this story in my head and I could see it all played out in colour. I foolishly thought that if I wrote it down I could free up some space in my head but boy was I wrong!”
The author draws on her own love of languages and history and admits to using herself and her family to help the reader visualise Ellie.
“I thoroughly enjoyed being Ellie while writing the book - though it was pretty exhausting! I really hope you can lose yourself in her story as I did”