Serenity Star Press, LLC
Copyright © 2021 by Hannah E. Carey
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized, in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without prior permission in writing from the publisher.
Published on April 30th, 2021 by
Serenity Star Press, LLC
3833 Manning Road
Suffolk, VA, 23437
ASIN: B08WHCJ7FB
Cover by Tom Crockett
Formatting by Brandon Carey
Map Design by Matt Williams
Dedication
To every woman who has been told she couldn’t.
Table of Contents
Character List
The Island Out of the Sea
Chapter 1: One Night
Chapter 2: Wisdom or Foolishness
Chapter 3: Hope and Heartbreak
Chapter 4: Troubled Kin
Chapter 5: Mind Speaker
Chapter 6: Family Ties
Chapter 7: A Ri of Old
Chapter 8: Discontent
Chapter 9: Cold Feet
Chapter 10: What Could Have Been
Chapter 11: Common Blood
Chapter 12: Willing to Give
Chapter 13: Loyalty of the Wolf
Chapter 14: Three Lives Saved
Chapter 15: Flight from Ciall
Chapter 16: Foiled Plans
Chapter 17: Matters of the Heart
Chapter 18: The Wolf and The Bear
Chapter 19: Uncertain Futures
Chapter 20: The Raven’s Warning
Chapter 21: Hunted
Chapter 22: Lies and Secrets
Chapter 23: True Strength
Chapter 24: A Ri’s Vow
Chapter 25: The Worst Sort of Fool
Chapter 26: In the Dark
Chapter 27: The Three Foxes
Chapter 28: Faithless Acts
Chapter 29: The Last Seer of Pern Coen
Chapter 30: Binding Oath
Character List
Ciara (KEER-a): niece of Blodwen, daughter of Aideen and Lochlainn
Niall (NEE-al): Ri of Blaidd, son of Rhiannon and Conor, brother of Bleddyn
Rhew: wolf belonging to Niall
Bleddyn (BLETH-in): Ri of Seabhac, son of Rhiannon and Conor, brother of Niall
Fiadh (FEE-a): mind-speaker, servant of Cigfran
Nuala (NOO-a-lah): Ri of Arth, daughter of Blodwen and Declan, cousin of Ciara
Blodwen (BLOD-when): former Ri of Arth, wife of Declan, mother of Nuala and Eira
Declan (DEHK-lan): husband of Blodwen, father of Nuala and Eira
Lochlainn: brother of Blodwen, husband of Aideen, father of Ciara
Aideen (AY-deen): wife of Lochlainn, mother of Ciara
Eira (AY-rah): daughter of Blodwen and Declan, cousin and close friend of Ciara
Sorcha (SAWR-ka): adopted daughter of Briallen
Briallen (bri-A-shehn): healer, former Ri of Ceffyl, mother of Hywel and Sorcha
Hywel: Ri of Ceffyl, adopted son of Briallen, brother of Sorcha
Enfys (EHN-vis): former wife of Bleddyn
Conor (KAHN-ar): former Ri of Blaidd, husband of Rhiannon, father of Niall and Bleddyn
Rhiannon (ree-AN-awn): former Ri of Seabhac, wife of Conor, mother of Niall and Bleddyn
Brynn (BRIN): former regent of Seabhac, sister of Conor, wife of Macsen, mother of Odran, Doran, and Quinn
Macsen (MAK-sehn): husband of Brynn, father of Odran, Doran, and Quinn
Odran: healer at Castle Ciall, son of Brynn and Macsen, cousin to Niall and Bleddyn
Doran: blacksmith, son of Brynn and Macsen, cousin to Niall and Bleddyn
Quinn: daughter of Brynn and Macsen, cousin to Niall and Bleddyn
Gwilym: advisor to Bleddyn
Maura (MAWR-a): warrior chief of Blaidd
Aled: advisor to Niall
Regulus: Prince of Kelnore, son of Alekos, cousin of Niall and Bleddyn
Kyros: Captain of band of Darnian mercenaries
Dimitrios: Prince of Kelnore, son of Alekos, cousin of Niall and Bleddyn, Captain in Imperial Army, and Imperial liaison to Pern Coen
Alekos: Emperor of Kelnore, cousin of Rhiannon
Cigfran (KIG-van): Raven Spirit
The Island Out of the Sea
The roar of Arth, the Bear Spirit, shook the earth and pushed the mountains up out of the water,
The powerful wings of Seabhac, the Hawk Spirit, created the wind that smoothed the jagged peaks,
Tyll the Owl Spirit flew over the land, pulling the trees out of the earth with his strong talons,
The hooves of Ceffyl, the Horse Spirit, pounded the valleys into being,
While the paws of Blaidd, the Wolf Spirit, dug the rivers and lakes,
Upon the completion of their work, the island of Pern Coen was created,
Gifted to the five clans to honor and care for.
