Captive Moon (Tales of the Sazi, Book 3) - Softcover

Adams, C. T.; Clamp, Cathy

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0765362686 ISBN 13: 9780765362681

Publisher: Tor Books, 2008

Synopsis

World-class entertainer and Sazi councilmember, Antoine Monier has taken his big cats all over the world without any trouble—until his latest trip to Stuttgart, where one of his tigers is stolen and killed. To Antoine's surprise, the German police have another tiger in custody—a tiger who is actually a lovely Turkish-American woman, Tahira Kuric.

Like Antoine, Tahira is a shapeshifter, but of the Hayalet Kabile, the ghost tribe of shapeshifters. And despite their immediate attraction, Tahira wants nothing to do with Antoine—the Sazi are the enemy of the Hayalet Kabile.

But Tahira doesn't have a choice, because she and Antoine have discovered that she is a fabled "power well," able to store magical energy from other shapeshifters—and something is hunting her, eager to use her powers for itself.

Only if they can set aside their peoples' ancient rivalry and rely completely on each other—body and soul—can Tahira and Antoine save themselves and their people.

About this title

About the Author

Cathy Clamp & C.T. Adams are the authors of the Sazi series as well as the USA Today bestselling Thrall series. They live in Texas.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

The guards in the outer room with Antoine jumped with the tiger’s roar.. Hayalet Kabile. Where had he heard that phrase before? Hayal . . . Oh for the love of— How could he forget? It was just mentioned at the last council meeting. The Hayalet Kabile were known as the "Ghost Tribe." The were-tigers that lived along the Turkish/Iranian borderlands had declined to attend the great meeting of shapeshifters all those centuries ago. They were mentioned at the Sazi council meeting because Ahmad had brought along a clipping from the Discovery Channel website that said there had been a sighting of a supposedly "extinct" species of tiger, the Caspian, just last fall. The annoying were-cobra, representative for the snakes, had asked what Antoine intended to do about it, since the Caspians were well known to be shifters, and he was the representative for the cats.

But the Hayalet Sahip, or head of the tribe, had refused an invitation to talk. Now there was one in the next room. Based on the roar of pain, she wouldn’t be able to hold her form much longer. She was about to break the primary rule of both the Sazi and the Hayalet cultures. What a diplomatic nightmare.

"Merde!" he whispered harshly.

"Did you say something, Herr Monier?" Kommissar Reiner said, his mouth curled slightly in disdain. "Are you ready to make your identification of your cat?"

Antoine drummed his fingers on the table sharply. If he could only talk to the tiger — make her understand what was at stake... Yes, perhaps. He turned fast and reached for the doorknob, startling the inspector. "One moment, Kommissar. I’ve forgotten... my... uh, I’ll be right back. "

He raced outside and pressed outward quickly with his waning magic. The tiger was directly under him. He needed to speak to her mind-to-mind if he was going to save her.

No response. But he could smell her fear, just behind the bars of the window.

Another roar, powerful and haughty.

A snort of derision, but hope was replacing the fear.

Antoine walked out toward the van. A pair of pigeons pecking at gravel exploded into the air just as he reached the door. He managed to stop himself from unconsciously leaping into the air after them.

Her voice sounded suspicious but intrigued.

Antoine opened the van door and reached inside to grab a clipboard. He flipped his long braid back before swinging the door closed. He smiled and paced quickly along the edge of the carefully cleared walkway, expanding on his daring plan.

Her soft alto was sad.

I have bargained with a Sazi. She planned to cooperate. Thank heavens. A crunch of gravel behind him said another vehicle was arriving. He turned to see the occupants. Several of the members of the team from the forest were returning and he was out of time.

Curious. What could have damaged a Saz—a shapeshifter enough... A touch on Antoine’s shoulder made him jump. Annoying that he hadn’t heard or smelled the inspector walk up behind him. Distractions could be costly at this stage. "Herr Monier? Are you quite ready? The zoo is now open and if the cat is not yours, we must make a call to them."

"Yes, of course, inspector. Sorry for the delay." As he followed the inspector through the door, he threw a burst of magic ahead of him. He felt it penetrate the steel door in front of him and cover the tiger in the cage. The illusion was subtle, but he had to cast it broadly. Even Tahira would be able to see it when the time came. But he felt her shifting stop.

"Are you ready to identify your tiger, Herr Monier?"

"Of course."

About this edition

• Publisher: Tor Books
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 0765362686
• ISBN 13: 9780765362681
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 384