Henrietta the Dragon Slayer by Beth Barany

Henrietta the Dragon Slayer Henrietta the Dragon Slayer Book 1by Beth BaranyGenre: YA Fantasy AdventureShe's a legend at 17, but only Henrietta knows the price she paid for her
fame … and it was much too high.


From the Winner of the California Fiction Writer's Book Contest comes this
thrilling adventure of a young warrior on one final quest … against
an opponent she swore never to face again.Henrietta, the legendary Dragon Slayer of Bleuve, can't face the thought of
another kill. She's lost family, friends and home on her rocky road
to fame. But when the young warrior is summoned by a King to retrieve
the Dragon Stone from the last dragon in existence, she can't re
fuse--her mentor lies dying, and the healing stone is all that can
save him. This quest will be her most harrowing of all, for it means
facing mysterious assassins, the dreaded choppy sea, and all with a
misfit band--a young witch, a jester and a surly knight. And at
journey's end, someone must die … the dragon, or Henrietta.Perfect for fans of Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, Collins' The Hunger Games,
McKinley's Hero & the Crown, and Paolini's Eragon. Get your copy
of Henrietta the Dragon Slayer today!Add to GoodreadsAmazon * Apple * B&N * Kobo * Smashwords

“But what does that mean?” the dragon slayer yelled over a loud hum, her panic at a near-fever pitch.“I don’t know!” the bard shouted.“Why didn’t you tell me all this before?” the dragon slayer said, her voice high-pitched, frantic.“You never asked,” the bard replied.“But you knew who I was facing.”“The legend doesn’t say the name of the dragon. I just realized who it meant.” The bard hung on to his staff.“But still you should have told me! You know all the tales.”The dragon slayer sounded at wits end. She was weakening. Perfect. He sucked in more of her fear as sustenance to rebuild his strength.“You should have asked!” the bard said again. “Besides I thought you knew them as well as I did! What is wrong with you? This is what you do, save people and kingdoms from dragons!” Jaxter coughed.Eyvindir reveled in the bard’s increasing weakness and in the argument brewing.“Stop! We don’t have the time to argue!” the fire girl, Paulette, yelled. The sneak somehow saw through his facade back at the castle. She would not last a day under his new reign.“What?” the dragon slayer said.“The dragon is changing,” the knight said.The beast’s crystal scales shifted through the primary color spectrum. A second dragon arose from the first, consisting only of a matrix of rainbow light.Eyvindir would regain the upper hand. He drew ever more strength from everyone’s confusion and fear. Clarity blossomed anew. The moon wouldn’t rise for another hour. He still had time. The dragon slayer’s surprise betrayal would delay him no more.“You have to kill it before it disappears for another millennia!” Eyvindir yelled, his strength growing from their pain. He could wriggle in the ropes. Soon his power would reawaken and then he would easily break his flimsy bonds. “You must! I command it!” But his last words were drowned out of his own hearing by a roar from the beast.
“Shut up!” the dragon slayer managed to shout over the din. Henrietta and the Dragon StoneHenrietta the Dragon Slayer Book 2What if all those you loved were threatened by a force you couldn't see or fight?Henrietta the legendary ass kicking dragon slayer wants to return to her
village for a heroes’ welcome. But an unknown sorcerer rides after
her and her Dragon Stone, and aims to destroy everyone she cares
about. Can she claim her newfound powers sparked by the Dragon Stone
and keep her loved ones safe, especially her more-than-friend, and
her stalwart bodyguard, before the sorcerer destroys her and
everything in his path?A medieval-set world with magic and magical creatures.A 86,000-word novel.Beth Barany empowers young women to be the heroes of their own lives.Add to GoodreadsAmazon * Apple * B&N * Kobo * Smashwords

