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On the Edge of Death: The Sundered Oath, #2
On the Edge of Death: The Sundered Oath, #2
On the Edge of Death: The Sundered Oath, #2
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On the Edge of Death: The Sundered Oath, #2

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All the Left Hand of Death wants is something to call her own, but is the price too high?

Ellaeva, the fated avatar of the death goddess, is desperate to track down her missing family but the trail is decades old. Instead, she discovers her battered and bloodied sister priestesses driven across the Jerreki border on pain of death. Ellaeva must turn aside from her personal quest to investigate the murders, only to find her parents have been taken into the heart of the conflict.

Lyram Aharris, favoured son of the royal line of Ahlleyn, is the only living person she trusts to help her infiltrate the enemy stronghold and uproot the horror they find there, but their chequered past threatens the mission. Accompanying him is his crown prince, the one man Lyram wants dead above all others.

Now Ellaeva must face down the darkness in her soul before a dark god is brought into the world.

At the boundary of life and death, all oaths will be tested.

EVOLVED PUBLISHING PRESENTS the second book in "The Sundered Oath" series of dark, epic fantasies. [DRM-Free]

 

LanguageEnglish
Release dateApr 12, 2017
ISBN9781622530328
On the Edge of Death: The Sundered Oath, #2
Author

C.J. Ballintyne

C.J. Ballintyne grew up on a steady diet of adult epic fantasy from the age of nine, resulting in a rather confused outlook on life – believing the good guys should always win, but knowing they often don’t. C.J. is an oxymoron; an idealistic cynic. C.J.’s attempts at the craft of writing began in 1992, culminating in the publication of Confronting the Demon, the first book in “The Seven Circles of Hell” series, in 2013. In the Company of the Dead is C.J’s first book published by Evolved Publishing, and the first book in “The Sundered Oath” series. For fun, C.J. speculates about taking over the world – how hard can it really be? If C.J. could be anything, it would be a dragon, but to be honest, C.J. shares more in common with Dr. Gregory House of House M.D. – both the good and the bad. C.J. is a browncoat, a saltgunner, a Whedonite, a Sherlockian, a Ringer and a Whovian... OK, most major geek fandoms. C.J. holds degrees in law and accounting and is a practising financial services lawyer. C.J. lives in Sydney, Australia, with two daughters and a growing menagerie of animals that includes two horses but unfortunately no dragons.

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    Loved this book! I'm hoping there's another book coming out to finish the series off properly. I'll be looking out for it :)
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    I really loved this book. I wish book 3 was out. Can't wait to read it.

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On the Edge of Death - C.J. Ballintyne

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~~~

ON THE EDGE OF DEATH

The Sundered Oath – Book 2

Second Edition Copyright © 2021 C.J. Ballintyne

(Original First Edition © 2017 Ciara Ballintyne)

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ISBN (EPUB Version): 162253588X

ISBN-13 (EPUB Version): 978-1-62253-588-0

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Editor: Marissa van Uden

Cover Artist: Samuel Keiser

Interior Designer: Lane Diamond, with Images by Samuel Keiser

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PUBLISHER’S NOTE:

At the end of this novel of approximately 120,487 words, you will find two Special Sneak Previews: 1) TO MAKE THE DEAD WEEP by C.J. Ballintyne, the third book in this award-winning The Sundered Oath series of dark fantasy adventures, and; 2) SHADOW SWARM by D. Robert Pease, an award-winning epic fantasy adventure. We think you’ll enjoy these books, too, and provide these previews as a FREE extra service, which you should in no way consider a part of the price you paid for this book. We hope you will both appreciate and enjoy the opportunity. Thank you.

~~~

eBook License Notes:

You may not use, reproduce or transmit in any manner, any part of this book without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations used in critical articles and reviews, or in accordance with federal Fair Use laws. All rights are reserved.

This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only; it may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, please return to your eBook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

~~~

Disclaimer:

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination, or the author has used them fictitiously.

