Sneak Peak Sunday – Shrouded In Secrets
Welcome to Sneak Peek Sunday for August 18. Here’s the first six
paragraphs of my new release, Shrouded in Secrets. For trivia,
reviews, and general information on all my adventure novels, follow me on
twitter at https://twitter.com/kimmcmahill. I Hope you enjoy the adventure.
Kokush
inhaled the smoke from his pipe and forced the intoxicating tobacco deep into
his lungs. Still, no clear visions penetrated the fog, only a feeling of dread
he could not explain or expel from his mind.
The
Asháninka men, bodies painted and seated on woven mats around their revered
shaman, passed a hollowed-out gourd filled with thick, bitter liquid. Each man
sipped the hallucinogenic drug made from a native vine and handed the bowl to
the next, until the syrup was gone.
A low beat
from the two-headed monkey-skin drum grew louder as a melancholy mantra
emanated from the group, drowning out the deafening hum of the nighttime
insects. The men rose and continued to chant and sing as they began the
ancestral dance used to encourage the spirits and wise supernatural beings to
communicate with Kokush. The women joined in, the ground vibrating in response
to the rhythmic stomping of their feet, while the children watched from under
the raised-floor houses encircling the communal area.
Flames
blazed in the center of the ceremonial grounds, casting an unnatural glow over
the dancers and eerie shadows skittered through the trees. A sweet smoke from
the wood and herbs burning on the fire filled their nostrils, coaxing the
participants into a trance-like state of mind. Moving with a graceful ease made
possible by the intoxicating effect of the vine and tobacco, they waited for
their ancestors to speak.
As the
shaman often did, Kokush slipped silently from the circle, giving his people
the illusion he had vanished and joined the spirit world. He had been taught
the art of disappearing by his grandfather, which wasn’t difficult once his
audience succumbed to the drugs and got caught up in the ceremonial fervor, and
the thick smoke created a hazy curtain to conceal his movements.
He usually
used the tactic to reinforce to the villagers that he possessed special powers
and was worthy of being their spiritual leader. Tonight, he needed time to
organize his thoughts and try to decide what to do. He didn’t want to frighten
his people, but he was certain something evil would soon descend upon them.
Unsure of what or when, how could he warn them? His gut told him they should
flee, but he didn’t know how soon or how far they needed to run…
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