“My tools do not ride in the carts,” she said, voice deep and commanding.
“But, lady, madame—”
“Forgemaster.”
“F—Forgemaster, you have a long journey, and if you do not claim the space, I will have to give it away.” He wiped his forehead, and Nadya stifled a laugh.
“Then do so. Do not bother me again.”
“And I’d do it quickly before she decides to throw down with you for insinuating that she’s a delicate flower needing help.”
Nadya grinned as Shay strolled into view, her easy smirk scaring off the guardsman.
Jeta Forgemaster shook her head and trudged forward, leading one of the pairs of pack mules out toward the city’s gate.
“Having fun?” Nadya asked, walking up behind Shay.
To her credit, Shay did not jump. She turned, her smirk turning into a genuine smile. “And here I thought I would be able to sneak off without a tear-laden good-bye.” She gripped Nadya’s arm. “I am glad you came.”
“Me too.” Suddenly, her tongue turned thick and heavy, and everything she wanted to say failed her. Nadya stared at Shay until the other woman laughed.
“You look like you’ve someplace to be. Phoenix too. Don’t tell me that crazy cloaked woman is going to make an appearance at the wedding today.” Despite her light tone, the edges of Shay’s smile strained, and Nadya knew such carefreeness was an act.
“No. I am coming with you.” Finally, the words were there.
The smirk fell back slowly, as if Shay had heard her words piece by piece. “With the caravan? To the edge of the sea, of course. A send off from the great Iron Phoenix, hmm?” There, the smirk was back, but Nadya knew better. It was a shield, and Shay was practiced at wielding it.
Nadya closed the space between them until the soft scent of coals that was Shay’s alone filled her entire world. “Only if you stop there. I’m with you as far as you go, Shay. Beyond Storm’s Quarry, beyond the Kyanite Sea. To the end of the South Marches, or west past Wintercress. As far as the Dragon flies,” she added with a smile.
“Dragon, now?” But there was a quaver and the armor that Shay wore so well, the mask darker than her face paint, fell away. “The wedding?”
“Not going.” Her smile broadened as Shay’s eyes softened.
“And Kesali?”
“I choose you, Shay.” Stars, it felt good to say it. Nadya swallowed back the thickness in her throat. “I choose you,” she repeated.
“I don’t…” she stuttered, looking wildly about for Jeta, for a guardsman, for something to anchor her, but there were only the two of them as the end of the caravan left them in the Nomori square, headed for the gate of the city.
This was Shay, who could burn a person to cinders for looking at her wrong, who never showed a bit of weakness no matter how many soldiers were bearing down on her, who held Nadya as she relived Gedeon’s control and calmed her, unafraid of her strength, who faced the family that had thrown her out for dead when it mattered the most, to save Nadya’s city. Who now stood before Nadya, eyes vulnerable with hope and fear, mouth quivering, heart racing loud enough to frighten off the seabirds. Whose voice cracked only once as she asked, “Are you sure?”
Nadya took her hand and kissed the back of it, lips skimming over the forge-weathered skin, quelling Shay’s trembles. She looked up into Shay’s eyes and replied, “I have never been surer of anything, Natsia.”
About the Author
Rebecca Harwell grew up in Minnesota and has since lived around the Midwest, which has given her a love of winter and the prairie. She holds a BA in creative writing from Knox College and is currently pursuing her MS in library science at Indiana University.
Her writing reflects the comic books, space operas, and high fantasy epics she loves to read. When not writing, Rebecca can be found studying, watching Star Trek reruns, playing with her rabbit, and staging imaginary battles in her head. She remains unconvinced that unicorns aren’t real.
Rebecca can be contacted at: [email protected]
Website: http://www.rebeccaharwell.com/
Books Available from Bold Strokes Books
Escape in Time by Robyn Nyx. Working in the past is hell on your future. (978-1-62639-855-9)
Forget-Me-Not by Kris Bryant. Is love worth walking away from the only life you’ve ever dreamed of? (978-1-62639-865-8)
Highland Fling by Anna Larner. On vacation in the Scottish Highlands, Eve Eddison falls for the enigmatic forestry officer Moira Burns, despite Eve’s best friend’s campaign to convince her that Moira will break her heart. (978-1-62639-853-5)
Phoenix Rising by Rebecca Harwell. As Storm’s Quarry faces invasion from a powerful neighbor, a mysterious newcomer with powers equal to Nadya’s challenges everything she believes about herself and her future (978-1-62639-913-6)
Soul Survivor by I. Beacham. Sam and Joey have given up on hope, but when fate brings them together it gives them a chance to change each other’s life and make dreams come true. (978-1-62639-882-5)
Strawberry Summer by Melissa Brayden. When Margaret Beringer’s first love Courtney Carrington returns to their small town, she must grapple with their troubled past and fight the temptation for a very delicious future. (978-1-62639-867-2)
The Girl on the Edge of Summer by J.M. Redmann. Micky Knight accepts two cases, but neither is the easy investigation it appears. The past is never past—and young girls lead complicated, even dangerous lives. (978-1-62639-687-6)
Unknown Horizons by CJ Birch. The moment Lieutenant Alison Ash steps aboard the Persephone, she knows her life will never be the same. (978-1-62639-938-9)
Divided Nation, United Hearts by Yolanda Wallace. In a nation torn in two by a most uncivil war, can love conquer the divide? (978-1-62639-847-4)
Fury’s Bridge by Brey Willows. What if your life depended on someone who didn’t believe in your existence? (978-1-62639-841-2)
