by A C Rae
The King studied Quinn for a moment. “The nobility are fickle; you will spend a year away from court, and will be reintroduced as a lost part of my bloodline, newly discovered. Lord Cassian will be unable to call you out openly but you must be very careful around Aelin in particular. Sadly, the only lands I can grant you are the Wastelands.”
Lord Winsworth interrupted. “He will be a laughing stock! There is nothing there!”
King Soren regarded him patiently. “Precisely. Lord Cassian cannot take a threat seriously if it is disguised as being harmless.” He leaned towards Quinn and spoke softly in his ear. “Be careful, it is a dangerous place but one that can hold a great reward. There is a prophecy that when the true Lord of the wastelands comes to claim it he will have access to a great source of power.”
Quinn nodded. “Thank you, my King.”
The King nodded regally as he stepped to leave. “Now I suggest you all leave before Lord Cassian regains consciousness.” He went to close the door behind him but called through the door. “And Pryce, consider yourself a Sir. I will grant you a modest parcel of land and five hundred pieces of gold.”
Quinn glanced curiously at Pryce. How did King Soren know his name?
Pryce smiled deeply. “Thank you, my King. However I will have to respectfully decline.”
“Oh?” The King's eyebrows knitted together.
“I need to stay close to Quinn. Someone has to keep an eye on the accident prone boy!”
The King laughed. “The offer will remain open whenever you wish to claim it.”
“Thank you.” Pryce nodded deeply as the door closed again.
As soon as the door closed, Quinn pulled Eira to him and they spun round in circles, whooping and yelling.
EPILOGUE
Quinn was certain he would wake up and find it was all a dream. However he was delighted to find that when he woke up in the morning he was still in Lord Winsworth's mansion. They had ridden there in the night upon his insistence.
Eira had been forced to sleep in a separate wing. Her father would not allow any improper behaviour under his roof.
Eira insisted she would be coming with him to the Wastelands. Unfortunately, that meant that her father would also be coming, ensuring proper behaviour continued.
Quinn took a deep breath. Lord Drakwyn. He hoped he would be able to live up to the King's confidence in him.
There was a soft knock on the door, and Eira tiptoed in.
“Hey.” Quinn smiled down at her as she stood next to him.
They watched the sun rise together.
“I guess I had better get started on claiming my lands.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Where do I even begin?”
Eira put her arm around his back. “Together. We begin together.”
And though Quinn was too shy to admit how he felt just yet, even to himself, he settled comfortably into her touch.
Lord Cassian had yelled himself hoarse with fury, destroying his study with fists, kicks, throws and magic. He cursed the fact that the spell to help him survive the fulfilment of the prophecy had required a sacrifice witnessed by many innocents. His clever attempt to publicly sacrifice the boy during the play had turned into a public embarrassment. Otherwise he would have just done away with the upstart boy on the spot. Furthermore, he had lost Eira Winsworth, and she was vital to his plans.
Unfurling the forbidden cracked scroll from the Guild library, he re-read the requirements of the spell. He could still complete it. It would take him much longer and would require more effort but would avoid the need for the sacrifice to be public. He could force himself to be patient. He strode out of the room with renewed purpose.
The prophecy would be turned to his advantage.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Thank you to the one who believed in me, prodding and needling me into finally stepping out of the shadows and putting my book out there into the big wide world. (You know who you are!)
Thank you to Mibl Art, for creating a truly stunning front cover. I can barely draw and came up with some laughable first drafts but thankfully you were there to make the idea in my head actually come to life.
And finally, if a book is never read, does it truly exist? Therefore the biggest thank you is due to you, for taking a chance on reading a debut book by a self-published author. Thank you!
Find out what happens to Quinn and Eira next…
Chronicles of Avarria
Book Two
The Lord of the Dragonstone
Jacob summons Quinn with an impossible task. Find his sister, who has disappeared. The only way to achieve this task is to infiltrate the Witches Guild.
Can Quinn come to terms with his magic, find Jacob’s sister and find the lost power to bring down Lord Cassian, without losing his life in the process?