“Erimentha!” He had let this go on for too long. It was time he acted. Time they acted. He turned as the door behind him opened, and his wife entered the room.
“My lord?” She was an exotic beauty from far-away Krymistis, her eyes and skin as warm and promising as the flames devouring the letter the Witch Queen had sent them. Their daughter had no doubt inherited her beautiful features, but time would tell.
“Erimentha, my love, it is time. We've been summoned to the White Palace a month from now and will need to make preparations.” Something played behind her eyes, something odd, but women were like that. It was nothing worthy of his attention. Given the circumstances, he could almost understand it.
“My lord. We have already begun to mix poisons and plan traps. Our best assassins have been hired and are awaiting your word, my lord.” Ah, Erimentha. Such a wonderful, faithful, obedient thing she was. He'd known they were meant to be together, rule together, when he'd first met her. A pity she was tainted and was unlikely to breed him many heirs. His son, Kleon, had been the only exception, and while he was still young he had not shown any signs of the taint.
He hadn't been the only child to be born to them, of course. There had been three others, a time ago, but they had all been born with that vile evil tainting their souls. Once they had found out he'd had them executed. He had ordered their deaths to be quick and painless. They had been his children, after all, even if they had been abominations.
“Send one now. Maybe we won't need to set foot into Rifarne, if he succeeds.”
She nodded, her hands obediently folded in front of her. “He will, my lord.”
Arnost smiled. Kleon was getting older and no doubt wanted a brother. All children wanted siblings, and it would do him good to be the oldest child rather than the only child. He would see to it later that Kleon would not be alone much longer.
“Don't be so sure, my beautiful Erimentha. She is Queen now—she will have guards protecting the very ground she steps on. Her Highness will be well protected.” He knew their best chance off success was the first attempt, before they could grow cautious. They would not expect it yet, but should the first try fail... Rulers were always more careful once one attempt on their lives had been made. Rifarne was still busy rebuilding and accepting its new Queen. Getting in and out would be easy.
“What do you wish of me in the meantime, my lord?”
He smiled at her unspoken offer. “Get yourself undressed and into our chambers. I will be with you in a moment.”
She smiled in return, nodded and bowed, and left him to it.
What a day this was! What had transpired in Rifarne was a disgusting disaster—there was no better way to say it—but maybe there were things to look forward to. Erimentha was always a good distraction for his troubled mind, and would give him another son. The sooner the better.
And in the meantime, while his wife was heavy with child, he would travel to Rifarne and kill his daughter who now sat on the throne.
Dear reader,
Thank you so much for reading my book. There are a lot of wonderful books out there, and that you've chosen mine instead of one of those other incredible reads means the world to me.
If you have enjoyed Rise of the Sparrows, might you consider writing a review? Reviews sell books—and I'd owe you a tea and a cookie. It doesn't need to be long, it only needs to be honest.
If you haven't enjoyed it, that's fine, too. Thank you for giving me a chance, and I hope you enjoy your next read a lot more!
Happy reading,
Sarina
Acknowledgments
When I started writing this book in early 2015 I had no idea what I was in for. I knew it'd be stressful, I knew there'd be a lot of work, and I knew that, by the time the release date came around, I most likely wouldn't want to look at it anymore. Two of those are true.
I didn't know how incredibly welcoming and supportive the writing community would be—on Twitter, on Wordpress, and in several other corners of the internet, too.
THANK YOU to my thorough beta readers Kay, Faith Rivens, Paul Broome, Mollie Wallace, Kayleigh Osborne, Gerry Klabis and Sarah. Without them this book wouldn't have been the same.
THANK YOU to my editor Briana Mae Morgan. You've been a pleasure to work with, and I owe you a tea.
THANK YOU to Glynn from MonkeyBlood Design, who designed my awesome map and taught me a few things about cartography in the process.
THANK YOU to Rebecca and Andrew for my beautiful book cover. You were such a joy to work with, and I'll be back for the sequel!
THANK YOU to Claire Huston, Nicolette Elzie, Alan Morgan and Rhianne Williams.
A special THANK YOU to Sarah, who always had time to discuss idea with me when I was stuck, and who contributed more to this book than she knows.
THANK YOU to the incredible writing community on twitter and Cookie Break. You're all amazing, and I owe all of you teas and cookies.
And, finally, THANK YOU to you, dear reader. There are so many amazing books out there, and I'm humbled that you've chosen to read mine. I hope you've enjoyed it, and if you didn't – no hard feelings. Thank you for giving me a chance.
About the Author
Sarina studied Photography at university, but in the end the demons in her head won and she decided to write instead.
If you enjoyed this book, why not see what said demons are making her write right now? You can follow her...
… on her blog: sarinalangerwriter.com/
… on Twitter: twitter.com/sarinalanger
… or on Facebook: facebook.com/sarinalangerwriter/
###
Rise of the Sparrows (Relics of Ar'Zac #1) Page 27