THE SUNDERED OATH

Book 1: In the Company of the Dead

Book 2: On the Edge of Death

Book 3: To Make the Dead Weep

Book 4: To Play Death’s Hand (Coming Soon)

~~~

THE SEVEN CIRCLES OF HELL

Book 1: Confronting the Demon

Book 2: Stalking the Demon

Book 3: Becoming the Demon

Book 4: Being the Demon (Coming Soon)

~~~

www.CJBallintyne.com

IN THE COMPANY OF THE DEAD

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"Some of the most notable fantasy authors create powerful reads with slower beginnings that lead up to a crescendo of gripping action—such as this story... Much like the acclaimed fantasy writer Patrick Rothfuss’s productions, In the Company of the Dead evolves slowly for the first few chapters... perfect for the fantasy fan seeking depth, who appreciates a slow build-up before the fiery action begins. Such an audience will find this perfectly fits the definition of an epic saga: sweeping, complex, and ultimately engrossing." ~ Midwest Book Review, D. Donavan, Sr. Reviewer

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"The clash of the gods, political scheming, a castle under siege, and a hidden enemy make the premise solid. The action scenes with the element of magic and spells are vivid and suspenseful. The prose is wonderfully evocative and the plot has good twists and is well-paced; the story doesn’t take too much time to unfold, but doesn’t hurtle too quickly to the end either. In the Company of the Dead is an engrossing read, a good choice for fantasy fans who like a meaty storyline." ~ Readers’ Favorite Book Reviews, Lit Amri (5 STARS)

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"In the Company of the Dead was absolutely fantastic. This story line had me guessing from beginning to end about what was going to happen next. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The characters were written with such depth and description that you feel as though you are right there with them while reading. I could not put this book down. This is definitely a must read." ~ Hannah Valance (5 STARS)

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I give this book 5 out of 5 stars and two thumbs up. The author has really done a great job with this story. ~ Vine Voice, Seraphia

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The author had plenty of action, but more than that it was carefully spun so that the characters always seemed true to the backgrounds provided. There were enough sub plots to keep my interest, but they didn’t overpower the main plot line. Yes, there was a lot of blood and gore, but it wasn’t glorified. It was just something the evil used to advance its agenda. I stayed up until almost 3am to finish this it was such a page turner and I’d easily recommend it for any fan of this genre. ~ ‘Avid Reader’ (5 STARS)

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ON THE EDGE OF DEATH

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...a powerful epic fantasy production worthy of reading, re-reading, and recommendation. ~ Midwest Book Review, D. Donavan, Sr. Reviewer

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...Ballintyne fantastically creates this other world in every word, pulls you in and leaves you panting for more by the time you reach the final page. A truly satisfying read that will leave you ready for the next adventure. ~ Readers’ Favorite Book Reviews, Natasha Jackson

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...the writing is quite brilliant; the descriptions give an excellent description of the world and people while not being overly verbose. ...A truly great fantasy series. ~ Vine Voice, Mainer

~~~

I preface this review with the fact that I rarely give five star ratings. A novel really has to wow me to earn five stars, and this one did. ~ HR Duby

We’re pleased to offer you not one, but two Special Sneak Previews at the end of this book.

~~~

In the first preview, you’ll enjoy the First 2 Chapters of TO MAKE THE DEAD WEEP by C.J. Ballintyne, the third book in this award-winning The Sundered Oath series of dark fantasy adventures.

~~~

~~~

OR GRAB THE FULL EBOOK TODAY!

FIND LINKS TO YOUR FAVORITE RETAILER HERE:

THE SUNDERED OATH Series at Evolved Publishing

In the second preview, you’ll enjoy the First 2 Chapters of D. Robert Pease‘s critically-acclaimed, award-winning SHADOW SWARM, an epic fantasy adventure.

~~~

~~~

OR GRAB THE FULL EBOOK TODAY!

FIND LINKS TO YOUR FAVORITE RETAILER HERE:

D. ROBERT PEASE’S Books at Evolved Publishing

Table of Contents

Copyright

Books by C.J. Ballintyne

What Others Are Saying

BONUS CONTENT

Table of Contents

Dedication

ON THE EDGE OF DEATH

Map

Chapter 1—Blood in the Water

Chapter 2—What I Want

Chapter 3—What I Cannot Have

Chapter 4—A Moment of Fear

Chapter 5—The Voice and the Blade

Chapter 6—The Stench of Decay

Chapter 7—A Subdued Affair

Chapter 8—An Eerie Stillness

Chapter 9—Encounters

Chapter 10—Audience

Chapter 11—School of Horror

Chapter 12—Pushed to the Brink

Chapter 13—Lovebirds

Chapter 14—One Sacrifice Too Many

Chapter 15—From Love, Hate

Chapter 16—Not All Can Be Saved

Chapter 17—Confrontations

Chapter 18—Kindred Spirits

Chapter 19—The Trial

Chapter 20—Nose to the Ground

Chapter 21—Shadows in the Soul

Chapter 22—It Was Not Right but It Was Done

Chapter 23—A Price

Chapter 24—Fanning the Flames

Chapter 25—A Long-Delayed Satisfaction

Chapter 26—To the Prison

Chapter 27—No Strength to Resist

Chapter 28—Heartbeats in Silence

Chapter 29—Taking up the Sword

Chapter 30—The Unworthy

Chapter 31—Arguments with Truth

Chapter 32—The Fork in the Road

Chapter 33—Run to Ground

Chapter 34—The Harrowing

Chapter 35—Unions and Divisions

Epilogue

Glossary

Acknowledgements

Special Sneak Preview: TO MAKE THE DEAD WEEP by C.J. Ballintyne

About the Author

What’s Next?

