Morwen reached into her satchel and removed an acorn. “I took this from the Oakseers’ Grotto. It was all that remained of the elder trees.” She broke the earth and planted it in the ground. “Maybe others are right to think the time of magic has passed. As for me, I will trust in the hope it will grow again. I still believe times can change. People too.” That last part seemed for his benefit more than hers.
“Your father would be proud of you. I know I am.” Berengar started toward his horse, but before he could swing himself onto the saddle, Faolán barked loudly in warning. When he turned around, a thief was holding a knife to Morwen’s throat. “You.”
It was Reyna. Having attempted to kill them more than once already, she was finally in a position to make good on her promise of vengeance. “Did you think I’d let them catch me before I paid you a visit?”
Berengar started to reach for his axe, but Reyna pressed the blade against Morwen’s skin.
“Don’t move, or I’ll cut her throat. And no funny business from you, either, magician.”
Berengar eased his hand from his axe. “Let her go. I was the one who took Calum’s hand.” He shook his head at Faolán, who waited to pounce on his command. There was too much distance between them to risk an attack.
Before Reyna could reply, her eyes glazed over, and the knife fell away.
“That’s not very nice.” Azura, once more in her human form, stepped out of the shadows. “This one’s been following you since you left the palace.” She held her wand to Reyna’s head and whispered in her ear. Suddenly, Reyna dropped to all fours and began to purr before scampering from the area. Azura roared with laughter as Berengar and Morwen exchanged glances. “I don’t think she’ll be bothering you two any time soon. She only thinks she’s a cat. It’s more fun than actually turning her into one, wouldn’t you say?”
Morwen didn’t seem to approve but nevertheless greeted Azura with a welcome embrace. “You were there for Lucien’s speech. I knew you wouldn’t miss it.”
“It seems our little imp might make a fine king after all. I’ve seen to it that a list of all my former contacts and associates in the Brotherhood winds up in the city watch’s possession. That should delight Tavish to no end.” Coupled with the arrests made when Lucien reclaimed the throne, it would help unravel the Brotherhood’s empire. “It seems my work here is finally complete.”
“Where will you go now?” Morwen asked.
“The Unseelie aren’t finished with Fál. Even I do not know where Völundr will end up after his journey through the looking glass. He’s still out there somewhere with the cursed blade.” Azura traced the edge of Morwen’s amulet. “Hopefully, Thane Ramsay is too.”
“I hope you find the answers you seek.” Morwen wrapped her in a tight hug. “Be careful. Fál is a dangerous place for a fairy.” Even without Valmont’s bounty on Azura’s head, fairy blood was a valuable commodity, and Lucien’s proclamation notwithstanding, to many people, the only good fairy was a dead fairy.
“Fortunately, I am quite dangerous myself.”
“That you are.” Berengar extended his hand to her. “Fál owes you a great debt. Consider yourself under the High Queen’s protection. You can always call upon Tara for help if you need it.”
Azura lifted the amulet from her neck and returned it to Morwen. “Keep it.”
“Are you sure? I can only use it at great cost.”
“I think Ramsay would have wanted you to have it. Farewell, my friends. I am sure we will meet again.” Azura gave her wand a slight twirl and disappeared without a trace.
“Fairies. Come on, Morwen. Let’s go.” Prepared to make their departure from Dún Aulin at last, they returned to the main road by way of Padraig’s Gate.
“So, where to now?”
“North. We’re to meet Callahan at the Inn of the Wayward Traveler before winter.”
“And until then?”
When they passed through the grand square, Berengar’s gaze fell on the bounties posted along the wall. He took one notice from the wall and read it before handing it to Morwen. “This looks interesting. Missing villagers in Mucklagh, near the border with Meath. The locals seem to think it’s the work of some monster. What do you say?”
Morwen grinned. “As long as it’s on the way…” She seized the reins in both hands and spurred her horse forward. “Race you to the gate!”
“You’re on.” He gave her a head start and took off in pursuit.
Acknowledgments
I started Warden of Fál with a very specific approach in mind.
I remember once searching the shelves at a bookstore for a new fantasy book. Every book I found was part of a series. In creating Warden of Fál, I decided to make each book stand alone. My hope was that readers could pick up any book in the series and read a complete story, while telling a larger story across the series.
It’s been a delicate balancing act at times—nowhere more than in this book, which deals with events and themes from The Wrath of Lords. After finishing the story, I ended up rewriting the last act of the book to make the story more self-contained. In a way, The City of Thieves is a conclusion of sorts to the arc began in The Wrath of Lords. Wrath was a dark story. No matter what Berengar did, it didn’t seem to make a difference. Then he met Morwen in The Blood of Kings, and together they saved Cashel, but only at a great cost. The City of Thieves reflects back on past events, including the return of old characters like Friar Godfrey, while also introducing friends and enemies. It’s also the most hopeful book in the series.
The world of the warden will only expand from here. Side characters and familiar faces will continue to come and go as Berengar and Morwen continue their adventures. In The Will of Queens, the search for a missing warden will take our protagonists north, where Berengar is forced to face his greatest regret. It’s the most brutal and emotional story yet.
The pieces are almost in place. Soon it will be time to bring them all together.
There are a number of people who deserve thanks for their help bringing this project to life. My cover artist, Jeff Brown, continues to knock it out of the park with each cover. Then there’s my incredible character illustrator, Matt Forsyth, and my map illustrator, Maxime Plasse. I also want to thank Katie King, my copyeditor, and Margaret Dean, my proofreader, for all their hard work.
My family sees these books before anyone else. I’ve written almost 1,500 pages of this series in a little over a year, and it’s been challenging at times for them to keep up with my writing pace, but I couldn’t do this without them. A special thanks to my mother Pamela Romines and my father Robert Romines for all you do to support these books.
I continue to be overwhelmed at all the support I’ve received from my community, and everyone who has taken the time to leave online reviews or share my work with others.
Finally, I want to thank you—the reader! You make this the best job in the world.
Until next time,
Kyle Alexander Romines
About the Author
Kyle Alexander Romines is a teller of tales from the hills of Kentucky. He enjoys good reads, thunderstorms, and anything edible. His writing interests include fantasy, science fiction, horror, and westerns.
Kyle's lifelong love of books began with childhood bedtime stories and was fostered by his parents and teachers. He grew up reading Calvin and Hobbes, R.L. Stine's Goosebumps series, and Harry Potter. His current list of favorites includes Justin Cronin's The Passage, Red Rising by Pierce Brown, and Bone by Jeff Smith. The library is his friend.
Kyle is a graduate of the University of Louisville School of Medicine, from which he received his M.D.
He plans to continue writing as long as he has stories to tell.
You can contact Kyle at [email protected]. You can also subscribe to his author newsletter to receive email updates and FREE electronic copies of his Warden of Fál prequel short, The Path of Vengeance, AND his horror/science fiction novella, The Chrononaut, at http://eepur
l.com/bsvhYP.
Also by Kyle Alexander Romines
Warden of Fál
The Path of Vengeance (prequel short story)
The Wrath of Lords
The Blood of Kings
The City of Thieves
The Will of Queens
Drone (Science Fiction/Superhero)
The Chrononaut (Science Fiction)
A Sound in the Dark (Thriller)
The Keeper of the Crows (Horror)
Bride (Horror)
Atonement (Western)
To sign up to receive author updates—and receive FREE electronic copies of Kyle’s Warden of Fál prequel short, The Path of Vengeance, AND his science fiction novella, The Chrononaut—go to http://eepurl.com/bsvhYP.
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