Fear was not for the weak but for the intelligent who knew they were up against an unpredictable foe.
Eliza Hawke, the ice-wielding Princess of Keruna, has been married off to Will, the earth-wielding Prince of Mineros. The cruel and unfeeling place that is Mineros cares about power over anything else. As Eliza's days of forced betrothal go by, Will leaves his mark with bruises and veiled threats. Yet, through Eliza's misery, she finds solace within the Princess of Mineros, Nissa.
Nissa, is a beam of light even on Eliza's darkest days. It is not until Will's coronation is almost in his grasp, Eliza and Nissa hatch a daring plan of escape. If the Prince is allowed control over the largest army in Catalina, then all will surely be lost.
As the two fight desperately to unite the kingdoms in their war against the Prince, a tale of danger and betrayal unfolds every step of the way.
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Excerpt:
Fire crackled in the hearth to the left of Eliza’s reading chair. She sunk into the upholstered velvet as the flames danced in an array of oranges, reds, and yellows. The years of use had made it slightly rough. Lost within the pages of a book was all she could think of to distract herself from the war just outside the palace walls. The coarse pages of a tome beneath her fingertips usually quelled her worries in an instant, but in that moment, it did nothing to calm the anxiety roiling in her belly like the sea in a hurricane.
It was all too close for comfort.
She couldn’t help but think of the townspeople who hadn’t made it within the gates in time. Did they have somewhere to hide? Did they have any means of protection? Her father had kept the palace open for as long as possible, but was it enough?
Eliza closed her eyes as she remembered the unbridled terror she felt when she saw the enemy soldiers marching over the horizon. All of Catalina knew about the Poison Queen of Mineros. Those who became her enemy were wiped from the face of the earth within a few short weeks. And she was often in search of enemies simply for the sake of fighting.
In a way, Eliza pitied her. How awful did someone’s upbringing have to be if they found joy from war? She simply could not fathom how horrid it had to be inside her mind if needless slaughter was what brought her ultimate happiness.
Eliza stood, sliding her feet into her slippers lined with cushiony rabbit fur. The Princess hugged her arms around herself, feeling as though she should be in armor instead of a nightgown thinner than the parchment of her beloved books. She tugged at the bottom hem of her gown, the pesky thing insisting on riding up her thighs. Her body mirrored that of her mother’s. Where Queen Armina was blessed with a bosom that had Princes fawning over her at Eliza’s age, the Princess had been given a lower half that made dress fittings incredibly tedious.
As she made her way to bed, the floor shook beneath her feet. Gray dust fell from the ceiling and coated the many cheery, yellow decorations in her room. As she shook the layer of grime from her white hair, her lungs began to burn. In moments, her safespace had been reduced to a battle zone. Her father had warned her about the possibility of enemies infiltrating the castle.
His warning rang clear in her mind, “As my heir, I will never lie to you. The walls could be breached. If such happens, I trust you to keep your sister safe.”
Although she might’ve been young, Eliza was far from naive. She knew what she had to do. Her entire body shook as she shuffled to the door of her room. The once serene firelight emanating from the stone fireplace now reminded her of the fiery pits of the underworld. With a trembling hand, the cold iron of the arched handle bit into her palm like the tiny fangs of a snake. She pulled it open only slightly, heart pounding in her ears, as she listened for any sign of the enemy.
The clinking of armor inched closer by the second, so Eliza waited.
I have to get to Dina. I won't let them hurt her.
She felt as if she had waited for hours, her palm growing sweaty on the handle. Finally, two soldiers jogged past her door, their armor a sickly shade of green.
Eliza’s eyes rounded, her chest heaving with fear. As soon as they turned the corner out of sight, she made a break for it. The setting sun cascaded through frosted windows as she ran. Every few seconds her face was bathed in the fiery light of battle. As a child, she believed bad things only occurred when the sun fell and the moon had taken its place. She believed nightmares could only happen when she was sleeping.
This nightmare was all too real.
The Princess furiously pumped her arms as she sprinted toward her sister's room. Her feet slipped out of her shoes causing her to stumble. She squeezed her hands around the rough stone of the nearest door frame for support, taking only a second to catch her breath.
On any other day, their rooms never seemed so far apart. But as she willed herself back into motion, she couldn’t get there fast enough.
What if they’ve already found her?
About the Author:
Kylie is a twenty-year-old college student at Sam Houston State University. She has loved writing and storytelling for as long as she can remember.
Within the last couple months, Kylie has self-published two poetry books that were mostly marketed towards family.
While Kylie loves writing poetry, her real passion lies in creating fantasy worlds, such as the one in her debut novel, Adorned in Ice.
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