The Elven Lords Book Blogger Hop and Giveaway!

 Firehame

The elven lord Mor'ded rules with the black scepter of fire, but if you look closely at him, you might see something unusually human in his midnight eyes. His consort, Lady Cassandra, stands by his side, a petite woman who moves with such grace she almost seems to be dancing. The court dresses in flamboyant reds, oranges and yellows, and those lacking the white hair of the elven wear ivory wigs, sprinkled with silver dust to imitate the sparkle of the elven lord’s hair. Lava appears to flow beneath the receiving room floor, and white fire dances like starlight on the vast ceiling above.

Excerpts featuring Firehame, from the Elven Lords Series by Kathryne Kennedy:

 Firehame palace:

The noise of the crowd faded as they neared the open gates of Firehame Palace. Red flame jutted from the top of the stone pillars flanking the entrance, danced along the outlying curtain walls. Dominic halted his mount for the span of a breath, studying his home with the unfamiliar gaze of one after a long absence. Elven magic had tinted the stone walls a glossy, brilliant red. Warm yellow flame slithered up the stone, whorled over the buttresses, making the entire structure shimmer in his sight. The towers soared above the three-storied palace and Dominic’s black eyes quickly sought out the tallest, looking for a flicker of wing, a jet of red fire. But he could see no sign of the dragon and so flicked his reins, urging his horse into the courtyard.


The Elfhame garden in Firehame:

The storm she’d predicted had broken, and they sheltered in a pavilion that looked to be made of marble but felt soft and pliable beneath her bottom. The rain created a sheer curtain beyond the roof and fell atop what she thought might be flowers of some sort, but their flat, round surface also reminded her of drums, except that when the rain beat upon them, they made ringing notes. The wind blew strongly now, and the whistling she’d heard before accompanied the ringing in harmony, and she searched for the source of that sound, her eyes widening even more as she discovered it.

The wind lifted the lavender petals of a plant and expanded them into long tubes that appeared to produce that whistling sound. As they waved and danced with the breeze, the harmony changed, like the way fingers on a flute produced different notes. Just beyond that bed of flowers lay a patch of scarlet petals shaped like bells, the wind swaying them and producing the sound of thousands of tinkling chimes.

The land:

Then they flew over a land riddled with pockets of fire, trees of flaming leaves that melted the snow around them into pockets of brown.

***

He loved the land. The rolling hills and green meadows and quiet ponds. Although he knew that when the elven lords had chosen and conquered each of their sovereignties, they had altered the land with their magic, he could still see the original beauty of England beneath the huge elven flame trees with fire red blooms that dotted the green swards of Firehame.

For now he avoided the pockets of flame that shimmered among hill and vale, taking the road less traveled, bringing their party through silent forests and sleepy meadows. The pre-autumn leaves almost rivaled that of the elven lord’s flame trees with their tints of red and orange color. Dominic allowed the beauty and peace to settle over him, storing it up as usual for when he would need to call on it within the palace walls of Firehame.

By the time he found a good place to stop for the night, he felt saddle weary but calm. He chose to camp near a small stream within a circle of flame trees, their fire red blooms lighting up the area within and around the clearing. The glow from the blossoms should discourage any surprise attacks.

The dragons: 

She had heard the dragons of the six other sovereignties had different powers associated with their elven lords: the black dragon of Firehame could breathe fire; the blue dragon of Dewhame, lightning; the green dragon of Verdanthame could breathe a mist that grew tangled briars and enormous trees. The silver dragon of Bladehame spat molten metal, the brown dragon of Terrahame emitted a roar that cracked the earth, and the violet dragon of Stonehame could turn anything to stone with his breath.

Question for readers to answer to enter the contest:

If you were invited to the Elven Court of Firehame, what would you wear to be presented to Lord Mor'ded and Lady Cassandra?

 
Make sure to stop at the next stop (after you enter the giveaway here, of course) for another amazing guest post and prizes.

Dreamhame @ SOS Aloha-Grand Prize: Pretty Sparkly Make Up + signed copies of all three books in The Elven Lords Series
Runner-up Prize: All three books in The Elven Lords Series
I will email the winners. You have 48 hours to respond or I will pick a replacement.
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