But three Spirits remained, their offerings denied by the rest of those who
resided in the Greater Spirit Realm,
Cigfran, the Raven Spirit, wished to bring death,
Fianna, the Stag Spirit, wished to allow decay,
Pysgod, the Fish Spirit, wished to allow for destruction,
And all wished for complete control over those who called the island home.
The Five Spirits were left to band together, diminishing the power of the Three.
Shunned by the Greater Spirits and their power reduced, the Three Spirits are forced to roam the Realm of the Mortals,
Sowing their darkness wherever they can and seeking to possess the souls of those who willingly give them.
Chapter 1
One Night
Failure had followed him for months, but tonight his destiny was going to change. Nothing, not even his brother, would stop him. Bleddyn slipped through the crowds that filled the Great Hall of Castle Cryf, numerous revelers looking his way as he wandered among them. Members of every clan on the island of Pern Coen had gathered inside the Clan of Arth’s stronghold for the yearly Sovereignty Feast, the week-long event that celebrated the end to the war between the island and the mainland empire of Kelnore over thirty years ago.
Many who filled the hall were simply there to enjoy the food, drink, and company while others, like himself, had ulterior purposes. Over the years, the Sovereignty Feast had become not only a time for celebration, but a time for those who led the clans of Pern Coen to strike deals with one another. Tonight, he counted himself among the latter. As he wandered among the throngs of people, many of the attendants from the clans of Arth, Seabhac, Blaidd, Ceffyl, and Tyll looked at him with envy, largely in part because of his title as Ri of Seabhac. But there were still others who looked at him with a pity that made his blood heat.
Clenching his jaw, he continued on. Soon, the mess of the past few months would be behind him and all who called the island home would look to him as a man to commend and admire—even his father. A few women whispered behind their mugs of ale when he passed them, one of them even going so far as to shoot him an inviting look. Not so long ago, he would have taken them up on their advances. Tonight, however, there was only one woman who would be receiving his romantic attention. The woman who, somehow, in the past four years had gone from a scrawny girl to a tempting beauty. The woman who, after tonight, he would make his wife: Ciara of Arth.
And Niall finally isn’t here to distract her. His brother was too busy hiding away in his own castle in the southern clan of Blaidd, not even bothering to attend the feast in spite of the slight that his absence gave to Arth’s standing Ri, Nuala. Bleddyn had been trying for months
to uncover the real reason behind Niall’s sudden withdrawal from the world in the wake of their mother’s passing, but thus far he’d had little success. He suspected that his younger brother was overwhelmed by his new responsibilities as Ri. Niall had always been one to run from trouble instead of facing it. His absence at the feast was yet more proof that their father never should have named Niall as Ri of Blaidd.
Bleddyn’s gaze fell on Nuala a few feet away from him and he pushed the dark thoughts of his brother aside. He needed to seek out Ciara, but first, he had a bargain to strike with her cousin. The bulk of Nuala’s admirers from earlier in the evening had left her side and luckily for Bleddyn, her parents were nowhere in sight. While Nuala was now Ri, her mother, Blodwen, still made her presence known in Castle Cryf and neither Blodwen nor her husband, Declan, had ever much cared for him. Like everyone else on the island, they had been too busy showering his perfect younger brother with their favoritism.
