Circle of Sun Series by Kim Luke

Chapter 1

Brilliant sunlight floods the rock face we climb. The quartz veins in the limestone

shimmer near my gloved hand. The two of us scale the forty-five foot challenge with ease. We take

pictures of one another.

Alec teases me about my pink camera, and my sloppy climbing technique. We gather our

gear and walk across to the next plateau, passing crevices and brush. He leads, and I follow. His

sandy hair dances with every September gust. Alec’s shoulders are broad and he is tall compared to

my petite frame. His body is fit and the bronze of his skin reveals seasons of living to the fullest.

Alec is beautiful. The adage might be true that opposites attract. He is dark, and I am fair. Alec

thrives on adventures while I find adventure in books and history. I am not glamorous like the

women I would pair with his kind, but his love for me is pure. I don’t have to be anything more than

what I am, making me love him even more, if it were possible.

The azure sky is a breathtaking backdrop for puffy white clouds to sail by. This day is

magical only because I am alone with him.

Alec jogs back in the direction of our last climb when I realize my camera is missing, and

I continue on the trek to set up for our next climb. I grow uneasy; does he need my help? He’s been

gone too long, and I try to stay calm as I make my way back to the top of the ledge.

“Alec…Alec!” I say, but no answer comes.

Eyeing the ledge, my fear mounts and can no longer be ignored. Panic grips me and

without hesitation I make my way to the drop off. I slowly peek over. His voice behind me says my

name.

“Quinn!”

Turning, I am blinded by the searing rays of the afternoon sun. I see only a tall shadow

before large hands violently shove my shoulders with such force I am thrust over the rock wall. My

scream fills the canyon. I am free falling down, down. My lungs ache for a breath in this deep

darkness. I am suffocating. I experience excruciating pain and ultimate despair. All hope escapes my

consciousness.

Sound and sight are extinct now. My world is black.

Warmth surrounds my feet and travels slowly up my body. My afflictions are gone. My

eyelids are open, to a foreign place. I rise and begin to walk, but my feet don’t touch the sand. I float

along a quiet shoreline. The sterling sea is calm. Without sun or moon this place is neither day nor

night, but dusk-like. Through the mist a figure approaches.

Her body glides towards me. She is draped in shimmering silver, her face expressionless.

Her gaze is not at me, but beyond me.

Curious, I turn, only infinite shoreline. My quivering hands cover my racing heart.

She seems to sense my fear as she studies me. Large round eyes peer into mine, into my

soul. Her blank expression is replaced with tender mercy. Her friendly eyes promise no harm. I am

no longer afraid. I can’t see, but I feel her smile. She is blissful; her immense joy radiates around her

like sparkling crystals.

My face is now wet from the mist, yet her ivory skin is smooth and dry. Before I can form

words, she does.

“No one can prepare for a time as this. The sun itself fades in brilliance a bit with each

passing day. Eyes look but do not see. Purity drains from the hearts of good men. Find the Circle of

Sun. A tender seed must push through bitter soil to survive,” she says and points behind me. “Let the

prints lead you.”

The footprints behind me are mine.

She interrupts my thoughts.

“Follow their path to your sun.”

I bask in her radiant warmth as her graceful hand touches my face.

Her gaze never leaves me as she glides away.

I watch as she melts into the distance. I want to follow, but she is gone. Few and unclear

were her words. All I can do is begin. I turn and take the first step.

My heavy eyelids open to blurred edges of brilliant color, strange bouquets cover the

ceiling. I blink to focus and the scene becomes clear. Taped to the ceiling are vivid crayon-filled

pictures, children’s artwork thoughtfully placed for those waking up.

Suddenly a face casts a smile down at me.

“Dr. Crenshaw is here to check in on you,” says a nurse.

“Quinn, how are you feeling? Your surgical procedure went very well, and with your

recent progress, we can begin to discuss getting you out of here after all of these months. I am sure

you are ready,” the doctor says.

I am completely baffled by this conversation and I struggle to communicate. My

confusion is obvious to him and he pats my hand. Me? In the hospital for months? I am disconnected

to reality, free falling again.

“You are still groggy, I will be back in the afternoon to check in on you,” he says kindly.

My drowsy state can only mean I am still dreaming. The memory of the misty grey ocean

beckons and I remember the mystical place. Desperate to return to the silver shoreline, I fall into

sleep hoping to see her again.

During the next week reality rolls in like an unwelcomed storm. Added to confusion is

loss. Alec is gone. Pain permeates every fiber of my being, and the waves of grief crest and ebb.

