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Pitch:
Abducted and taken beyond the city walls, an indentured bodyguard embarks on a journey across a lawless land to discover her origins and find her true purpose.
Blurb:
For centuries, the men and women of the Guild of Protectors have served as indentured bodyguards to the leaders of the Confederation of Cities. The last of the guard castes, the Guild is a bastion of an ancient tradition, and its Protectors embodiments of a noble purpose.
Like all Guild Apprentices, Samsara is an orphan. She can't remember anything about her life before she was taken to Enderun, the Guild's secret training compound in the hidden hills of the Last Coast. But she knows she is different. She senses things others cannot.
Since she can remember, Samsara has looked forward to the honor of becoming a Guildswoman, to proving herself in the fight against the terrorists, criminals, and assassins that plague the Cities. At eighteen, she and the three members of her band of apprentices are inducted into the Guild and sent to the City of Salonia where they are assigned to the nineteen year-old heir to a seat in the Assembly of Cities.
Fortified by high walls and protected by municipal militaries, Cities are islands of civilization within the vast, lawless Territories. In the opulent City of Salonia, it seems the only danger is complacency, but Samsara senses someone watching them. As always, her senses prove correct.
During a surprise attack by a group of terrorists, she is rescued by a mercenary, Lucan, who takes her beyond the city walls to the Territories. Someone has paid him for her safe delivery. But there are no records of Guildmembers. Outside of the Guild, no one knows Samsara exists. Who could want her?
Fleeing unknown assailants across the vibrant, anarchic landscape Samsara joins forces with Lucan to uncover a mystery that challenges everything she believes about the Guild, the Government, and herself. After a lifetime of obedience, can she decide for herself what to fight for?
First 1000 words:
Samsara ran with the urgency of the pursued. She weaved through the maze of trees like a hunted deer. She leaped over streams and moss-covered rocks without disturbing a single branch. She was a blur in a blacksuit, with long wheat-colored hair, leaving no more trace than a rush of wind.
Everything stood still in the Blackforest. Even the high, warbling song of the Brown Creeper was muted. But every Apprentice knew that the quiet paid attention; it listened and watched.
A twig cracked in the distance. Long, wheat-colored hair flipped over her shoulder as she stole a glance back. They had crossed the ridge.
Sound described distance more accurately than eyesight. If she had not indulged the urge to look back, she would have seen the wire cutting through the mist. She would have cleared it — slid under it, or rolled over it — without a thought. But she allowed her focus to shift. As a result, the thin line hit across her chest, propelling her backwards with the force of her momentum.
