Sea Fae Trilogy

by C. N. Crawford

  “We can’t have that. You might be giving up your royal title here, but I am at your command.”

  I frowned at him. “Your mom said you thought I was a dumb animal.”

  “She’s the goddess of slaughter and massacres. She doesn’t have great people skills. But in any case, I wouldn’t take it to heart, Aenor. I happen to love animals.”

  I smacked his arm, and his smile deepened.

  He leaned in and kissed me deeply, pulling me close against him. Already, I was thinking of spending every night with him in Mag Mell, and the promise that he would be at my command held a particularly vibrant allure. Oh, the things I would command him to do…

  He pressed his forehead against mine, and I saw it for a moment—a flash of everything he’d given up for me. The celestial light, the twilight magic spreading through the clouds, the starlight rolling over the universe, the divine power.

  But when I opened my eyes, I saw him washed in the same radiance, the same heavenly light. Because here we were, twisted and flawed, in our own sort of heaven.

  * * *

  Thank you for reading. This was the final book in the series.

  If you want to read more about Aenor, she appears in the Shadow Fae series, a completed and linked series.

  And to read about a new world—one of Norse Elves, please check out Cursed Prince.

  To find out when our next series is released, you can join my newsletter: https://www.cncrawford.com/faq

  Also by C.N. Crawford

  For a full list of our books, check out our website.

  https://www.cncrawford.com/books/

  And a possible reading order.

  https://www.cncrawford.com/faq/

  Author note on mythology

  Celtic, Irish, and Breton Mythology

  Island of Ys and Dahut: Ys came from Cornish mythology via Brittany in France. When Cornish settlers moved to Brittany, they brought their legends with them. And in one such legend, an island of Ys ended up sunk to the bottom of the ocean. The disaster was blamed on Dahut, Princess of Meriadoc, who somehow ruined everything by shagging too many men. You know how women can wreck civilization with their wanton behavior. Her mother was Malgven, and her ancestor was King Caradoc of Cornwall.

  Mag Mell A mythical realm from Irish mythology. It was described like heaven—a realm of pleasure for the select few. You could get there only through death or bravery. King Tethra was the god of darkness and death who ruled the land.

  Beira: Originally known as Cailleach Bheur, goddess of winter in Irish Mythology. The myths describe her as being a giant with one eye, white hair, and rusty teeth. Also she has dark blue skin. She was supposed to live on Ben Nevis.

  Israel Mythology and real Locations

  Acre (Akko): It’s a city in Northern Israel that has existed for at least five thousand years. There is a crusader castle there from one thousand years ago. Nick and I visited it last year, and it inspired the Sea Fae fortress.

  Gehenna: It’s a valley in Jerusalem, outside the city walls, also known as the Valley of Hinnom. The legend is that people once sacrificed their children there to a pagan god, and that they used drums to drown out the children’s screams. Outside the walls of Jerusalem, it was where the cursed were buried, or literally thrown over the city walls. It was full of rubbish, rotting animal bodies and was often on fire. In some versions of the Bible, this neighborhood name was the word for “hell,” and this place name came to mean eternal punishment. It was supposedly where Judas hanged himself.

  Salem: Salem was the god of Twilight in Canaanite mythology, and he gave his name to Jerusalem (also Salem, Massachusetts). He was also known as Shalim or Shalem. He was the evening star, with a twin named Shahar who was the morning star. Lucifer was also known as “the morning star,” and as “Lightbringer,” and I thought this connection was interesting. In medieval churches, the windows depicting hell or Lucifer were placed in the western side to catch the wild light at dusk. So Salem’s character was inspired by this dusk light. The mother of Salem and Shahar is thought to be Anat, goddess of war, someone who is super into winnowing her enemies.

  London:

  Wormwood is a real street in London, and connected to the London wall. Wormwood is also mentioned repeatedly in the Bible as something bitter and unpleasant, and in the old world it was associated with curses, destitution and catastrophes. It’s mentioned in Revelations as the name of a star that falls from the heavens at the end of the world.

  Acknowledgments

  Thanks to my supportive family, and to Michael Omer for reading and critiquing the book’s several drafts. Thanks to Nick for his feedback and enthusiasm.

  Genevra Black and Arran McNichol are my fabulous editors for this book.

  Thanks to my advanced reader team for their help, and to C.N. Crawford’s Coven on Facebook!