More from C.J. Ballintyne

More from Evolved Publishing

Special Sneak Preview: SHADOW SWARM by D. Robert Pease

For my dragon ladies, Dionne Lister and MJ Kaufmann—you are the core of my writing network. The first to celebrate my successes, the first to offer your support, the first to hear of a new plot twist, the first to try and solve a problem with a scene that isn’t working, and the first to listen to my editing woes. Without you, none of these books would be possible. You keep me writing when nothing else can. This one is for you.

A Battle Priestess of the death goddess isn’t supposed to have friends, family or lovers, and Ellaeva was learning first-hand why not.

Blood ran over the ravine’s stone floor, flooding the tiny stream and distorting the dark reflection of the forest canopy. She skidded down the rocky slope, shale slipping beneath her feet and almost sending her tumbling head over heels. Rocks bounced and clattered down around her.

She followed the tinkling, blood-red stream into a grove of trees. The wind whispered through the leaves, murmuring sweet nothings, and the air was thick with damp and mould.

In the dark heart of the grove a woman lay face down on the bank, her lower body in the water. Three arrows jutted from her back.

Another one. Please, Ahura, why can’t you have mercy on your priestesses? But as had been the case for six months, the goddess did not answer her.

For two weeks now, priestesses of Ahura, the goddess of death, truth and justice, had been fleeing across the border from Jerrek into Velena, most of them wounded. All had haunted eyes in frightened faces, and every last one of them had lost someone, or seen another woman slaughtered out of hand. Many, like this one, had fled across the border at random points, afraid to pass through the official border crossing.

The woman inhaled with a harsh, rattling sound, and Ellaeva flung herself to her knees beside her. She thrust one hand hard against the wound below the woman’s collarbone to try to staunch the bleeding. Sticky redness slicked her hands to the wrist. She tore two lengths of cloth from the bottom of her robe with sharp jerks, and pressed them against the woman’s back.

Holding the crudely wadded bandages in place, she tried to the roll the woman over. The stream water had soaked the priestess’s robes, and in the end Ellaeva bunched fistfuls of cloth in her hands and hauled the woman on to her side. Cold water splashed up, dampening her own robes and chilling her skin.

At sight of the woman’s tattooed face, Ellaeva’s breath caught. Oriella.

She’d last seen her friend two weeks ago, when the border guard’s spear had slammed to the ground between them, blocking Ellaeva’s path. The shaft was splintered and in need of oiling, and the foot-long spear point threatened gangrene more than anything else, but it had been sound enough to bar her way. After a quick, apologetic inspection of Ahura’s holy blade, the guards had turned her back. Though they certainly looked uncomfortable about it, their message was clear: the Battle Priestess of Ahura was not welcome in Jerrek. Ordinarily she could rely on the word of law to gain her admittance almost anywhere, but it seemed Jerrek had turned away from the law.

It had astonished her. To deny Ahura’s Battle Priestess was to deny truth and justice. That took guts, or a great deal of fear of something worse than Ciotach an Bhais.

The border guards reeked of fear, so much it almost made her sick.

Oriella had continued into the kingdom, following the lead they had on Ellaeva’s parents. Thought dead for almost twenty years and only recently discovered to be alive, the trail was cold, but they had so few other leads that Oriella had refused to give up the one viable possibility they had. Now Ellaeva cursed her friend’s decision bitterly—not that Oriella, on the other side of the border and out of reach, had given her any say in it.

Oriella’s eyelids fluttered in her tattooed face, her lips trying to form words.

How long had she been lying here? Too long. Too much blood stained the rocks. So much that she is beyond saving.

But Ellaeva’s thoughts scuttled away from that fact as she packed more improvised bandages around the arrow shaft. When she tugged on it gently, it didn’t move. Lodged in a bone, or perhaps even in a lung. She shivered at the memory of her own arrow wound some six months earlier, and the difficulty of its removal. Her back still ached on occasion. Then she steeled herself and gripped the next shaft.

