Black Veil #3
Learning he’s the last seer should make Bashiri feel special, unique. In this case, it’s the most terrifying and heartbreaking realization ever.
Bashiri spends his days loving his animals, running his own meditation studio, and knowing his kind are hunted while hiding in plain sight. He also spends a lot of time avoiding a certain grumpy vampire who rejected him one too many times. When his life begins to change and enemies become bolder, the Blood Boss sends his vampires as protection. Including the sullen Petru.
Petru’s focus is on keeping Black Veil safe. He has no time for foolish fortune tellers. Bashiri is a distraction he has pushed aside so often, the seer finally stayed away. Until Bashiri’s life is threatened and Petru must keep him alive. As he protects the seer, it becomes harder to ignore the love he feels until he finally realizes he no longer wants to.
The journey to keep Bashiri alive becomes harder as his centennial birthday approaches, especially when the shield that secretly conceals him turns to shreds. Great secrets are revealed as new and magical creatures appear to help Bashiri in a fight where failure is not an option. Petru and Bashiri want eternity, but will their determined, powerful enemies destroy their future and their love instead?
The Last Seer is book 3 in the Black Veil Series and should be read in order. The Blood Boss is book one followed by Emperor of Dragons. There is no cliffhanger.
Original July Book of the Month 2023:
HOLY HANNAH BATMAN!!!! Davidson King has done it once again! By now I shouldn't be surprised . . . well I'm not surprised at the brilliance of her storytelling but I still get surprised at just how invested I get into it.
Okay, so "surprised" isn't exactly the right word but time just stood still while I was reading The Last Seer. For family reasons I wasn't able to read Seer without unwanted interruptions but while I had my Kindle open between daily demands, nothing else existed. I'd say I felt like a fly on the wall of Cain's mansion or Bashiri's meditation studio but it was more than that, it was a symbiotic connection to the characters. King has a way with the written word that I felt like I could feel whatever Bashiri or Petru was feeling, I was seeing it from their angle. Many times it's as if the story is unfolding in my front yard but rarely do I feel part of the story, see actions through the characters' eyes. I suppose in a way perhaps that's down to Bashiri's visions and how he taps into his power, he connects to the possible vision. I can't go as far as to say Seer is my favorite so far in the author's Black Veil series but wow it's pretty darn close.
Let's talk about our MCs, Bashiri and Petru. They hit our radar in book 2, Emperor of Dragons, you just knew that they were getting a journey of their own because if they didn't the villagers were going to rise up😉. Bashiri conjures up all kinds of Mama Bear feels, it's been a long time since I read a character I wanted to protect more. On the surface he seems fragile and, well not weak by any definition of the word, but perhaps isolated which can leave a person feeling weak or defenseless. Bashiri is not defenseless even though he is unaware of just how powerful he is and will become. You could say he is a bit clueless in the world of attraction and what that can bring out, especially when it comes to Petru. These are all qualities that strengthen his endearing side and kick my Mama Bear senses into high gear.
Petru. What can I say about Petru? I would never want to anger a vampire or get on their wrong side but I certainly wanted to take an iron skillet to the back of his noggin a few times and scream "OPEN YOUR EYES TO SEE WHAT EVERYONE ELSE SEES!!!" Some might say, talk about clueless but he's not clueless, just inexperienced in the ways of emotions. Don't get me wrong, yes the iron skillet would make an appearance if I showed up at Cain's mansion but so would a stern look ending with a Mama Bear hug.
Sometimes we just can't see our own garden because we're tending to everyone else's yard. Watching the pair finally water their own gardens is fun, exciting, and packed to the rafters with plenty of thistles and blossoms.
I've talked mostly about the MCs as individuals and a couple, leaving the plot untouched. It's going to remain untouched so not to spoil anything, just know that it too is jam packed with equal parts dangerous mayhem and intriguing mystery as well as a beautiful blending of paranormal and mythology. There may not be an overall story arc in Black Veil but characters carry over as do a few plot mentions which generally are in reference to said characters and the author writes those points in a way so you won't be lost if you haven't been reading from the beginning. HOWEVER, I highly recommend reading in order simply because I felt more connected to the characters, main, secondary, and cameo because any friendships/relationships were experienced as they grew and strengthened. But that's just me, after all I am a series-read-in-order kind of gal😉.
