I didn’t care that we had escaped. I felt completely numb. Tears refused to come despite how much I willed them. I had watched Calen die in front of my eyes and there was nothing I could do to help him. Retrieving the Heart of Spellshallow suddenly seemed meaningless without Calen. Had I loved him?
We rode until the Collector’s keep disappeared behind us. It didn’t seem like we were being followed. Thackery reined up sharply beside me. We had thought ourselves free, but suddenly I spotted a group of mages blocking the road ahead. Could we fight our way through them? I tried to draw power from the Heart, but something was wrong. It wasn’t working. Without magic we wouldn’t stand a chance against that many mages. They drew closer. I tried to draw in some magic from the world around me and succeeded in pulling in a tiny amount.
“We mean you no harm,” called one of the men, as he walked towards us, hands out. He was tall with darkly tanned skin. Two gold loops sat in each of his ears and he had a scruffy beard that gave him the look of a pirate. The man wasn’t dressed as one though, he wore the clothes of a soldier and had the well-muscled arms of one.
He seemed unarmed, but a mage needed only his hands and a mouthful of words. Words. I whispered some then, a little spell to ready my power.
“I seriously doubt that,” Thackery said flatly.
“The Collector, made a bargain with us,” said the man.
He did not get any closer, nor did he speak any magic words or draw a weapon.
“I’m getting sick of hearing about these bargains,” I hissed.
I counted six men, and the one that was doing all the talking. The leader, presumably the most powerful mage. I should kill him first.
The mage saw what I intended to do and smiled. I swore under my breath. He knew there was little we could do against such odds. Taking a shaky breath, the mage steeled himself. I wondered at his hesitation. It was as though this whole conversation was costing him something—something that must have come at a very high price.
“I am Darren son Kaltura von Commin, King of the Everglade Isle, and I mean to lead you from this place so that no harm comes to you.”
I took a step back. This man was a king? He was dressed like a foot soldier, and yet, there was something stately in his bearing. I glanced at the thick rings on his fingers and necklace of shells that he wore around his kneck.
“I don’t believe you” I said.
“Come now,” began King Darren, “don’t be rude. I’ve given you my name, even enemies should be shown the courtesy of introductions.”
“I'm Wren, Princess of Spellshallow, and this is Thackery—a friend and one of my father’s guard.
It was as though I'd stabbed Thackery through the heart, just for spite. Thackery wilted a little.
“The Collector didn’t mention that you were a princess” King Darren said. “I suppose that means your realm as fallen.”
I swallowed down whatever I'd been about to say.
“It's in the process, no thanks to the Collector, that's why we're heading...”
“I’m afraid you won’t make it,” King Darren said. “The Collector has many deadly servants in this area. The shadow men he controls are the enslaved souls of our finest warriors. That was another of his bargains that went wrong.”
His eyes looked suddenly sad. “Now he offers their freedom in exchange for your lives.” Then King Darren’s gaze hardened. “But that would not be honorable, and the Collector’s word is not to be trusted.”
I felt myself recoil. He had every reason to betray us. If my own people were sentenced to such a terrible fate, would I not take the Collector’s bargain and free them?
The emotion was plain on his face. “Instead, I will take you to a safe place, but we must go, and quickly”
I nodded. King Darren seemed like he could be trusted and we had little other choice. It was worth a chance.
The mages led us through the trees for nearly an hour. Finally, we emerged on a sandy beach, the sound of crashing waves revealing the blue-green waters of the sea. The air was salty and gulls cried out in defiance of our arrival.
A small castle was perched on a narrow cliff above the water. It looked as though it had been dusted in crushed shells, with a bone-white stockade boxing it in. Men on the walls shouted as we approached, lowering a narrow drawbridge.
“The Collector’s power cannot reach you here, Princess,” said King Darren. “Rest for a time and then one of our ships will carry you and your friend back to your kingdom.”
Cruel King: Horn Sworn Book Two
Epilogue
Epilogue
A mountain of burnt wood and twisted metal lay above me, crushing my bones and breaking my body. I had lost a lot of blood—too much. What skin I had left was blackened and every breath I took was agony.
I smiled. It was a trivial matter—for wrapped inside my fingertips was my horn. It thrummed with power and I absorbed it back into my body with a thought. The nearly unlimited magic—denied to me for so long—rushed once more through my veins.
Searching with my magic, I willed Wren to be alive—she had to be. I knew I would never forgive myself if anything had happened to her. I had to trust that Thackery had kept her safe. There! She had escaped the Collector and was moving away from this accursed place.
I summoned my wings, unfurling them in an explosion of magic that sent the burning wreckage flying high above me into the air. The brilliant white feathers of my wings were as hard as armor and shone like the sun. My body was immediately healed, stronger than it had ever been before. I walked through the now-dulled heat of the Eternal Flame without a second thought and ascended into the sky. The fire was nothing to me, for I was born of lava and gold.
Cruel King: Horn Sworn Book Two
About The Authors
TAYLOR HAIDEN has three beautiful children and an amazingly supportive spouse and lives with them in Arizona. Taylor’s days are spent enjoying the amazing blue skies and pink sunsets while writing a variety of genres. When not writing, Taylor enjoys traveling to new places, tasting new and exciting foods, binging on Netflix, and experiencing everything that life has to offer from barbecues to scuba diving. Taylor is the author of the Werewolf M.D. series with more in the works.
Werewolf M.D. – A Paranormal Romance Series:
Werewolf MD – Book 1
Werewolf Epidemic – Werewolf MD Book 2
The Wolf of Dorian Gray Series:
Book 1: A Werewolf Spawned by the Evil of Man
Book 2: Purgatory of the Werewolf
Book 3: Lupari – Werewolf Hunter
Dragon Sea Chronicles
Dragonclaw Dare – Prequel
Mage Reborn – Dragon Sea Chronicles Book 1
Dragon Mage – Dragon Sea Chronicles Book 2
Dark Unicorn Page 14