The Captive by Thomas Locke, a pseudonym of popular Christy Award-winning novelist Davis Bunn according to the bio-blurb, is some sort of tie-in (probably an introductory prequel novella) story in his Legends of the Realms series of what looks like epic high fantasy young hero coming-of-age adventure questing from the blurb for the upcoming 1st novel which will be released in December, free courtesy of Christian publisher Baker's Revell imprint.
Currently free to pre-order @
Amazon (available to Canadians & in the
UK; slated for a Nov 4th release). Will no doubt pop up in the other stores around then if it's still free (Baker has this tendency to start charging for things it labels "ebook shorts" at $2.99 a pop, even when they're excerpt sample chapters).
Description (cribbed from the 1st novel blurb to give you an idea of what the series is supposed to be like, since this doesn't actually come with a description yet)
Hyam is a likeable lad who will make a fine farmer someday. But he carries a burden few can fathom. As his mother slips toward death, she implores him to return to Long Hall, where he spent five years as an apprentice. It was there that Hyam's extraordinary capacity for mastering languages came to light--and soon cast him into the shadows of suspicion. How could any human learn the forbidden tongues with such ease? When Hyam dares to seek out the Mistress of the Sorceries, her revelation tears his world asunder.
He has no choice but to set out on the foreboding path--which beckons him to either his destiny or his doom. An encounter with an enchanting stranger reminds him that he is part hero and part captive. As Hyam struggles to interpret the omens and symbols, he is swept up by a great current of possibilities--and dangers.
With lyrical prose that unveils a richly imaginative world, Thomas Locke takes readers on a journey into the Realm. There he invites them to awaken their sense of wonder. This cracking adventure moves like a contemporary thriller but harkens back to the enduring genre of classic fantasy.