Page 1 of An Archer's Redemption

Part I

Chapter 1

Danai

Istared at the gilded crown in my hand.

My heart grieved for the one who’d worn it mere hours before.

I had spent a lifetime—no, ten lifetimes—searching for clues that might lead to Irina’s return. The obsidian monolith left by her spell had offered more conjecture than instruction, but a thousand years after her death, I’d succeeded in restoring my beautiful queen to the world of the living.

And now she was gone.

Again.

Magical power tickled my fingers as it thrummed within the cold metal. The seven diamonds across the crown’s base pulsed with an eerie crimson light. I shuddered, thinking of how each orb was filled with the captured soul of a Gifted who had been sacrificed for the greater cause of Irina’s return, the crimson hue of each diamond mirroring the lifeblood spilled to acquire its power.

My breath frosted before me.

It was cold, but notthatcold.

I swiveled, scanning the peaks and the nearby forest, but found nothing amiss. I rubbed warmth into my chilled arms.

“Danai . . .”

I stumbled down the mountainside as a silky voice whispered in my mind.

“Danai, my dear, you found my crown.”

I shuddered.

My dear?

Irina had never called me anything other than my name.

“My Queen?”

“I am here. My Vessel was weak and died when the tower fell, but my spirit is now free.”

My eyes darted around, desperately seeking any evidence of Irina’s presence. The only thing I found was the deepening chill in the air—and deep within my bones.

“I don’t understand. The circle that contained—”

“—was destroyed when the tower fell. Nothing binds me now, but my power is limited without a Vessel. I can only influence, but never rule . . . until I find a mortal form.”

A mortal form? Her spirit needs to inhabit another? Of course, like she did Isabel.

I blinked moisture into my frozen eyes as realization drained the last color from my face. “You want to consumeme? Take my body for your own?”

“No, my love, I want to share power as we always have.”

I swallowed hard.

My love?

I leaned against a tree, struggling to focus. Ihadloved her. From the day we first met a thousand years ago, my heart was hers. Then her parents died. No, they were slain. Killed by our brother and sister Mages. She’d been so broken by grief. Iwrapped her in my embrace, supported her vision for a stronger, more prosperous Kingdom, and helped her gain her footing as she ascended to the throne. Even when her heart had turned to vengeance, I remained by her side, steadfast and loyal.

And yet, despite all our time together, I never had the chance—or bravery—to tell her how I felt.

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