Today we recommend
A YA adventure by Lorraine Carey
Dean Banks returns in Out of
the Ashes, the thrilling sequel to Mysteries of the Red
Coyote Inn. This Young Adult Paranormal Novel takes readers deeper
into the heart of danger and mystery.
The stakes at Red Coyote Inn have
never been higher. Strange events spiral out of control as Dean shoulders a
monumental mission: protecting the fabled Lost Dutchman Mine and its sacred
grounds from ruthless thieves, treacherous allies, and shadowy government
experiments. As if that weren’t enough, his girlfriend’s mysterious illness
pulls at his heart and resolve.
But Dean’s journey isn’t just
physical—it’s spiritual. To uncover the truth and save everything he holds
dear, he must embark on a perilous Vision Quest, where the answers he seeks
could either empower him… or destroy him.
Will Dean rise from the ashes, or
will the weight of the unknown bury him? The adventure awaits.
Read a sample chapter from the book:
Chapter 7: A Dark Discovery
Dean followed the hawk deeper into the cave and flicked on
his flashlight. He could still smell the lingering stench of the Gila. As he
shined his flashlight along the walls of the cave, he could see deep grooves
where a gold vein had been extracted. Faint luminous glows were emitted from
the walls, and the ground had some fragments that had been left behind. He
picked up one of them; never having seen this type of gold before. It had a
whitish cast to it and set off a weird neon glow. He stuck a piece of it in his
pocket and carried on the path with his hawk buddy flying ahead, signaling him
to move on.
Dean entered another tunnel and walked for about half a
mile. He felt overheated, so decided to sit down and drink some water. “Ah, I
needed that!” His friend circled up ahead as if waiting for him and also added
protection. Dean held his talisman in his hands as he felt it vibrate. He
sensed he was getting a message from spirit as he was in for an unexpected
encounter.
As he followed the hawk, he found himself at a dead end with
a strange doorway off to the left. It was a large iron door, medieval-style
with heavy black bars and laden with black iron bolts.
“Okay, now what? I’m supposed to know some magic words to
open them?”
He noticed the hawk circle his head three times and with a
whoosh, it was gone. Dean sat down to make some sense out of this. Let me think, I‘ve been cornered by a giant
Gila, am aware of pillaging for gold, and have not shifted? What gives, Elders?
He sensed a cool breeze coming from behind him. He turned
around and noticed a white glowing apparition, one that he was all too familiar
with.
Soon the lady in white materialized. He knew who she was –
Aponi, dressed in her usual white flowing dress, the sheer veil covering her
face. The breeze again caused the beads and shells that dangled from her dress
to clink and tingle, like windchimes.
“Hello, Dean,” she murmured. “I’ve come to warn you that
evil is upon you. I’m sure you’ve sensed that yourself. Be on guard, for you
will find your enemies are very close
now. Remember, all is not what it
seems.” Her image faded and then vanished.
“Wait! Don’t go!” Dean called out, but it was too late.
Dean stood up and felt his body overheating again. He could
feel the blood course through his veins, making them bulge. He watched the ones
in his arms become so defined he resembled the transparent human body models
they used in his science class. Soon he could see the muscles in his arms
triple in size as they inflated and ripped through his t-shirt. “What the heck?
Now I’m the Hulk!”
Soon his head was overcome with great knowledge. The
imprinted mark on his chest burned red, and he was filled with the desire to
bust through the iron doors.
With two tries, he managed to rip a gaping hole in the iron
door large enough to crawl through. As he reached the other side, he was
shocked at what he saw. There were vaults built into the side of the walls with
plaques labeled with hieroglyphics that he didn’t understand. In the middle of
the room was what looked to be a medical operating table, hooked up to an IV
machine with bags of fluid in them. Behind it were more medical equipment and a
few computers that were shut down. As he stood there for a moment, he could
feel his heart race and his back start to throb. I’m going to shift again soon. I’ve got to hurry and finish exploring
this room. As bad as he felt, he walked over to the corner of the room
where he found glass vials labeled ‘atomic gold’. They were stacked neatly in
steel crates. Some vials were as small as test tubes; others were as big as
beakers. He remembered seeing this in his chemistry class. He placed one of the
smaller vials in his pocket. What on
earth is going on here?
Soon Dean felt the rush of blood to his head. He became very dizzy and fell to the floor. He could feel the strange electrical field surrounding his body. It crackled and smelled of burning wires. His body shook and he could feel his legs elongate and the skin stretch out as each toe was peeled back to release a giant talon. His back split open as if someone had slit him with a knife from his neck to his waist. Huge wings jutted out and he could see their size was double than they had been before. A loud screeching was all that was heard from the cave before Dean flew out, into the dark Arizona sky.
Lorraine Carey
https://authorlorrainecarey.blogspot.com/
Lorraine Carey is a reading specialist and an Award-Winning Author. She was living in California until fate whisked her off to Grand Cayman. She currently lives in Florida. Her love for paranormal stories began at a young age, and is no stranger to the paranormal, having encountered unexplainable events that are woven into her stories.