Stop. The word was a mere breath of air on Oriella’s lips, and she fumbled for Ellaeva’s hand. Stop. I am... dying.

No, Ellaeva whispered. A sickening, cold feeling weighed heavy in her stomach. She settled back onto her heels, heedless of the blood and water soaking her black robes, and pushed loose wisps of dark hair away from her face. Her hand left a sticky streak down one cheek.

Oriella’s gaze met hers, her eyes glazed with pain. We both... know it.

Her chest constricted, and she gulped in a lungful of the evening air. It burned cold down her throat. No. I won’t let you.

The goddess has already... stayed her hand once... for you. Think she’ll... do it again? A wry smile twisted Oriella’s lips for a moment before fading. Her breath came in shallow, laboured gasps.

Ellaeva’s back grew rigid. Ahura had returned someone from the grave at her request once already; she would not do it again. Despite that, or perhaps because of it, Ellaeva went back to her task, packing more cloth around the wound. The second shaft twirled freely between her fingers, the green feathers flashing in the dim light, though Oriella grunted. If she could get one out and bind the wound properly...

Stop. Just stop, Ellaeva. Oriella’s voice was a hoarse, pained whisper.

Ellaeva did as the priestess bade her, but in her mind’s eye she saw only the memory of a darkened tent, where the red-headed man lay dead before her. The same desperation as then coursed through her. She could not, simply could not, face that moment again.

Once more she called for Ahura. Once more, only a vast silence echoed in her head. That night, when Ahura had agreed to restore Lyram Aharris to life, had been the last night the goddess ever spoke to her.

"I have seen it. You cannot save me." Oriella seized her hand.

Seen it. The words fell heavily in the peaceful silence beneath the trees. If Oriella had been given knowledge of the moment of her death, then nothing Ellaeva did could avert it. All Ahura’s priestesses knew the moment of their death. All except Ellaeva. A Battle Priestess had little enough hope as it was without foreseeing the precise moment of her demise.

Here, in my robes... Oriella fumbled at the black cloth a moment, before letting her hand fall feebly.

Ellaeva peeled back the sodden fabric, finding a wet, rolled parchment stained heavily with blood in a pocket.

Oriella nodded as Ellaeva lifted the parchment free. Blue tinged the edges of her lips. I... kept notes.

Ellaeva glanced down at the scrolled parchment, and when she looked up again, Oriella’s eyes had slid shut. With a wordless cry, she dropped the parchment and grabbed her friend’s hand. Her heart still beat, but her pulse beneath Ellaeva’s fingers was thready and erratic.

The very idea of Oriella’s death was incomprehensible. She was the only person to have shown her any care in recent years, the only one except... except Lyram.

She still sensed him, nestled in the back of her head, though he was too far distant for her to know anything of him except his direction. It was better this way, and she’d been grateful when her parents’ trail had pulled her halfway across the continent, away from Ahlleyn and Lyram Aharris.

When Oriella had offered to accompany her from Caisteal Aingeal, offered to serve as her companion priestess, it was a gift from Ahura—a blessing to have company, and a friend to help her shoulder the burden, especially since the fire of her hate for the Rahmyrrim had dimmed after she discovered her parents were alive. And now, Oriella was dying.

Though an empty ache filled her heart, the tears would not come—only bitter anger. It filled her until she sagged to the cold stones, quivering.

The scroll was wet with Oriella’s blood and water from the stream. She unrolled it with great care, grimacing. Great swathes of words had been obliterated, washed out by water or lost beneath red stains. So few words of the original page of text remained, tantalising with meaning beyond comprehension, but she could make out the first part:

... her parents ... found them in Ellair but they are ... kept well-guarded ... Sense of great unease and unrest ... new gods.

Her heart leapt into mouth. Oriella had found them. Against all hope and expectation, despite fear she would find only another cold trail, Oriella had found her parents.

Oriella clutched at her hand. Ellaeva surged erect, grasping her in return, but her friend was still unconscious, her body responding to reflex in its moment of extremity. Her body went rigid, and then fell limp.

Ellaeva pressed her fingers against her wrist. A pulse, faint and erratic, fluttered one last time, like a frantic butterfly caught in the hand. Then it stopped, and did not beat again.

She stared at Oriella’s slack features, her friend’s fingers still limp in her palm. Her head spun, and she teetered on the brink of vomiting, but then the dizziness faded away. Very carefully, she laid the hand on the dead priestess’s breast. With two fingers, she touched her brow, lips and breast, representing each function of life ceasing in death.

And still the tears would not come, but a pounding began in her ears.

