The Wildcat of Braeton
Page 41
* * *
Years later, they died.
Aiden and some of Clan Canich rode to the aid of Clan Mavor against the Enladi tribes that had pushed harder and harder at the border over the years. His party was ambushed near a mountain pass. All the Braetons were killed, but Aiden held the narrow corridor until the tribes fled in fear. When the rest of the Clans arrived, they found him lying with the fallen. A wildcat rose from its place by his body where it had protected him from scavengers, and padded away. Tam played the Lament for him and after, never played again. Corin was there, also mourning the death of his wife the year before.
Not long after, Argusians and Raiders together made an attack on Aredor’s coast. The Aredorians held firm and soundly defeated them, but Corin was mortally wounded. After the battle, Corin found Darrin, who was also dying. Corin sat beside him and whispered, “Wait for me.”
Darrin smiled, and Corin leaned against the wheel of a chariot. His vision clouded and he saw ghostly figures waiting. Aiden and Martin smiled, and Castimir beckoned. Liam and Ahmed stood with them and, best of all, was Mera. The last thing he saw was a grey hawk flying free above the field.
Trey found them, and he was joined by their sons who would rule Aredor and the Hawk Flight as bravely as their fathers had.
When Liam died, he was buried in the forest across from Martin at the entrance to the valley. There, they passed into legend as the guardians of the Hawk Flight.
Corin and Aiden were held as the greatest heroes the North had ever known and, while wars troubled the North long after they died, their descendants rose up and did not fail.
MORE BOOKS BY CLAIRE M. BANSCHBACH
Adela’s Curse
The Faeries of Myrnius
Book 1
A curse. A murderous scheme. A choice.
A witch and her master capture a young faery and command her to kill their enemy. Adela has no choice but to obey. If she does not, they will force the location of her people’s mountain home from her and kill her. To make matters even worse, the person she is to kill is only a man struggling to save his dying land and mend a broken heart. Adela enlists the help of Damian, another faery, to try and delay the inevitable. He insists she has a choice. But with the witch controlling her every move, does she?
The Wolf Prince
The Faeries of Myrnius
Book 2
COMING SOON!
Book 1
The Rise of Aredor - Available Now!
Lost in a foreign land and separated from his family, Corin does his best to survive as a slave in the household of a Calorin lord. With newfound friends he fights for survival in ambushes and wars. For one act of bravery, he is awarded his freedom and returns to a home that has been invaded and ravaged by the Calorin armies. When Corin sets foot on Aredor's shores, he has one goal in mind: find his family. He is driven into the forest, where he is reunited with childhood friends. From the shelter of the woods, they begin a spirited rebellion against Corin's former cruel master, who now holds sway over Aredor. Follow Corin's path in his quest to free his imprisoned brother, find a father who has vanished, and ultimately free his country in The Rise of Aredor.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Claire M. Banschbach is a native West Texan. She discovered a deep and abiding love for fantasy and science fiction at a young age, prompting her to begin the fun and crazy journey to become an author while working on degrees in Kinesiology from Texas A&M and Physical Therapy from Texas Tech University.
She talks to fictional characters more than she should while struggling to find time for all their stories. She currently resides in Arlington, TX where she works as a Pediatric Physical Therapist.
You can find out more about Claire and discover short stories, writing updates, and a fun newsletter on her blog:
www. clairembanschbach.wordpress.com
She loves to connect with readers on
Facebook @clairembanschbach
& Twitter @ClaireMB_Author
where you can find dorky life and writing updates.
The Wildcat of Braeton
Copyright © 2015, 2017 Claire M. Banschbach.
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any way by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the author except as provided by USA copyright law.
This novel is a work of fiction. Names, descriptions, entities, and incidents included in the story are products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, events, and entities is entirely coincidental.
Published by Campitor Press, LLC
First Edition
Cover design by Niño Carlo Suico
Interior design by Gram Telen
Second Edition
Cover reformatting by Rachael Ritchey
Interior Formatting by Rachael Ritchey
SECOND EDITION
Fiction / Action & Adventure
Cover Font Romance Fatal is used with permission from the designer Juan Casco.