Book Title: The Sorcerer’s Gambit (
Author: C.S. Harris
Publisher: A New Reality Publishing
Cover Artist: Christopher S. Harris
Release Date: April 25, 2024
Genre: Urban fantasy, epic fantasy, polyamory
Tropes: Lovers reunited after a long separation, heroes
Themes: Coming together, being free, self-discovery, making a life
Heat Rating: 2 – 3 flames
Length: 93 000 words/ 337 pages
It is not standalone story and ends on a cliffhanger. Book 3 comes out this summer.
Buy Links – Available in Kindle Unlimited
Love, Longing, Great Magic, and a Fat Orange Cat.
Blurb
Alex, Imara, and Sirenī thwarted the Unified Government’s relentless edicts and fled their homeworld of Gaea to seek refuge elsewhere in the Ring of Worlds. Hunted by the elite squadrons of Zeta Force and the Tèng Empire’s Dragon Guard, the Three encountered a new problem as soon as they arrived on Earth: Jack Carter, the man tasked with killing them. Carter expected to kill the Three or die trying, but instead, he traveled along with them. The four strangers must settle into a new life on their adopted world with the people they first met: Jordan McInerney and Richard Bryson.
Maria McInerney, Jordan’s grandmother, helped Alex, Imara, and Sirenī decades before when they briefly stopped on Earth during their quest to defeat Sogma. Meeting Jordan is like coming full circle, and the travelers work to settle into their new life. While adjusting to Earth, the people of Gaea quickly realize that their grand reunion was merely the beginning of their journey. Not everything on Earth is as it seems, and the dark magic of the necromancer has yet to manifest.
Please note:
The central narrative follows a group of main characters engaged in a polyamorous relationship. Initially, the relationship comprises one man and two women, evolving to include an additional man, forming a balanced quartet where each individual shares a deep, equitable connection with the others. Although the story is rooted in the genres of epic and urban fantasy, rather than romance, it includes moments of intimacy that encompass a spectrum of orientations and identities, including interactions among women, men, and supernatural beings such as vampires. Additionally, the narrative features a secondary character who identifies as non-binary. The same gender relations are blatant.
Carter thought the past week had been relatively uneventful…if he excluded attacking the Three, getting electrocuted, transiting to Earth, and making friends with the people he’d been ordered to kill. When he factored those details in, the week seemed far more stressful.
Carter wondered if the young Earthen couple worried about the consequences of befriending and harboring aliens. Alex said they needed to assume people in the military or government had to be aware of their arrival. The sorcerer believed a hostile response was inevitable, given Earth’s history. They feared their new friends were somewhat naïve about the future and the danger they might face.
That’s okay. We’ll be here to protect them.
Strangely, the thought made him smile.
The four travelers had spent the remainder of the week with Jordan and Richard, when he was home. He worked during the week and took weekends off, which was the custom on Earth. People worked during the week on Gaea, too, but most jobs ran on a ten days on, five off schedule.
After sitting around since Tuesday, Carter was bored. He knew Richard left early, so on Thursday, when he went to bed, he set his internal alarm and got up earlier. He dressed in the strangely manufactured Earth clothes Jordan bought him, including the zippered sweatshirt she’d insisted he get. He couldn’t figure out why the younger woman was so adamant about it, but he found it comfy. He went downstairs silently and waited by the front door.
As soon as Richard came downstairs, Carter burst out, “I’ve got to get out of the house and away from them. Don’t get me wrong, they’re good people, and I’m grateful they chose to let bygones be bygones, but every night, all night long… I need a break!” He grimaced. “It’s obnoxious even with the privacy field effects in place.”
Richard laughed at the soldier’s distress. “Come on; I’m happy to have you join us.” They headed to his truck. He backed down the driveway and onto the street. On their way to the Mug, Richard asked, “What do you mean by ‘all night long?’ Jordan and I never hear a peep from either of your rooms.”
“Ha! Lucky you,” Carter snorted. “Even with the privacy screen, I can feel the sexual energy. Those three can’t get enough of each other.”
“Yeah, about that…situation…” Richard began. “Are those sorts of arrangements common on Gaea, or is theirs unique? Some people do the whole ethical non-monogamy or polyamory thing here on Earth, but most go one-to-one for long-term stuff. Relationships are hard enough with two people, never mind more.”
He turned into the Indigent Mug’s parking lot. The two sat in the front seat for a moment.
Carter responded, “Most people find a single partner gets stale after a while, and when you live a couple of centuries or more, that can wear thin. Some people really love just one person but need more than that to feel sexually fulfilled. It’s natural to want sexual diversity, and we have no prohibitions against anything between consenting adults.” Carter hooked a thumb at his chest. “I’m into guys, right? But I couldn’t imagine juggling two at once—separately, anyway.” He laughed and waved a hand. “I think it’s easier to fuck and walk away than try to figure out that whole long-term triad shit.”
Richard blinked, shocked by Carter’s admission. “Yeah, I hear you,” he said. He hoped none of his thoughts telegraphed across his face.
It’s stupid to assume a guy as manly as Jack can’t be gay. I feel like a douchebag even thinking that.
The soldier shrugged one shoulder and looked idly around the parking lot. “Is it always this busy?”
“Yup. The Mug is the only place to get coffee, donuts, or breakfast sandwiches around here, besides Dunkin’, and each has its aficionados. Besides, everyone in the Foothills knows Persephone and her kid, Clear. The family is pretty well-to-do, and Persephone has an uncle who’s a bit of a local sensation. He’s a hermit and lives somewhere over in Harrison. The joke is that he’s a vampire,” Richard said with a chuckle as he got out of the truck.
Carter got out and shut the door with so much force the truck rocked on its suspension. “Sorry,” he grunted. “Anyway, what’s so funny about her uncle being a vampire? It’s hardly the strangest problem a family could have. The Undying and Therianthropes integrated on Gaea long ago, and plenty of people risk their lives for the bite.”
I’m an artist and author who’s been crafting stories since my childhood. My debut series, ‘The Ring of Worlds,’ is inspired by my love of high-fantasy and science fiction. When I’m not writing, I enjoy gaming, reading, and exploring new worlds—real and imaginary.
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