As she climbed to her feet, the calm peace of the stream beneath the trees struck her with an almost visceral pain. Birds sang somewhere nearby, and she ground her teeth.

She had to breach Jerrek’s borders, had to find her parents, and had to discover who was responsible for the death of Oriella and the other priestesses. The few legible words on the scroll were so far apart that she could not decipher their meaning, but the reference to new gods, especially in conjunction with the murder of Ahura’s devoted, made her skin prickle with gooseflesh. And her parents were somewhere in there?

And what if I find them? What then? We all play happy families?

She shied away from the thought. What did you do when you were reunited with parents you hadn’t seen for nearly twenty years? Even for ordinary people, it would be a challenge. What then, when the daughter was Ciotach an Bhais?

The more important question was how she would get into Jerrek. The border guards had recognised her sword before her face, but if they hadn’t known what she looked like before then, they certainly did now. She might have tried crossing elsewhere or between checkpoints, but it seemed foolhardy in the extreme to assume her description would not be circulated.

She could return with a company of valkyrs and try to force her way across the border and into Ellair, the capital, but how many would die? And whoever was behind the attack on Ahura would have ample warning to flee. In the chaos, her parents might disappear again. And whatever was happening in Jerrek could be covered up. She’d never know who killed Oriella.

Her chest squeezed painfully tight, and her eyes dropped to the dead woman again, then jerked away like a hand brushing a hot stove.

She would have justice for Oriella, and she would find her parents. And she would find out what was happening in Jerrek.

Though the borders were closed to Ahura’s chosen, a king’s diplomatic delegation might still gain admittance.... Almost involuntarily, she turned to the west, following the invisible line connecting her to Ahlleyn.

Her fingers curled closed around the hilt of her sword, clenching so tight her knuckles ached. Ahlleyn was nowhere she wanted to go, but some things were more important than personal pain.

Lyram leaned on the window casement, scouring the bustling courtyard of the royal palace of Ahlleyn below. Servants in the black and purple livery of the clan Gaylbrath strode confidently about their tasks, and his gaze skipped over them, looking for someone obviously out of place—looking for the crow amongst the sparrows. From this high, picking individual faces out of the crowd was impossible, but that didn’t stop him searching. He didn’t need a face to find the person he sought.

Despite his failure to note anyone out of place, he knew there was at least one person in the palace who shouldn’t be there. He could feel it in his bones.

Lyram, you’re not listening to me.

Sighing, he turned, leaning back against the wall with his arms folded over his plaid. He regarded the duchess. No, Narrawen, I’m not. I do apologise. What were you saying?

The Duchess of Kinrothen narrowed pale-blue eyes at him. She stood in the centre of his sitting room, an inner sanctum furnished by his late wife, and a place of solitude and reflection where he’d usually not permit the duchess. But, short of his bedchamber, this was the only room in his suite with a window. He needed to see the courtyard, and she’d insisted on speaking with him.

Never mind. You clearly have something else on your mind. Then her voice grew teasing. Perhaps something I could help with?

Lyram swallowed a long-suffering sigh. Narrawen, standing with her head cocked and one hand on a hip, was a fine figure of a woman, but she was also a schemer. Her kirtle, though made of expensive linen, was woven in the red, yellow and green tartan of her clan; she took every opportunity to wear it, as though reminding everyone she was their clan leader. Though women were accepted as equals in Ahlleyn, a woman heading a large warrior clan could experience certain... troublesome elements, and she carried a bow slung over her shoulder. A woman who would lead warriors must be a warrior, and she had the temperament to match the flaming red hair tumbling down her shoulders in unruly curls. Everything she did was calculated and planned, and there was no way he’d be sharing what was on his mind.

It’s nothing to trouble yourself over, he said.

Oh, it would be no trouble to take a burden from your shoulders. She stepped forward, closing the distance between them to place a hand on his arm.

The heady aroma of eastern tuberose assaulted his nostrils, rich and sensual. She was tall, the top of her head on a level with his nose, and her breath tickled his clean-shaven chin. Her gaze held the resolute intensity of a woman accustomed to getting her way, sooner or later. She was beautiful, and in a way that went beyond her face and figure: she was fierce, determined, and intelligent.

But when he looked at her, he saw only Ellaeva.

Her brow pinched, as if reading something in his face, and he smoothed his expression.

You’ve been too long a widower, she said.

He started. Eighteen months! That’s hardly too long.

She met his gaze with an intense expression, ignoring his protest. And I’ve never married. We both need heirs.