Focus, he told himself, his breath coming fast and his stomach hardening at the thoughts of Niall. Nuala first, then Ciara. Squaring his shoulders, he strode up to Nuala.
“You’re looking lovely this evening, Nuala,” he said.
Turning to face him, she arched a brow as she took a sip of her ale. She’d inherited her father’s red hair but her mother’s tall, willowy figure and when she fixed him with a scrutinizing gaze, he was reminded that she had also inherited Blodwen’s sharp mind.
“Always the flatterer,” she replied, not looking the least impressed by his compliment.
“It isn’t flattery if it’s true.”
She let out a quiet snort. “Don’t tell me you’re here to try and convince me to join in on this latest business venture of yours with the mainlanders. The answer is still no.”
His muscles tensed and he forced himself to keep the smile on his face. No matter the progress he’d made in recent months, his disastrous dealings with his now former father-in-law seemed destined to haunt him.
“No talk of business,” he said, holding up a hand. “Just polite conversation.”
She cast him a sidelong glance, muttering something under her breath, but before he could continue their conversation, he saw her. Ciara swept into the hall with an older woman he recognized as her mother, Aideen. He only caught a glimpse of her before she was swallowed up by the crowd, but it had been enough. The sight of her, in her flattering dark red gown, made his pulse race and his mouth go dry. For the hundredth time, he marveled at how the plain, sickly looking girl from his youth had grown into a striking woman.
“My cousin has caught your attention more than once these past few months, hasn’t she?” Nuala said, taking another sip of her drink.
“She has,” he answered. “Not quite the same girl from our childhood.”
“No.” Nuala gave a slow nod. “She’s not.”
“I’ve heard rumors that she intends to join the war band.”
He carefully watched Nuala’s expression, pleased to see the wrinkle in her brow and the way she slightly pursed her lips. He had been counting on her disapproval. When he’d first heard the rumors upon arriving for the feast, he’d been less than thrilled. He wanted a bride, not a warrior. If Ciara were to get pulled away by the war band, she might not give him a second thought.
“She does,” Nuala finally replied, her disdain apparent in each word.
“You sound less than thrilled.”
“She’s hardly fit. Not with her condition.” She made a frustrated motion with her free hand. “The war band has long been the pride of Arth. It cannot afford a weak link. I just can’t seem to convince my parents of that.”
“You know, I had hoped to make her my wife one day.”
She cocked her head. “Have you now? I would have imagined that declaration would have been coming from your brother, not you.”
He gritted his teeth. As if he needed another reminder of Niall’s long-held infatuation with Ciara. “My brother no longer seems interested in the world outside of Castle Clogwyn, including her.”
“No, that he doesn’t.” Nuala snorted again. “You want something. I’m not a fool; spit it out.”
“We both want something. You want Ciara out of the war band and I want to offer her a life as my Banrion in Seabhac.”
“I’ve already agreed to allow her into the training.”
“And at the end of it?”
She angled herself toward him, the furrow in her brow deepening. “This is Pern Coen, not Kelnore. I can’t make the girl marry you.”
“I wasn’t suggesting that. I’m not stupid.” He lifted his chin. “I was merely expressing to you that she could have a future outside of the war band—with me. All you would have to do is deem her unfit. That’s well within your right as Ri.”
She studied him for a moment, pinching her lips. “And you would take it upon yourself to ease my potentially guilty conscience by proposing to her?”
“Precisely.”
“And if I deny her at the end of four months for your sake, what do I get out of this? And don’t say your business dealings. I’m not interested.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it. But I would be willing to make a deal with you separate from the one I’ve made with Kelnore. I know how important your fighting force is to you and I know you’ve heard of the new superior blades the smiths in Seabhac have been producing.”
She drained the last of her drink. “A one-time deal? And all I have to do is send her on her way at the end of her training?”
“Simple enough, isn’t it?”
She was silent for a long moment and he resisted the urge to press her. Much like her mother, Nuala had never cared for being backed into a corner. He’d made that mistake more than once when he’d first become Ri, and he wouldn’t repeat it.
Finally, she gave a slow nod. “Consider it done.”
He flashed her a smile, the tension in his shoulders easing. “A pleasure doing business with you, as always.”
