Blurb:
Daughter of the Goddess Lands is the unforgettable saga of Kalie, a courageous young heroine born into the untamed beauty of prehistoric Europe.
Kalie’s peaceful life is shattered when a brutal attack by horsemen from the east leave her scarred in body and soul. As the sole survivor of the assault, Kalie makes her way home, and warns her people to prepare for the invasion that she knows is coming. But the goddess-worshiping farmers of her home have no concept of battle, and dismiss Kalie’s warning.
When the marauders strike again, they cut a swath of destruction and death that prove too late the truth of Kalie’s words. Then Haraak, the leader of the invaders, demands a tribute of gold, grain and women in exchange for sparing her village. Yet it is in Harak’s cruel show of power that Kalie sees a chance to save her people–and gain revenge for herself.
Kalie leads a group of volunteers to infiltrate the horseman’s society, and then destroy them from within. Once she is among them, Kalie uses her skill as a storyteller, and her knowledge of healing to penetrate the horsemen’s inner circle and to discover the secrets that could lead to their destruction.
But Kalie discovers that price of revenge is high, and that a quest for vengeance can become a journey of healing and redemption.
Daughter of the Goddess Lands is the unforgettable saga of Kalie, a courageous young heroine born into the untamed beauty of prehistoric Europe.
Kalie’s peaceful life is shattered when a brutal attack by horsemen from the east leave her scarred in body and soul. As the sole survivor of the assault, Kalie makes her way home, and warns her people to prepare for the invasion that she knows is coming. But the goddess-worshiping farmers of her home have no concept of battle, and dismiss Kalie’s warning.
When the marauders strike again, they cut a swath of destruction and death that prove too late the truth of Kalie’s words. Then Haraak, the leader of the invaders, demands a tribute of gold, grain and women in exchange for sparing her village. Yet it is in Harak’s cruel show of power that Kalie sees a chance to save her people–and gain revenge for herself.
Kalie leads a group of volunteers to infiltrate the horseman’s society, and then destroy them from within. Once she is among them, Kalie uses her skill as a storyteller, and her knowledge of healing to penetrate the horsemen’s inner circle and to discover the secrets that could lead to their destruction.
But Kalie discovers that price of revenge is high, and that a quest for vengeance can become a journey of healing and redemption.
Excerpt
(from Ch. 12):
“But
what does he mean?” asked a young woman, whose plaintive tone
reminded Kalie of a sheep. “People cannot be owned! Women or men,
it makes no difference. Can’t you just explain that to him?”
Kalie
sighed, tired of answering the same question, no matter how many
different ways it was phrased.
“Well?”
demanded the man seated next to the speaker, his arm around her. The
meeting was being held in the largest shrine in Riverford, much
larger than the one Kalie had met them in the night before. Perhaps
eight hands of people were crowded inside, with several times that
number waiting anxiously in the courtyard outside.
Kalie
looked at the young couple, afraid that if she tried to explain yet
again, she would say something that she would regret.
She
was spared having to answer by Maris. “Whether we like it or not,”
the ancient healer said in a voice that belied her age, “we have
been called to deal with people who are entirely different from any
we have ever encountered. Or imagined. Kalie has explained this
notion of ‘slavery’ to us. Refusing to believe it will not
change the fact that it is.”
“I
will gladly hand over the gold and cloth,” said Yelene. “Even
weapons of copper, though I shudder to think of those tools in the
hands of such creatures. And as for food, I say give them our honey
and wine and every bit of seed grain we have. All of that can be
replaced! But I cannot give them human beings! I cannot ask any one
of us to even consider such a sacrifice.”
A
heavy silence settled over the room. Kalie knew it was now or never.
“There
may be a way,” she began. “Yelene is right when she said that
material wealth can be replaced. But now that these beastmen know of
us—of great wealth in the west, held by people who know nothing of
war—they will return, and in greater numbers. If the lands of the
Goddess are to survive, I believe that the answer lies within
Haraak’s demand for slaves.”
There
was a roar of protest, but Yelene silenced it with a glance. “How?”
“What
I am going to suggest will sound like madness—and it may very well
be.” She faltered, suddenly unsure of how to continue.
“It’s
all right, child,” said Maris. “The words are in you. Just let
them out.” She whispered to the apprentice beside her, and the
young woman brought Kalie a cup of something steaming. Kalie thanked
her and sipped carefully. A rich, flowery tea greeted her tongue,
and while she was trying to guess the ingredients, inspiration
struck.
“There
is a story I learned while I lived with the healers at Hot Springs.”
Kalie’s voice took on the cadence of a storyteller. “Far in the
north, where the snow never melts, there lives a bear that is pure
white. When it stands on two legs, it is the height of three men,
and no spear or arrow made by the hand of man can kill it. But the
people who share this bear’s domain have developed an unusual
weapon, for such times as when a bear ravages a village, or when
hunger makes the people desperate.
“They
take a ball of fat, softened by fire, and into it they slide a double
bladed knife, folded together, and held in place by the fat as it
hardens. They then leave the ball by whatever water source the bear
drinks from. The bear usually swallows the ball whole, and goes on
his way.”
“And
when the fat melts inside his stomach…” Maris took up the story.
“The knife springs open and kills the bear—from the inside.”
“A
rather cruel way to hunt,” said Yelene.
“Killing
is often cruel,” said a man across the room. “As much as we
might seek to make it otherwise. But when threatened, all creatures
will use whatever means are available to be the one who survives,
even if another must die.”
Yelene
fixed Kalie with a piercing gaze. “What do you have in mind,
child?”
“Haraak
has demanded slaves. I say we should give him slaves. Women,
willing to sacrifice their lives to save our world from his. We will
be the knife swallowed by the bear. We will destroy their world—from
within.”
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About the Author:
Sandra
Saidak is a high school English teacher by day, author by night. Her
hobbies include reading, dancing, attending science fiction
conventions, researching prehistory, and maintaining an active
fantasy life (but she warns that this last one could lead to
dangerous habits such as writing). Sandra lives in San Jose with her
husband Tom, daughters Heather and Melissa, and two cats.
Sandra’s
prehistoric fiction series, Kalie’s
Journey
began with the novel, Daughter
of the
Goddess
Lands,
an epic set in the late Neolithic Age, and published in November 2011
by Uffington Horse Press. Book 2 of the series, Shadow
of the Horsemen,
was released in July of 2012. Book 3, Keepers
of the
Ancient
Wisdom
will be released later this year. Stories set in the Kalie universe
can be found in Sandra’s short story collection, In
the Balance and
in
the
stand alone novella,
Oathbreaker’s Daughter.
Sandra
loves to hear from her readers, so feel free to post a comment on her
Author’s Page, or her website at http://www.sandrasaidak.com/.
Author Links:
Thanks, Book Fairy, for being part of my book tour!
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