A Deadly Vow

A DEADLY VOWTHE FATE OF VENGEANCE J.D. RONAN Copyright © 2022 by J.D. Ronan All rights reserved. No part of this book may be produced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photo-copying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. First published in the United States of America in February 2023 by Dark Throne Press LLC www.jdronanauthor.com ISBN 979-8-986989-40-2 (ebook) ISBN 979-8-986989-41-9 (hardback) ISBN 979-8-986989-42-6 (paperback) Book cover design by Storywrappers Character Art by Alice Marie Power Map by Cartographybird Maps To be kept up with all things in the Fate of Vengeance Series please visit www.jdronanauthor.com and sign up for our newsletter. Created with Vellum TABLE OF CONTENTS Content WarningPronunciation GuideThe RealmIn The BeginningMap1. Keahi2. Sabine3. Keahi4. Keahi5. Sabine6. Sabine7. Sabine8. Keahi9. Sabine10. Sabine11. Keahi12. Sabine13. Keahi14. Sabine15. Sabine16. Sabine17. Sabine18. Sabine19. Keahi20. Sabine21. Sabine22. Sabine23. Keahi24. Sabine25. Sabine26. Sabine27. Keahi28. Sabine29. Sabine30. Sabine31. Sabine32. Sabine33. Keahi34. Sabine35. Sabine36. Sabine37. Sabine38. Sabine39. Keahi40. Sabine41. Sabine42. Sabine43. Sabine44. Sabine45. Sabine46. Sabine47. Sabine48. SabineAcknowledgments CONTENT WARNING https://www.jdronanauthor.com/contentwarning To my sister, for all the times I wanted to show you I loved you too, but couldn’t. I pinky swear it. PRONUNCIATION GUIDE POV Characters: Keahi Aldeer, Prince of the Solstice Kingdom KIE (RHYMES WITH PIE . . . Sorry) ALL-Dear Sabine Azterrin, Princess of the Novear Kingdom Sah-Bean Az-Tehr-In Character Name List: Kane (Cane), Drakkon (Drake-ON), Elias Griselda (E-Lie-Us Greh-ZEL-duh), Iahni (E-AH-Nih), Zehra (Zeh-RUH), Ossian (Oh-Sigh-Anne), Emric (Em-Rick), Rhiannon (Rye-uh-Non), Astrea (Ah-Stray-Uh), Eos (Ee-ohs) Kingdoms: Solstice Cellenia (Sel-LIN-E-Uh) Tellurian (Tell-LUR-E-In) Novear (No-VARE) Locations: Kallhani (Cuh-LAH-Knee) THE REALM The Solstice Kingdom: The Sun Rhiannon The Celenia Kingdom: The Moon Selene and Twyla The Tellurian Kingdom: The Earth Lycus and Neith The Novear Kingdom: The Stars Astrea and Eos IN THE BEGINNING The Gods created our kind knowing we would die. It was only for the Gods to be reborn. For life was an illustration of an illusion we were never meant to fully be a part of. It was a cataclysmic event that turned dust into stars, an explosion of chaos creating life as we know it. Just as the universe could be destroyed, it could be reborn again. Stitched together by something that was never meant to exist. It bloomed from destruction in a harmonious lie, where stars that learned to paint the night began to fade. The sun and moon who danced with their rise and fall found that all life was at its will, and the earth that had produced life found death at its door. Slowly knocking, not once, but twice. 1KEAHI There was no scar designed to be unfelt, and no burden heavier than the sacred truth I deemed myself unworthy of. I would always be on the opposite end of a knife. An instrument of war which was not my own. The pieces left of me were unable to be stitched together, unarmed against the icy chill piercing through the seams of my tent. Winter was not within the valleys, but the violent trek across our mountains burrowed a premature cold within our bones. Exhaustion prevailed as we raced to the border of our territory. After we set our camp, Elias had been working to repair my wounds for hours, to no avail. The strain between his eyes deepened, along with my guilt, because we both knew it was not war creating these wounds. “Weapons do not heal,” Elias repeated as he did with each line my father appointed the Healer to mend. My skin curated into a book of scars. No, weapons do not heal. They become what they have been made for. A weary sigh left his lips as he patted the edge of the bandage with his fingertips. “I cannot guarantee it will last the length of your travel to the border. Take supplies with you once we part our separate ways.” “It will,” I said firmly, despite knowing my uncle’s work was futile. “We are almost there.” His eyes flicked back to me as I hesitated, holding the bunched edge of my black tunic in my palms. I sucked in a breath and slowly lifted it over my wounded torso, attempting to avoid his watchful concern with every sliver of pain I revealed. I wished he would allow me to do the same. My uncle’s words were scarce to me after we departed from the capital. “Hmm,” he grumbled under his breath. My wince was not hidden well enough. There was always a lesson from him, even when he chose to stay silent. So far, he had been uninterested in any conversation dancing around the inevitable. “How long?” I bit out as I worked on my leathered chest plate. A shallow attempt to hide another huff of pain, letting the weight settle over me. Elias tugged the end of his white beard, a shadow cast over his face, and a snide remark at the tip of his tongue. “If it is my response you want, I will need to know what you are referring to. If it is your mind in which you would like me to read, then I am grateful to not have the ability.” “How long are you going to be angry with me?” I shook my head. “My title as Prince does not eliminate my responsibility as General. The Novear Kingdom has closed in on our borders unexpectedly, and I will not allow them to test us for future attacks. Bandages have never stopped me in battle before.” The movement of the Novear Kingdom’s troops had become erratic, more spontaneous than ever before as we scouted their defenses, hovering over our lines. They were desperate to