sneak peek of my upcoming novel "Igniting the Shadows"

When Lian opened her eyes she found that she was no longer home but somewhere outdoors where the air was cold and dark. She was enveloped in a dark mist that felt sticky and heavy to the touch. It reached as far as she could see and feel. The mist felt like thick cotton candy that clung greedily to her body. She tried to push it away but it stuck, gathering around her body, growing thicker with each passing moment. She felt her heart jump and her throat clench tightly as panic slowly began to set in. A scream gurgled from the depths of her lips and she fought back the overwhelming sense of fear that threatened to engulf her. She sucked in a breath of air, but felt her throat clogging with the mist that enshrouded her. She pushed at it frantically, ripping it away from her body and throwing it to the side. But watched it grow instead of shrink. She stepped forward, as if she could walk away from it, but her feet trembled beneath her, causing her to trip. She was suddenly falling over, her arms pinned by the mist and unable to brace her impact.

She let out a shriek as she hit the ground, more softly than anticipated with the mist quickly evaporating. Rolling over onto her back, she was still trying to push away the mist that longer existed and her breathing was laboured. Opening her eyes, she realized that the imminent danger was gone, and pulled herself to a partial sitting position. She pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. Glancing around, her eyes darting from side to side, she suddenly back-pedalled herself until she slammed into a tree. It shook beneath her, its leaves gently fluttering down around her. She was still gasping for air when she touched her arms and realized that the mist was gone. Her heart began to slow down and her breath grew more steady and calm. She lowered her head into her knees and took in a long, deep breath.