“Stop!” Eyvindir tried to yell, but it came out like a series of croaks. No, it couldn’t be. He couldn’t move his body.Then in a breath, he lost all sense of feeling. Impossible.He was able to sense his life force being jettisoned out of his body and into the night sky, on its way back to where his actual body rested inert in his fortress far to the north and east. Through his cloud of shock, from his vantage point in the sky far above, he spied his body, actually the body of King Singfan who had ruled the Oro Islands for over seventy-five years, burst into flames. He felt nothing. He was frozen in shock. The male body that had been the Oro king’s was now cinders, a miniscule pile of ash.Panic almost scattered his prana into a million trillion irretrievable bits. Only his mighty skill as the oldest living sorcerer saved him. He’d heard rumors of such things. But no, he could not die. Unacceptable. He mustered his focus. His actual ancient body existed within reach.He focused on his prana, a faint thread of light, a line leading in a northeasterly direction, through the clouds, across the sea, to his obsidian mountain enclave. He didn’t follow the thread to nestle in his sleeping form in that cold room. Not just yet. To do that would admit defeat. He would not let an upstart dragon slayer ruin his plans.
But she had. He had wits enough to admit that. Henrietta and the Battle of the Horse MesaHenrietta the Dragon Slayer Book 3Finally, the sweeping conclusion to the Henrietta The Dragon Slayer trilogy!Parted by destiny, the four friends struggle to rejoin forces and face for a
final time, the ruthless sorcerer intent on destroying them all.In the biggest challenge of her life, Henrietta the legendary Dragon
Slayer of Bleuve must lead her people into a battle that may end life
as they know it. For they face no ordinary army, but the dark forces
of a powerful sorcerer bent on overtaking all five kingdoms. And
unless she can rescue her dauntless knight Franc, she must do it without his support.Franc will follow Henrietta anywhere. But on a mission to find allies among
the Horse People, he is kidnapped and taken by minions of the evil
sorcerer Eyvindir. Will he find the strength and courage to survive,
and fight again at Henrietta's side?Paulette, the young fire witch, must stand trial for a murder committed out of
desperation. In despair at her imprisonment by forces acting against
her dearest friend, Jaxter, she escapes and flees to the frigid,
forbidden land of Varangia to find a witch powerful enough to help
her finally master fire. But what must she give up to gain the power
to aid her friends?Jaxter, now a king, must come to terms with the heavy responsibilities of
ruling the Oro Islands, newly emerged from over 75 years of evil
rule. This means doing right, even when it means going against
ancient customs and protocols. Worse, the marauding Varangians press
at his borders. He must find a way to defend his home, or none of
them will survive.Will Henrietta and her friends be able to stop the ruthless sorcerer from
obliterating her, claiming the Dragon Stone, and ruling over the Five
Kingdoms?Add to GoodreadsAmazon * Apple * B&N * Kobo * Smashwords


In the chilly night, Paulette huddled over the fire and rubbed her hands. They shook. She clamped tight her jaw. No more weakness. She had to have fighting magics. She had to be able to defend herself, like her friends could.Henrietta had her military skills, Franc too. Jaxter had his quarterstaff. What did she have? Her puny fire magic could barely create a diversion in the middle of a fight.She threw more fire bane herbs onto the near-dead coals. Mistress Jenny would not approve of what she was about to do. Mistress Jenny wasn’t here, on the trail beside a Kingdom of Bleuve forest, confronted with mad knights who wanted to kill them for no reason.She glanced over her shoulder. Henrietta slept, facing the river. Jaxter slept in his bedroll not far from the fire, snoring softly. Franc stood watch over his fallen—what? Companions? No, betrayers—those knights of Oro who had charged up the riverbank toward them with murder in their eyes.Paulette shivered and hunched over her work. The night pressed in cold all around like a wet blanket. She wished she could burn it all down and gulped back her tears. She wouldn’t become a powerful witch with tears but with action.“I call forth the ancient magic power of fire from the depths of the earth, from the five corners of the known kingdoms, from the stars above,” Paulette chanted. “Come to me. I am willing to pay the price.”Should she prick her finger and give up a drop of blood to symbolize the price? She felt about for a twig or sharp stone, but found nothing. Her cooking knives were wrapped in her pack, out of reach.The wind picked up. A whooshing assaulted her ears. She covered them and squeezed shut her eyes against the debris that kicked up. A glow colored her eyelids orange. She cracked open her eyes and sucked in a breath at the vision before her.A flame jumped and wavered beside the dead coals, not rooted in anything, but floating above the ground, free. Inside the flame the face of an ancient woman appeared, gnarled like the oldest trees in the forest.“Do you really want to pay that price, my child?” a sandpapery voice hissed.Paulette gulped and nodded at the ancient witch she’d summoned. The price was life force. At fourteen suns, she could afford it. She’d gladly shorten her life for a few suns for the ability to bravely fight with fire powers.“Speak,” the woman said, her voice at once grating and commanding. “Are you certain this is what you want?” The ancient witch’s fire threw off no heat as it flickered and danced, independent of the frigid winter wind.“I-I do.” Paulette cleared the lump in her throat, clenched her hands to stop their shaking, and said again, “I am willing to pay the price.”“You know the price,” the ancient witch insisted.“Yes, yes.” Paulette sobbed, her tears overtaking her in a flash. She hunched over the embers in the campfire, the flames suddenly hot and glowing.“Be certain, child. The price of the fire rage is very high. Few seek it.”A lightning bolt shot up from the ground.Paulette gasped at the brightness, and to keep from jumping in fright, clutched her arms around her bent knees. “I know. But I need it!”
She couldn’t hide the desperation and agony in her voice. There was no shame in asking for what you wanted and for being willing to pay the price, whatever it was. She needed to be able to protect herself. Award winning author, Beth Barany writes in several genres including young
adult adventure fantasy and paranormal romance.Inspired by living abroad in France and Quebec, she loves creating magical
tales of romance, mystery, and adventure that empower women and girls
to be the heroes of their own lives.For fun, Beth walks, gardens, and watched movies and travels with her
husband, author Ezra Barany. They live in Oakland, California with a
piano, their cats, and over 1,000 books.When not writing or playing, Beth runs an online school, BARANY SCHOOL OF
FICTION. helping novelists to write, market, and publish their books
to the delight of their readers.Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram * Amazon * GoodreadsFollow the tour HERE
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