She rolled her eyes. “Leave the flattery to your brother. Draw up a deal and have it delivered to me before you leave, but don’t be so foolish as to let my parents catch wind of this.”
“Of course,” he replied, giving her the low nod deserving of her station as Ri before wishing her well and slipping back into the crowd.
His chest felt lighter as he began to search the room for Ciara. The darkness of the past few months was starting to lift. He had almost completely earned back the coin that he had lost at the hands of his former father-in-law, Dougal, salvaging the mess that the other man had made of Seabhac’s previous dealings with Kelnore. He never should have trusted the man, just like he never should have married his daughter, Enfys.
Bleddyn had been the one to come up with the technique to create superior weapons and sell them to those on the mainland, and he was the one with connections to the Imperial House. But, like a fool, he had trusted Dougal and his daughter, only to have the other man squander his money and Enfys betray him. In the end, Enfys hadn’t waited to see if he could pull them out of the mess that they had found themselves in. Instead, she chose to leave him and return to her family.
But Ciara won’t be like that, he reminded himself as he walked toward the far end of the hall that had been cleared for dancing. When her world comes crashing down, I will be the one who is there for her. Her father was gone, having passed a few weeks prior, and everyone knew of both Lochlainn of Arth’s less than faithful wife and the poor relationship between mother and daughter. Ciara would need him in a way that Enfys never had. He would prove his father wrong, show Pern Coen that he wasn’t a failure and that his mother hadn’t been misguided in naming him Ri before her death. The tide was changing and soon, all of the island would see the greatness that he was capable of.
∞∞∞
Ciara shouldn’t have been as happy as she was that she and her mother had parted ways shortly after arriving at Castle Cryf for the evening. But if things between them had been strained before her father’s death, they
were shattered in the wake of it. The past month had felt like a year. On top of dealing with the loss of the one parent whose love she had never doubted, she’d had to deal with the devolving relationship between herself and her mother. At least in the last week, Aideen had let up disparaging her about joining the war band. She supposed that was something.
Shaking her head, she pushed the thoughts of her mother aside and grabbed another mug of ale from one of the long tables at the far end of the hall. In the end, Aideen had no real reason to complain. Ciara was two weeks shy of her twenty-second birthday, and the only reason that she had continued to remain in her parents’ home after she turned seventeen was to care for her ailing father. And that had been largely because she knew that her mother wouldn’t have done so. As always, Aideen had been too busy wasting their coin and looking for another, younger lover.
When Ciara took a sip of her drink, she noticed a bitter taste in her mouth, one that she didn’t think was entirely from the ale. Squaring her shoulders, she made her way through the crowd. She wouldn’t allow her mother to ruin her night. Tonight was a night celebration and she was going to enjoy it; her father would have wanted her to.
She was only a few feet away from the dance floor when a familiar voice called her name. Grinning, she turned around to see two of her closest friends, Eira and Sorcha, striding toward her.
“You wore it,” Eira said with a satisfied smirk, motioning to Ciara’s dress after the three of them exchanged hugs.
“I told you I would, didn’t it?” Ciara replied.
Sorcha cocked her head, fighting a smile. “What did your mother say?”
Ciara rolled her eyes. “That I’m the spitting image of Aunt Blodwen and I’ll be lucky if even one man dares to approach me tonight.”
They all laughed and Ciara glanced down at her gown. She’d worn it, along with the matching leather bracelet, for her father. The dress, along with the bear head bracelet, had been a gift from him before he passed. The cut of the gown was flattering, as far as Ciara was concerned, but the embroidery work along the long, billowy sleeves and the scooped-neck bodice made it stand out from the rest of the dresses in the room. While the other gowns displayed intricate beadwork and embroidered flowers, fashions that had come up from the south in recent years, Ciara’s was embroidered with fierce-looking bears that harkened back to the stories of the mythical Spirits that had created the island. She didn’t know how much she really believed in the old tales, but her father, much like her aunt and uncle, had always been devoted to them.
The Betrayer: Tales of Pern Coen (Legacy Book 1) Page 1
