Sword of Victory, page 21
part #1 of Weapons of the Gods Quartet Series
“You said Eiru’s priest called us King and Queen.”
“We are. You were meant to rule and I was meant to rule by your side--or so Fal implied.”
“We’re not married are we?”
“Not yet.”
Edana let out a breath. Phelan thought she sounded almost relieved. “Wait. What do you mean ‘not yet’?”
“Oh we’re getting married,” he told her.
“Like hell we are!” She was only eighteen! “I’m too young to get married.”
“And I’m not? Doesn’t seem to make much difference. We are getting married.”
“I don’t recall your asking.”
“Because I didn’t. If I did ask, you’d just argue with me. I’m not giving you the chance.”
“Phelan, you’re being ridiculous.”
“We’ll see. Why don’t you get up and get dressed. We can argue about anything you want later, but for now we need to go read the names of the fallen for the funeral ceremonies.”
“Oh.” Her brow was still creased.
Phelan knew as soon as they saw to duty they would start the argument all over again. That was fine with him. They would have time to settle the matter later. And he wasn’t going anywhere unless she was with him. This protector thing was something he took seriously.
He leaned down and laid a quick kiss on her lips. When she didn’t protest, he deepened it. He would have all the time in the world for this. The thought had him grinning against her lips. He pulled away and smiled down at her. “Get dressed and let’s go.”
As he was leaving her room, he found Kyl waiting for him. “Any news?”
Kyl shook his head. “No one reported seeing Aral anywhere near the battle, but I just received word from Ulaid. The men assigned to guard Bidelia’s cell were all found dead, and she was gone.”
“Gods,” Phelan breathed. “With most of the city following the army, there weren’t many people around to witness anything.”
“So far, no one’s come forward,” Kyl confirmed. “I’ve spoken with Conn already. He’ll return to Ulaid tomorrow and will let us know if he hears anything.”
Phelan nodded. “Send word to the other regions. I want everyone on the lookout for both of them. And send a letter to your father. I need to know what he can tell me about these Ottomans. He probably has more experience with them than anyone else.”
Kyl saluted, but his voice was teasing. “Yes, oh wise King.”
“You’re an ass,” Phelan laughed. “Get out of here. We’ll meet you on the plains. The funeral pyres are ready to be lit.”
“And after?”
“We rebuild. We have to. This isn’t over yet.”
EPILOGUE
Morfram lay on his bunk in the near complete darkness of the storage hold of the Goke as the ship rocked in the waves. His wounds were severe, but there wasn’t much that could be done for him. That bitch had cauterized his wound, keeping him from bleeding to death, and preventing him from being healed further. He was just lucky that Camali had been so concerned with getting his payment that he’d taken a wounded Morfram with him when he fled.
As he lay in the dark, he let his anger rise. Hatred for Phelan and Edana for ruining his plans again and hatred for the gods who’d cursed him with his fate thundered through him. All his plans had gone to waste. Years of work gone. Luckily, Camali had survived to sail them away from the coasts of Eire.
Morfram was too weak to ask where they were going, but he hoped it wouldn’t be too far. He needed just enough time to rethink his strategy to try again before he died. If he could kill Edana, he would welcome death gladly.
The throne of Eire was his, yet she’d taken it from him. If he had to kill the entire population--men, women, and children--to make her death happen, he would. In fact, the idea appealed to him.
“Is that really what you want?” a voice whispered in his ear.
Morfram turned his head sharply but the room was empty. “Who’s there?”
“You don’t know me,” was the hissed reply, “but I can help you.”
“Why would you do that?”
“My help isn’t free. If I help you, you help me.”
Morfram considered this. “And how can I help you if I don’t know who you are?”
The voice chuckled and the sound echoed around the tiny room. “You can call me Miledh. I need you to retrieve a few…items for me. Items I believe you‘ve been searching for.”
“And how will you help me?”
“I’ll give you Eire. The death of your enemies. Everything you’ve ever dreamed of will be yours. Edana’s blood will coat your hands before we are done.”
Morfram’s heart raced with excitement. “I’ll do it.” The thought of Edana’s death set his blood on fire. He would do anything to make it happen.
“Very good. Your hatred pleases to me. You deserve a reward.”
Before these words were uttered, Morfram’s wounds began to heal. He felt his strength growing as his purpose did. When his body was whole once more, Morfram smiled into the darkness.
The war had only just begun.
Thank you for reading!
Coming soon:
Spear of Strength
Book 2 in the
Weapons of the Gods Quartet
About the Author
A.B. Keeton grew up in the tiny town of Cleo Springs, OK, and thanks to some pretty wonderful teachers, developed a passion for books. That passion eventually led her to the works of Daphne Du Maurier, C.S. Lewis, Jim Butcher, Tamora Pierce, Kristen Britain, Lindsay Buroker, Nora Roberts, A.W. Exley, Dora Machado, Lisa Kleypas, and many more, all of whom inspired her to create her own stories.
A.B. currently lives in Stillwater, Oklahoma with her sister, their two dogs, and more books than they have room for.
A B Keeton, Sword of Victory
