Thyme turned his head noticing Timothy sitting near him.

“My boy,” he said. “I have lived long, much longer than I should have. You have learned so much about the ancient ways, but I have two regrets.”

“Can I help?” asked Timothy scooting closer in his chair to hear him better.

Timothy was surprised to see Thyme smile at him. His gray-blue eyes were focused and clear as he studied Timothy.

“Yes, I think you can.” Thyme reached over and grabbed Timothy's hand with extraordinary strength. “Don't become an Asri.”

“What?” said Timothy, “But that is what I have been training for.”

“No,” said Thyme staring up at the roof. “You must go the ancient temple in the desert, Farzaneh, and get the Gryphon Codex. Leave the Asri Monastery to others. Get the Codex and teach it. I never had time for that, but it is essential now. You are the right person to do it. You are what I could never be, the Truthseeker. That is my first regret.”

Thyme gazed off towards the distance.

Timothy swallowed, shaking. He had only been called Truthseeker by the black cats and the great blue Gryphon before. What did it mean? How did he become it?

“What is the second regret?” asked Timothy. He almost didn’t want to know.

Thyme watched him sadly. “Be what I was not. There is so much more to the ancient ways, but I was afraid. I did not use my skills among the people as other Seers do. There is so much I didn't teach you.”

Welcome to the launch of the second book in the Truthseeker Trilogy, The Gryphon's Handmaiden. Over the next week, we will visit a different blog each day with a unique article describing aspects of the book, the world, or me as a writer. I will try to answer any questions I can, and one surprise blog will even be hosting a giveaway.

The Gryphon's Handmaiden has been so much fun to write, and I hope you find it just as fun to read.

In this newest book, Thyme, the last Asri and Timothy's teacher in magic, gives Timothy a final request before he dies: Don't become an Asri, instead, go to the Nomad desert and search for the lost temple of Farahzah to recover the Gryphon Codex. Timothy and Arthur set off to fulfill this request as the Adder Warlocks attack Vervain and launch Samodivas into civil war. The Codex holds the answers to defeating the Adder Warlocks, but the desert is not what they expect. Danger lays around every corner. Their only hope in succeeding in their quest is in the secrets held by a mute slave girl with more power than should be possible.

Lara Lee is the author of the young adult fantasy fiction novels Gryphendale, The Shadow of the Gryphon, and The Gryphon's Handmaiden. She has also had two short stories published, "The Worst Hero Ever" and "Trust Old Juniper." Sometimes, she is also a graphic designer, wife, and mother. After growing up in Florida with her head stuck in various books, she ran away to Oral Roberts University to obtain a Bachelor of Science degree in Graphic Design and a husband. Then, she worked professionally with the children's curriculum publisher, Mentoring Minds in Texas before following her husband on a crazy adventure in Scotland. She has lived in three states and four countries and has visited even more destinations with an insatiable curiosity that shows up in her writing. Currently, she lives in Texas with her husband and two sons who all regularly participate in her misadventures and random schemes.

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