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         The Courtesan Queen Anna Triss Translated from the French by Iris Clarke Copyright This novel is a work fiction. Names and characters, places and incidents are either a product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.  Original title: La reine courtisanepublished by Black Ink Éditions La Jarne, France Copyright © 2022 by Black Ink ÉditionsCopyright © 2022 by Warm Publishing Cover design by Angela HaddonProofreading by Tiffany O’haro ISBN: 979-8-9856135-9-9 All rights reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading and/or electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher constitute unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), prior written permission must be obtained by contacting the publisher at [email protected]. Thank you for buying an authorized edition of this book and for complying with copyright laws by not reproducing, scanning, or distributing any part of it in any form without permission. By doing so you are supporting our French authors and allowing Warm Publishing to continue publishing them.  Ebook edition: January 2023  www.warmpublishing.comhttps://twitter.com/PublishingWarmhttps://www.instagram.com/warmpublishinghttps://www.facebook.com/warmpublishing https://www.tiktok.com/@warmpublishing   “Don’t be fooled by appearances.” First rule of the Guild of Shadows. Elemental FUEGIS Clan King: Sylvan Ren-Fuegis Elemental Magic: Fire Season of influence: Summer Clan emblem: Red Sun City: Astranis Philosophy: “The sacred fire of the Fuegis warrior feeds on the blood of his enemies.” Elemental GLACE Clan Queen: Alena Kan-Glace Elemental Magic: Water Season of influence: Winter Clan emblem: Two blue waves City: Oceanar Philosophy: “Facing his enemy, a Glace sheds no tears, and never gives up wielding his weapons.” Elemental STOWNE Clan King: Idric San-Stowne Elemental Magic: Earth Season of influence: Spring Clan emblem: Holm Oak City: Stalagmis Philosophy: “The wrath of a Stowne is more devastating than an earthquake.” Elemental AERIA Clan King: Cyriel Ler-Aeria Elemental Magic: Air Season of influence: Autumn Clan emblem: Silver Feather City: Eolan Philosophy: “If an Aeria’s soul is as light as a breeze, his heart contains a thousand tornados.” The Powerless: the RENEGADES Chief: Unknown Elemental magic: None Season of influence: None Emblem: None City: None Philosophy: None Part One Chapter One: Sharpening Your Weapons I am Alena Kan-Glace, Queen of the Elemental Glace Clan. These lifeless words float through my mind like layers of dark mist. I try to hold on to them, but they slip through my fingers, intangible. I am Alena Kan-Glace, Queen of the Elemental Glace Clan. Astranis, the massive city of the Fuegis Clan, rises up on the horizon. Its many crenelated towers remind me of columns crowned with red lace that spring from high fortified walls. Behind me, the Fuegis soldiers exclaim with joy. They laugh, patting each other on the back, excited to return home to their families after their third military campaign. As far as I am concerned, the view that looms before me is more than sinister. Astranis will be my prison for the night. But above all, it will be my tomb tomorrow. My body feels infinitely heavy. Although significant, it is not because of the weight of the chains which hinders both my wrists and ankles. Nor is it because of the oppressive heat that reigns over the arid lands of my enemies. The setting sun is no more than a timid arc that melts behind the bloody curved dunes of the Red Desert. This endless hot day is about to end. Just like my life. My last day in this half-ruined world is coming to an end. I am Alena Kan-Glace, Queen of the Elemental Glace Clan, and at dawn, I will die. You have been lied to if you have been told that the Glaces do not fear death. Yet, I show nothing. My face is an impenetrable mask of ice. The sorrel horse on which I am perched is chirping with impatience. My chains are attached to its saddle. Its long reins are held by my jailer, who is riding on his own steed to my right. I don’t know the name of this colossus with the rough face furrowed with scars, and, honestly, I don’t care. His contempt for me is obvious: he hasn’t spoken to me once all day. His black eyes are filled with repulsion as soon as they meet mine, which is rarely. He only gave me silent orders with nods or hand signals and handed me a bottle of water from time to time, so I wouldn’t get dehydrated on the way. It’s not for the goodness of his heart: his duty is to bring me back to Astranis alive, and confronting my corpse with the population would probably look bad… He is an officer of the enemy army. I have no idea what his military rank is since there are no insignias on his equipment. Like all Fuegis, he has dark skin and dark hair. His are braided and decorated with wooden beads engraved with traditional runes. His ears are pierced with five gold rings each. The meaning of these jewels is excessively morbid: they prove that my jailer is a veteran fighter who has killed fifty enemies… minimum, because I can’t see if he has other piercings like this on his body. The warriors of his people also count their victims through, thin, purple, vein-like tattoos. These trivial practices have always sent a chill down my spine. He should be dying of heat under his copper armor with a chest embossed with his Clan’s iconic red sun, but all Fuegis are naturally immune to heat and fire. Like his brothers in arms, he hasn’t secreted the slightest drop of sweat today, unlike me, who’s sweating, several patches of my fair skin reddened by the merciless sun of their cursed desert. The white clothes that wrapped most of