A Sword from the Embers

A Sword from the Embers Copyright © 2022 by Chloe C. Peñaranda All rights reserved. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. Published by Lumarias Press www.lumariaspress.com First Edition published January 2023 Map design © 2022 by Chloe C. Peñaranda Cover illustration © 2022 by Alice Maria Power www.alicemariapower.com Cover design © 2022 by Lumarias Press Edited by Bryony Leah www.bryonyleah.com Identifiers ISBN: 978-1-915534-04-0 (eBook) ISBN: 978-1-915534-03-3 (paperback) ISBN: 978-1-915534-02-6 (hardback) www.ccpenaranda.com DEDICATION For you my dear reader, From the heart of Agalhor Ashfyre, “It’s easy to forget the leaps we’ve taken when the steps forward become so small. But never forget you are still moving. You are challenging yourself with every day you decide to face your reality.” AUTHOR NOTE My dear reader, In case there was any confusion, I don’t want you to begin this book with the impression book four, A Clash of Three Courts, was a spin-off and not needed for the core storyline. If you have skipped book four, A Sword from the Embers contains major spoilers for Nik, Tauria, Jakon, Marlowe, and Tarly. I hope you enjoy reading as much as I did writing. All my love. Please read with care. This next part of the journey touches on some darker themes. CONTENT WARNING Not core themes but mentions/ depictions of: Depressive thoughts Suicide ideation Torture PTSD Heavy grief/loss More prominent themes/longer scenes: Graphic fantasy violence Adult language Multiple explicit sexual scenes CONTENTS Prologue Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Chapter 31 Chapter 32 Chapter 33 Chapter 34 Chapter 35 Chapter 36 Chapter 37 Chapter 38 Chapter 39 Chapter 40 Chapter 41 Chapter 42 Chapter 43 Chapter 44 Chapter 45 Chapter 46 Chapter 47 Chapter 48 Chapter 49 Chapter 50 Chapter 51 Chapter 52 Chapter 53 Chapter 54 Chapter 55 Chapter 56 Chapter 57 Chapter 58 Chapter 59 Chapter 60 Chapter 61 Chapter 62 Chapter 63 Chapter 64 Chapter 65 Chapter 66 Chapter 67 Chapter 68 Chapter 69 Chapter 70 Chapter 71 Chapter 72 Chapter 73 Chapter 74 Chapter 75 Chapter 76 Chapter 77 Chapter 78 Chapter 79 Chapter 80 Chapter 81 Chapter 82 Chapter 83 Chapter 84 Chapter 85 Chapter 86 Chapter 87 Chapter 88 Chapter 89 Chapter 90 Chapter 91 Chapter 92 Chapter 93 Also by Chloe C. Peñaranda Acknowledgments PROLOGUE She didn’t often wander so late, but tonight the stars were restless. Hopping between rooftops, she kept alert, at one with the shadows. She had no clue what would become of her hasty decision to leave the warmth and safety of home, only needing the air to breathe since being pulled from sleep as if the night called to be ventured. She sat staring at the moon for some time, thinking it might open her mind to an explanation as to why they sought each other’s company. As she shook her head, a huff left her, tugging at the corner of her mouth. If this peaceful moment was all she achieved, it would be enough of a reward. Though she should be at home where she’d sworn to remain, and she shuddered to the thought of her mother’s scolding if she were caught. She didn’t like to defy her, but the pull to leave had tightened in her throat the longer she resisted it. A shuffling from the street below awakened her senses. The disruption spiked her adrenaline at the discovery she was no longer alone despite still being hidden. Curious, she shuffled stealthily across the narrow flat and down the slanted side, where she peered out over the street, inconspicuous. What she found made her heart pound. Two forms locked in a hostile position—a confrontation she had no business observing when it might condemn her. She tried to ease away, but the taller one punched the other so hard she winced in shock. From the attacker’s muscular build she gauged him to be a male, but with his hood she couldn’t identify a thing. He grabbed his victim by the collar before slamming him into the wall, and finally, the victim’s mouth moved to spill whatever information he sought. Her fae hearing might have been able to pick up the exchange if she tuned in her focus, but blood roared in her ears to block out everything except the screaming demand to run. Yet something kept her eyes glued to the tall male. Moonlight glinted off the lethally beautiful blade, but that second of distraction was wiped entirely when the steel drowned in the crimson that slicked the victim’s neck. She smothered her cry too late. Hand clamping her mouth, her horror at the gruesome display stunned her still, though it came second to her dread as his eyes flashed up to meet hers. Her skin crawled at the notion of being next under his dagger. Every ounce of her agility rose to the challenge as she sprinted across the rooftops and away. She had no destination in mind, but she couldn’t stop even if terror ran her off the edge of the world. The burn rose through her throat until it numbed. Her arms pushed the speed of her legs, setting a pace that might be as close to flying as she would ever come. The instinct to gain distance canceled out her ability