heir of Bayree. Above my station.”
She put her hand on his chest. “The same was true of Ransom. He’s just an ordinary knight. A worthless second son.” She looked down in a coquettish way. “If you ask the king, he may yet give you what you deserve.” Glancing up again, she met his eyes in an entreating way.
As she lowered her hand, she saw him tremble. With Ransom, she had nearly expended her full stores of Fountain magic to disable his natural wariness, his deep devotion to his Gaultic obsession. It was exhausting maintaining such an effort. With Chauvigny, she didn’t have to invoke anything. He had responded to every touch, every look with ardor.
“When we return to Pree, I shall demand it,” he said, his voice thickening with passion.
“I should hope so,” she answered, gazing out at the sea again.
She’d wanted Ransom to choose her. Yes, she’d been ordered to seduce him, but her brother, Estian, wasn’t the only one with a taste for changing fate and upending the established leadership. Although her role was a valuable one, it chafed. She would be rid of her bondage someday. Just as the Gaultic girl had finally been freed from hers.
The image of Ransom kissing Claire made her blood heat with outrage. Her imagination might drive her to a frenzy. Make her risk all and throw away her life to murder everyone Ransom loved. Just to spite him. Just to punish him. In her raging thoughts, she imagined bursting from the fountain in the sanctuary, a poisoned crossbow in hand, all her knives and implements at the ready. She could do quite a bit of damage in so crowded a place. It brought her a little thrill to imagine him standing over her own dead body, her blood spreading across the floor and staining his boots. She stopped the thought before it tempted her too much. Patience. She had to be patient. To plan her moves carefully, secretly, deftly, the way any keen Wizr player would.
There was no cure for a broken heart. But there was revenge.
AUTHOR’S NOTE
One of my early readers of this book was on tenterhooks because she assumed that Owen and Evie’s story would be repeated in this tale. I don’t like telling the same story over and over, and thankfully history gave me an excuse not to. I have taken some authorial liberties from the written record, since the age gap between the two characters that Ransom and Claire are based on would be jarring to modern sensibilities, but the historical text that inspired this book ended up being a love story of the best kind. I’ll share that source when the story is done.
Some of the situations in the book that might seem downright implausible, like the king mocking Ransom for keeping his armor on before going to the riverfront, are actually based on true events. It can be frustrating to read about people making decisions that feel so illogical, but we all make mistakes. Some of them just have a greater impact.
While history inspires me, fantasy gives me the freedom to twist the plot to tell a better story. I enjoyed weaving additional Arthurian legends into this story. The Gradalis for example (the silver bowl in the grove at Brythonica) is a stand-in for the Holy Grail. Many think of it as a special cup, but in the original legends, it was a dish. One of Arthur’s knights, Sir Percival, found it protected by the Fisher King. There have been so many reinterpretations of the legend, and I found it fun to add my own.
I look forward to sharing the next book with you. The story continues with Lady’s Ransom. If you think this is a reference to Claire, you may be surprised. As always, there will be many more twists and turns ahead before we reach the climax in book four. Thankfully, the next two books will not be long in coming.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I’m always grateful to those who help get my books out into the world, to the many editors and professionals who use their talents to make this possible. I wouldn’t be anywhere without you, and I appreciate the advice, care, and professionalism that goes into it.
Recently I got a note on social media from a fan who said my books have helped them get through the hardest time in their life. So many of us have experienced heartache and heartbreak of a thousand kinds. I’m not exempt. Some dear friends lost their baby grandson recently. A precious niece lost a child as well. And just this weekend, a wonderful friend passed away from ALS. He’s the friend I dedicated this book to. After the news came, my youngest son held me and cried and said he didn’t want to lose me. Life is fragile, and each day is a blessing. So I acknowledge you, especially the silent sufferers who carry pain other eyes don’t see. One of my favorite hymns has the line: In the quiet heart is hidden sorrow that the eye can’t see.
May you find a little comfort in your trials of the heart.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Photo © 2016 Mica Sloan
Jeff Wheeler is the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The Immortal Words, The Buried World, and The Killing Fog in the Grave Kingdom series; the Harbinger, Kingfountain, and First Argentines series; and the Muirwood, Mirrowen, and Landmoor novels. He left his career at Intel in 2014 to write full-time. Jeff is a husband, father of five, and devout member of his church. He lives in the Rocky Mountains and is the founder of Deep Magic: The E-Zine of Clean Fantasy and Science Fiction. Find out more about Deep Magic at https://deepmagic.co, and visit Jeff’s many worlds at https://jeff-wheeler.com.