The Evergreen Heir

CopyrightHarperVoyagerAn imprint ofHarperCollinsPublishers Ltd1 London Bridge StreetLondon SE1 9GFwww.harpercollins.co.ukFirst published by HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 2023Copyright © A.K. Mulford 2023Map © Kristen TimofeevRiver of Golden Bones excerpt © A.K. Mulford 2023A.K. Mulford asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.A catalogue copy of this book is available from the British Library.This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.Source ISBN: 9780008582746Ebook Edition © June 2023 ISBN: 9780008582807Version: 2023-05-04 DedicationDedicated to everyone brave enough to be their true selves in a world that feels like it wasn’t made for them. Keep being brave xx ContentsCoverTitle PageCopyrightDedicationContent WarningMapChapter OneChapter TwoChapter ThreeChapter FourChapter FiveChapter SixChapter SevenChapter EightChapter NineChapter TenChapter ElevenChapter TwelveChapter ThirteenChapter FourteenChapter FifteenChapter SixteenChapter SeventeenChapter EighteenChapter NineteenChapter TwentyChapter Twenty-OneChapter Twenty-TwoChapter Twenty-ThreeChapter Twenty-FourChapter Twenty-FiveChapter Twenty-SixChapter Twenty-SevenChapter Twenty-EightChapter Twenty-NineChapter ThirtyChapter Thirty-OneChapter Thirty-TwoChapter Thirty-ThreeChapter Thirty-FourChapter Thirty-FiveChapter Thirty-SixChapter Thirty-SevenChapter Thirty-EightChapter Thirty-NineChapter FortyChapter Forty-OneChapter Forty-TwoChapter Forty-ThreeChapter Forty-FourDramatis PersonaeAcknowledgmentsKeep Reading …About the AuthorAlso by A.K. MulfordAbout the Publisher CONTENT WARNINGThis book contains themes of violence, death, loss, fire, misgendering, ableism, and addiction, as well as sexually explicit scenes. Map CHAPTER ONE Neelo’s fingers trembled as they traced down the spines of the old tomes. They took a slow breath, and then another, letting the old book smell steady them.They couldn’t marry him.The thought came as fast as the engagement had: their mother inciting another brawl to win the title of Neelo’s betrothed, the instant, blundering chaos, and somehow Talhan Catullus getting pulled into the fray. The look on Talhan’s face flashed through Neelo’s mind again. When it was over, he’d just stared at them—shocked. The cavalier smirk he normally wore was wiped clean and something deeper, something that burned into Neelo, had filled Talhan’s gaze instead.Why did it have to be him?Of all the people Neelo could’ve easily dismissed … why did it have to be the Golden Eagle himself? He was one of the few people in Neelo’s life who didn’t make them feel like a thorn amongst the roses, and now their mother had ruined that for them too.Queen Emberspear’s increasingly desperate bids to play match-maker were growing weary already, but this time, she’d really messed up. She’d chosen Neelo’s friend. Their mother had pushed for Neelo’s coronation the moment they came of age, citing her waning health from the witching brew that addled her mind, but Neelo knew the Queen simply wanted all of the revelry of a Southern Court royal without any more of the responsibility. Life was already a party to her, the least the Queen could do was deign to rule her people from time to time too.It was a constant battle to convince the Queen to remain on her throne, one that Neelo felt constantly teetering on the precipice of losing, which meant their head would soon be next to bear the crown. Neelo hated imagining it; standing all alone in front of the masses, feeling the needling scrutiny of a thousand eyes upon them, and the inevitable disappointment that an introverted bookworm was now the ruler of their court of debauchery. No, Neelo refused to allow their mother to give up so easily. It wasn’t her time to go.Neelo paused, fingers lingering on a title they’d never read before: The Witch of Haastmouth. A tingle shot through them as they selected the midnight-blue book from the tall shelf and flicked through the pages. It was written in Mhenbic, the witches’ language. Most fae didn’t learn to read Mhenbic, thought it was beneath them, but Neelo had taught themself to read all three languages of human, witch, and fae before they could even speak. Well, that wasn’t entirely true. Neelo could speak, they just chose not to for the first five years of their life … and mostly regretted starting ever since. The written word was their first language and stories had always made more sense to them. It was real life—and interacting with real people—that was confusing.They glanced around the library of Murreneir. The shelves were only half filled and the further Neelo crept into the library, the sparser they became. The grand, circular room still smelled of fresh varnish and wood dust from its hasty construction. Neelo was impressed they’d managed to finish the build before the party at all. The old, worn carpets and dusty leather-bound tomes sat in stark juxtaposition to the fresh candlesticks and perfect blue satin chairs that looked as though they’d never been sat in. The library’s future beauty was clear, though, and Neelo planned to return when it was truly completed.The momentary reprieve disappeared at the sound of the library door creaking open.Neelo rushed down the stacks, hoping to disappear amongst the scant rows, but as they turned the corner, swift footsteps followed. They climbed up four steps on a rolling ladder before Talhan Catullus turned the corner and they froze.“I knew I’d find you here.” His molten gold eyes landed upon them. Crossing his arms and leaning into the nearest shelf, he asked, “Were you about to hide from me on top of that bookshelf?”Neelo’s voice dripped with sarcasm as they gave him a scornful look. “I was dusting.” They fought the urge to mention the fact that this library was too new to have collected dust.“With your jacket?”“No!” they said, though they looked down to check if they were covered in soot.Talhan’s smile disappeared into something more contemplative, and