Hikers found us at the bottom of the rock face, Alec dead and me clinging to life. In death, Alec

saved my life, his body breaking my fall. I am horrified at the picture this paints in my mind. Alec is

gone, and even though I survived the accident, I will need months of recovery. Investigators did not

seriously consider what I told them about being pushed. My pink camera was never found, perhaps it

never existed. Trauma can produce false memories, they explained. The only logical theory of what

happened on the cliff has been difficult to accept. Alec fell and my shock at seeing him dead, caused

me to fall too. Although I could not identify who the shadowy figure was, I know it was Alec’s voice

making me to turn. How is it possible? If he pushed me, how could his body break my fall? I can’t

put the pieces together. As my body heals, answers elude me. I recall the panic as I approached the

edge. I heard Alec’s voice behind me saying my name. I was blinded by the sun. I remember hands

forcefully pushing me. It’s not possible. Alec would never hurt me. I reluctantly accept their version

of the accident as reality. Logically it makes sense, so I struggle to recapture my confidence and

stabilize my mental state.



Circle of Sun
Circle of Sun Series
Book 1
Kim Luke
Genre: Fantasy
Cover Artist: Anne and Marshal Tezon at Personal Chapters
Book Description:
Something is wrong in White Oak, MO After a deadly climbing accident, 30-year-old Quinn Clarke loses her job and retreats to the sleepy Missouri riverside town of White Oak to heal her fractured body and rebuild her life. But the tourist village, with its wineries, quaint shops and rich history, turns out to be anything but sleepy.
Something is wrong with the water in White Oak. Birds are dying and bizarre weather conditions threaten the town’s future. Quinn is sucked into the chaos, beginning with a mystery woman who delivers a message suggesting her climbing tragedy was no accident. Quinn meets handsome detective Keefe Remington, then visits nearby Royce Estate. She loses her way and her peace of mind on that visit and is confused and unprepared for what lies behind the massive stone walls and how she is somehow connected to the Royce family.
The first book of the Circle of Sun series takes Quinn from main street bookstore owner to unlikely heroine and straight into a darkness that could turn White Oak into a battlefield . . . and into her destiny.
Available at www.kimlukeauthor.com

 

 
Black Inferno
Circle of Sun Series
Book 2
Kim Luke
Genre: Fiction Fantasy
Date of Publication: March 28, 2015
ISBN: 1508936234
Number of pages: 218
Word Count: 79,999
Cover Artist: Anne and Marshall Tezon
Personal Chapters
Book Description:
The second installment in the Circle of Sun series finds the Guardians on a quest to save a city of innocent souls from potential decimation by illness and some seemingly innocuous chocolates.
As some of the Guardians are battling unseen evil away from home, their former leader and patriarch is falsely imprisoned and his daughter disappears. What does it take to recover another Fidesorb?
The discovery of a secret society of Guardians has created a new reality for Quinn Clarke and her friends in the little riverside town of White Oak. The first Quest with Quinn as the Polaris to the Circle of Sun transports our Guardians to a suspended season in time. Wearing the armor of faith, will they be able to rescue a city of innocent souls spellbound by a faceless enemy? Is the return of tranquility to White Oak after the defeat of the River People only the calm before the storm?
As new ties of friendship are laced, they quickly become restrictive and threatening. A tragic turn of events puts Romulus in danger of losing his freedom, and Sapphire is missing, leaving the Circle of Sun fractured and vulnerable.
Will a victorious Quest cost lives on the home front? What secrets lie within the lush rolling vineyards, hidden oak barrels, the Grand Royce Estate and even Fireside Books?
In the second installment of the Circle of Sun, our characters must grow into courageous defenders of light, if they are to break free of the vast and sticky web of deceit that threatens them. Their goal is to recover another precious Fidesorb so it can be returned to its rightful place in the angelic realms.
 
  Available at  www.kimlukeauthor.com    

 
 

 

About the Author:
Author Kim Luke once had to help a customer at her family Christmas tree farm chop down a fresh tree in a business suit and heels. She was comfortable in that attire, the “uniform” of her marketing profession. She was not as comfortable as a Christmas tree farmer, but she’s learned to be supportive in this family endeavor.
The tree farm is located in Missouri, the setting for both of Kim’s two novels in her Circle of Sun series.   A literature major in college, Luke has always enjoyed a good story and loves using her imagination.  Of her many passions, writing has been with her the longest.
The cornerstones in her life are her faith and family. Kim and husband Bob are blessed with three children, incredible in-laws and three grandchildren. The Lukes live with their Alaskan Malamute dog on a beautiful 20 acre farm, where Kim indulges her love of books, coffee, wine and positive thinkers.  
You can connect with Kim at www.kimlukeauthor.com, on Facebook at Circle of Sun or on Twitter, @kimluke. She is also a Goodreads author.
Web/blog- kimlukeauthor.com
Twitter: kimluke_
Facebook: circleofsun/kimluke

Can Stress and Anxiety Cause erectile dysfunction? Here safe to take viagra with simvastatin I will right away viagra billigt sverige clutch your rss feed as I can not find your email subscription hyperlink or e-newsletter service. Its simple, yet effective. A lot of times its difficult to get that “perfect balance” between superb usability and visual appeal dizionario del viagra.

2 thoughts on “Circle of Sun Series by Kim Luke

  1. Sounds like a great series, Thanks for shairng!

    • Thanks for stopping by Eva!

Comments are closed.