Castle Girl Excerpt

 Today I will be sharing a bit about my current novel, Castle Girl,  which is a retelling of the fairytale Rumpelstiltskin. Here is a little blurb about the book:

Elidi Azel has worked as a maid at the Wintri Castle ever since she was abandoned as a little girl. All she's ever wanted since then is a normal, unexciting life, but her world is flipped upside down when her best friend, Analia, is locked up in a tower by a greedy king who will do anything for gold, and a little man with powers like Elidi has never seen before may be the key to saving her--or taking away everything Analia loves most. Elidi is faced with a decision; will she risk everything for her friends, and uncover the secret of the little man with the red flame?

And here is an excerpt from the book. I hope you enjoy!

 The little company stood still. Behind them, the forest was green and bright and smelled of home. Ahead of them, the mountain jutted towards the sky like claws being thrust upward from the ground. 

Elidi felt trapped between two worlds, one beautiful and inviting, one dark and foreboding. She felt Hensley’s trembling body press up against her, and gently grasped the young girl’s hand. She wanted to say something reassuring, but Jax wouldn’t stop talking.

“ We’ve checked the forest dozens of times!” He exclaimed. “ But the mountain...it’s the perfect place for someone to hide!” Elidi rolled her eyes,  frustration bubbling up inside her.

“ Oh, of course, why didn’t I think of that? One minor setback; that’s the dangerous region! It’s called the Claw! No one’s ever come out of there alive! It’s not worth our lives!” 

“ There are more lives than our own at stake.” Jax shot back. Elidi clenched her jaw and glared at him with all her might. Jax Koba really got on her nerves. Especially when he was right.

“ Elidi…” Hensley whispered, pressing up even closer against her.

“ Not now.” Elidi hissed.

“ But…” Hensley said urgently. 

“ What?” Elidi snapped irritabley. 

“ Elidi! I--I think I’ve found him!” Suddenly, Hensley pulled away and started stumbling down the path toward the forest. Startled, Elidi squinted to see what Hensley was running towards. She could just make out a flickering red flame through the tangle of trees. Her eyes widened anxiously as understanding dawned on her. She started to panic, grabbing Jax’s hand hard.

“ What’s wrong?” He demanded.

“ He’s in the forest! Oh, Jax, she could get hurt!” She screamed. “Hensley? Wait! Hensley!”