ships that travel on the backs of monsters... The Bone Master (Two of The Sands of Achten Tan #2) by Debbie Iancu-Haddad

"The characters are impossible not to love, especially Ruby and Valla and Sozi, and the plot is to die for. So many twists and turns, and some really sweet romance as well." - Bisera, Goodreads

Description

Kaii Haku has lived his whole life in the shadow of his cruel father's magic.

Rebelling against his father- the Bone Master- by drinking and sleeping around was Kaii's main occupation for years.

But when one of his best friends is kidnapped by pirates, Kaii embarks on a perilous rescue mission with two retired pleasure house workers, a shy teen bookworm, and a feisty girl from the pirate crew.

The journey will take Kaii and his allies far from Achten Tan, to a sea ruled by dangerous conditions and ships that travel on the backs of monsters.

For the first time in his life, he has the power to make a difference, but if he wields his emerging bone magic to save the girl he loves, he risks losing himself and becoming like his father - a man who tried to kill him.

EXCERPT

I count to twenty after Tara leaves with the mark, then finish my drink, slamming the cup down on the table. It clacks against the grimy surface.

“It’s made of bones,” I gripe at Brax, my shipmate, staring at the cup as though it’s personally offended me. “So is the table, and the chairs. Even the people in this sodden town contain bones. Though… I guess that’s everywhere.”

“You still sulking because the captain wouldn’t let you seduce the mark, Ruby?” Jace asks and laughs, drawing my eyes up to his hooded face. Amber-colored eyes, narrowed under thick lashes and creased dark eyebrows, study me with disapproval. He’d be attractive if he wasn’t such a scracum. Anyway, he’s Tara’s plaything, and she doesn’t like to share her toys. I don’t answer, focusing my attention on the ale pooling on the floor.

We’re lurking in a dark corner of a sleazy brothel, in a town carved out of a pile of bones. If I’d imagined the trip to find my cousin would end like this, I’d have stayed on the ship. I could be sunning myself on Oky’s deck and drinking rum out of a coconut. Instead, I’m skulking in a sleazy dive carved out of some dead creature’s butthole drinking… I don’t even know what this is, just that it burns.

After following Dagen’s trail for months based on semi-reliable information, we’d arrived here, at the world’s literal backend, only for Tara to go off alone and return to tell us her brother is dead.

I don’t know how I feel about it yet. Sad, I guess.

I was really sure we’d found him. That he would stride into the tavern after Tara, with his dark eyes and smiling mouth, and sweep me up in a hug, like he used to when I was ten. I’m heavier than I was back then. Eight years of maturing will do that to a lass, but my cousin was always larger than life and ready for any challenge. He and Tara used to be thick as thieves, no pun intended, and sometimes they let me tag along on their escapades.

I haven’t seen Dagen since he was eighteen. The day he left Janolus cove, eight years ago. On the same day, we lost my uncle, Tara’s dad. Life hasn’t been the same since.

Well, no more escapades with Dagen. No more booming laughter or friendly smiles. He’s gone. Like my father and my older brother. Now, I should get going too.

I stand up and wobble, unsteady on my feet. Seems that I’m drunker than I expected. I only had one cup of the vile liquid that seared its way down my throat, thankfully numbing my grief.

“You good?” Brax reaches out a hand to steady me, his huge hand wrapping easily around my bicep as his deep voice’s soothing timbre reaches into my aching heart.

“Yup,” I lie, and he releases me.

“Maybe I should go?” Jace places both palms on the table, preparing to stand. He’s pushed up his sleeves in the hot room. His tattooed, muscled forearms are on full display, broadcasting his rank and family crest for all to see. Fool. He’s lucky nobody in this washed-up town can read them or know their meaning. We’re a long way from the sea.

“Getting sloppy.” I tap his arm and he scowls at me.

“Watch your mouth, Ruby. You might be the captain’s cousin, but I’m still the first mate.”

“Yes sir. Sorry sir,” I drawl. His scowl deepens.

“Better hurry, or you’ll lose them,” Brax intervenes before Jace tries to pull rank on me again.

“Don’t worry. I’ll be fine.”

I do my best to walk in a straight line towards the door Tara disappeared out of and creep into the alley. The cool night air is a blessing after the hot, rank room. Closing the door quietly, I crouch and fill my lungs, drawing in deep refreshing breaths, clearing my inebriated head.

As expected, Tara hasn’t gone far without backup. The mark is leaning against the wall at the entrance to the alley and Tara is attacking his mouth as if she’s searching for buried treasure. Poor guy. He’s taller than her, and she’s woven her hands into his long sandy locks to pull his face down. She says something too low for me to hear and he chuckles, then groans in a deep, husky voice that goes straight to my nether regions.

