Rishona
unclasped her cloak and flung it to the floor at Mechnes’s feet. “You
are not to question my wisdom or my will in public. Ever.”
Mechnes
could not help but smile at the sight of his niece, now a grown woman
pretending to give him orders. “With all due respect, San’iloman, I am
your military advisor. It is my duty to speak my mind when the weight of
my experience contradicts your rather naïve instincts.”
She
moved to strike him, but he caught her wrist and forced her arm until
she gasped. “It is a little early in the day to start with these games,
my Queen. But if you desire a spark of conflict to brighten this weary
morning, I am more than willing to please you.”
Rishona
kept her eyes hard as stone and her voice taut with menace. “Speak your
mind, Mechnes, but do so with discretion. I will not have our
disagreements heard by those who would use them to spread malicious
rumors against me. Nor will I have our men, who have struggled long and
hard up this wretched pass, fall victim to any suspicion that our unity
of purpose is wavering.”
He
brought her body tight against his, let his breath fall upon her silky
skin until he felt a shiver pass through her, followed by the softening
of her shoulders and the almost imperceptible tilt of her face that
always preceded that ardent kiss.
Before their lips met, he released her. “We must open up this road if we hope to bring a proper army through it.”
“We
cannot bring down any more trees,” she insisted. “We are undermining
the power of this forest. We need its magic for everything that is to
come.”
“This
is a very big forest.” He drew out one of their maps, passing his hand
over the moss green crescent of impenetrable woodland that swept north
toward East Selen and south along the foothills of the Paramen
Mountains. “And a very small pass.”
Rishona
stared at the map, lips protruding in that familiar charming frown. She
rubbed her arms to ward off the damp chill. Noting her discomfort,
Mechnes retrieved a dry cloak and placed it about her shoulders.
“I
hope you are right,” she said. “It is just that every time we bring
down one of those trees, I feel strength torn out of the earth. I fear I
went too far by clearing the valley where my parents died.”
“You are Syrnte, Rishona. Your magic derives from the air.”
“Yes,
but these creatures were not banished to the Underworld by Syrnte
magic. They were imprisoned by the mages and magas of Moisehén, and they
must be summoned by the same powers. I will need the air to anchor my
spirit when I summon them, but without the earth I cannot control them.”
Mechnes
narrowed his eyes. “If you have doubts regarding your ability to manage
these beasts, you should have mentioned them before now.”
“I
have no doubts.” She looked up at him, defiant. “I know how to gratify
the Naether Demons and bring them into our service. But there are many
elements involved, and they must be integrated carefully. No one has
attempted this before, uncle. Or if they have, they failed miserably,
and hence we know nothing of their fate.”
“Are
you ready to summon these beasts or not?” He did not bother to hide the
threat in his tone. Already he had poured tremendous resources into
this conquest. He would show no mercy if she had deceived him.
Rishona
straightened her shoulders, expression resolute. “Yes, I am ready. For
tonight, I am most ready. And for what is to come, I have time to
prepare.”
Lands Ravaged. Dreams destroyed. Demons set loose upon the earth.
War
strikes at the heart of women’s magic in Moisehén. Eolyn’s fledgling
community of magas is destroyed; its members killed, captured or
scattered.
Devastated
yet undaunted, Eolyn seeks to escape the occupied province and deliver
to King Akmael a weapon that might secure their victory. But even a High
Maga cannot survive this enemy alone. Aided by the enigmatic Mage
Corey, Eolyn battles the darkest forces of the Underworld, only to
discover she is a mere path to the magic that most ignites their hunger.
What
can stop this tide of terror and vengeance? The answer lies in Eolyn’s
forgotten love, and in its power to engender seeds of renewed hope.
HIGH MAGA is the companion novel to EOLYN, also available from Hadley Rille Books.
Genre – Epic Fantasy
Rating – PG-13
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