PROLOGUE
NINETY-NINE YEARS AGO
HORATIA
“I love you, sweet boy. More than the stars in the sky, more than the air in my lungs, more than the—” Another blast shook our cave, and my words were cut off. Quickly, I wiped my tears, humming to my baby boy, trying to calm him. “Everything is going to be fine. Mommy will keep you safe.”
“Horatia!” The deep timbre of Caspar’s voice had me clutching my son to my chest and turning.
“Caspar. Oh, thank the stars. What’s going on? Where do we go?”
“My love, we must flee and get to the temple.”
“Why?”
He gripped my hand, his smile shaky. “We must protect Bashiri.”
Like the sun’s burst revealing dawn, the realization of his words rattled me.
“Caspar, who will care for him after…”
“It’s been handled. We’ve all known this day might come, and the Tutelary have been waiting. Bashiri will be cared for; he will be hidden and loved. We have to give him the tools to survive and hope—” Another explosion and Caspar pulled me up. “Horatia, we must run.”
Bashiri pressed close to my chest, my hand in Caspar’s, we raced along the narrow paths through the cave. Rocks shattered above us, and dust covered our skin. My legs felt as though they were on fire but the temple was close, and as soon as it was in my sight, a surge of energy overcame me.
“We don’t have much time.” Caspar opened the temple doors, and I was halfway to the altar when I froze.
Twelve of the most powerful seers stood in a circle surrounding the moon table. I knew this was for the best, that it was the only way to keep our kind alive… to keep Bashiri alive.
“My love…” Caspar’s voice cracked. His gaze flickered between me and our son. We wanted years with him, lifetimes. We spoke of how we’d teach him his gifts and hone them into powers that would save the world.
Now, someone else would do that, and I could only hope I’d be able to witness his triumphs from the stars.
“Horatia, please. We are out of time. I’m sorry.” Neoma, the oldest of the seers, smiled through her tears. “Because we will perish this day does not mean our kind will.”
I pulled Bashiri from my wrap and lifted his tiny head to my lips. I pressed a kiss to his soft skin, inhaling his aroma. At that moment, I wished to never need another breath and to be able to lock his scent in my heart forever.
“I love you, Bashiri. You will save the world.” I placed him on the moon table as more blasts shook the temple.
“We are out of time!” a seer shouted.
We all surrounded Bashiri, hands locked. I never took my eyes off him as he stared up at the glow that bathed him. He was kicking his tiny legs, gurgling, blinking against the moon’s light.
“In the years to come, many of us will die— but through our power, Bashiri’s will grow. On this night, we sacrifice our lives, our gifts, our knowledge and power to Bashiri.” Neoma lifted her head, and everyone followed.
“With every fallen seer, may their magic flow into Bashiri. May it protect him at that time in the future when he must face the enemy, those who seek our destruction.”
I closed my eyes as I felt my soul drain from my body. Silent tears wet my cheeks, and I begged the powers that be to protect my son and to shroud him until he had enough strength to fight back.
“One hundred years,” Neoma whispered.
My head jerked slightly at her words. Her gaze met mine.
“We cannot ask for eternity, Horatia. The powers that be will never grant it.” Neoma winced; as we weakened, the pain was unimaginable. “One hundred years. We must hope they will shield him, and when the clock strikes midnight on his one-hundredth birthday, let us hope he will be ready.”
A whimper escaped me. How could that be long enough? What if our enemies find him on his birthday? Please, please let him live forever.
“One hundred years,” every seer chanted over and over again.
Dust and rocks began to rain over us as our words became louder, and we were brought to our knees. Bashiri’s cries echoed throughout the temple, and the last thought before my life was drained was, I hope someone out there will protect him when evil comes for him. Please, let his protector find him.
Bashiri’s cries silenced, and with my last breath, I heard a voice.
“With their lives, you will live, Bashiri.”
Davidson King, always had a hope that someday her daydreams would become real-life stories. As a child, you would often find her in her own world, thinking up the most insane situations. It may have taken her awhile, but she made her dream come true with her first published work, Snow Falling.
When she's not writing you can find her blogging away on Diverse Reader, her review and promotional site. She managed to wrangle herself a husband who matched her crazy and they hatched three wonderful children.
If you were to ask her what gave her the courage to finally publish, she'd tell you it was her amazing family and friends. Support is vital in all things and when you're afraid of your dreams, it will be your cheering section that will lift you up.
EMAIL: davidsonkingauthor@yahoo.com
The Last Seer #3
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