I duck down behind an overflowing pail of refuse. Wonderful. I love my life. Tara gets to suck face with the town’s most eligible bachelor while I crawl around on my hands and knees in the muck.

I need to alert Tara to my presence and let her know she can proceed. I focus, finding the pitter-pattering heartbeat of a small creature nearby. Perfect.

A large rodent peeks out of the garbage pail beside me. Nose twitching and black eyes reflecting the yellow moon above us, it looks down at me curiously.

“Hello, friend. Go to Tara,” I instruct it. Giving it a little nudge with my power.

The rodent squeaks and scurries towards the overly amorous couple. Tara pays it no mind until it climbs onto her leg. Oh well. That should do the trick.

Three… two… one…

There’s a scream and a squeak. My furry messenger scurries away, and Tara’s voice drifts back to me. “Can we maybe go somewhere less… overridden?”

Her companion chuckles and grabs her hand. “Of course. We can go back to my rooms in Chief’s Rib. Best view in all of Achten Tan.”

That’s what we were hoping for.

“Perfect.” Tara laughs, a deep throaty sound I know is fake. They set out along the alley and I follow, marking the route for Brax and Jace.

The streets are quiet at this time of night. Most of the townspeople have retired to the towering ribs that loom above us, glinting white in the moonlight. The night air must sober our mark as well. His voice sounds clearer, less slurred.

“What shall I call you?” Tara asks teasingly.

“My name is Kaii, but if you like, you can call me The Bone Master. Everyone does.”

“Is that a reference to your appendage?” Tara snickers.

“Among other things,” he replies, sounding pleased with himself.

I peek around the corner, staying in the shadows. Tara sways towards him, her teeth shining white in the moonlight.

“You know that’s not a bone, right?”

“Might as well be,” he smirks, eyes full of dirty promises.

I roll my eyes so hard I glimpse my brain. Maybe I’m not missing anything after all. He slings an arm around Tara’s waist. He’ll be lucky if he doesn’t cut himself on one of the many knives stuffed into her leather vest.

I wonder if Tara is enjoying herself. Nobody on the ship would dare grope her like that, not even Jace. But as far as Kaii knows, she’s just a girl in dark leather. I’d love to see his face when he finds out she’s the captain of a pirate ship.

Kaii leads Tara through the streets. He’s still slightly unsteady, but sobering up slowly in the cool night air. “So, Tara,” he asks, “what brings you to Achten Tan?”

“My long-lost brother.” I can’t believe she told him, and even worse, her tone is neutral. She doesn’t even sound upset.

“Anyone I’d know?” Kaii inquires.

Tara shakes her head. “It doesn’t matter. I didn’t find what I was looking for.”

Kaii frowns and mutters to himself. “Yeah. I know the feeling.”

Well, this conversation turned depressing quickly.

Tara must realize she’s killing the mood because she squeezes his hand and waits for him to glance her way before leveling him with a dazzling smile. “But now the night is looking up.”

His eyes search hers for a moment before he returns the smile. “Yeah. I think so too.”

It only takes a few minutes to get across town to Chief’s Rib. They’re almost at the bottom of the stairs when a door at the base of the rib opens and a teenage girl steps out. I duck into the deep shadows of a doorway across the main path. Close enough to hear and see.

“Hey, Kaii,” she says, looking up at him with big adoring eyes. Aww, how cute. It looks like someone’s got a crush. “How’s it going?”

“Hi, Valla,” he greets her with a smile while pulling Tara to his side. “I’m doing just fine now.”

Her expression falters, but only briefly. Kaii probably has no idea he’s breaking this kid’s heart. I feel bad for her. Valla is young, maybe sixteen or seventeen, with long black braids and dirt smudges on her face. She’s holding some kind of tool. Her clothing is functional and full of bulging pockets. I know her type, smart and mousy. Kaii would chew this girl up and spit her out without knowing he’d done it. She’s better off without him.

Valla’s gaze travels over to Tara with a frown. She takes in Tara’s hair, clothes, and especially her knives, her eyes growing wider by the minute before turning back to Kaii with the fakest smile I’ve ever seen. “Oh… That’s great.” Wow! This girl needs some acting lessons.

Kaii leans closer and shout-whispers in Tara’s ear, as he gestures to Valla, “Valla’s an inventor. She’s brilliant.”

“Kaii,” Valla warns, but he isn’t listening.

