The Physician: Book One in
the Stolen Ones Series by Magdalene Dietchka (@PublishConquest @MDietchka)
Jake Perlman’s
fate changed forever as a child when a dam broke on the way to school, washing
his bus over a bridge. Before the Angel of Death could claim him, a Shepherd
named Omiel stole Jake from his fate. Now as a Stolen in his adulthood, Jake
uses his powers under Omiel’s guidance to assemble his coterie, a group of
Stolen with abilities like his.
Yael Taube learned in her youth she would become a Companion,
the soulmate to a Stolen. After an unfortunate event finds Yael in the presence
of her Stolen, Jake, things take motion.
Jake and Yael learn of their fates and see hope for their
future. However, pulling the coterie together is anything but easy. Between
their shared trauma, doubt in their fate, and evil beings called Sirens trying
to harm them, the coterie’s future is anything but certain. Despite the
Shepherds’ direction, there are dangers ahead. If the Stolen and their
Companions come together too soon, it could lead to their undoing, but the
world and the coterie are counting on their success.
If you enjoyed reads such as The Irin Chronicles by Elizabeth
Hunter and Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick; you won't be able to put this one
down.
Buy Links:
Ingram: https://shop.ingramspark.com/b/084?D1otvfjPsz0UGe2bHUFCillMXyYbmZphlUzUdkj6R8A
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Physician-Book-One-Stolen-Ones/dp/1962739015/
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Physician-Book-One-Stolen-Ones/dp/1962739015/
Universal link: https://books2read.com/u/4jM2ak
Excerpt
The landscape was littered
with nature’s destruction. Last night’s storm matched Jacob Perlman’s dark
mood. He hated his rural middle school and his freshman year sucked. Jake
stared out of one of the closed bus windows at the downed limbs and flooded lawns.
He was so sick of assholes destined to peak in high school and go nowhere in
life. Getting shoved into another locker because he aced a test everyone else
failed got old. Yeah, they called him a nerd, but his ambition forced him to be
the best at everything he did. He had to be. Being the son of two leading
pharmaceutical researchers already placed pressure on him to achieve academic
excellence. Jake would graduate in three years and could not wait to spend the
new millennium away from here.
The bus driver slowly wound
his way down the road, cursing the school not so quietly for not closing due to
the flooding and debris clogging the roads. Jake agreed with the old man. He
didn’t want to look at his schoolmates, the day had been rough enough already.
Out of the corner of his eye, Jake saw Shepherds near each student, which
concerned him. The Shepherds were humanoid, almost translucent, and glowed with
a golden hue. They bore two wings on their back, and their hair flowed like
fire. The creatures rarely stayed near their charges for long. He had always
been able to see them and talk with them whenever he wanted, but no one else
could. The Shepherds had told him they lived between the worlds of the living
and the dead.
When Jake was a child, his
parents thought the Shepherds were just imaginary friends. By the time Jake
turned ten, he realized adults became uncomfortable when he spoke to the
Shepherds or talked about them. His parents told him he was too old for imaginary
friends and took him to child psychologists. Jake quickly learned to shut up
and limit his interactions with Omiel, his Shepherd. Omiel was a constant
presence in his life and taught him to cope with his ability to see into the
Veil between worlds. Over time, Jake learned to block out the Shepherds as just
another part of the terrain, but if he focused, he witnessed them appearing and
briefly following their charges.
Today, every student on the
bus had a Shepherd near them, another reason he stared out the window.
Normally, he might see two or three. Omiel floated particularly close to him
today. Jake’s friendship with his Shepherd had become strained as of late, and
he avoided speaking with the creature.
“When the time comes, grasp my hand,” Omiel whispered
to him, which alarmed Jake.
He scanned the bus, but as
usual no one else heard a thing. The language used by the Shepherds wasn’t
English or Hebrew. He knew both, albeit his Hebrew was rudimentary at best, as
he had only learned what he needed for his bar mitzvah. Yet, he could
understand the beings when they spoke. He wanted to respond, but hell, that
would paint a bigger target on his back.
Just as the bus driver
crossed the bridge taking them over the river, Jake saw a wall of water and
storm debris rushing toward them.
“Watch out!” he yelled at the
driver.
Instead of gunning it, the
bus driver panicked and hit the brakes. The water slammed into the bus, shoving
them to the opposite side of the bridge. They crashed against the guardrails,
breaking them like toothpicks. The bus plunged over the edge into the water
with a crash, tossing students in all directions. The middle schoolers cried in
fear as the bus bobbed upright in the water. The driver was slumped over the
wheel unconscious. A tree the floodwaters had ripped up torpedoed through the
glass door of the bus. Water roared inside, and everyone’s screaming and
panicking hurt Jake’s ears.
He scrambled to the emergency
exit window, but the bus spun around in the torrent, slamming into large debris
and the underwater riverbanks, tossing him into the seat. Jake was finally able
to reach the window and tried to get it open. One girl, Deanna, recovered her
wits and helped him yank on it. Deanna was a serious girl who normally left him
alone. Jake didn’t know if it was a good idea or a bad idea to open the exit;
all he knew was staying inside the bus was a death sentence. The Shepherds
stayed with their charges, but again, no one could see them. He wanted to yell
at them to do something, but he didn’t have time. The bus was sinking quickly.
About the Author:
Magdalene Dietchka was born and raised in Western Pennsylvania
to a large, loving, and crazy family. She is an avid reader, storyteller, and
gamer with a deep passion for Dungeons and Dragons. Always proud of her Eastern
European heritage, Magdalene studied international relations with a
specialization in Eastern European studies. After living in Moscow for a summer
in the late nineties, the following year Magdalene met her husband online, and
it was love at first sight.
Magdalene Dietchka now spends her days in West Virginia with her
husband and two dogs.
Instagram: https://instagram.com/mdietchka/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Magdalene-Dietchka/61550730204957/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MDietchka
Release blitz organised by Writer Marketing Services.
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