just scolded me for—we took our eyes off our enemy.
Clapping reaches us, and we jump apart like we’ve been burnt, as the queen, still using Kaelir as a puppet, watches us with interest. “Eldrin, you surprise me. You managed to stay hidden amongst my forsaken all the way here and go after someone else’s mate. And here I thought you were loyal to me.” There’s a heavy pause as she lets that sit between us, and I know she would try to use it as leverage if she thought it would help her. “Never mind, I finally have an excuse to get rid of you. I tire of this.” There is not an ounce of remorse or regret in the queen’s tone as she uses Kaelir to snap his fingers, and suddenly, everything changes. All of the watching forsaken start fighting, but without any sense of direction or purpose, they simply start attacking whatever gets in their way, be that friend or foe. I can tell the moment the queen gives back control of Kaelir’s body—she’s still watching, but no longer directing.
Save him, beloved.
Staring at Eldrin, I take a deep breath, knowing what I need to do. “Will you keep them off me? There’s something I have to do.”
He frowns, and for a moment, I think he’s going to argue with me, but something passes over his face and he simply nods. Closing my eyes, I extend my senses and center myself, trusting in the Mother. When I open them again, I feel ready. I start to run, knowing I’ll need to be fast if I want to do this before the queen realises what I’m trying to do. Sprinting forward, I reach Kaelir and place my hands on his face, pressing them against his skin, my momentum taking us both down to the ground. At first there’s no resistance, so I extend my senses. If the queen is using some sort of death magic on the elves, then I might be able to free them from it. I am some sort of magic breaker, after all.
“Clarissa?” the familiar voice calls.
I open my eyes and smile down at my friend. Except something shifts in his gaze and pain rips through my mind, like someone is dragging a set of daggers through my brain.
“I won’t let you have him.” His face is twisted now, his eyes empty, and I know I’m speaking to the queen once again. A pain like I’ve never felt before stabs into my head where I’m connected to Kaelir, and I have to let go, clutching at my skull as something wet drips down my nose. His body goes still under mine, and I know he’s truly deceased now. She panicked, that’s why she killed him, but I know her secret now—I can bring them back. I wasn’t able to help Kaelir, but I might be able to help others.
The fight doesn’t last long after that, and I was unable to save any of the forsaken. We burn the bodies. Apparently, we have to, part of the tradition to assure that the forsaken don’t rise again. Our losses were surprisingly minimal, although there were many injuries. The elves were surprised and delighted to see Eldrin in one piece, but Naril keeps giving me suspicious looks, like he knows something went on between his brother and me earlier. There will be a big celebration tonight to celebrate their win and the return of the ‘lost child.’ I don’t feel like celebrating, but I will show up with my mates and friends to honour those who were lost today.
I still have so many questions about who I am and who my family was. My mother was the Queen of Arhaven, and she was murdered in front of me. My aunt is still alive and the leader of the mountain tribes, the wood elves believe I’m a goddess reincarnated, and there is a great evil infecting this world—and for some reason, the Great Mother has chosen me to help her.
If the elven queen is able to control the forsaken, then it only makes sense that she is the one creating them. Naril told me they are rare and only happen when the mourning process is not properly adhered to, but she had a whole army of them. Back in Galandell, she wielded death magic. She was able to control the growth of the flowers and then kill them at her will. I have no doubt this is her doing, and that she has something to do with the darkness infecting Morrowmer. I also know the queen picked Kaelir to inflict the most pain because she knew it would hurt me. She was right.
She thinks she can break and ruin me with her games, but I’m made of stronger stuff. All she’s done is stoke my anger.
It’s time to light the fires of war.
Coming Soon
Make sure to read the rest of Clarissa’s story in the
Fires of War
What a year this has been. I wouldn’t have got through all of this without the support of my family and friends. This book nearly broke me, but at the same time, it is, without a doubt, my favourite book to date, and it wouldn’t be what it is without my alpha and beta readers, so as always, I’m so grateful for their input. Thank you to my amazing editor, Jess, from Elemental Editing and Proofreading, and to Bookish Dreams Editing for proofreading this for me. Kaila, you’re still my go-to supreme formatter.
Of course, my long-suffering husband and mother were instrumental in getting this book finished by offering emotional support and endless cups of coffee.
As always, thanks to you, the reader, for continuing on Clarissa’s journey with me, and begging me for more stories.
The Shadowborn Series:
Hunted by Shadows
Lost in Shadow
Embraced by Shadows
The War and Deceit Series:
Fires of Hatred
Fires of Treason
Fires of Ruin
Erin O’Kane and K.A Knight:
Her Freaks Series:
Circus Save Me
Taming the Ringmaster
The Wild Boys:
The Wild Interview
The Wild Tour
Erin O’Kane and Loxley Savage:
Twisted Tides
Tides that Bind
Erin lives in the UK with her husband and now works full time as an independent author. She started writing in 2018 when she published her first book, Hunted by Shadows. She specialises in writing fantasy and reverse harem paranormal romance.
She met K. A. Knight in 2018 when they became partners in crime and began writing together. In 2019, she became co-authors with Loxley Savage, writing fantasy reverse harem.