He shook his head and tried to draw away, but she had him pinned between her wide skirts and the window. You would merge two of the kingdom’s most powerful and influential duchies into one? The aristocracy will never stand for it. You already know my answer, Narrawen. I’m not interested in marrying—you or anyone else. It’s not personal, you understand?

She snorted in a most unladylike fashion and tossed her hair, like a wild horse tossing its mane. You pay too little attention, Lyram. You’d be surprised what the aristocracy will allow now, after the fall of Traeburhn. Everyone’s been made nervous by his treason, especially when the king posthumously stripped him of his lands and titles. Besides, we need not merge the duchies. We could agree on a division of heirs.

The risk of civil war—

She leaned closer, until only inches separated their faces. The heady smell of her perfume was almost intoxicating.

There are any number of men in this kingdom, and without, who would marry me, she said. "Most for the wrong reasons. Few of them have my respect and admiration, but you do. What I need is a husband. What I want is you."

The door burst open, thumping against the wall.

Narrawen jumped back, her bow clattering against the side table. A faint blush stained her cheeks.

Lyram’s pulse quickened. This was it, the moment he’d been waiting for.

Everard stood framed by the sitting room’s doorway, his posture perfectly erect as he folded his hands neatly in front of his sporran. As always, he was clad in scrupulous court attire, his rank pinned to the shoulder of his white shirt and his kilt falling in perfect pleats. His thinning grey hair had been meticulously combed, and his wire-framed glasses perched precariously on his nose. He kept his face blank, but a small twitch beside his eye betrayed his displeasure at the duchess’s presence. Sir.

Though Everard’s tone was even, Lyram read the tension and urgency in him. I know, Everard. I’ll come.

A prior engagement, Lyram? Narrawen said. Whatever it is, reschedule it. We’re not done.

Lyram opened his mouth to countermand the order—though she outranked him, how dare she presume to order his aide-de-camp?

But Everard’s gaze flickered to her with that same inscrutability, and in his perfectly deadpan aide’s voice he said, Is Your Grace still chasing a husband? Perchance I can suggest a better hunting ground.

Narrawen grew rigid, and Lyram suppressed a grin.

The duchess and I can finish our conversation later, Lyram said. I’ll come, Everard.

No, sir— Everard blinked, jerking aside as though pinched, and Ellaeva stepped into the room.

The shock of seeing her thrilled through him, like the mixed pleasure of an unexpectedly warm spring day, tainted by fording a stream running with snowmelt. Though he’d felt her jump suddenly from the far east to well within Ahlleyn borders several days ago, though he’d felt her drawing nearer by the day, he hadn’t realised she was here, outside the room. And no amount of time could have prepared him for this moment.

Their gazes locked. Her black eyes were flat and cold. In his head, the sense of her abruptly clenched into the hard glass ball that said she was trying to control or hide her feelings. That connection was the unintended legacy of his resurrection at her hand, but she’d grown better at controlling it. Then her gaze flickered to Narrawen, standing so close alongside him, and the glass ball shattered into a thousand shards with an impact so visceral he gasped and sat down. The chill in the air deepened.

She switched her stare back to Lyram. Finally she spoke, in a voice cold as iron. I have come to see Alagondar.

Lyram sat in one of the formal chairs in the king’s private reception chamber and stared vacantly at the small fire that crackled on the hearth against the deepening cold of an Ahlleyn autumn. The chair was timber, and uncomfortable, despite the velvet purple upholstery on the padded seat. The smoky scent of burning peat filled the room.

Ellaeva stood on the opposite side of the room, fingering her sword hilt and staring at the portrait of some ancestor or other of the king as though studying it in minute detail.

The room seemed vast and empty, with two lines of unoccupied chairs against either wall bracketing the rug that ran down the centre of the stone floor. The silence between them stretched uncomfortably. Of all the things he’d thought she might say at the sight of him after six months of separation, ‘I have come to see Alagondar’ had most definitely not been on his list.

She stood at parade rest, having declined a seat with her usual stiff-necked pride, and he couldn’t help but drink in the sight of her, grim visage and all. Ahura’s holy blade still hung on her hip, and in every other way she looked exactly as he recalled: black hair swept back tight from her brow into a warrior’s tail, and her black eyes flat and expressionless in a face pale and lovely as marble. Her lips had that grim, hard line he recalled from their first meeting in Caisteal Aingeal, without any of the wry humour he’d wrung from her later in the siege, and her eyes were red-rimmed. From sleeplessness, perhaps?

