by R. K. Thorne
“Not that, either.”
“Well, what then?”
“Queen.”
She gasped, involuntarily jumping back a bit. He didn’t let that stop him. He leaned forward, grabbed the back of her neck with one hand, and kissed her.
For a moment again, she was stunned motionless. Fear stirred—did he really know what he was getting into? Would he tire of her or find her inconvenient later? Because she couldn’t really be a good match for someone like him.
Could she?
All the more reason she should kiss him while she could!
And with that, she felt truly free. She reached for him as well, ran her fingers through his hair, down his back, suddenly starving. In the back of her mind, she heard a snippet of gypsy music on the wind and far-off laughter, as she leaned closer into his arms.
It was a long while before their lips parted long enough to speak. Their arms still circled round each other, his hands gently caressing her back, but now she looked into his eyes, hiding a little less of herself as she did. How much truth could she bare before she died of fright?
“I always loved you, you know. Not from first sight or anything, and I don’t know when it started. But once I knew you… And you made sure I knew you, because you just wouldn’t shut up, would you?”
“Silence has never been my strong suit. But if that’s true, you are a very convincing actress. You sure had me fooled.”
“Then why did you just kiss me?”
“Well, why did you save me from certain death, putting your brand-new freedom in peril?”
The words stuck in her throat. “I—it was—the right thing to do.”
He smiled, looking dubious. “That was all?”
“Oh, don’t make me confess what you already know.” She scowled and playfully punched his shoulder. “It killed me to say no to you. I acted like I didn’t want you, because I wanted you so much. You saw what it was like there, at least a taste of it. You felt the brand, the way it worms into you?”
He nodded more solemnly now.
“If you love someone, you’ve got to do everything in your power to keep them away from that. To be the vehicle of your enslavement—that stung worse than a thousand brands in my skin.”
He ran his hand over her hair, looking deep into her eyes. “You were also the vehicle of my freedom.”
“And you were, for me.”
“Miara, if you had failed, I wouldn’t know how much danger Akaria is in. I wouldn’t be able to do anything, and a few months or years from now, we’d be fighting fire with cornstalks. And then all of Akaria would end up enslaved to the Masters, instead of just me.”
She felt a stirring inside her, the feeling of pieces fitting together suddenly. If only her father were here. When would she ever see him again? But beneath that fresh new pain kindled a brand-new hope. Perhaps there was a Balance after all. That was the feeling that swelled now in her chest, and it was like no other feeling she had ever experienced. All of that pain—there was a chance it really had been in service of a greater good. There was a chance at justice. A chance was good enough for her.
“Instead,” he whispered, “we know how they work. We know how to fight them. And we will. We’ll set things right and end their slavery of mages. The Balance is on our side. Are you with me?”
In answer, she kissed him again.
Afterword
Thank you so much for reading this book! I hope you enjoyed it. Please consider leaving a review at your favorite retailer. Reviews help others like you discover books they may love for themselves.
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About the Author
R. K. Thorne is an independent fantasy author whose addiction to notebooks, role-playing games, coffee, and red wine have resulted in this book.
She has read speculative fiction since before she was probably much too young to be doing so and encourages you to do the same.
She lives in the green hills of Pittsburgh with her family and two gray cats that may or may not pull her chariot in their spare time.
For more information:
@rk_thorne
ThorneBooks
rkthorne.com