Ember turned back as the crowd’s chanting began to subside and lifted his arms to quiet them. Now that he was the heir, his commands were second only to Crimson’s. And there was one thing he needed to take care of immediately.
He stepped forward to address his clan. “I am honored to be chosen as the heir and future chieftain. To serve Night Snow has long been my dream. I would also like to thank the Mountain Mother and Breath Father for their gracious blessings. I also owe a debt to the ancestors for their wisdom, to my mother, Raven, whose sacrifice has served the clan and my father, Crimson, who has led us with distinction for so long.”
Applause and hurrahs rang out. But Ember was not done.
“Before the ritual begins, I would also like to show appreciation to our prophet, Murmur, for the gift of his visions and our shaman, Oval, for his protection of our home, our persons, and our spirits. Their work is essential to the clan. And to our future shaman, Mooriah—she has my deepest gratitude.”
A hush settled over everyone as he called out a woman as yet unclanned. He turned to her, noting her shocked expression. “And beyond my gratitude, she holds my heart. If she will have me, I would make her my wife.”
Mooriah’s eyes widened and she blinked rapidly. She didn’t appear to be breathing.
Beside him, Crimson hissed, “She is unclanned, son.”
Ember smiled. “The chieftain’s wife is by definition clan. Once we wed, she will be Lady of the Clan.” He approached her, holding out his hands, waiting for her to accept them.
She looked around the silent arena. It was as if everyone was holding their collective breaths, awaiting her next move.
She extended shaking hands to him and grabbed hold. He squeezed her, and a band around his heart loosened.
“Will you have me? Will you be my wife, Mooriah?”
She was quivering, and it took her a moment to speak. “Yes, of course I will.” He grinned and pulled her toward him.
Then the crowd began to cheer, more raucous and livelier than ever before. Chants went up of, “Ember! Ember! Mooriah! Mooriah!” They echoed through the stone walls of the arena all the way to the ceiling high above.
Holding her tight in his embrace, he whispered in her ear, “I am yours alone for as long as you’ll have me.”
“Well, you have me for life,” she said, burying her face in his chest.
He was not sure that was long enough. But he would be happy to find out.
Fenix and Mooriah return in Requiem of Silence (Earthsinger Chronicles book 4).
If you’re new to the Earthsinger Chronicles series, start at the beginning with book one, Song of Blood & Stone, to learn more about Yllis, The Mantle, and the war between Earthsingers and the Silent.
Also By L. Penelope
Earthsinger Chronicles
Song of Blood & Stone
Breath of Dust & Dawn
Whispers of Shadow & Flame
Cry of Metal & Bone
Requiem of Silence
The Eternal Flame Series
Angelborn
Angelfall
Standalones
The Cupid Guild
About the Author
L. Penelope is an award-winning fantasy and paranormal romance author. Equally left and right-brained, she studied filmmaking and computer science in college and sometimes dreams in HTML. She lives in Maryland with her husband and furry dependents. Sign up for new release information, exclusives, and giveaways on her website: http://www.lpenelope.com.
A Memory of Summer
by
Grace Draven
Spinsterhood has never bothered or embarrassed the independent Emerence Ipsan, and the winter festival of Delyalda keeps her far too busy managing her father’s shops to worry about matters as trivial as marriage.
Until the arrival of a young Quereci warrior with old eyes and an admiring gaze makes her question that notion.
A MEMORY OF SUMMER is a short novella that takes place in the world of the Wraith Kings series. For those who’ve read the first three books in the series (RADIANCE, EIDOLON, THE IPPOS KING), this storyline takes place after EIDOLON and before THE IPPOS KING. It runs concurrently with events in the novella IN THE DARKEST MIDNIGHT and reintroduces the Wraith king Gaeres.
All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the author.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or business establishments,