Lightning Strikes by Cass Sellars. When Parker Duncan and Sydney Hyatt’s one-night stand turns to more, both women must fight demons past and present to cling to the relationship neither of them thought she wanted. (978-1-62639-956-3)
Love in Disaster by Charlotte Greene. A professor and a celebrity chef are drawn together by chance, but can their attraction survive a natural disaster? (978-1-62639-885-6)
Secret Hearts by Radclyffe. Can two women from different worlds find common ground while fighting their secret desires? (978-1-62639-932-7)
Sins of Our Fathers by A. Rose Mathieu. Solving gruesome murder cases is only one of Elizabeth Campbell’s challenges; another is her growing attraction to the female detective who is hell-bent on keeping her client in prison. (978-1-62639-873-3)
The Sniper’s Kiss by Justine Saracen. The power of a kiss: it can swell your heart with splendor, declare abject submission, and sometimes blow your brains out. (978-1-62639-839-9)
Troop 18 by Jessica L. Webb. Charged with uncovering the destructive secret that a troop of RCMP cadets has been hiding, Andy must put aside her worries about Kate and uncover the conspiracy before it’s too late. (978-1-62639-934-1)
Worthy of Trust and Confidence by Kara A. McLeod. FBI Special Agent Ryan O’Connor is about to discover the hard way that when you can only handle one type of answer to a question, it really is better not to ask. (978-1-62639-889-4)
Amounting to Nothing by Karis Walsh. When mounted police officer Billie Mitchell steps in to save beautiful murder witness Merissa Karr, worlds collide on the rough city streets of Tacoma, Washington. (978-1-62639-728-6)
Becoming You by Michelle Grubb. Airlie Porter has a secret. A deep, dark, destructive secret that threatens to engulf her if she can’t find the courage to face who she really is and who she really wants to be with. (978-1-62639-811-5)
Birthright by Missouri Vaun. When spies bring news that a swordswoman imprisoned in a neighboring kingdom bears the Royal mark, Princess Kathryn sets out to rescue Aiden, true heir to the Belstaff throne. (978-1-62639-485-8)
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nbsp; Crescent City Confidential by Aurora Rey. When romance and danger are in the air, writer Sam Torres learns the Big Easy is anything but. (978-1-62639-764-4)
Love Down Under by MJ Williamz. Wylie loves Amarina, but if Amarina isn’t out, can their relationship last? (978-1-62639-726-2)
Privacy Glass by Missouri Vaun. Things heat up when Nash Wiley commandeers a limo and her best friend for a late drive out to the beach: Champagne on ice, seat belts optional, and privacy glass a must. (978-1-62639-705-7)
The Impasse by Franci McMahon. A horse packing excursion into the Montana Wilderness becomes an adventure of terrifying proportions for Miles and ten women on an outfitter led trip. (978-1-62639-781-1)
The Right Kind of Wrong by PJ Trebelhorn. Bartender Quinn Burke is happy with her life as a playgirl until she realizes she can’t fight her feelings any longer for her best friend, bookstore owner Grace Everett. (978-1-62639-771-2)
Wishing on a Dream by Julie Cannon. Can two women change everything for the chance at love? (978-1-62639-762-0)
A Quiet Death by Cari Hunter. When the body of a young Pakistani girl is found out on the moors, the investigation leaves Detective Sanne Jensen facing an ordeal she may not survive. (978-1-62639-815-3)
Buried Heart by Laydin Michaels. When Drew Chambliss meets Cicely Jones, her buried past finds its way to the surface—will they survive its discovery or will their chance at love turn to dust? (978-1-62639-801-6)
Escape: Exodus Book Three by Gun Brooke. Aboard the Exodus ship Pathfinder, President Thea Tylio still holds Caya Lindemay, a clairvoyant changer, in protective custody, which has devastating consequences endangering their relationship and the entire Exodus mission. (978-1-62639-635-7)
Genuine Gold by Ann Aptaker. New York, 1952. Outlaw Cantor Gold is thrown back into her honky-tonk Coney Island past, where crime and passion simmer in a neon glare. (978-1-62639-730-9)
Into Thin Air by Jeannie Levig. When her girlfriend disappears, Hannah Lewis discovers her world isn’t as orderly as she thought it was. (978-1-62639-722-4)
Night Voice by CF Frizzell. When talk show host Sable finally acknowledges her risqué radio relationship with a mysterious caller, she welcomes a real relationship with local tradeswoman Riley Burke. (978-1-62639-813-9)
Raging at the Stars by Lesley Davis. When the unbelievable theories start revealing themselves as truths, can you trust in the ones who have conspired against you from the start? (978-1-62639-720-0)
She Wolf by Sheri Lewis Wohl. When the hunter becomes the hunted, more than love might be lost. (978-1-62639-741-5)
Smothered and Covered by Missouri Vaun. The last person Nash Wiley expects to bump into over a two a.m. breakfast at Waffle House is her college crush, decked out in a curve-hugging law enforcement uniform. (978-1-62639-704-0)
The Butterfly Whisperer by Lisa Moreau. Reunited after ten years, can Jordan and Sophie heal the past and rediscover love or will differing desires keep them apart? (978-1-62639-791-0)
The Devil’s Due by Ali Vali. Cain and Emma Casey are awaiting the birth of their third child, but as always in Cain’s world, there are new and old enemies to face in post Katrina-ravaged New Orleans. (978-1-62639-591-6)
Widows of the Sun-Moon by Barbara Ann Wright. With immortality now out of their grasp, the gods of Calamity fight amongst themselves, egged on by the mad goddess they thought they’d left behind. (978-1-62639-777-4)
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