The Caste Marked

by Mariah Esterly

  “And the Sylphs are going to do it?” Serra could hardly believe it. She could still feel the blade Henrick had held against her neck, the bite of steel into her flesh.

  “Well, it’s either that or face war with the king of Iperia and the Dryads. Sylvan is already working on a chamber for her at the school.” His gaze held Serra’s. “So, you see we can all go down to Isle of Eyes and live like one big happy family.”

  Serra was unconvinced. She had nearly died on that island. She had witnessed atrocities there and the very idea of stepping back onto it made her stomach turn. And besides, hadn’t Valeria made it clear that Serra had to heal the country? Wouldn’t the best place to do that be in the Capital city? Why had the message from her father been so cryptic?

  As if he read her thoughts, Reks said, “Valaine had collected quite a library over five hundred years. Might be you could find some answers to your questions in those books.”

  Serra stood and moved to look out the window. It would be so nice to escape the bustle of the city, to escape the king and the duties he expected her to perform. She had allowed herself to be paraded in front of his court like an oddity at a fair.

  There came a gentle tapping at the door. “Come in.” Serra called, without turning.

  “Begging your pardon, m’lady.” came Shelda’s voice, barely more than a squeak. “The king wishes for you to join him in the throne room. There is an envoy from Satel. His Majesty wishes for you to meet with them.”

  Serra sighed. “And why has this envoy from Satel arrived?”

  “To meet the Shifter of Iperia, m’lady.”

  That settled it. “Thank you, Shelda. You may go.” She waited for the sound of the door closing, but it didn’t come. Serra turned from the window and regarded her lady’s maid. “Is there something else?”

  “Lady Evalyne is also waiting with the seamstress for your dress fitting.”

  Serra nodded. “Yes, thank you, Shelda. You may go.”

  Still Shelda stayed. “What should I tell the king, m’lady?”

  Serra glanced at Reks who grinned at her. “Tell him I am leaving in an hour, so I will not be able to join him in the throne room. Tell him I am going to the Isle of Eyes.”

  About the Author

  Mariah Esterly lives in the Pacific Northwest where she grumbles about the rain in the Fall, Winter and Spring and complains that it is too hot in the summer. She is cohost of the Peripheral Show podcast (available on iTunes), where she and her friends get together and talk about spooky and strange stories in our world.

  She spends much of her time reading, eating popcorn and watching the Great British Bake Off.

  The Caste Marked is her first book, though she has many others in the works.

  Acknowledgements

  First off, I would like to thank coffee without which I would not be able to function as a normal human.

  Thank you to my friends and family who put up with countless texts and Facebook messages in the weeks leading up to the release of the book.

  Thank you to my sister, Lindsay, for always being willing to read my manuscripts. For your endless love and support. You have been my heart for my whole life and I love you so much.

  To Shelby and Jessi, thank you so much for your feedback and for taking the time to read this book and to provide invaluable feedback. To Lindsey, Bobby and Erin, thank you for helping me from the viewpoint of someone who has not read my book, to help guide me to the best ways to catch a possible readers eye. Everyone thanked in this paragraph amaze me constantly and I am so lucky to have such a supportive and wonderful groups of friends. I love you all.

  Thank you to Devin, who is a constant source of strength, support, humor and often a dose of reality (which I need a lot). Thank you for putting up with me while I pushed to finish this and released it. I love you so much and am so lucky to have partner like you.

  To my puppy Boomer, thank you for being a welcome distraction when I needed a break, and an unwelcome one when I didn’t. You are a very good puppers.

  Thank you to my parents, Rick and Terry, for allowing me to grow into the person I am today, and for letting me know I can do anything I set my mind to. I love you and appreciate you both so much.

  Thank you to Savannah Storms for doing the cover art for me on short notice. It looks spectacular!

  Thank you to anyone who reads this book, whether you enjoyed it or not. The fact that you took your time to read a book by an unknown author makes you AH-MAH-ZING! And super cool. So thank you.