She’d volunteered nothing in the way of small talk, nor enquired after his well-being. He toyed with the fringe on the seat cushion. He had no idea what to say to her.

Still, he should try. Have you... uh—

The inner door swung open on silent hinges, and she pivoted smoothly on the balls of her feet.

The king stepped into the room, pulling the panel shut without admitting any attendants or advisers.

Lyram, surprised that the king was alone, lifted an eyebrow, then belatedly scrambled to his feet to offer a bow.

A small smile quirked the king’s lips; Alagondar was a deft hand at reading Lyram’s moods. If the Battle Priestess of Ahura wishes to speak to me, Aharris, I expect it’s a rather dire matter of urgency and perhaps not something immediately shared with my wider advisers. I expect you, as my military adviser, will do for now. Alagondar waved him back down, and took a seat several chairs down from Lyram, across from the fireplace where Ellaeva stood.

Your Majesty. Ellaeva inclined her head and made no move to sit. You are most wise.

Alagondar inclined his head in return and offered no comment on her minimal courtesies. Ahura’s priestesses were the arbiters of justice in all the kingdoms, but it was her Battle Priestess who acted as the supreme court and dispensed justice in a most final way. It was the Battle Priestess who had authority in matters of law and judgement, even over the governments of each land. When a king or queen needed to be held to account, it was Ellaeva who would have the reckoning. And that was why she still wore the sword, even in the presence of an unguarded king.

We did not talk much when last we met, Your Holiness, Alagondar said. "But Lyram has spoken well of you since you left us at Caisteal Aingeal six months past. Perhaps too well."

When the king cast a sharp eye at Lyram, he caught and held his gaze unflinching. If he had sung Ellaeva’s praises... well, she deserved it. She made even Narrawen look like a shrinking violet.

Narrawen would buckle under the weight on Ellaeva’s shoulders; Ciotach an Bhais goes to her doom unflinching. No sooner did he think it than he wished he hadn’t. The future of a Battle Priestess was dark to start with; how much worse had their forbidden night together made her burden? And yet, the almost physical ache to hold her again was almost impossible to resist, even knowing that to do so would be to cross a god.

Then I hope that praise will sway Your Majesty to listen to my plea. Ellaeva swept her robes forward and finally sat, perching on the edge of a seat with a stiff posture, probably to accommodate the cuir bouilli plate she wore underneath. Something dire is underway in Jerrek. They are killing the priestesses.

Lyram jerked as though slapped, and even Alagondar sucked in a sharp breath.

"Killing priestesses?" Lyram couldn’t keep the horror from his voice. Not only was it murder, but to kill the representatives of justice was to embrace injustice.

I only have second-hand reports. Ellaeva leaned forward. I was refused entry at the border, but my sisters are fleeing, many injured, and carrying tales of priestesses killed and driven out.

"They refused you?" Lyram closed his hands on the arms of his chair.

I have had my own reports. The king’s voice was quieter and more thoughtful than Lyram’s. The kingdom appears to be returning to an earlier form of Jerreki culture. Many women traders have fled the country, following a ban on women being involved in commercial matters. Apparently all the highest-ranked women have withdrawn into seclusion—permanently. These are the laws of last century. Are they burning the courts?

Lyram looked sharply at Alagondar. Ahlleyn shared only a short border with Jerrek, and those borderlands were far from the control of the Jerreki capital, Ellair, but when a kingdom starts burning its courts of justice, its neighbours had best arm their men.

I’ve heard conflicting reports. The main temple had not been attacked when I left the border, but some of the smaller altars of worship had been closed or destroyed.

Alagondar nodded. One of the old laws was that women could not testify in court, so presumably they cannot serve as magistrates either. The courts are an obvious target.

They specifically barred me from entry, but allowed my friend, a priestess of Ahura, though. She barely made it out again.... Ahura’s followers are being attacked, and there is talk of new gods, though which ones it is not clear. She died for this information.

Her voice was flat and cold, but Lyram grunted at the sudden stab of pain rolling down the link between them. The link that bound him to her, and to her requests. He’d not thought to ask her what that binding really meant. He’d been too caught up in the euphoria of their breaking the siege and then in the heartache of her departure.

Alagondar sat back in his chair, his hands gripping the armrests and his face regal but blank, betraying nothing of his thoughts or intentions. I can see this is a matter of concern for the Temple. Perhaps all of them, if this heresy spreads to the other sects. I wonder at their intentions if they shut down the arbiters of justice... Is it that they want no lawful witnesses to some atrocity against their own people, or even mine? But it is too early for me to do more than watch and bolster the border defences, so what I don’t know is why you are here. Presumably not to warn me—I have my own sources. Is it information you seek?

