Prophecy decreed Ellspeth marry the Archmage. However, despite the attraction to him, Ellspeth’s heart fought the announced destiny. For to be with Lord Dal meant she had to take all that came with him, including magic. Love meant the loss of her ship and crew because to a mage the sea meant death.
Revenge set Ellspeth and the archmage, Dal, on the path to her destiny, but prophecy controlled the journey.Trapped within the Oracle’s Temple, Ellspeth must choose between her own survival, saving the future of magic… or love.
An Excerpt of love and magic, and the price of both.
Ellspeth’s hand still in his, Dal led her to the edge of the village.
She stopped, her eyes fixed on her feet. Her back stiffened as she raised her head to meet his gaze. “I understand it is customary for us to spend the night in solitude, to receive a special dream.”
She knows, Dal groaned inwardly. Thoughts of deceit mixed with desire as he searched for a response.
“I wouldn’t want to insult the islanders. They’ve been very good to me and my crew. But…” Ellspeth led the sentence hang.
Dal nodded his understanding. “You can’t stay in my hut, Elle, and it wouldn’t be proper for me to stay in yours.” So focused on trying not to break the prophecy, Dal didn’t even realize he’d used a familiar address. “We could spend the night on the Sea Falcon’s deck if you’d like. Or, I know a place up on the mountain that is sacred to the islanders. It would not be untoward for us to spend the night there in preparation for a long journey.”
Dal’s nerves vibrated as he waited for her decision. A spell of obedience rose unbidden to be ruthlessly quashed. He could not use magic for his own purposes, and he would not use it on her. Then the cynical mercenary in him asked, “Not even to save the future of magic?” To which he had no answer.
Windmaster – Available at Amazon
About the Author – Helen Henderson: A former feature-story writer and correspondent, Henderson has also written fiction as long as she could remember. Her heritage reflects the contrasts of her Gemini sign. She is a descendent of a coal-miner’s daughter and an aviation flight engineer. This dichotomy shows in her writing which crosses genres from historical adventures and westerns to science fiction and fantasy. In the world of romantic fantasy, she is the author of the Dragshi Chronicles and The Windmaster novels.
Find her on online at: author website / Twitter / Goodreads. Excerpts of her work, writing tips, and information on new releases can be found at http://helenhenderson-author.blogspot.com.
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