The Elf
by Max
Dune
Publication
date: October 18th 2016
Genres:
Fairy Tales, Fantasy, Young Adult
This Christmas…it’s war. Grab
your weapon and join the fight in this modern Santa Claus retelling with a dark
twist. Fans of Guardians of
the Galaxy and Avatar will be riveted by The Elf‘s action, humor and
romance!
Elves are dying in the North
Pole, and none of their scientists can find a cure. They believe it’s a virus,
unleashed by a powerful enemy. All signs point to Jack Frost, who’s been biding
his time from afar. Watching. Waiting. Plotting. One brave elf, to save his
kind, will venture out to meet evil in the eye. But he uncovers a mystery more
dangerous than he could have ever imagined. Now Lucian must join a group of
warriors and fight. Fuego; a flame-wielding pyro. Tiktok; a brilliant bomb
expert, Yuriko; a deadly ninja assassin. And Bullets; a hot-headed gun
aficionado. These unlikely heroes must learn to work together and defeat the
rising evil. Or Christmas will soon be lost…forever.
BOOK TRAILER
EXCERPT:
“Where are you going?” I taunt.
“There’s nowhere to hide.”
Jack Frost doesn’t answer. Under
the canopy of winter-crystallized trees, he crawls across the snow. His tall,
muscular body leaves a trail of berry-red blood behind him. He looks desperate
to put distance between us.
I begin to whistle softly and
draw closer to admire my handiwork. Broken nose. Swollen eye. An arrow buried
deep in his leg. Ah, such a beautiful sight to behold. I turn to Blitzen, my
most loyal of companions, and smile. “Thank you, friend. Without you, I
wouldn’t have made it.”
Blitzen gives an affirmative
snort, staying close to our sleigh and supplies. His strong legs and zesty
spirit had kept me alive for the last two weeks. The Artic is a cold house for
the unwary. Nothing in it ever stirs. Nothing moves. Nothing sings. Yet he had
guided me through it, his hooves detonating like muffled grenades as they
crunched the powdery snow. We’d traveled over timeworn mountains, through
tomblike valleys and flash-frozen rivers. I plan on rewarding Blitzen with his
favorite food once we’re back in Santa’s Village. It’ll be agaric mushrooms for
life. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
First things first though: I cock
my crossbow.
Clink.
Upon hearing that sound, Frost
forces his knees and elbows to move faster. He fights for his life like a
desperate wild animal at death’s door. The expression of terror on his face is
absolutely priceless. I wonder if he’ll start begging soon. Even if he does, it
won’t do him any good. I won’t hesitate to pull the trigger and send one final
bolt into his black heart.
For my friends…for my parents…
“Mmm,” I utter, savoring the
moment. “This is even better than I imagined.” As I loom over him, a sudden
wave of fury grips me. I violently plant my boot in his shoulder, prompting a
muffled groan from him. Through gritted teeth I hiss, “And I’ve imagined this a
lot.”
I remove my foot. Frost rolls
over onto his back and gazes up at me in defeat. “Don’t do this, Lucian.
Please.”
Ah, finally.
“Do you think begging is going to
help? It didn’t help my parents or the other elves. They died just the same,
all shaking, bleeding, and crying…and all because of you.” I point the loaded
crossbow at his chest. “Now it’s your turn to die.”
“Wait!” He lifts up a trembling
hand. “I can grant you great powers, unimaginable abilities, even immortality!
Y-you could be the most powerful elf who’s ever lived!”
“Power?” I scoff. “I don’t want
power. This is all I want.”
“Revenge won’t bring your parents
back.”
I consider his words for a moment
and do see the truth in them, but the rage inside pushes me on. “No, but it’s
going to feel pretty good.” My finger slides the safety off.
Frost’s eyes widen.
Bzzz-bzzz-bzzz…
Suddenly a deep, loud sound
echoes all about us, seemingly coming from every direction. They disturb the
serene beauty of this frozen, crystal paradise where Frost is meant to meet his
doom. Puzzled, I lower my crossbow and search for the source. My eyes scan
through the tall, gray trees, their skeletal wooden arms knocking against one
another in the slight breeze, but I catch nothing in my gaze except the clear,
blue skies beyond. What the heck’s going on? Confused, I dart my eyes in every
direction. And why is that annoying buzzing getting louder?
Beep! Beep! Beep!
A sense of déjà vu hits me.
Wait! That sound… Isn’t that…?
The beeping continues to assault
my ears for several more moments, muddling my senses.
“No!” I wail when I finally
remember. “No! Not yet!”
My desperate cries prove futile,
though, as my crossbow melts in my hands. Its liquefied remnants splash at my
feet. It doesn’t take long for the surrounding trees to follow suit, forming
charcoal-gray puddles on the ground. Blitzen, too, begins to disintegrate where
he stands. His fur, flesh, and bones dissolves into a paste and seep into the
ground
“No!” Without wasting time, I
jump on Frost, wrap my hands around his cold neck, and begin to viciously choke
him. “I’ll kill you with my bare hands!”
Rather than panicking or pleading
for mercy, he only laughs in my face, knowing full well it’s too late. His
flesh quickly melts like hot wax until my fingers are kneading the remaining
mess.
I punch the ground with my fists
again and again, even as they start melting away. “Come on! I just needed
another minute!”
As I beg for more time, I feel my
bones softening, becoming more pliable, like iron morphing into licorice. Soon
I am unable to hold my weight, and I topple over, falling to the icy ground.
Author Info
Max Dune is a Southern writer who
spent most his childhood watching TV, devouring comic books and weaving magical
worlds in his head. In his mid-twenties, he decided to follow his true passion.
He has since created a number of short stories, novels, screenplays and TV
pilots. To be alerted to future books and giveaways, please sign up for his
newsletter at http://eepurl.com/b5Is91
Author Links:
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