What I want, she said, is Lyram.

Hearing his name on her lips sent a shiver of pleasure down Lyram’s spine, but the look she gave him carried not an iota of warmth. He tensed in his chair, waiting for more.

I need a way into Jerrek to investigate. Send Lyram to Jerrek on a diplomatic mission. I don’t care what he’s there to negotiate—make it real if it suits you, or a sham if there is nothing you want of them. Perhaps a border agreement, or something else it makes sense for your military adviser to deal with personally.

Alagondar cast a glance between Ellaeva and Lyram. No doubt he’d noticed the familiarity with which she used Lyram’s name.

Why Aharris? I might be inclined to aid the Temple in this matter and help you across the border, but I would not ordinarily send Aharris to negotiate anything.

Lyram tensed. He couldn’t decide whether he wanted Alagondar to refuse her or to grant her request. Her absence had hurt, but her presence had the potential to hurt more. And of course, there were the secrets between them. He’d never told Alagondar that he’d died and been saved only through Ellaeva’s intervention and Ahura’s mercy. He’d never told anyone that, nor what his resurrection entailed: that he was bound to serve Ahura’s Battle Priestess.

Lyram is... bound to me, she said, speaking slowly as though picking her words carefully. There is a debt. And I need someone I can trust to watch my back.

Then, the king said softly, it is not my help you require so much as Aharris’s. What if I said no?

The skin around Ellaeva’s eyes tightened, though not a muscle shifted otherwise, and when she spoke, her voice was cold enough to raise frost. The nature of the bond allows me to compel him, will ye, nil ye. But if it is your intention to refuse my request, Your Majesty, then I request that you speak plainly and simply say so!

She lurched to her feet, staring the king down with the expression of a monarch considering a declaration of war. The righteous anger made her face both beautiful and terrible.

Lyram sat back in his seat. Compel him? In a literal sense? He hunched his shoulders at the thought. Then a sudden flush of heat rushed through him, dispelling the chill fingers of fear that brushed him at the realisation she might have dominion over him. If she insisted on taking him against Alagondar’s wishes, then it wasn’t an Ahlleyn diplomatic mission she wanted at all, but just him. She had betrayed something in this outburst. Despite her cold front, she did want him, she did miss him.

Was the ache he felt his own or hers?

Peace. Alagondar desultorily waved her back to her seat with a thick-knuckled hand. I am not really considering refusing you, but I like to know what the stakes are. High, I presume, if you would risk angering a crowned king for the company of one man. Ahlleyn risks much if this goes badly and it becomes known that we aided you in full knowledge and of our own free will.

Ellaeva sat down, her eyes suddenly unfocussed and staring into the distance. It is not the other kingdoms’ wrath you must fear, I suspect. It is the dark gods.

Lyram hurried to catch up to Ellaeva as she strode away from the king’s suite, his formal kilt and plaid flapping in his haste. Once dismissed from the king’s presence she was, as ever, rushing on without pause to whatever task she had next on her list.

In the end, Alagondar had given her what she wanted. The words ‘dark gods’ had a galvanising effect when dropped from the lips of Ahura’s Battle Priestess. The day she spoke those words to Lyram in Caisteal Aingeal still rang stark in the halls of his memory, like a bell tolling for death. Little was known about most of the dark gods, beyond ancient and twisted references in nursery rhymes and folk songs, but that almost made it worse—like one’s childhood demons had turned out to be real after all.

He panted breathlessly as they emerged from a twisting turnpike stair into a lower level. Are you ever going to stop and talk to me? The rolling echoes of their boot heels on timber floors almost swallowed his words.

She stopped and wheeled about so abruptly in the half-lit gloom of the royal castle’s interior that he almost ploughed right into her. The smell of leather and polished steel surrounded her in a cloud, a scent somehow more intoxicating than Narrawen’s exotic eastern perfume. Candles flickered on the walls, but the only windows were arrow-slits, leaving her face partially in shadow. Her feelings turned to a glass bubble in his head, and though he poked and prodded it with mental fingers, she kept him out.

Do you not think we will have plenty of time to talk on the way to Jerrek?

Not in private, he said, his voice soft.

A servant scurried past, her eyes downcast but peeking furtively as she walked. Ellaeva naturally drew eyes, not only because of the stark robes signifying a priestess of Ahura or the way she stood—so erect and with an aura of confidence bordering on arrogance—but because of the sword. On the hip of a priestess of Ahura, a blade could only mean one

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