by L. Danvers
“My princess,” the stranger said. “I must speak to you at once. It is a matter of grave importance.”
“How dare you grab the princess like that,” Lillian hissed.
“I’m sorry,” Daphne said. “We must be on our way.”
Daphne and Lillian turned from the woman and continued along the path, but she called out to them again. “The prince is in danger.”
Daphne stopped and looked back at her. She wasn’t sure why, but something about the urgency in the woman’s voice convinced her to listen. “What did you say?”
“Do not be afraid, my princess,” the woman said. “I do not wish you any harm. I simply want to warn you of what is to come. The prince is in danger.”
The woman had implied this the night before. Phillip had warned Daphne to ignore her words, but there was something that urged her to hear the woman out. “What kind of danger? What makes you so sure?”
The woman pulled a silver necklace out from under her cloak, revealing a charm engraved with an almond-shaped eye surrounded by a ring of stars.
“Magic.” Lillian drew her fingers to her lips. “My princess, do not listen to this woman. Evil dwells within her soul. Look—she bears the curse of the eye.”
“Not a curse, my child,” the woman insisted, “the gift. I have the gift of prophecy. I have seen the writing in the stars. The prince will not return to the castle alive.”
Daphne let out a nervous laugh. “No, you must be mistaken. My brother is the bravest fighter in all the kingdom. He will return to us victorious. I am sure of it.”
“Do not be so quick to dismiss my warning. Here.” Daphne stepped back, unsure of what to think as the woman reached for her pocket. She held out her wrinkled fist and waited for Daphne to open her palm. In it, she placed a golden compass, etched with the same symbol as her necklace.
“What is this for?”
“This compass will point you in the right direction. It will lead you to what your heart desires most.”
“It will lead me to Phillip?”
The woman’s thin lips curved upward. She swept her arm in the air, and with a swirl of smoke, she was gone.
Will Daphne reach her brother before it’s too late?
Grab your copy of Fate Abandoned today to find out!
DEDICATION
For my husband and children. I love you to the moon and back.