Synopsis

Jason Lex and Sadie Callahan are together again in their hometown of Salton recovering from personal tragedies and bearing the burden of new secrets. Both are wishing for nothing but normalcy, but when Skyfish swarm and a rogue Bigfoot attacks, Jason and Sadie know looming danger can’t be ignored.

Their friendship is challenged when a vanquished enemy returns from the dead bringing imminent threat to the lives of their friends and family. Sadie turns her back on Jason and he struggles without her to balance his upgraded Guard powers against fears of his own dark destiny, while Sadie is solely consumed on avenging her loss and defeating her adversary once and for all.

After a stunning family revelation, an agonizing betrayal exposes Jason and Sadie to their greatest enemy yet. They must find a way to fight together or suffer the loss of everything and everyone they love.

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Praise for Wendy and The Rampart Guards series

“[The Rampart Guards is] a delightful novel that delivers a tightly plotted, character-driven story. This paranormal fantasy is not only wildly entertaining, but also undeniably unique. The cast of authentic and endearing characters is one of the novel’s many strengths, along with the brisk pacing, action-packed narrative and creation of the novel’s fascinating creatures. Both adult and YA audiences should find this book appealing.”  — Kirkus Reviews (starred review), named to Kirkus Reviews’ Best Books of 2016

 “Terrien has created an intriguing world that seamlessly integrates the fantastic with the realistic and is supported by a relatable cast of characters.” — Foreword Clarion 5-star review

 “The undeniable strength of Terrien’s writing is not in the action scenes (although they are exhilarating and adeptly rendered), or in the plot (which is intelligently designed and skillfully executed), but in her ability to warmly express the very human nature of her characters as they stumble, grow, and triumph, always with the genuine support of one another.” — Colorado Book Review of The Forge of Bonds

Excerpt

Jason pulled on his coat, clipped a leash onto Shay’s harness and they headed out into the dwindling light of the wintry afternoon. Three times Skyfish zipped close and Jason dodged each one. Shay paid no attention to them.

Sadie’s right. I need to ignore them, or they will drive me crazy.

He paused, refocused on his route, and asked Shay to heel.

They took the shorter path to Uncle A’s house, traveling along the canal past thickets of chokecherry bushes and scrub oak, near the hidden cove where Jason and Sadie had first met, and where Jason had first encountered Skyfish.

As if triggered by the memory, a tingle crawled around the base of his skull. He scanned the sky but noticed nothing.

Shay froze and growled, her gaze fixed on a thick clutch of bramble on the other side of the canal.

Twigs snapped.

A shadow shifted.

“Who’s in there?” Jason asked. He flexed his fist. Bolts of electricity zipped inside him.

Nothing moved.

Shay pulled to get closer to the bushes. Jason held firm. Steam pumped from Shay’s nostrils as she sniffed and cleared her sinuses, scenting what seemed to be hidden in the waning light of day.

He tightened his grip on her leash. “Hey,” Jason yelled, trying to trigger a reveal. Still, nothing moved. Shay sat but remained trained on the spot. He waited another moment, his senses still triggering, but saw nothing and presumed more Skyfish had caused the alarm. He called to Shay to continue along the path.

Seconds later, something crashed through the brush on the far bank behind them. Jason’s powers flared his arms blue and he pivoted, Shay yanking him toward the sound. A brown figure, seemingly on all fours, barreled into the canal and cannonballed water in its wake. It scrambled up the bank and stopped about forty feet away, facing Jason and Shay, fixated for a moment while water dripped from its fur.

Sparks flashed from Jason’s raised arm.

The creature stepped closer.

His powers flared. Don’t do it…don’t make me do it…

Shay yipped and strained on her lead.

The creature sniffed the air once, twice, water gurgling in its nostrils, then turned and scrambled away.

Shay tugged to take chase. Jason countered her momentum with his and lowered his arm.

If that was a dog, it was the biggest, shaggiest dog I’ve ever seen…

Before using his power, he had to be sure a creature, a cryptid, was dangerous. He couldn’t let himself hurt something or someone when they didn’t deserve it, when they didn’t mean it.

Farther down the path, the figure faded from sight.

Jason’s arms still glowed a fiery blue.

About the Author

WENDY TERRIEN is an international best-selling author and Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers’ 2017-18 Independent Writer of the Year. Her debut novel, “The Rampart Guards,” earned a Kirkus starred review and was named to Kirkus Reviews’ Best Books of 2016. Wendy graduated from the University of Utah and transplanted to Colorado where she completed her MBA at the University of Denver. She is on the board of Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, and is a member of Pikes Peak Writers, the Colorado Authors’ League, and the Author’s Guild. Wendy lives in the Denver area with her husband, Kevin, and their dogs, Shea and Boon. She is also committed to promoting pet adoption from rescues or shelters.

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