“See those chairs over there? Mila called them the Chairs of Death.” I follow his finger as he indicates a pair of seats surrounded by a mesh of twigs and fastened to a long rope leading up. It looks like a death trap. “Valla invented them. They’ll take you from the ground, all the way to the top of the Chief’s Rib. She even made us fly once.”

“KAII!” Valla glares at Kaii and he finally gets the point. She doesn’t trust Tara, and she doesn’t think he should either. Kaii’s right. Valla is a very smart girl.

Tara flashes her a smile, but narrows her eyes in warning, like a sand viper preparing to strike. The girl recoils from the obvious threat. Ha! She wouldn’t last five minutes on the ship. Tara turns to Kaii, draping herself over him and running her lips across his neck. “That’s really interesting, but I recall you having a promise to keep.”

“You’re right. We should go.” His sexy laugh is low before turning to kiss Tara. Valla’s pain flashes across her features before she hurries to conceal it. Throwing his arms over Tara’s shoulder, Kaii leads her toward the stairs. “Good night, Valla,” he calls without looking back, and only a blind boy like him can’t see the hurt in her eyes. Valla retreats into her room as Kaii and Tara climb the questionable-looking stairs carved into the side of the rib towards the dark night sky. After two turns, they stop at a room less than halfway up the ribs.

“I thought you lived at the top,” Tara says.

Kaii scoffs and looks further up the rib with a scowl. “No. My father lived up there… before… Anyway, the only thing up there now is his hoard of treasure.”

“Treasure?!” Tara laughs as if she doesn’t believe him. Only I know she does. It’s why we’re here and Kaii takes the bait.

“My father was a collector, and he didn’t like to share. Anytime he found something valuable, he added it to his hoard.” Kaii’s eyes cloud over. His father is obviously a sore subject. I suspect the mix of alcohol and having someone listen has loosened his lips. Thankfully, those lips gave Tara all the information she needed.

“You know what, I forgot something at Jezebone’s.” Tara’s voice is dismissive. Kaii sways towards her, but she pats him on the chest, shoving him back against the door.

“Should I walk you back?” Kaii is a gentleman, even drunk.

“No. Tell you what. You go in and get out of these pesky clothes, and leave the door unlocked. I’ll be right back.” Tara grabs his cheeks and kisses him deeply. “One for the road,” she murmurs, pushing him towards his door. “It’s been fun, Kaii.”

Without even waiting for a reply, she practically runs down the stairs. With any luck, he’ll pass out and forget about her by morning. He doesn’t know how close he came to losing more than a tumble in the hammock.

As Tara reaches the ground, I step out of the shadows. She barely startles.

“How do you feel about heights, cousin?” Tara asks. Pointing above me.

I follow her finger, tilting back my head till I can see the curved top of the rib, hundreds of lengths above us. Oh no.

Tara smiles. “Let’s get Jace and Brax. I know where the treasure is.”

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TOUR SCHEDULE

Speechless in Achten Tan (#1)

Mila hasn't spoken in the five years since she became an Onra, a first-level Everfall witch. After failing the test to reclaim her voice and control her magic, her mentor sends eighteen-year-old Mila to Achten Tan–City of Dust–a dangerous desert town, built in the massive ribcage of an extinct leviathan.

To reclaim her power, Mila must steal a magical staff capable of releasing it, from Bone Master Opu Haku's sky-high lair.

Her only resources are the magical luminous elixirs of the cursed caverns where she grew up, and a band of unlikely allies; a quirky inventor, a giant-ant rider, a healer, a librarian's assistant, a Tar-tule rider, and the chief's playboy son.

But in the City of Bones, enemies & friends are not who they seem, and trusting the wrong person can be deadly.

If Mila fails, she will never speak again and her bones will be added to the desert.

This book includes a kick-ass tattooed witch who can't speak, giant ants, first-person present-tense narration, magic, banter, lots of innuendoes, and cute boys kissing.

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**Don't miss the FREE prequels!!**

In the Heart of the Storm - A Prequel to the Bone Master

Pirate in the Desert - An Achten Tan short story

About the author

Debbie Iancu-Haddad is a Jewish Israeli author living in Meitar in the Negev Desert. Author of Speechless in Achten Tan a YA fantasy novel. And The Bone Master, forthcoming.

She spends her time taking part in Anthologies (seven to date with three more on the way), writing VSS on Twitter, and buying way too much stuff online. Her goal is to promote body positive characters and include characters dealing with physical challenges. #ownvoices

For her day job, she gives lectures on humor, laughter yoga workshops, and chocolate workshops, and sees how often she can make her two teenagers roll their eyes.

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