Fires of War (War and Deceit #4) - Erin O'Kane Page 0,154

stay and help them rebuild Galandell, and I hope it will form a better relationship between the three races. We are still trying to reunite the children we managed to save with their parents.

A part of me worries that although the queen was defeated, Jos is still out there. The Great Mother assured me she would deal with him, that we are safe now, so I try to put those doubts aside and focus on the present. Things are not going to be easy, there is still a lot of work to do, and as I look at my mates and friends, I know we have a lot of healing to do, but together, it’s possible.

“So, what do we do now?” Vaeril asks, reaching out and taking my hand in his.

Closing my eyes, I lean back against Grayson and soak up his warmth, smiling when I feel all their gazes on me. When I open them again, they are all watching me expectantly. “We can start to live our lives.”

The Lady-in-Waiting

I don’t know how long I’ve been running for, but there have been at least two sunrises since the battle where I shoved a dagger into the queen’s back.

I’ve washed my hands what feels like a hundred times, yet I swear I can still feel her blood on them.

As soon as she died, I felt her magical leash on me dissolve, the power that sewed my lips shut disappearing. This morning was the first time I plucked up the courage to look at my reflection in a stream when I stopped for water. There is pure, perfect skin around my lips. No one would ever know the decades of torture I endured under the elf queen.

She died too easily. She deserved to suffer, just like I did.

Suddenly, the ground rolls and bucks beneath me. I’m near the edge of the forest now, near the mountains. I’ve heard of earthquakes, but in the north of Morrowmer, not in the south where I currently am. Crouching low to the ground, I grab onto the nearest tree trunk as the ground continues to rumble. With an almighty roar, everything shakes, and I’m thrown to the dirt.

Everything falls into silence, so I hesitantly stand and slowly creep forward, my eyes flicking around, looking for any threats. When I reach the edge of the forest, my breath leaves me in a sudden rush. The mountains stand before me, but they look like they’ve been carved in two. Between the two halves of the mountain, impossibly, is a pathway.

This shouldn’t be here. Yet, somehow, just when I needed an escape, one appeared. Do I take it?

I’ve heard stories that the mountains were the only barrier that kept the foul creatures of the fae lands from Morrowmer. Stepping back from the mysterious chasm, I go to return to the forest when an unknown, piercing shriek fills the air. My head whips around, my eyes narrowing on the crack in the mountains, and I back away slowly. I don’t perceive anything coming through it, but I don’t want to wait around and see if it does.

Once in the safety of the trees, I finally turn my back on the mountains and start running once more.

Coming Soon

The lady-in-waiting’s story will continue in A Lady of Embers,

Book one in the Fires of the Fae series.

Wilson will return in A City of Smoke and Ashes,

Coming 2021

Read on for an exclusive bonus scene of Clarissa and her mates six months after the final battle!

Bonus Chapter

Six months after the battle

Clarissa

My eyes blur as the letters on the page before me merge into one fuzzy mass. Groaning, I drop my head onto the musty book. Why did I think I would be able to help with this task? Ever since the battle when I fulfilled my purpose—defeating the elf queen—I’ve felt a little useless. Not to mention the guilt that follows me almost constantly.

We all had our own battle scars after the confrontation in Galandell, both physical and mental. We needed to get away to heal, away from everyone else and the constant reminders of what happened. This trip had been the perfect excuse.

When Eldrin and I finally completed our mating bond, the Great Mother confirmed that ‘another’ had blessed it. I have tried speaking to the goddess since, but she seems to have…disappeared. I try not to worry, the land is beginning to recover from the queen’s evil, but I miss her constant presence.

One of the chiefs from the tribes mentioned an ancient